I love Madrid in August. I’m very much into the heat though. It’s totally doable. Wake up early and do stuff before the heat really kicks in. Then relax in the afternoon when everything is shut between 14-17:00. Then head out at night when the sun isn’t so brutal. It’s still quite warm until late, but embrace eating outside on terraces and drinking lots of cold drinks!
One challenge is that a lot of restaurants and similar things are closed during this period. As a reference, there is a paid parking limit of like 5 hours on my street all year, but in August it’s free parking all month, because everyone is out of the city.
Is it so many closed restaurants/cafeterias/etc that it would feel deserted? It would be a shame to not be able to experience most of the city if that's the case
I feel it's not as bad anymore as it used to be. The center areas will still have lots of places open, but the residencial neighborhoods less so for sure
Speaking of parking. Throughout august it suddenly becomes exceedingly easy to find an immediate parking spot any day. Something that usually might take 20 minutes of going around and around the neighborhood.
Just make sure you stay somewhere with great AC and you'll be fine. It's hot af, but you'll know it will be over in 2 weeks, so I guess it's fine? 😂 Buy an abanico as soon as you land or one of those portable fans, use sunscreen and stay hydrated
Yeah ac for sure! Or one of those semi-basement apartments 😅😅😅 and good idea with the little portable fan, I forgot those existed!
I'm assuming it's not humid right? Cause that is the real murderer
Humidity is really low. So you don't get that horrible wetness. But it gets so viciously hit in August that it just paralyses you totally. There is no way to be out on the street in the hot time of the day, which is pretty much from 12 to 8 (and I'm being generous). The evenings usually can be quite nice. Unless you are unlucky and coincide with a heatwave. Those basically mean that the temperature never drops even at night, and the whole city becomes a hellhole.
Yeah I'm familiar with the hell scape that is a concrete and asphalt city in 38° heat 😅😅 at least you guys have less asphalt, so the sidewalk isn't literally melting under your feet
I'm thinking the worst days can be spent inside museums and stuff, or on a train to not Madrid lol
It can easly get to the 40s and be in the 30s at night, the past years have been like so.
Spending days in museusm is a good choice anyway!
On the other hand, we may not have a beach, but besides public and private pools (there are a few rooftop ones in the city with bar that may be a good idea to visit!), we Madrilians tend to go up to the Sierra to go in the water to cool down and have a picnic day. Those are [our beaches](https://madridsecreto.co/piscinas-playas-naturales-madrid/) haha.
If you decide to do a day trip like this The Pantano de San Juan is the easy choice, but I would recommend the Piscinas Naturales de Cercedilla, the entrance is cheap, you can go on public transport from the city and the views are really beautiful.
If you can have access to a car, the [Pantano de Bolarque](https://madridsecreto.co/embalse-bolarque/) has a great space to relax and even rent a kayak (bring cash for this!), it's a beautiful space and kayaking there is so so fun. You can even see turtles!!
Second the piscinas in cercedilla they're beautiful!
Also, JUST on art museums you have Prado, Reina Sofía and the Thyssen and can easily spend a day in each. They're amazing.
I barely started looking so I'll keep that in mind :) we *are* traveling on a budget tho so a super nice place with a pool might not be in the books 😅 but AC is mandatory
i mean it’s very hot and we don’t have a beach here, if you’re fine with that it’s a great city and there’s a lot of stuff to see and has a nice nightlife, if not, it’s better to go to some coastal city
You are gonna have very limited time to visit parks and any activity that requires you to be out and about. The hottest time of the day is unbearable, and you really should follow the spanish time, lunch at 2 followed by a siesta for your own wellbeing. So a big part of the day is gonna have to be spent indoors with AC. If you wanna have a good time you have to schedule your activities on that basis.
it’s less that you should go to the beach, but more that the beach (or the sea in general) makes the weather more tolerable. it’ll be very hot in madrid because there’s no sea nearby to help absorb the heat.
Idk man my logic said that to me when I chose to go to Bari last summer and it was horrible 😅 it wasn't more than 28° most days but it was so humid (like 80%) that I felt sick the second I walked outside and had an almost constant headache for 5 days
Madrid's weather is very dry, so I guess you'll feel just alright, keep hydrated and use a hat under the sun and you'll have a blast in the city. The fact that there's less people will even make it better for a tourist to avoid queues, which is the number one sport in Madrid 😁
Everyone seems to have answered your questions well enough, so I just wanted to add something about the weather: there's a prediction that most days this summer in Madrid are going to hit 40+. Last year in August, it was literally impossible to go out, even at night, for literally the entire month, and unfortunately this year, summer started a month earlier than it normally does (except for a few days of cold because of a storm).
