To be honest, everyone will promote where they live and otherwise they wouldn't live there but it's extremely hard to avoid hot summers in Spain. Even the North of Spain can get hot in summer but you don't have the sunshine hours in winter. Most of the beaches along the Med will be crowded in summer and the interior can get very hot. Another thing in Spain is that you don't have the lakes and waterways like Canada. We only have a holiday home in Spain but even in Ireland which is very small, we have over 12000 lakes. In Spain there aren't that many lakes and the rivers dry out which is a pity. Of course kayaking in the sea is great if you have access. Anywhere 30 minutes from coast will have amenities and in general the East and South are quite built up, so you are never far from an airport.

 

Temperature is strongly elevation dependent. If you want cooler in Spain, find a place with higher elevation. Frequently you will find many locals living in a small or medium size town for the same reason you do. They want more moderate temperatures. Another major weather variable is the ocean currents. The ocean currents near Europe markedly affect temperature on land in the winter. In other words, moderate winters. And likely moderate summers as well. Best of luck. Hope these fundamentals help.

 

I doubt you will find anywhere on the costal areas of Spain that will be 25 degrees or less during the summer, it more likely to be 35 degrees during the day and medium 20's during the night. At this very moment (6 o'clock evening 29th September) it is 30 degrees outside. It 'could' be cooler if you lived in the mountain areas but obviously there is no local beaches.

Steve

 

I don't believe a place fitting your climatic requirements exists anywhere in Spain, certainly not on the mainland although the Canary islands probably come closest and even there temperatures would be well above 25C in July and August.

Canary Islands climate: average weather, temperature, rain - Climates to Travel

On he mainland, Northern Spain would be coolest in summer (Galicia, Cantabria, Pais Vasco) but certainly these last few years has had periods of intense heat, and they get a LOT of rain . We've had 4 years of drought in much of Spain and apart from in the North rivers have completely or largely dried up, and reservoir levels are dangerously low which has led to cuts in the domestic supply (mostly overnight).

I remember when we were first looking for a property in Spain a conversation we had with the property finding agent who was helping with the search. She despaired of clients who wanted to be near the coast and within walking distance of bars and restaurants, and close to an airport, but didn't want to be in a "touristy" area.

 

I was actually talking to a lady at our local shop and she said that a friend went to Fuerteventura with the family last summer and it was so hot that they left earlier.

Apparently the aircon at hotel wasn't working properly and there was a red heat warning meaning they were stuck in room as staff advised them to stay indoors and even the pool was closed. They were so sick of the heat that they rebooked flight. No idea if all true but does seem to be the case that they had extreme heat in parts last year. Of course there are various microclimates and one can find cooler areas but probably hard to escape the heat all the time.

Canarian Weekly - Six of the Canary Islands are now on a red warning for extreme temperatures

AEMET has upgraded the warnings until at least Sunday. Temperatures have already reached 46 degrees…

www.canarianweekly.com

Otherwise Azores is an option but more rain, less sun and very remote.

 

Thanks to you all. I just googled and even in the mountain towns, the summer temps are very high. I think you have to go on several weather sites to get an accurate overview. The first site I was on had winter temps much lower. Maybe we need to find another country.

 

We are a bit inland from Costa Brava. Temps were around 25/26C mid September when we were there recently and anywhere between 21-27C right now, although you get the cooler days with rain now and then + when the sun goes down it can cool down a lot.

The winds further North can make it cooler so places near France are colder in winter. Was speaking to a guy in shop in Roses and he complained that the summer was too hot or wet for him. This is around 15mins from our place but the coast was very green this year.
Perfect doesn't really exist and always some sort of compromise or people complaining.

 

We are a bit inland from Costa Brava. Temps were around 25/26C mid September when we were there recently and anywhere between 21-27C right now, although you get the cooler days with rain now and then + when the sun goes down it can cool down a lot.

The winds further North can make it cooler so places near France are colder in winter. Was speaking to a guy in shop in Roses and he complained that the summer was too hot or wet for him. This is around 15mins from our place but the coast was very green this year.
Perfect doesn't really exist and always some sort of compromise or people complaining.
View attachment 106373

Wow your view is awesome!

 

To the OP, based on your 9 requirements, I do not believe you will find anywhere in mainland Spain that will satisfy everything your are looking for.
Is there a reason you have selected Spain?
Have you considered France?

