As December 2025 unfolds, Spain wraps itself in the steady glow of holiday lights, offering visitors a mix of brisk coastal walks and indoor warmth from wood-fired ovens. Temperatures settle between 5 and 15 degrees Celsius across much of the mainland, with occasional showers that freshen the air in Madrid and Barcelona, while the Canary Islands hold steady at around 20 degrees for those seeking a touch of year-round sun. Pack a waterproof jacket and scarf for northern days that dip below 10 degrees, but expect plenty of clear afternoons to wander without the summer heat.
Madrid kicks off the month with Constitution Day on 6 December, a national holiday when shops close and families gather for lunches of hearty stews, leaving the streets quiet save for the odd parade. By mid-month, the Plaza Mayor Christmas market fills with stalls selling ornaments and roasted chestnuts for €2 a bag, and the city’s lights switch on around 22 November, casting a soft gleam over the Gran Vía that lasts through the season. On 31 December, crowds squeeze into Puerta del Sol to eat twelve grapes at midnight—one for each chime—tickets for nearby viewing spots going for €10 if booked ahead, followed by cheers that echo until dawn.
In Barcelona, the Fira de Santa Llúcia market outside the cathedral runs from late November into December, where stalls offer nativity figures and caganer figurines alongside mugs of hot chocolate for €3, sipped under strings of bulbs that drape the Gothic Quarter. The Festival de Nadal in Plaça Catalunya brings free music and street performances through the holidays, while a New Year’s Eve party on Avinguda Reina Maria Cristina features dancing under fireworks visible from the waterfront. Further afield, the Sagrada Família sees shorter queues in the cooler light, entry at €26 including an audio guide that covers the basilica’s ongoing construction.
Southern Andalusia keeps things milder, with Seville’s streets alive with carols on Christmas Eve and the Verdiales competition near Málaga around mid-December, where groups in traditional dress play upbeat folk tunes on fiddles and tambourines. Live nativity scenes in Arcos de la Frontera draw crowds for a single afternoon, turning the whitewashed lanes into a tableau of Bethlehem complete with actors and donkeys, free to watch if you arrive early. Markets in Granada brim with turrón nougat bars and mantecados shortbreads, a kilo costing €8, and the Alhambra’s courtyards feel serene under December’s slanting sun, tickets €15 for non-residents.
The Canary Islands provide a sunny contrast, where Tenerife’s pine-scented trails invite easy hikes before lunching on papas arrugadas potatoes with mojo sauce for €9 at seaside spots. Valencia’s markets stock early oranges amid holiday stalls, and a ferry to Ibiza for €40 round-trip reveals quiet coves for New Year’s swims if the water holds at 18 degrees. Northern towns like Logroño mark the season with smaller gatherings over lamb roasts, while Sierra Nevada’s slopes open for skiing from early December, day passes €45 including gear rental for beginners.
Travel remains straightforward despite the holidays: high-speed trains from Barcelona to Madrid run €60 if reserved a month out, and guesthouses in Seville offer doubles from €75 a night with views of lit-up patios. Rain might linger for an hour or two, but it often clears to reveal rainbow arcs over olive groves or the hum of a corner bar serving cava for €4 a glass. On 28 December, the Día de los Santos Inocentes brings light-hearted pranks in plazas nationwide, a reminder that Spain’s winter mixes reflection with a dash of fun.
By Christmas Day, churches fill with midnight masses, and the following days ease into family meals of seafood paella or roast suckling pig, portions shared generously at tables groaning under the weight. Spain in December suits those who favour wool coats over swimsuits, turning the close of the year into a sequence of unpretentious pleasures.