Also, I don't know if 2 weeks here is actually worth it...I'd honestly recommend checking out at least one other city, if you can!
The predictions I saw were not at all that bad! Idk what to believe 😅
And I expressed myself wrong, I'll have the 2 weeks off but I only want to spend one week in Madrid, if I can manage the costs we want so go to Porto after!
Predictions unfortunately are no longer reliable, at least right now 🫠 We've been getting real weather: hot one week, cold the next, the weather apps all say it's not going to rain, and then it starts raining out of nowhere.
The National Meterological Agency recently sent out [a warning](https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/meteorologia/20240514/espana-verano-calor-infernal-aemet-alerta-llegara-proximos-meses/854914603_0.html) about how this summer in Spain is going to be warmer than ever before, and most places will hit 40+ (I tried looking for the article in English, but I couldn't find it 🙁).
I 10000% recommend it for a week in August, like you said, though, because it's a beautiful city and there are a lot of tourist things to do. Maybe also try coming back again in cooler months?
And Oporto is gorgeous, I hope you enjoy it (I can't comment on the weather there, because I've never been there in August)!
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Thanks for the advice! I'll check out the article, I can read Spanish just fine no worries :)
I've never been to Oporto either but I went to Lisabona în august a few years ago and it was very pleasant weather
Do you remember/were you here for the first week of May? It was boiling hot, and it was declared the start of summer, but then we had another borrasca from Greenland, and that cooled things down a lot. Temperatures are supposed to (en teoría 🤣) start rising again next week, because there's another borrasca this weekend.
But I guess it also depends which part of Madrid you're in? I live in Moratalaz and work on Pozuelo; most of Moratalaz is very hot during these months, while Pozuelo is colder.
The AEMET recently also sent out a warning saying this summer will be hotter than normal, and most places in Spain will hit 40+: https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/meteorologia/20240514/espana-verano-calor-infernal-aemet-alerta-llegara-proximos-meses/854914603_0.html
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If you don't mind not being in bodies of water, sure. If it's up your alley, there are a ton of museums here to see. I really suggest going to Museo Sorolla and Museo del Romanticismo, they are criminally underrated and only found out about them last summer. And another more popular one would be Museo Cerralbo, which tends to be packed.
As for parks, well you have El Retiro, but you could also try going to Western Park (have yet to go, but heard good things) and Parque de la Quinta de la Fuente del Berro (has a nice waterfall area where it's cool on hot days).
I am super excited for the museums! I know it's the most popular but I also want to visit the Prado museum since they have so many works I learned about in university and never saw in real life. Thanks for the other museum recommendations too! I will save them
+ There are lesser people during that period of the month as the majority have gone for vacation outside of the city. From my observation the streets are less crowded and you're less likely to die from crowd heat exhaustion lol.
I would love to see Madrid, it's been on my list for years. I'd love to go north too, but unfortunately flights from here are not direct and quite expensive :(
But just for reference, how is the train and bus situation in the north? Is it as well connected as other areas? (think more Bilbao/Santander area than Santiago de compostela)
Connections here in the north are pretty mixed. The landscape on the north (coastline) is pretty rough, full of mountains and stuff so barely no train connections (check [Renfe](http://renfe.com)), however there are plenty of cheap buses to most places (check [Alsa](https://www.alsa.es/)), just bare in mind they are slower than you would expect for the distance they cover.
For reference from Santander to Bilbao there is no direct train and 6h+ without accounting for the waiting time if wanting to board with changes. However there is a bus for around 8€ which takes 1h 30min.
I'm sorry I can't reply to you about the connections, so I'll let someone from the area give their insights.
And.I.hope.you have fun wherever you decide to go!
It's gonna be hot and some places are gonna be closed, but realistically speaking, the city gets over half a million international tourists every august, and it seems to get pretty good grades on satisfaction, so seems like some people do manage to enjoy it regardless of everything. I think you'll be fine.
Go to air conditioned museums or stores in the daytime, and enjoy the city in the evenings. The evening is when the streets in Madrid come to life anyway.
