Peak season
With its pristine beaches, sunny weather, colourful festivals and thriving nightlife, there are plenty of reasons to book cheap flights to Spain. Being so close to the UK, the sun-drenched beach resorts of the Canary Islands are Brit hot spots for school holiday breaks, public holidays and Christmas / New Year. While the Spanish mainland offers fascinating cities such as Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia, not forgetting the beautiful Costa del Sol on the southern coast. July and August, in general, are the high season months and when huge numbers of tourists arrive on cheap flights to Spain. Book accommodation and flight tickets well in advance to avoid disappointment. Spain has a large number of festivals and religious events during the year that attract thousands of visitors: Epiphany (January), Carnival (February/March), Las Fallas (March), Holy Week (March), The Seville Fair (two weeks after Easter), The Running of the Bulls (July) and La Tomatina (August).
Off season
Spain has quieter periods rather than an off season. The winter months of January and February are chilly and damp in northern and central Spain, and the beach resorts of southern Spain will be deserted. Some hotels and restaurants temporarily close over winter but the major attractions in the big cities are open throughout the year. The beauty of travelling during winter are the abundance of cheap flights to Spain, and the landscape can be very beautiful especially around Madrid with snowfall in the mountains.
If you’re on a budget, the best times to find the cheapest flights to Spain are during the shoulder and low season months from October through April, excepting Christmas, New Year’s and Easter. If you want a beach holiday then April, May, June and September are ideal months to visit Spain with good weather and fewer tourists. Note if there are any festivals taking place when you plan to travel as you will pay extra for accommodation and flight tickets should be booked well in advance.
Flights from Sydney to Spain – 23 hrs
Flights from Melbourne to Spain – 22 hrs 30 mins
Flights from Brisbane to Spain - 24 hrs
Flights from Perth to Spain – 20 hrs 30 mins
Madrid, Barcelona, Mallorca, Bilbao and Malaga are the five largest airports in Spain, servicing international flights. You can fly direct to Madrid and Barcelona from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane with a wide range of airlines including: Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, Cathay Pacific, China Southern and Qantas. For the cheapest flights to Spain consider flying to London then using low-cost carriers Easyjet and Ryanair which operate cheap flight deals to over 20 Spanish destinations.
Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD) and Barcelona Airport (BCN) are both located approximately 10 km from their respective cities. Both offer the metro, buses and taxis as a means of public transport for reaching the city. There is a high-speed train which connects Madrid and Barcelona with a journey time of 2 hours 30 mins. Car rental is available at the airport if you wish to explore outside the cities but public transport is generally excellent.