Where to Go in Spain in August: The Best Pick for Every Kind of Trip
Updated: 6 days ago
August in Spain gets treated like an afterthought by a lot of travel guides: written for the person planning six months out, and nobody else. But that's not the only kind of traveler searching this. Sometimes it's the person standing in the kitchen four days before a flight, realizing the one big thing that got them to book this trip (the wedding, the reunion, the flight deal) isn't actually a full itinerary. Or the person already in Spain, a few days into the trip, trying to decide what to do tomorrow. We've been both of those people, and this guide is for whoever you are right now.
There's no single "best" place in Spain in August: it depends on what you're actually after. So instead of ranking regions, we picked one place for six different kinds of trips, plus our own pick for the month. Prices, dates and event specifics can shift year to year, so double-check anything time-sensitive before you build a day around it.
For Beach Lovers: The Northern Coast of Spain
August is genuinely the best month to be on Spain's north coast: Cantabria, Asturias, the Basque coastline. It's warm enough to swim without the dry, punishing heat baking the south, and the landscape stays green instead of scorched. Fair warning: this is also when Spanish and French families take their own summer holidays, so the north coast sees its busiest crowds of the year in August too. It's still a much calmer trade than the Costa del Sol in peak season, and cool green hills running straight into the sea is worth the company.
Weather in August (Santander, representative of the coast): highs around 24°C (75°F), lows around 18°C (64°F), about 66mm (2.6in) of rain across the month, the driest stretch of the year here.
Where to stay: Browse hotels near Cantabria →
Tours: Basque Coast surf lessons, San Sebastián · Cantabria wild coast & beaches guided tour · Browse all Northern Spain tours → · Search Viator →
Dive deeper: Northern Coast of Spain — Green Mountains, Wild Beaches, and the Spain Most Tourists Miss
For Culture & Food Seekers: Bilbao
Bilbao in August means Aste Nagusia: the Basque Country's biggest street festival, kicking off the Saturday after August 15th and running about nine days straight. Fireworks over the river, the giant Marijaia mascot presiding over it all, and pintxos bars spilling into the street from morning until 2am. Outside festival week, the everyday version is just as good: a slow pintxos crawl through the Casco Viejo, a glass of txakoli or cider poured from a height (a tradition that runs so deep it survives generations after families leave the Basque Country) and the Guggenheim's titanium curves lit up at night.
Weather in August: highs around 24°C (75°F), lows around 17°C (63°F), about 64mm (2.5in) of rain over roughly 12 days, light and scattered rather than washed-out.
Where to stay: Browse hotels near Bilbao →
Tours: Bilbao Guggenheim & old town tour · Bilbao pintxos food tour · Browse all Bilbao tours → · Search Viator →
For Hikers & Mountain Lovers: Picos de Europa, Cantabria
The Picos de Europa are Spain's most dramatic mountain range that most visitors have never heard of: limestone peaks, glacial lakes, and trails ranging from an easy cable car ride up at Fuente Dé to serious multi-day routes through the Cares Gorge. August is peak hiking season: trails are fully clear of snow, mountain refugios are open, and the weather is about as reliable as this range gets. It's also noticeably cooler than lowland Spain, which is exactly the appeal in the middle of summer. On the way, it's worth a detour to Cabezón de la Sal for the Bosque de Secuoyas: the largest redwood forest in Europe, planted in the 1940s and now towering well over 40 meters. It's an easy, flat, kid-friendly walk that feels completely out of place in northern Spain, in the best way.
Weather in August (Picos de Europa National Park): highs around 22°C (72°F), lows around 13°C (55°F), about 96mm (3.8in) of rain, mountain weather changes fast, so pack layers and something waterproof no matter the forecast.
Where to stay: Browse hotels near Picos de Europa →
Tours: Picos de Europa guided hiking tour · Picos de Europa 4x4 & caving adventure · Browse all Picos de Europa tours → · Search Viator →
Dive deeper: Cantabria: Mountains, Caves, and the Sea
Dive deeper: Where to Stay in the Picos de Europa: The Best Hotels on the Asturias and Cantabria Sides
For Animal & Wildlife Lovers: Tarifa
Tarifa sits at the point where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, and orcas, pilot whales, dolphins and even the occasional fin whale pass through the Strait of Gibraltar right offshore. August is prime viewing season, with calm-water mornings the best bet for sightings. Bonus if you're into windsports: Tarifa is one of Europe's top kitesurfing and windsurfing destinations, so it's a two-for-one if watersports are part of the trip too.
