The summer months are the high season for travel to Spain. But, why not discover the country at another time of year? Take your time to explore Spain, do not focus only on the basics of your destinations, try alternative modes of transport, stop to eat local food, stop to chat with the people and learn about their customs, stimulate all your senses... Travelling out of peak season means no overcrowding and has a lower impact on the environment. We give you some tips to travel slowly and in low season. Fancy a different trip?
When the journey is the destination: routes by car on scenic roads
At any time of the year, it's a real pleasure to lean out the car window while you look at the changing landscape and stop at the places that seem most beautiful to you. In Spain, you can rent an electric car and go on one of the road tours designed to observe and enjoy different stops without haste.
For example, in Catalonia you can take the “Grand Tour Catalunya”: More than 2,000 kilometres divided into five sections that will take you through places as fascinating as the Costa Brava, the Pyrenees or Montserrat.There is also the ”Aragón slow driving“ (16 different routes through steppes or thick forests), the ”Euskadi-Basque Country Grand Tour“ (eight routes to discover the coast, the mountains and the traditions of the Basque Country) or the Carretera del Vi in Penedès (known as the ”Mediterranean wine road“, it will take you through 13 wineries in the region and is the first wine tourism route with electric mobility).
The charm of a beach in winter
If you choose the Balearic Islands out of peak season, you will find plenty of plans to do thanks to its programme ”Better in Winter“: a guided tour of the Es Trenc Salt Flats, in Mallorca; the Camí de Cavalls in Menorca, which you can explore on foot, by bicycle or on horseback; Dramatised visits to the Necropolis of Puig del Molins, in Ibiza; discover the thousand-year-old ponds of Formentera…
And if you opt for the Canary Islands, you will get to enjoy the location with the most hours of sunshine in Europe: 3,000 a year. And since the temperature is pleasant year-round, you can make all the plans you want: delve into its four national parks, bathe in its natural pools, see volcanoes up close...Beyond the islands, you will also find interesting plans to do in areas like the Costa Brava, where you can explore the beautiful coastal paths: walks along the blue of the Mediterranean Sea and vertiginous cliffs.
There is nothing as romantic as a train ride
Romantic… and sustainable. Climb aboard historic railways, with wooden seats, small balconies at the ends... Some are considered luxury rides like the Transcantábrico (which will take you through the north of Spain from San Sebastian to Santiago de Compostela over eight unforgettable days) and the Al Ándalus (seven days of a route in Andalusia stopping in cities like Seville, Jerez, Ronda, Cordoba, Granada and Malaga).
Others run day trips and have a fun themed setting, such as the Philip II Train from Madrid to San Lorenzo de El Escorial and the Strawberry Train to Aranjuez.Or you can also choose one that takes you through impressive landscapes such as the Tren dels Llacs: a historical and panoramic tour through the Pre-Pyrenees of Lleida between lakes, tunnels and mountains.Most of these trains run from about April to November so you have a choice of dates.
Sustainable wellness in a spa
When the days are getting shorter and it's getting colder outside, it feels so good to go to any of the spa resorts in Spain, many of which are centuries old and whose tradition dates back to the ancient Roman Empire.
One of the latest historical spas recognised by UNESCO for its commitment to sustainability is the Gran Hotel Balneario Puente Viesgo (in Cantabria), where you will live a unique thermal experience in its ”Water Temple“ and enjoy a space committed to energy saving.More places to enjoy water with therapeutic properties? For example, the Ourense hot springs and their tourist train or the spas of Castilla Termal Hotels, which have also focused on their commitment to the environment.
Stop time in the ”slow cities“
Have you heard of the ”slow cities“? This is a group of municipalities that want to offer you an experience of ”living well“, also on holiday. In Spain, you will find 12 of these small and pleasant cities: Artà (Island of Mallorca), Balmaseda, Lekeitio, Mungia (Basque Country), Begues, Begur, Pals (Catalonia), Benabarre, Rubielos de Mora (Aragón), Bubión (Andalusia), La Orotava (Tenerife Island) and Morella (Region of Valencia).
Come and enjoy these cities whose historic centres are noise-free pedestrian spaces, where you can savour gastronomy based on local products, and where sustainable tourism is upheld through pleasant experiences that will help you get to know the local population.Get lost at the crossroads of the Balmaseda Medieval Market, be amazed by the farmhouses of Begues, take a unique tour along wooden walkways on the banks of the Noguera Ribagorzana river (near Benabarre) or tour Morella under the shade of its castle walls. More ideas to travel slow and connect with yourself in Spain.