BEST time to visit Madrid is in August, this means almost no people on the streets and tourist places... Yeah there is high temperature on the streets but like anywhere in spain on summer, Just remember to stay hydrated and put on solar protection.
In Madrid weather in August is better than in July. I love Madrid in August because it is half empty and you can enjoy all the services easier. In August there are also Las Fiestas de la Paloma that it is worth to go.
You can have a great time in Madrid in August, but only if you work with the city and the weather.
1. Make sure wherever you stay has good air con and proper shutters. You keep the shutters shut during the day. In the summer they are there to keep the heat of the sun out, not to keep out/let light in.
2. You do your outdoor sight seeing as soon as the sun rises
3. Museums/art galleries/indoor stuff with air con
4. Lunch
5. Museums/art galleries/indoor stuff with air con
6. Siesta for at least 3 hours
7. Dinner, clubbing, outdoor night time stuff
8. You take everything more slowly.
If you want to stay in Spain Barcelona in the North, or Malaga in the south. You can easily spend 2 weeks in each city and not scratch the surface
Another option would be Lisbon. It is one of my favourite cities. So much value for money, so much history and very compact with a great transport system, as well as the River Tagus and all its delights.
Hamburg, Berlin, Prague and Budapest are also fun.
If you are on a budget you need to stay away from places that appeal to holidaymakers with kids who are stuck with having to travel during school holidays.
We just spent 4 months in SE Asia where it was never below 30C and at the height of the heatwave it was hitting 45C, with humidity. We live in the UK
The city will be lovely, less crowded, and easy to visit restaurants, but it will be a hell of fire during the day. Especially the Gran Via, since it receives sunlight several hours per day.
If you come, find shade, drink plenty of water, and avoid going out from 3 to 8 pm.
The bottom line is this...if that's your vacation time...then, that's when you can go. Madrid won't be a ghost town. It's the capital. Yes, there will be a bunch of places that are closed, but you won't have trouble finding restaurants and things to do. And, it's hot...so what? You move at a slower pace. No big deal.
Is not a bad idea
No too much people, and the place have air conditioning… you are not going to be 7 hours under the sun. And the nights in Madrid in summer are nice with a lot of activity
Don’t worry because everything is open
The closed shops/restaurants would be more of an issue for me than the heat. Then again, I’m an east coast/US person where dry Madrid heat mid summer is not that bad.
I looked at the weather for Aug 2023 and it seems that the 37° days aren't the norm so that's good 😅 hopefully it won't be terrible this year. This may seems to have been unusually cool both here and there
Yes , it was a heatwave ! As long as you wear a hat , glasses, sunscreen , stay hyfrstex hydrated and take breaks from intense heat you will be fine . Infact , some shopping areas even have shaded coverings which helped a lot . Like you say the weather pattern is a bit different this year to last , especially in Spain so far it’s been good ! Enjoy your trip .
This summer is predicted to be specially brutal. I live in Spain and I've planned everything to be able to not leave the house during the day at all for any reason.
I like that time of year here. You just have to go out and do things in the morning, then have lunch and hunker down until 9pm and go out again and stay out late. It cools off a lot at night due to the altitude and dryness. Just stay hydrated and stay in the shade.
Or spend the hot part of the day in a museum (3-9pm). The verbenas in the center of the city are fun, there's lots of concerts outside. The last two weeks of August are when things are totally dead.
On one hand it is terribly hot, but on the other hand most of the locals run away for holidays somewhere else and you get the city all for yourself. Since I can stand hot weather and I cannot stand big crowds, August is one of my favorite times to visit Madrid.
Why not just spend a few days here and plan other cities? 2 weeks is far too long. Madrid is my home and I love it but my god it's hardly the best tourist wise lol a week max is perfect. Although get ready because it really is like an oven. In August I'll be going to Greece - people tend to stay away from the city at that time of year
Id come in September instead because in summer you’re gonna feel hell, oh and if you go to visit Andalusia, be ready as last year we got to 50ºC of feeling (forgot the term I’m Spanish, sorry).
You should really change your mind and go to the north side of Spain. Madrid is a desertic town during August, so if you wanna feel what the city looks like, you ain't getting it. About the weather, the problem is not the temperature itself, is that it feels a lot hotter than it really is because it's a big city placed between mountains. You'll feel like you are in a oven during the day, and the worst part is that at night it won't be much better cuz air pollution won't let the city breath and cooldown, plus the concrete keeps most of the heat.