 

1. Go to the bottom of this page and you will see a panel. The weather in Vigo, Pontevedra - 14 days

Change the months to see the answer for question 2
Same with here. The weather in Gijón, Asturias - 14 days or here The weather in Zarautz, Guipúzcoa - 14 days
Personally i do not think you will find somewhere where you can have both types of temps summer/winter
Do not forget these are average figures.
3. no where in Spain will you be able to avoid tourists on a beach. Even along the North coast. Most of these will be Spanish.
5. and 6. Will depend on the district you choose in which city. You will find these are normal things in a Spanish city. Smaller the city the greater chance of having easy access to the countryside for No6.
7. Here is the official website for Spanish airports. This will give you locations of all of them. Plus destinations too.

Network of airports in Spain | Aena

Find out whatever you need to know about any of Aena’s airports when you travel to Spain. Clear up your queries on the Aena website!

www.aena.es

8. I really do find it hard to think of somewhere that is not safe when compared to US/ Canadian thinking.
9. Any where along the Northern coast. But do not expect English to be spoken everywhere.
A clarification. By Northern Coast I mean from Basque Country to Galicia. Even the Western Coast of Galicia. Loads of tails in and around the Picos de Europa, plus kayaking.

 

Galicia certainly has a lot to offer and have a friend originally from Pontevedra which is probably one of sunnier areas including Vigo. What a lot of Canadians or Americans forget is that they get a lot of sun. Even Vancouver would be sunnier than a lot of places in Galicia.

 

Hello all. I’m a newbie to this forum. My partner and I are retired Canadians and considering a move to Spain. I’m aware of the problems when asking advice on where to live but we’re just trying to narrow down the options. Can I list our priorities and perhaps I can get a few place names to start our search?

1. We don’t want the summers to be too hot. 25C is ideal.

2. We want mild winters with a lot of sun.

3. Living within walking distance to the beach would be awesome except we don’t want to live with throngs of tourists each summer. We currently live in a gorgeous town that is a tourist destination in Canada so we are aware of the pitfalls of being inundated with thousands of tourists each summer. (Hard to get into restaurants, jacked-up summer pricing, traffic/parking, etc). So we are hoping for a compromise in a place that’s reasonably close (30 minutes?) to the beach while still offering water views….. a river? We love kayaking.

4. We want to be able to walk to restaurants and bars.

5. We want good choices of grocery stores within 30 minutes.

6. We would like quick and easy access to hiking trails and bike paths.

7. We would like to be within an hour’s drive of airport.

8. We want a safe community where we are not concerned about walking at night.

9. We don’t want to live in a community that caters too much to expats, for example having a large number of restaurants reminiscent of their hometowns.

That’s what I’ve got so far. Any ideas are welcome and much appreciated.

We live in the Basque country, famed for its mountains, lots of walking with good waymarked signs, sea & surf & of course good food. We're 85km from France.
We gert about 1200mm rainfall annually, less than Galicia, & little snow of late.
Summer temperatures (June-September) average out at 25ºC or more. We get many days of over 30º. Almost no frost by the coast, where you see Orange trees & sometimes Bougainvillia.
San Sebastian is a foodie's mecca, though appartments can be more expensive than usual.
There are 2 possible airports, Bilbao and Biarritz (France).
You'll need Spanish although people do like to practise their English. Basque is a challenge, but my wife is Basque which helps.
No large ex-pat communities & no hoards of tourists looking for booze.
It's also an area where many Spanish who live in the hotter south tend to come for the summer.

Good luck

 

Temperatures in summer inany parts of Spain ( certainly seem ) to be increasing. I wasn't here this August but my Spanish neighbour was saying it was the worst she can remember. The apartment above me is an attico with a flat exposed roof. The temperature on that roof can actually get near to 50C when the temperature is roaring in August. The new Swedish couple who bought it were trying to insist that the community cover the roof or something to reduce the heat in the flat !!! They simply had no idea that in the summer some places are impossible to live in without having 24 hour air con!!! It might seem nice to have a south facing place when in northern countries but in Spain they should now be avoided.

