Climate

The climate of the Spanish kingdom varies greatly, from the high peaks of the Pyrenees in the north, to the furthest sunbaked promontories of the Canary Islands lying off the coast of Africa. 

• Madrid, though extreme in climate on its high central plateau, is yet such a magnetic capital city that some foreigners will always live there, and wish to surround their homes with plants and flowers. For the rest, each of the Costa or Island areas of Spain has its own particular charms and devotees. This applies also to regions inland where the Arabs liked to live and where other discerning extranjeros have followed.
• Climate varies not only with latitude but also with altitude, the height above sea-level. In Catalonia for instance, the vines are planted along the coast and at varying heights, racing up the hillsides in a few kilometres to 2,000 feet and what is known as the “potato line”, where grapes give way to vegetables. A climate to suit many tastes lies in the variations between.
• The Costa Blanca has been described by the World Health Organization as having “almost as perfect an environment as it is possible to obtain”, with its hot summers and mild winters.
• The Costa del Sol is the most popular region of all among Spain’s new residents, again with hot summers, mild winters and a superb climate for flowers.

Whether you live west on the Costa de la Luz, with its fertile charm and Atlantic breezes, or east in the Balearic Islands of the Mediterranean, another of the many favoured regions, or choose to go south to Gran Canaria where strawberries begin at Christmas, there are many fine climates for life and leisure, and above all for gardeners.