The best time to visit Madrid
A July of 28°C with no rainy day on average, a January of 5°C, an October with the most rain, and three city festivals that make the crowds.
- Warmest
- July, 28.0°C daily mean, no rainy day
- Coldest
- January
- Wettest
- October, ten rainy days
Three things decide when to go to Madrid: the weather, how long the parks and palaces stay open, and whether you land on a city festival. The daily mean is 5°C in January and 28°C in July, when on average there is not a single rainy day. The most rain falls in October, ten days. From April to September the Retiro stays open until midnight and the Royal Palace until seven in the evening, which is why those months are the ones picked for walking. The table is below, and after it what changes a plan.
The year month by month
Through the year
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
The days are longer from April to September
The Retiro is open from six in the morning to midnight from April to September and until ten in the evening from October to March. The Royal Palace is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 7pm in the first season and from 10am to 6pm in the second. On Sundays it is open from 10am to 4pm in both, with entry stopping an hour before.
The Palacio de Velázquez in the Retiro, free and open every day, runs from 10am to 9pm in summer and until 6pm from October to March. With July at 28°C and no rainy days on average, what summer gives you is the evening: the park stays open until midnight and the palace takes visitors until seven.
October is wetter than spring
In the table October is the wettest month, with ten rainy days, ahead of March with nine and September with eight, while May and June have six each. These are averages for 2021–2024, and four years is a short sample. If you come in October, put the museums on the wet day; if you can choose, May gives 18.3°C on average and six rainy days.
Three festivals that make the crowds
San Isidro is on 15 May, a city holiday. The programmes run for about ten days, at the Pradera de San Isidro, the Plaza Mayor, Las Vistillas and Matadero Madrid. Pride, a parade and a run of concerts, falls at the end of June and the start of July, with Chueca as its centre. In 2026 it ran from 25 June to 5 July, with the national march on Saturday 4 July between Atocha and Colón.
La Paloma is around 15 August in La Latina, at Las Vistillas and the Plaza de la Paja, and is free. The exact days of La Paloma shift from year to year, so look at the city programme before you book.
Winter
If you come in January, expect a daily mean of 5.1°C and six rainy days, and the Retiro closes at ten in the evening, two hours earlier than in summer. The palace closes at six, and on Sundays at four. A trip out of town is a shorter day in winter: the Alcázar in Segovia and El Escorial close at six, so take the morning train.
Which month for whom
- Walking and terraces: May, June and September, with the Retiro open until midnight.
- The least rain: July with no rainy day and August with two, but at a mean of 28°C.
- Festivals: May for San Isidro, the end of June for Pride, August for La Paloma; each fills its own district.
- Winter: January and February, at a mean of 5–8°C and with a palace that closes at six.
Where to next
Getting around Madrid
→Madrid's centre is crossed on foot and the metro handles the rest, so the one choice that costs real money is the ride in from Barajas: metro line 8, the all-night bus or a fixed-fare taxi.
Cuenca · 139 km
→Houses hanging over a gorge, an hour by train from Madrid
How well does Madrid suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like Madrid
Three places with the closest scores, from any country.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
What is the best month to visit Madrid?
May: a daily mean of 18.3°C, six rainy days, the Retiro open until midnight and San Isidro on 15 May. June and September come next for walking.
When does it rain most in Madrid?
In October, ten rainy days on average for 2021–2024; March has nine and September eight. July has no rainy day.
When is Pride in Madrid?
At the end of June and the start of July; in 2026 from 25 June to 5 July, with Chueca as its centre and the national march on Saturday 4 July.
Ready for Madrid?
Front row for the next trip
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