What Are the Warmest Cities in Spain?

Spain is the warmest and the sunniest country in Europe. For tourists from colder countries who want to escape cold temperatures, Spain is usually the first destination to get some winter sun, enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of its little beach bars, indulge in great food, and take a walk down the cobbled streets in its history-filled pueblos.

In this article I’ll share with you my list of the warmest Spanish cities with at least 50,000 residents. I’ll cover the top 15 in more detail and then present the entire ranking in a table with 99 major cities in the country.

Top 15 Warmest Cities in Spain

Here are the top 15 warmest places in Spain. They’re ranked by their annual daily mean temperature. Each city also includes temperatures in the coldest month (January) and in the warmest month (July). The list includes mainland Spain as well as the Canary Islands and the Spanish enclaves in North Africa.

1. Santa Cruz de Tenerife – 21.5 °C

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capital of the Canary Islands jointly with Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is the warmest city in Spain. With its hot desert climate and 2,913 sunshine hours, it gets plenty of sunny days year round and is a common destination to get some winter sun.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife has a warm climate that’s never too cold or too hot. The city rarely gets extremely hot temperatures in summer months as some of the warmest cities in continental Spain.

For more information, you may want to read my article on Tenerife vs Gran Canaria.

Average high temperature in January: 21 °C

Average high temperature in July: 28.7 °C

2. Granadilla de Abona – 21.3 °C

Granadilla de Abona is a municipality in southern Tenerife, where the Tenerife South airport is located. If you want to escape cold weather and enjoy some reliable winter sun, southern Tenerife is your best option in Spain. While it has a lower annual average temperature, it has the highest daytime temperatures in the coldest month. If you want to spend winter enjoying the maximum temperatures at this time of the year (this applies to sea temperature, too), visit this part of Tenerife.

Average high temperature in January: 21.6 °C

Average high temperature in July: 27.5 °C

3. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – 21.2 °C

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is the third warmest place in Spain. It’s not located on the island of Tenerife, though, but on Gran Canaria. Las Palmas is the most populous city in the archipelago. If you’re looking for a big city with some of the warmest winter days in the country and frequent blue skies (including almost guaranteed winter sun), consider Las Palmas. Average high temperatures in the city are slightly more moderate than in Santa Cruz.

Average high temperature in January: 20.8 °C

Average high temperature in July: 26.9 °C

4. Telde – 21.1 °C

Telde is a city on the eastern side of Gran Canaria. It has the same climate as the capital of the island, though this part of the island tends to be the windiest (which attracts many windsurfers to the area).

Average high temperature in January: 20.8 °C

Average high temperature in July: 26.9 °C

5. Arrecife – 21 °C

Arrecife is the capital city of Lanzarote, a Canary Island in the eastern part of the archipelago. Known for its lunar landscape, Lanzarote features a very dry desert climate with plenty of sunshine but also more wind.

Average high temperature in January: 20.7 °C

Average high temperature in July: 28.2 °C

6. Cartagena – 20.4 °C

Cartagena is the warmest place in Spain that isn’t located in the Canary Islands. Located in the region of Murcia, Cartagena is the best option for winter sun on the peninsula. With a hot semi-arid climate, Cartagena is also one of the sunniest destinations in the region. The drawback is that while it has warm winters, it also has very hot summers.

Average high temperature in January: 18.2 °C

Average high temperature in July: 33.5 °C

7. San Fernando – 19.75 °C

San Fernando is a city in Andalusia, in the province of Cádiz. It’s located on the Bay of Cádiz that shelters it from the Atlantic Ocean. The city has a subtropical climate with Mediterranean and Atlantic influences. It’s one of the sunniest cities in Spain, often getting up to 3,000 sunshine hours a year. This makes it a great destination both for summer and winter sun as it enjoys mild winters, too.

Average high temperature in January: 17 °C

Average high temperature in July: 28 °C

8. Seville – 19.2 °C

Seville is the largest city of Andalusia and the fourth largest city in the entire country. This makes it the warmest major city in Spain. Unlike the previous places except for Cartagena, Seville has an extreme climate with oppressively hot temperatures in the summer. Still, if you want to live in a vibrant city in one of the hottest places in Spain, Seville may be an excellent choice.

Average high temperature in January: 16 °C

Average high temperature in July: 36 °C 

9. Estepona – 19.2 °C

Estepona is a resort town on the Costa del Sol on the Mediterranean coast. Because it’s surrounded by the sea and the mountains, it has its own microclimate with some of the highest winter temperatures in continental Spain. Costa del Sol in general is one of the top destinations for expats who want to enjoy hot summers and pleasant winter months.

Average high temperature in January: 17.7 °C

Average high temperature in July: 29.8 °C 

10. Almería – 19.05 °C

Almería, located in southeastern Andalusia, is the driest city in Europe. Its hot semi-arid climate borders on hot desert climate, making it the only such place in continental Europe. Curiously, in its recorded weather history, the city never experienced any temperatures below freezing. If you want to spend winter in southern Spain with guaranteed non-freezing temperatures and plenty of winter sun, that’s your best option.

Average high temperature in January: 16.9 °C

Average high temperature in July: 30.5 °C 

11. Melilla – 18.95 °C

Melilla is a Spanish enclave in North Africa. It faces the Mediterranean Sea and is bordered by Morocco, with the closest major city (Nador) 16 km south. It has a milder climate than the previous mainland Spain cities, with cooler summers.

Average high temperature in January: 16.7 °C

Average high temperature in July: 28.9 °C 

12. Motril – 18.95 °C

Motril is a city in southern Spain, in the province of Granada in Andalusia, in the Costa Tropical area. Because of its location, shielded by the mountains in the north and moderated by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, it has a subtropical microclimate. The climate is so mild that exotic plants like guava, mango, and banana can be cultivated there. Winter months in Motril can often still feel summer-like.

Average high temperature in January: 17.6 °C

Average high temperature in July: 29.5 °C 

13. Torremolinos – 18.9 °C

Torremolinos is a very popular Costa del Sol resort located 17 km southwest of Málaga. It has a subtropical microclimate which makes it another great choice for those who want to enjoy pleasantly warm weather in Spain.

Average high temperature in January: 17.9 °C

Average high temperature in July: 29.2 °C 

14. Ceuta – 18.75 °C

Ceuta is another Spanish enclave in North Africa. It’s located on the Strait of Gibraltar. The city has a Mediterranean climate similar to the one found on the southern tip of Spain, in places like Algeciras or Tarifa.

Average high temperature in January: 16.1 °C

Average high temperature in July: 28.9 °C 

15. Murcia – 18.6 °C

Murcia is the seventh largest city of Spain. Because it’s located inland, its climate isn’t moderated by the Mediterranean Sea and summer temperatures reach very hot 34 °C in the hottest months.

Average high temperature in January: 16.6 °C

Average high temperature in July: 34 °C

There’s Something That You Need to Know…

There’s something that you need to know about the reality of living in southern Europe. Watch the video below to understand something that you may have never considered before.

Top 99 Warmest Spanish Cities Ranked by the Average Temperature

Here’s a table with 99 major Spanish cities that have at least 50,000 residents. Some cities are missing because I couldn’t find climate data for them. The data comes primarily from Agencia Estatal de Meteorología.

You may also be interested in articles about the warmest cities in other European countries.

I also wrote an article answering the question of “Where is it warm all year round in Europe?“ You may also want to read my article What’s the Hottest Country in Europe?

Further Reading

I consider Spain the best warm country in Europe. Click the link to learn why. You may also want to read my article about the hottest place in Spain.