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❄  CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR AT VALL AMAGADA  ❄

❄  CHRISTMAS AT VALL AMAGADA  ❄

✦  NEW YEAR AT VALL AMAGADA  ✦

Where to Spend Christmas in Spain in 2026, and What the Weather Is Really Like

Writer: Hotel Vall Amagada del Molí
Hotel Vall Amagada del Molí
22 hours ago
5 min read
Hotel Vall Amagada del Molí, a restored 1789 watermill in the Llémena valley near Girona

Planning Christmas in Spain usually starts with one question: where will it actually feel good in late December? The honest answer depends on what you want from the holiday. Spain has warm southern coasts, lively cities and green northern valleys where Christmas still looks like it did a century ago. This guide explains what the weather is really like and which places suit which kind of Christmas. 🎄

What is the weather like in Spain at Christmas?

Spain is big, and the weather in December changes a lot from south to north.

  • Málaga and the Costa del Sol: the mildest option on the mainland, with afternoons in the late teens or low twenties and nights around 10°C.

  • The Canary Islands: the warmest choice in winter and the place to go if you want beach weather.

  • Madrid and inland Spain: crisp, often sunny days and cold nights.

  • Girona and the north east of Catalonia: an average daily high of around 13.6°C in December, nights close to 3°C, about nine hours of daylight and four to five hours of sunshine a day.

Around Girona that means cold mornings, a bright middle of the day and early sunsets. Local cyclists ride around midday in winter, when the sun has done its work.

December averages by region

  • Madrid and central Spain: highs of 10 to 13°C, lows of 2 to 5°C.

  • Barcelona and the Catalan coast: highs of 13 to 16°C, lows of 6 to 8°C.

  • Seville and Granada: highs of 16 to 18°C, lows of 7 to 10°C.

  • Málaga: late teens to low twenties by day, around 10°C at night.

  • Girona: around 13.6°C by day and close to 3°C at night, with the warmest, sunniest hours in the middle of the day.

Where to spend Christmas in Spain: four very different choices

For warmth: Málaga

If sunshine is the priority, Málaga and the Costa del Sol are the safest bet on the mainland. Expect a beach promenade, Christmas lights in the old town and terraces that stay open all winter.

For beach days: the Canary Islands

Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote feel more like late spring than December. Perfect for swimming, less so if you want a traditional Christmas.

For city lights: Madrid or Barcelona

Big light displays, Christmas markets and shopping. Lively, but busy and with city prices.

For a real Catalan Christmas: Girona and the Garrotxa

If you want Christmas to feel like Christmas, with markets, nativity scenes, log fires and long dinners, the area around Girona is hard to beat. The city is compact and beautiful, and within half an hour you are in quiet valleys, medieval villages and the volcanic landscape of the Garrotxa.

Colourful houses along the Onyar river in Girona

Why Girona works so well at Christmas

  • The Christmas market: Girona's Mercat de Nadal fills Plaça de la Independència from late November until early January.

  • Nativity scenes everywhere: Olot, the capital of the Garrotxa, hosts a free crib exhibition in four venues of its old town over the festive season (closed on 24, 25 and 31 December and on 1, 5 and 6 January). Living nativity scenes, such as Brunyola and the oldest in Catalonia at Castell d'Aro, are performed in the days around Christmas.

  • Catalan traditions: children feed the Tió, a smiling wooden log, and on Christmas Eve they tap it with sticks until it gives them sweets. On 26 December, Sant Esteve, families gather again for canelons made from the Christmas leftovers.

  • Quiet, dry roads: many professional cyclists spend the winter training around Girona, and after the autumn rain the trails are usually dry again by December.

Girona Cathedral above the steps of the old town

What December feels like in the Llémena valley

Hotel Vall Amagada del Molí sits in the green Llémena valley between Girona and the volcanic Garrotxa. In December the valley wakes up cool and still, then the sun climbs over the hills and warms the old stone by late morning. It is the perfect rhythm for a slow Christmas: a long breakfast, a walk or a ride in the middle of the day, afternoon tea by the window and dinner as night falls early.

Pack layers rather than one heavy coat: a warm jumper, a light down jacket and a scarf cover most days. Cyclists should bring a good base layer, arm and leg warmers, gloves and overshoes, and expect to take most of it off by lunchtime.

Cyclists on a quiet country road near Girona in winter sun

Christmas 2026 at Hotel Vall Amagada del Molí

Hotel Vall Amagada del Molí sells Christmas as one all inclusive package, so there is nothing to organise once you arrive:

  • breakfast every morning

  • a five course Christmas Eve dinner with live music

  • a guided Christmas Day walk and afternoon tea

  • a five course Christmas Day dinner with live music

  • with three nights, a Boxing Day brunch and an optional group ride on 26 December

Prices: two nights from €474 per person and three nights from €601 per person, based on two people in a Standard room. Drinks are charged separately. Dogs are welcome. See the full programme on the Christmas page or check availability and book directly.

A suite at Hotel Vall Amagada del Molí with a freestanding bathtub

Staying on for New Year? The New Year's Eve package includes oliebollen baking, a five course gala dinner, champagne all evening and a DJ, from €371.50 per person for two nights.

Is December a good time to visit Spain?

Yes, for most of the month. Outside the long weekend of 6 and 8 December and the Christmas week itself, December is quiet, flights and hotels are cheaper than in spring, and the light is soft and golden. Just remember that many shops close on 25 December and, in Catalonia, on 26 December too.

Key dates for Christmas in Spain

  • 6 and 8 December: Constitution Day and the Immaculate Conception, public holidays and a popular long weekend.

  • 22 December: El Gordo, the Christmas lottery draw, on television all morning.

  • 24 December: Nochebuena, the big family dinner.

  • 26 December: Sant Esteve, a public holiday in Catalonia.

  • 31 December: twelve grapes at midnight, one for each chime of the clock.

  • 5 January: the Three Kings parades in towns all over Spain.

  • 6 January: Epiphany, the day Spanish children traditionally receive their presents.

Getting there

Girona Costa Brava airport is about 30 minutes by car from the hotel. From Barcelona, the high speed train reaches Girona in under 40 minutes, and the Llémena valley is around 30 minutes further by car.

Staying active over the holidays? December is a great month to ride around Girona, and bike hire in Girona at Hotel Vall Amagada del Molí starts from €55 a day on a carbon Cervélo. 🚴

Frequently asked questions

Is Spain warm at Christmas? The south and the Canary Islands are mild to warm. Around Girona, expect sunny afternoons around 13 or 14°C and cold nights.

Where in Spain is best for Christmas? For warmth, Málaga or the Canary Islands. For a traditional Christmas with markets, nativity scenes and countryside, Girona and the Garrotxa.

Is Girona worth visiting in December? Yes, if you like crisp sunny days, Christmas markets and quiet roads without the summer crowds.

Can I combine Christmas and New Year? Yes. Book both packages and the quiet nights in between; the front office links the bookings for you.

When does Christmas start in Spain? Lights and Christmas markets appear from late November, and the festive season runs until Epiphany on 6 January.

Who brings Christmas presents in Spain? Traditionally the Three Kings on 6 January. Papá Noel on 25 December is increasingly common, and in Catalonia children also get sweets from the Tió on Christmas Eve.

Sources and photo credits

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