The best places to embrace winter in Spain

Forget finding winter sun in Spain, why not embrace the cold and snow instead and visit some Spanish destinations which are ideal at this time of year? Skiing, bathing in thermal springs, stargazing – there are wintertime activities for all types of preferences.

Sierra Nevada for skiing and snow sports

The Sierra Nevada is one of the great hubs of winter sports in Spain, located just southwest of the city of Granada and north of the Alpujarras. It’s home to the highest mountain on mainland Spain – El Mulhacén and one of the country’s best ski resorts. Pop on your skis and hit the slopes, try your hand at snowboarding or head to Mirlo Blanco with the kids for a snowy amusement park and plenty of sledging fun.  

The Sierra Nevada is one of the best places to ski in Spain. Photo: Samuel Walker / Pexels

Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park for snowshoeing in the Pyrenees

Snowshoeing is another slightly less adrenaline-fuelled way of exploring Spain’s peaceful mountainous scenery in winter. One of the best places for this is of course the Pyrenees with a multitude of places to choose from. One of the most extraordinary landscapes here is the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. Near the ski resort and village of Espot lies a popular circular snowshoeing route you can even do with kids. It’s five kilometres long and passes through snow-dusted pine forests and jagged mountain peaks. 

Go snowshoeing in the Pyrenees. Photo: OhCaN / Pexels

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The Monfragüe Biosphere Reserve for stargazing in Extremadura

If you haven’t had enough of twinkly lights after Christmas and want to explore beyond our world, then you could revel in a wintery star gazing trip. Winter is in fact one of the best times for stargazing in Spain as nights start earlier giving you more time for viewing and the skies are less hazy from the heat, giving you clear viewing conditions. Extremadura is one of the best regions for stargazing given its vast underpopulated landscapes with very little light pollution. The Monfragüe National Park is the ideal spot, which was even awarded a Starlight Tourist Destination certificate. Another excellent choice is the Sierra de Gata. Both of these locations offer observatories, specialist star maps to help you identify what you’re looking at, tours and astrotourism accommodation too.

Head to Extremadura for a spot of stargazing. Photo: baptiste_lheurette / Pixabay

Catalonia to eat calçots

One of the most fun Catalan culinary traditions can only be enjoyed in winter, specifically the months from January to March. Calçots are leek-like vegetables, which are beloved in Catalonia and are often eaten during parties called calçotadas. They’re grilled over hot charcoals and open flames and dipped into a sweet nutty sauce called romesco. Calçots can be enjoyed throughout the region, but are best in more rural locations or small towns, than big cities like Barcelona. One of the best ways of attending one is to be invited by some local friends, who often hire a barbecue out in the countryside, but if this isn’t possible, there are lots of rural restaurants that offer calçotada menus complete with lots of grilled meat and wine. You could also visit the small town of Valls near Tarragona, the official home of calçots, which has lots of great places to try them. They even host an annual calçotada festival on the last Sunday in January where the whole town enjoys eating them together, along with calçot eating competitions, dancing and food stalls.  

When Catalans gather to eat calçots, they have a ‘calçotada’. Photo: Silvia Martín/Wikipedia (CC BY 2.0)

Ourense for thermal springs

Often referred to as the ‘Thermal Capital of Galicia’ or ‘City of Waters’, Ourense in the northwestern region of Galicia is a place to get out into nature whilst still staying toasty and warm by bathing in its several thermal springs. Its history and that of its hot springs dates back over 2,000 years ago to the Roman times. Part of the European Historic Thermal Towns Association, two of the most popular spots here is As Burgas, an ancient Roman bathing site and the Miño Thermal Promenade, where various thermal pools lay alongside a river.

Get warm in natural thermal springs in Galicia. Photo: José Antonio Gil Martínez / Wikicommons

San Sebastián for the Tamborrada festival

Most people think of visiting the Basque city of San Sebastián in summer due to its gorgeous coastal location and wide sandy beaches, but there are many reasons to visit in winter too. To see the city at its most fervent visit for the Tamborrada festival held each year on January 19th/20th. At midnight on the 19th, the city explodes into a huge drum battle with people dressed either as soldiers or chefs. The drumming then continues for a full 24 hours in a non-stop party. Historians believe the festival’s origins go all the way back to the Napoleonic Wars, when French soldiers took over the city, but the first drumming battle took place in 1836 at a local carnival.

Experience the Tamborrada festival in Donostia. Photo: SONY DSC / WikiCommons

Oviedo for hearty wintery cuisine

Although the capital of the northern region of Asturias has passed its title of Spain’s Capital of Gastronomy on to Alicante for 2025, the city is a top foodie hot spot and an ideal place in winter. Asturian food is hearty with huge portions and its cosy restaurants and cider bars are ideal great in cold weather. Its most revered dish is the fabada Asturiana, a thick stew made from white beans, chorizo, black pudding, and bones from a leg of ham, flavoured with delicate saffron.

Try the famous fabada Asturiana. Photo: Flavio Lorenzo Sánchez / Wikimedia commons

Tena Valley for active adventures in Aragón

The Tena Valley located in the heart of the Aragonese Pyrenees offers a multitude of fun-filled wintery adventures. An area of 400 square kilometres and 16 different villages. Choose to glide through the white landscapes on a snowmobile at Piedrafita de Jaca, ride the longest and highest double zip line in Europe at Hoz de Jaca, go skiing at the Aramón Formigal-Panticosa ski resort, or build an igloo and sleep in it for the night.

Experiences the thrills of the Tena Valley. Photo: Willtron / WikiCommons

Mallorca for almond blossom viewing  

Going to admire flowers and blossom may seem more like a spring activity than a wintery one, but on the Balearic Island of Mallorca, the almond blossom begins to bloom as early as the beginning of February. Take some time to visit the island at one of its quietest times of the year before all the other tourists descend and admire its Tramuntana mountain villages surrounded by a white powder of another kind – delicate flowers from its miles of almond orchards.

Feel the joy of spring in winter in Mallorca. Photo: Timmossholder / Pexels

Granada for snowy views and warming teahouses

If a winter city escape is more your vibe, you can’t go wrong with the Andalusian city of Granada. The city itself may not be covered in snow, but you’re sure to see white capped mountains in every direction surrounding you. Witnessing the magnificent Alhambra Moorish palace backed by snowy peaks makes it even more magical. And when you’re done, the city is filled with Moroccan style tea houses serving fragrant brews to keep you feeling toasty.

Alhambra is magical with snowy mountains behind. Photo: grangramers / Pixabay

And if you’re really not into embracing winter at all and just want to escape the cold and get as much winter sun as you can, then you can always head to the Canary Islands, where the temperature hovers around 20C and there are lots of beaches to explore.