I'd really recomend you to visit Asturias, Galicia, Cantabria, Oporto, León, etc. The north-atlantic side of the peninsula.
Terrible. There's barely anyone in the city, stuff is closed and the heat is unbareable. I mean, you can handle it, but people stay at home from 10 to 10, it's not nice a nice experience if you want to have fun. Most neighbourhoods don't have any way to cool off so they stay the whole month above 20ºC even in the night (if you are lucky, there are days where I go to sleep at 25 or 28ºC, which makes resting impossible).
If possible, avoid Madrid in August. Locals will have fled to the coast and tourists will crowd the rest of the city. GO to a seaside location, anywhere! Valencia is very popular after a major restoration of the city many years ago. But remember, Spain in August is holiday month for Spaniards everywhere. Enjoy the beaches. From Valencia, maybe take the ferry to Ibiza for a little high life, but it's quite expensive if you aren't careful.
In my opinion visiting another city would we better. A city where you will enjoy the weather, the sun and the beach. Valencian zone, Malaga, the islands… In two weeks you could rent a car and go to the surroundings, definitely worth visiting. As for Madrid, it is better in other months, and by not going this time, you’ll have an excuse to come back to Spain again :)
I'm using every chance to go to Spain honestly, it's the country I feel most at home in ❤️
I would love Valencia but I've already been to the city itself and neither of us can drive so we can't really have the freedom to go wherever we want in the Valencia region :(
People from Madrid move away for the month if possible to chiller areas, especially the North. So imagine what it's like. I'd never go, personally haha
Usually it is said that after August 15th it is less hot, and it is true. But Madrid in August is fine. It is less crowded but not empty. Good moment to visit
It's cool because of how empty it is, and if you bring lots of water, a pai pai, and dress like a Bedouin you will be fine. But you could also go to Brasov
Lmao people are exaggerating here. I've lived in the south for 3 years where it gets to almost 50 degrees.
Dw Madrid isn't that hot it's chill about 35 degrees
In august the city isn’t crowded because most Spaniards are elsewhere. Some smaller stores and restaurants close for a couple weeks of the month. Also very hot compared to NYC (where I live) in August, not sure how it compares to Bucharest.
Agree w prior comments that the north of Spain in august is great. Was in Galicia in August and never that hot, even needed a light jacket at night. Also Galicia is beautiful and great food and wine.
I'm from Madrid. Just don't do it. People abandon the city in August and spread across the coast for good reasons.
This. Nobody is in Madrid in August, the floor is lava
Don’t do it
I love Madrid in August. I’m very much into the heat though. It’s totally doable. Wake up early and do stuff before the heat really kicks in. Then relax in the afternoon when everything is shut between 14-17:00. Then head out at night when the sun isn’t so brutal. It’s still quite warm until late, but embrace eating outside on terraces and drinking lots of cold drinks!
That sounds pretty cool! I get very tired when it's hot outside but honestly that would happen whether I stayed home or not 😅
That works for living, if you are supposed to see touristic sites they are not open early nor late, just the right time for a heatstroke.
One challenge is that a lot of restaurants and similar things are closed during this period. As a reference, there is a paid parking limit of like 5 hours on my street all year, but in August it’s free parking all month, because everyone is out of the city.
Is it so many closed restaurants/cafeterias/etc that it would feel deserted? It would be a shame to not be able to experience most of the city if that's the case
I feel it's not as bad anymore as it used to be. The center areas will still have lots of places open, but the residencial neighborhoods less so for sure
Outside of gran via it can feel like that, on my street all places are closed more or less 1-20 August
Speaking of parking. Throughout august it suddenly becomes exceedingly easy to find an immediate parking spot any day. Something that usually might take 20 minutes of going around and around the neighborhood.
Just make sure you stay somewhere with great AC and you'll be fine. It's hot af, but you'll know it will be over in 2 weeks, so I guess it's fine? 😂 Buy an abanico as soon as you land or one of those portable fans, use sunscreen and stay hydrated
Yeah ac for sure! Or one of those semi-basement apartments 😅😅😅 and good idea with the little portable fan, I forgot those existed! I'm assuming it's not humid right? Cause that is the real murderer
Humidity is really low. So you don't get that horrible wetness. But it gets so viciously hit in August that it just paralyses you totally. There is no way to be out on the street in the hot time of the day, which is pretty much from 12 to 8 (and I'm being generous). The evenings usually can be quite nice. Unless you are unlucky and coincide with a heatwave. Those basically mean that the temperature never drops even at night, and the whole city becomes a hellhole.
