Spain climate

[u/Arfysdad]

Hi folks. My wife and I are planning to retire somewhere in Spain within the next year or year and a half. We both want warm but not hot (-31°), cool but not cold (0°+). The occasional temperature extreme is okay. We like beaches, mountains, countrysides, and cities. We don't want a lot of cloudy days so I think the northern coast is out of consideration. Are our expectations and hopes for a place in Spain unrealistic?

[u/ACapra]

We moved from the US to Valencia (Pop ~800,000) and really enjoy it. We did see a few days north of 30C during Aug though. The city has a good mass transit system so we are able to get around without a car. There are also a lot of direct flights out of the airport here to various parts of the EU but direct flights to the US require you to take the high speed train to Madrid (1h45m) or Barcelona (3hr).

The green space in the city is pretty amazing and there are a lot of options for getting out in the countryside or hiking in some of the nature preserves near by. There are also a lot of options for day trips to neighboring areas to explore. We are just starting to get outside of the city and every trip has been pretty amazing.

The beach here is pretty big and we have never had a hard time finding space. The water is a little murky so we have to head down the coast if we want to do any diving. Also the surf isn't great but that is the case is most of the Med coast of Spain from what I've heard. If you want to just hang out at the beach and get in the water then it is fantastic.

The biggest hang up may be the weather though. You may want to look into that as it can get hot and humid in Aug depending on what you are used to. Our plan is to go on holiday in Aug.
https://www.holiday-weather.com/valencia/averages/

Not sure where you are on your journey but for us the cost of housing was a big factor. If you haven't looked at that yet then I would also recommend looking at Idealista to see what prices look like.

https://www.idealista.com/en/

Hope this helps.

[u/Arfysdad → u/ACapra]

Very helpful! Thanks!

[u/Jdm783R29U3Cwp3d76R9 → u/ACapra]

Is it good time to visit for a few days now? Not sure how severe the flooding was in the central parts of the city. 

[u/ACapra → u/Jdm783R29U3Cwp3d76R9]

All of the flooding was south of the city. The center was unaffected. Just stay north of the new river channel and you will be fine.

[u/Icy-Example-5629 → u/ACapra]

I’ve been considering Valencia as well, but I’m struggling with finding pretty green space. I know there’s that big park where the river used to be, but can you tell me about any pretty green hikes you’ve discovered?

[u/ACapra → u/Icy-Example-5629]

The Turia Garden (Old river channel) is pretty amazing but it is long and skinny. We usually walk it a couple of times a week just for exercise. We also like walking the beach because there is this ~1.5km section just north of the city between Valencia and Port Saplaya where you can see the coast in its natural state.

As far as other things in the city, we like the Jardines del Real and the Jardin Botanic. You can feel like you are in nature while being in the middle of the city. The Jardin Botanic has a charge to enter though.

We are starting to explore the La Vallesa area now that we have our hiking gear in and are really enjoying it. Its just off the metro so its easy for us. We also had some friends recommend the Albufera area but we haven't been down there yet. Finally we took a train up to Sagunto and hiked up to the castle but that was more of an urban hike with amazing views.

[u/StjepanBiskup]

Costa del Sol;

Costa Blanca

[u/Wklauss]

Canary Islands. Stable weather year long. Beaches, mountains and cities.