 

Assuming this is a genuine enquiry and not a wind up IF such an area exists anywhere in the World, let alone Spain, I do hope someone tells us.
My area can fully tick some of the requirements.
Upside we are resident in Spanish village with bars and many shops catering for day to day needs. 20 mins to the beach, 1 hour to airport, 10 mins to a major city with supermarket, bars and shops galore and apart from the now normal American fastfood outlets, a few Chinese and Indian restaurants everything is SPANISH. Numerous bike and walking trails over arid countryside.
As safe a community as anywhere in a law abiding World can, and should, expect to be.
Downside summer temps 30c + winter temps -5 to 16c. Nearest resorts overwhelmingly busy July to September with 2nd home owning Spanish takng all the parking spots.. Very little rain so rarely a puddle to be espied unless we have a gota fria when water can cascade like Niagera Falls flooding and damaging everything in its path. Fortunately these are rare but meanwhile sans rivers for kayaking.

 

It is a genuine request and nothing wrong asking but of course a place like that would either be very expensive or packed with tourists/people. I suppose the only place that might offer a climate like that would be Madeira, but even they recorded 39C last year. Saying that, Barcelona has reached 40C for the first time ever this year so not much different.

 

I see that most members helpfully write about their areas. What is missing is where is that area?

 

90% of the coastal areas of Spain.....

 

Hm, the smaller towns near Edinburgh tick all the boxes apart from lots of sunshine, although the East coast gets a lot less rain than the West coast and I always found it pleasant.

Unfortunately, the UK does not have a retirement visa. Do you happen to have recent British ancestry? If you do, I think Canadians are eligible for ancestry visas.

 

My partner has a British passport

 

As I said in other post, depending on budget the easiest option would be two homes in one country. For example in France you could pick Brittany for summer and head South come winter. Otherwise there are probably easier options for Canadians in the US without the language barrier.

 

If trump gets in, we won’t be going to the US. We’re actually thinking now of staying in Canada for the summer and getting a place in Europe for winter. Our dog is an issue though.
I appreciate all the comments.

 

A very confusing thread!
Not clear what the OP actually wants to do, so lots of column inches offering advice, that may or may not be relevant.

 

Hello all. I’m a newbie to this forum. My partner and I are retired Canadians and considering a move to Spain. I’m aware of the problems when asking advice on where to live but we’re just trying to narrow down the options. Can I list our priorities and perhaps I can get a few place names to start our search?

1. We don’t want the summers to be too hot. 25C is ideal.

2. We want mild winters with a lot of sun.

3. Living within walking distance to the beach would be awesome except we don’t want to live with throngs of tourists each summer. We currently live in a gorgeous town that is a tourist destination in Canada so we are aware of the pitfalls of being inundated with thousands of tourists each summer. (Hard to get into restaurants, jacked-up summer pricing, traffic/parking, etc). So we are hoping for a compromise in a place that’s reasonably close (30 minutes?) to the beach while still offering water views….. a river? We love kayaking.

4. We want to be able to walk to restaurants and bars.

5. We want good choices of grocery stores within 30 minutes.

6. We would like quick and easy access to hiking trails and bike paths.

7. We would like to be within an hour’s drive of airport.

8. We want a safe community where we are not concerned about walking at night.

9. We don’t want to live in a community that caters too much to expats, for example having a large number of restaurants reminiscent of their hometowns.

That’s what I’ve got so far. Any ideas are welcome and much appreciated.

Time for my 2c.

First off, have you actually spent any time here in Spain???

1. Hmm. Parts of the North West might be Ok.
2. Hmm, not parts of the North West then.
3. Nope. A huge percentage of Spains population (60% plus) live on and around the coastline. Its estimated that well over 70% is uninhabited. So there will always be influxes of tourists. We live inland of Altea, Calpe and Benidorm. All of these have huge uplifts all year round. The Spanish from Madrid come here when it gets too hot in the summer, the Northern Spanish come here in the winter when its too cold up there.
4. So its a fairly large town then.
5. So its almost any town then.
6. Mountains, we are 12k from the coast and have mountains on three sides. But the nearest big town has in excess of 10,000 inhabitants.
7. Thats a doable, but then you are like 90% of the rest of us.
8. So big town or in the middle of nowhere.. My idea of safe is loads of people (was born in London) I hate the countryside, far too dangerous.
9. We have towns near us that you wont hear anything other than Spanish, but there is a Kebab shop, Pizza place and an Indian restaurant in almost all of them... How many actual Canadian Restaurants are there in your home town???