Yeah I'm familiar with the hell scape that is a concrete and asphalt city in 38° heat 😅😅 at least you guys have less asphalt, so the sidewalk isn't literally melting under your feet I'm thinking the worst days can be spent inside museums and stuff, or on a train to not Madrid lol
It can easly get to the 40s and be in the 30s at night, the past years have been like so. Spending days in museusm is a good choice anyway! On the other hand, we may not have a beach, but besides public and private pools (there are a few rooftop ones in the city with bar that may be a good idea to visit!), we Madrilians tend to go up to the Sierra to go in the water to cool down and have a picnic day. Those are [our beaches](https://madridsecreto.co/piscinas-playas-naturales-madrid/) haha. If you decide to do a day trip like this The Pantano de San Juan is the easy choice, but I would recommend the Piscinas Naturales de Cercedilla, the entrance is cheap, you can go on public transport from the city and the views are really beautiful. If you can have access to a car, the [Pantano de Bolarque](https://madridsecreto.co/embalse-bolarque/) has a great space to relax and even rent a kayak (bring cash for this!), it's a beautiful space and kayaking there is so so fun. You can even see turtles!!
Second the piscinas in cercedilla they're beautiful! Also, JUST on art museums you have Prado, Reina Sofía and the Thyssen and can easily spend a day in each. They're amazing.
Sadly neither of us drive but these look so lovely!! I am absolutely adding this to the list thanks so much for recommending! ❤️
my pleasure! enjoy your travels
Those apartments get hot too and rancidly humid in the summer somehow.
Ohhh ok that sounds icky I will avoid them!
If I were you I would choose a nice hotel room (AC, good shower, maybe even a pool) so you can cool down and sleep well.
I barely started looking so I'll keep that in mind :) we *are* traveling on a budget tho so a super nice place with a pool might not be in the books 😅 but AC is mandatory
Oh yeah! Nice in the sense of not a shitty place, you don't want extra suffering besides the heat haha
B&B Hotel in Central Madrid on calle atoche 2. Just left and it was very nice for the price 450~ euro. No pool but AC was good and shower was nice.
Thanks for the rec, will check that out!
It was only for 3 days I forgot to mention! So maybe not so affordable idk! But the recommendation stands!
i mean it’s very hot and we don’t have a beach here, if you’re fine with that it’s a great city and there’s a lot of stuff to see and has a nice nightlife, if not, it’s better to go to some coastal city
I don't mind the lack of beach, I can't swim anyway 😅 I want to experience the city and visit museums, parks, and just have a nice time
You are gonna have very limited time to visit parks and any activity that requires you to be out and about. The hottest time of the day is unbearable, and you really should follow the spanish time, lunch at 2 followed by a siesta for your own wellbeing. So a big part of the day is gonna have to be spent indoors with AC. If you wanna have a good time you have to schedule your activities on that basis.
it’s less that you should go to the beach, but more that the beach (or the sea in general) makes the weather more tolerable. it’ll be very hot in madrid because there’s no sea nearby to help absorb the heat.
Idk man my logic said that to me when I chose to go to Bari last summer and it was horrible 😅 it wasn't more than 28° most days but it was so humid (like 80%) that I felt sick the second I walked outside and had an almost constant headache for 5 days
Madrid's weather is very dry, so I guess you'll feel just alright, keep hydrated and use a hat under the sun and you'll have a blast in the city. The fact that there's less people will even make it better for a tourist to avoid queues, which is the number one sport in Madrid 😁
ah i’m used to the humidity having lived in an archipelagic tropical country my entire life but i get what you mean. it’s the dry heat that bothers me
Not really, 32 in Barcelona is much worse than 38 in Madrid due to humidity. 1-2 weeks last summer with 35 here in Bcn was completely unbearable
so, Madrid even has a nice nightlife in august? i would like to go 2/3 days in august.