Weather in August: highs around 28°C (82°F), lows around 21°C (70°F), and almost no rain. Wind is Tarifa's real story: daily averages run around 14-15 km/h (9 mph), but when the Levante wind is blowing (common in summer and fall), sustained speeds of 37-74 km/h (23-46 mph) are normal. That's exactly why this stretch of coast is a world-class kite and windsurf spot.
Where to stay: Browse hotels near Tarifa →
Tours: Whale & dolphin watching, Tarifa · Tarifa kitesurfing or windsurfing lesson · Browse all Tarifa tours → · Search Viator →
Dive deeper: Whale Watching in Tarifa: Orcas, Dolphins, and the Strait of Gibraltar (Honest Family Guide)
For Worldschoolers & Families: La Manga
La Manga, the narrow strip of land between the Mediterranean and the Mar Menor in Murcia, runs a full slate of kids' sports camps all summer through Grand Hyatt La Manga Club: futbol (soccer), tennis and padel academies with professional coaching infrastructure. It's a solid pick if the trip needs to double as structured activity time for kids while the adults get an actual vacation, and the calm, warm Mar Menor side is about as forgiving a place to learn to sail as exists in Spain.
Weather in August: highs around 28°C (82°F), lows around 24°C (75°F), about 8.7mm (0.3in) of rain, only an 11% chance of rain on any given day.
Where to stay: Browse hotels near La Manga →
Tours: La Manga beach & lagoon boat tour · Mar Menor kayak & snorkel tour, Murcia · Browse all Murcia tours → · Search Viator →
Dive deeper: Grand Hyatt La Manga Club: The Resort That Makes You Want to Come Back for 35 Years · Summer Camps in Spain: How Good Are They, and How Do You Actually Find One?
For Unique Experience Seekers: Elche, Alicante
Elche is home to the Misteri d'Elx, a centuries-old liturgical mystery play performed every year on August 14th and 15th inside the Basilica of Santa María: one of the last surviving medieval sacred dramas still staged in its original setting, and recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. It's not flashy or built for tourists; it's a genuinely local tradition that happens to be open to visitors, and it's the same two days every single year.
Pair it with the rest of Elche while you're there: the Palmeral de Elche, a UNESCO World Heritage palm grove of Moorish origin and the largest in Europe, and arroz con costra: Elche's own rice dish, baked with an egg crust on top, distinct from the paella you'll find up the coast in Valencia. Don't forget to hit the coast.
Weather in August: highs around 32°C (90°F), lows around 22°C (72°F), about 11mm (0.4in) of rain, this is genuinely hot, so plan around the midday hours.
Where to stay: Browse hotels near Elche →
Tours: Elche Palmeral & mystery play guided tour · Alicante city & castle tour · Browse all Alicante tours → · Search Viator →
Dive deeper: Costa Blanca Travel Guide: Alicante Province and the White Coast Most Americans Underestimate
My Pick for August: San Sebastián
San Sebastián stacks coast, food and culture better than almost anywhere in Spain, and August is its best weather of the year. Beyond La Concha and the pintxos bars of the Parte Vieja, Monte Igueldo, the hill overlooking the bay, has a small, old-school amusement park with a vintage roller coaster that's been quietly going viral for its views, and tickets run just a few euros a ride.
Two easy day trips round it out. French Basque Country (Biarritz or Saint-Jean-de-Luz) is about an hour away by train or bus, for a different food scene and a genuinely different culture just across the border. And Vitoria-Gasteiz, the Basque capital, is the region's most livable, least-visited major city: real daily Basque life, its own excellent pintxo scene, without San Sebastián's crowds.
Weather in August (San Sebastián): highs around 24°C (75°F), lows around 18°C (64°F), the warmest, driest stretch of the Basque calendar.
Where to stay: Browse hotels near San Sebastián →
Tours: San Sebastián pintxos & old town tour · San Sebastián surf lesson, La Concha · Browse all San Sebastián tours → · Search Viator →
Dive deeper: País Vasco (Basque Country): Spain's Most Sophisticated Region · Costa Vasca Travel Guide: The Basque Coast Between Bilbao and San Sebastián
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Final Thoughts
Honestly? All of Spain is wonderful, every month, in our hearts. But if you have to pick somewhere, this is our real recommendation for these kinds of trips this month, and if none of the six quite fit, here's everything else we've covered to help you find the version of Spain you're actually looking for. None of these are the only right answer for August, they're just the pick that made the most sense for that kind of trip, that month. If a different vibe pulls you somewhere else on the coast or inland, the regional guides linked throughout this post will get you there. Whichever one you choose, book anything time-sensitive (the Elche mystery play, Aste Nagusia lodging, Tarifa boat trips) well ahead, August books up fast across the whole country.
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