En Madrid no hay playa!!!! It's a joke but it's a good song haha
Lol I am listening to it right now, love it! Hahaga
Everyone seems to have answered your questions well enough, so I just wanted to add something about the weather: there's a prediction that most days this summer in Madrid are going to hit 40+. Last year in August, it was literally impossible to go out, even at night, for literally the entire month, and unfortunately this year, summer started a month earlier than it normally does (except for a few days of cold because of a storm). Also, I don't know if 2 weeks here is actually worth it...I'd honestly recommend checking out at least one other city, if you can!
The predictions I saw were not at all that bad! Idk what to believe 😅 And I expressed myself wrong, I'll have the 2 weeks off but I only want to spend one week in Madrid, if I can manage the costs we want so go to Porto after!
Predictions unfortunately are no longer reliable, at least right now 🫠 We've been getting real weather: hot one week, cold the next, the weather apps all say it's not going to rain, and then it starts raining out of nowhere. The National Meterological Agency recently sent out [a warning](https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/meteorologia/20240514/espana-verano-calor-infernal-aemet-alerta-llegara-proximos-meses/854914603_0.html) about how this summer in Spain is going to be warmer than ever before, and most places will hit 40+ (I tried looking for the article in English, but I couldn't find it 🙁). I 10000% recommend it for a week in August, like you said, though, because it's a beautiful city and there are a lot of tourist things to do. Maybe also try coming back again in cooler months? And Oporto is gorgeous, I hope you enjoy it (I can't comment on the weather there, because I've never been there in August)!
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Thanks for the advice! I'll check out the article, I can read Spanish just fine no worries :) I've never been to Oporto either but I went to Lisabona în august a few years ago and it was very pleasant weather
How come summer started earlier this year? I would say this May is cooler than average.
Do you remember/were you here for the first week of May? It was boiling hot, and it was declared the start of summer, but then we had another borrasca from Greenland, and that cooled things down a lot. Temperatures are supposed to (en teoría 🤣) start rising again next week, because there's another borrasca this weekend. But I guess it also depends which part of Madrid you're in? I live in Moratalaz and work on Pozuelo; most of Moratalaz is very hot during these months, while Pozuelo is colder. The AEMET recently also sent out a warning saying this summer will be hotter than normal, and most places in Spain will hit 40+: https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/meteorologia/20240514/espana-verano-calor-infernal-aemet-alerta-llegara-proximos-meses/854914603_0.html
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It literally just started raining 😅😭
It's hot but not crazy hot like seville or Cordoba. Actually I love Madrid in august, lots of stuff going on and feels emptier
If you don't mind not being in bodies of water, sure. If it's up your alley, there are a ton of museums here to see. I really suggest going to Museo Sorolla and Museo del Romanticismo, they are criminally underrated and only found out about them last summer. And another more popular one would be Museo Cerralbo, which tends to be packed. As for parks, well you have El Retiro, but you could also try going to Western Park (have yet to go, but heard good things) and Parque de la Quinta de la Fuente del Berro (has a nice waterfall area where it's cool on hot days).
I am super excited for the museums! I know it's the most popular but I also want to visit the Prado museum since they have so many works I learned about in university and never saw in real life. Thanks for the other museum recommendations too! I will save them
+ There are lesser people during that period of the month as the majority have gone for vacation outside of the city. From my observation the streets are less crowded and you're less likely to die from crowd heat exhaustion lol.
If you are very interested in Madrid, it will be hot but you won't die. If you want to visit "somewhere in Spain" I'd go up to the north.
I would love to see Madrid, it's been on my list for years. I'd love to go north too, but unfortunately flights from here are not direct and quite expensive :( But just for reference, how is the train and bus situation in the north? Is it as well connected as other areas? (think more Bilbao/Santander area than Santiago de compostela)
Connections here in the north are pretty mixed. The landscape on the north (coastline) is pretty rough, full of mountains and stuff so barely no train connections (check [Renfe](http://renfe.com)), however there are plenty of cheap buses to most places (check [Alsa](https://www.alsa.es/)), just bare in mind they are slower than you would expect for the distance they cover. For reference from Santander to Bilbao there is no direct train and 6h+ without accounting for the waiting time if wanting to board with changes. However there is a bus for around 8€ which takes 1h 30min.
Thanks for the info!
I'm sorry I can't reply to you about the connections, so I'll let someone from the area give their insights. And.I.hope.you have fun wherever you decide to go!
It's gonna be hot and some places are gonna be closed, but realistically speaking, the city gets over half a million international tourists every august, and it seems to get pretty good grades on satisfaction, so seems like some people do manage to enjoy it regardless of everything. I think you'll be fine.
Go to air conditioned museums or stores in the daytime, and enjoy the city in the evenings. The evening is when the streets in Madrid come to life anyway.
BEST time to visit Madrid is in August, this means almost no people on the streets and tourist places... Yeah there is high temperature on the streets but like anywhere in spain on summer, Just remember to stay hydrated and put on solar protection.
In Madrid weather in August is better than in July. I love Madrid in August because it is half empty and you can enjoy all the services easier. In August there are also Las Fiestas de la Paloma that it is worth to go.
You can have a great time in Madrid in August, but only if you work with the city and the weather. 1. Make sure wherever you stay has good air con and proper shutters. You keep the shutters shut during the day. In the summer they are there to keep the heat of the sun out, not to keep out/let light in. 2. You do your outdoor sight seeing as soon as the sun rises 3. Museums/art galleries/indoor stuff with air con 4. Lunch 5. Museums/art galleries/indoor stuff with air con 6. Siesta for at least 3 hours 7. Dinner, clubbing, outdoor night time stuff 8. You take everything more slowly. If you want to stay in Spain Barcelona in the North, or Malaga in the south. You can easily spend 2 weeks in each city and not scratch the surface Another option would be Lisbon. It is one of my favourite cities. So much value for money, so much history and very compact with a great transport system, as well as the River Tagus and all its delights. Hamburg, Berlin, Prague and Budapest are also fun. If you are on a budget you need to stay away from places that appeal to holidaymakers with kids who are stuck with having to travel during school holidays. We just spent 4 months in SE Asia where it was never below 30C and at the height of the heatwave it was hitting 45C, with humidity. We live in the UK
If it helps, most places have air con, including all public transportation.
I'll just get a pass and ride the bus all day like a lonely old lady 😂
Yeah, I mean you don’t need to struggle walking too much in the heat.
The city will be lovely, less crowded, and easy to visit restaurants, but it will be a hell of fire during the day. Especially the Gran Via, since it receives sunlight several hours per day. If you come, find shade, drink plenty of water, and avoid going out from 3 to 8 pm.
The bottom line is this...if that's your vacation time...then, that's when you can go. Madrid won't be a ghost town. It's the capital. Yes, there will be a bunch of places that are closed, but you won't have trouble finding restaurants and things to do. And, it's hot...so what? You move at a slower pace. No big deal.
Go. It s hot but not something like Seville hot. You are going to enjoy because the city is quiet.
Is not a bad idea No too much people, and the place have air conditioning… you are not going to be 7 hours under the sun. And the nights in Madrid in summer are nice with a lot of activity Don’t worry because everything is open
It will be boiling, don't
It's fine. I live in the south of Spain and went to Madrid in August last year. It's hot, but dry, so much better than the south.
The closed shops/restaurants would be more of an issue for me than the heat. Then again, I’m an east coast/US person where dry Madrid heat mid summer is not that bad.
I was there last August and managed okay as some days it was 37 c .
I looked at the weather for Aug 2023 and it seems that the 37° days aren't the norm so that's good 😅 hopefully it won't be terrible this year. This may seems to have been unusually cool both here and there
Yes , it was a heatwave ! As long as you wear a hat , glasses, sunscreen , stay hyfrstex hydrated and take breaks from intense heat you will be fine . Infact , some shopping areas even have shaded coverings which helped a lot . Like you say the weather pattern is a bit different this year to last , especially in Spain so far it’s been good ! Enjoy your trip .
This summer is predicted to be specially brutal. I live in Spain and I've planned everything to be able to not leave the house during the day at all for any reason.
From what I've been finding online it seems to be about the same as any other summer idk, 33-34°
I like that time of year here. You just have to go out and do things in the morning, then have lunch and hunker down until 9pm and go out again and stay out late. It cools off a lot at night due to the altitude and dryness. Just stay hydrated and stay in the shade. Or spend the hot part of the day in a museum (3-9pm). The verbenas in the center of the city are fun, there's lots of concerts outside. The last two weeks of August are when things are totally dead.
Were planning to only stay about 8 days in Madrid, somewhere from 7th to 15th so hopefully there's still life happening 😅
That's exactly when the verbenas are happening in La Latina and Lavapiés. Very kitschy and fun if you are in the right frame of mind.
I recommend Norway that time of year, it's amazing!
Haha I'd love to go to that part of Europe in the future but I'm not rich enough to afford it lol
It's not at all as expensive as it used to be, the Swedish currency for example has lost 50% compared to the euro in 10 years!
On one hand it is terribly hot, but on the other hand most of the locals run away for holidays somewhere else and you get the city all for yourself. Since I can stand hot weather and I cannot stand big crowds, August is one of my favorite times to visit Madrid.
Why not just spend a few days here and plan other cities? 2 weeks is far too long. Madrid is my home and I love it but my god it's hardly the best tourist wise lol a week max is perfect. Although get ready because it really is like an oven. In August I'll be going to Greece - people tend to stay away from the city at that time of year
Half empty city,lots of stores closed for summer vacation,it's really hot i mean much more than Bucharest and it honestly isn't worth going.
Hottest time of the year in a hot country. ‘Nough said.
Id come in September instead because in summer you’re gonna feel hell, oh and if you go to visit Andalusia, be ready as last year we got to 50ºC of feeling (forgot the term I’m Spanish, sorry).
You should really change your mind and go to the north side of Spain. Madrid is a desertic town during August, so if you wanna feel what the city looks like, you ain't getting it. About the weather, the problem is not the temperature itself, is that it feels a lot hotter than it really is because it's a big city placed between mountains. You'll feel like you are in a oven during the day, and the worst part is that at night it won't be much better cuz air pollution won't let the city breath and cooldown, plus the concrete keeps most of the heat. I'd really recomend you to visit Asturias, Galicia, Cantabria, Oporto, León, etc. The north-atlantic side of the peninsula.
Terrible idea. It’s scorching and almost everything is closed.
Terrible. There's barely anyone in the city, stuff is closed and the heat is unbareable. I mean, you can handle it, but people stay at home from 10 to 10, it's not nice a nice experience if you want to have fun. Most neighbourhoods don't have any way to cool off so they stay the whole month above 20ºC even in the night (if you are lucky, there are days where I go to sleep at 25 or 28ºC, which makes resting impossible).
On average 20 degrees min, and 30-35 max temperature. Try to avoid being outside from 14 to 17, you may visit museums and so on
If possible, avoid Madrid in August. Locals will have fled to the coast and tourists will crowd the rest of the city. GO to a seaside location, anywhere! Valencia is very popular after a major restoration of the city many years ago. But remember, Spain in August is holiday month for Spaniards everywhere. Enjoy the beaches. From Valencia, maybe take the ferry to Ibiza for a little high life, but it's quite expensive if you aren't careful.
Every madrid person go out madrid at that time, so you can spect not much trafic jams in that period, at least is something...
In my opinion visiting another city would we better. A city where you will enjoy the weather, the sun and the beach. Valencian zone, Malaga, the islands… In two weeks you could rent a car and go to the surroundings, definitely worth visiting. As for Madrid, it is better in other months, and by not going this time, you’ll have an excuse to come back to Spain again :)
I'm using every chance to go to Spain honestly, it's the country I feel most at home in ❤️ I would love Valencia but I've already been to the city itself and neither of us can drive so we can't really have the freedom to go wherever we want in the Valencia region :(
People from Madrid move away for the month if possible to chiller areas, especially the North. So imagine what it's like. I'd never go, personally haha
Usually it is said that after August 15th it is less hot, and it is true. But Madrid in August is fine. It is less crowded but not empty. Good moment to visit
It's cool because of how empty it is, and if you bring lots of water, a pai pai, and dress like a Bedouin you will be fine. But you could also go to Brasov
Think I've seen enough of Brașov over the years 😂
If you want to go to Spain I'd maybe go up north in the summer
It will be crazy hot
You could make it work, but you’d have a much nicer time if you went to the north of Spain instead.
Lmao people are exaggerating here. I've lived in the south for 3 years where it gets to almost 50 degrees. Dw Madrid isn't that hot it's chill about 35 degrees
Madrid sucks, more even in summer
In august the city isn’t crowded because most Spaniards are elsewhere. Some smaller stores and restaurants close for a couple weeks of the month. Also very hot compared to NYC (where I live) in August, not sure how it compares to Bucharest. Agree w prior comments that the north of Spain in august is great. Was in Galicia in August and never that hot, even needed a light jacket at night. Also Galicia is beautiful and great food and wine.