This is where we live.
Its a town with a spread out population of about 5,000 (we live a small attached village with 200 population, no shop, one bar.) Polop has shops, bars and restaurants, an hour from Alicante airport, mainly Spanish population, but there are Dutch, german, french, British, Scandinavian countries and of course south americans (who you will find doing all the rubbish jobs nobody else wants).
We have mountains, 12k from the sea. Summer temps 35c winter 7c. 250m above sea level. Benidorm is less than 15 mins away and in the other direction Calpe
It ticks four of your boxes. NOWHERE anywhere in the world will tick them all...

This is from the church at the top of the hill in the town (Polop).

 

Thanks for all that detail. It’s very helpful. Thanks to all who have replied. You gave me lots of information which is what I was hoping for. As many of you have said, I’m obviously looking for something that doesn’t exist. I understand that now. A friend had suggested Spain to us so we were just digging around. We shall stick with Canada at least until our doggie leaves us, and then we can re-think. Thanks again.

 

To be honest, it's probably a good idea and I personally wouldn't rule out the US if you are on that side. I know people always talk about safety, politics etc. but realistically the US is not as unsafe as people make it. The only difference is that when something happens there, the whole country hears about it. The difference in Europe is that because there are so many small countries people don't realise how unsafe it is. Right now 4000 km from Alicante, people are being bombed and that's the same distance as St. Augustine FL to Fresno CA. No doubt there are more school shootings but nobody in Spain would be bothered about mass stabbings in Paris, Berlin etc or gang violence in Marseille. Same with poverty and nobody would talk about poverty in Albania, Bulgaria, Romania etc..

 

Hi I’ve lived in Spain on and off for 32 years and know most cities and towns. Looking at your criteria I would rule out Marbella, it’s beautiful but the no 1 tourist spot, and expensive! Estepona is cheaper buts lots of British, Benidorm full of cheap British and drunks. If you’re looking for a bit cheaper, less touristy, more culture, assimilating into Spanish life, etc…. La Cala de Mijas, Mijas Pueblo, Benalmadena Pueblo, attend nice in the Costa del Sol. if you want to immerse yourself in the country San Sebastián is cooler , beautiful and nearer the French border! Excellent food! Nerja is OK, sort of half touristy, cheaper and a mix of Brits Scandi and Germans Fuengirola is a great option, it IS both touristy AND a proper functioning Spanish town. everywhere I’ve listed is within 10 mins or on the beach. Malaga airport serves the Costa del Sol and has many international destinations, but to get to Canada you’d need to connect via Madrid Malaga also has a high speed train to Madrid for weekend breaks! (Prado, Retiro, etc) the residence process is fairly easy. they are getting quite aggressive with tax (as is the whole of the EU and UK Portugal and Sardinia are two other destinations you could consider if you want to be more tax efficient

 

Thanks! I’ll look into those places!

 

Relocating to Portugal in 2024: The Ultimate Guide | Homelike

Looking for a smooth transition to life in Portugal? Our guide covers everything from housing to culture, simplifying your move.

www.thehomelike.com

This might be more what you're looking for?

 

After today's distressing news in the Middle east I would certainly not be in any rush to be abandoning a safe country like Canada. If anything I would imagine that people would more likely prefer to be there than in parts of Europe

 

Hello all. I’m a newbie to this forum. My partner and I are retired Canadians and considering a move to Spain. I’m aware of the problems when asking advice on where to live but we’re just trying to narrow down the options. Can I list our priorities and perhaps I can get a few place names to start our search?

1. We don’t want the summers to be too hot. 25C is ideal.

2. We want mild winters with a lot of sun.

3. Living within walking distance to the beach would be awesome except we don’t want to live with throngs of tourists each summer. We currently live in a gorgeous town that is a tourist destination in Canada so we are aware of the pitfalls of being inundated with thousands of tourists each summer. (Hard to get into restaurants, jacked-up summer pricing, traffic/parking, etc). So we are hoping for a compromise in a place that’s reasonably close (30 minutes?) to the beach while still offering water views….. a river? We love kayaking.

4. We want to be able to walk to restaurants and bars.

5. We want good choices of grocery stores within 30 minutes.

6. We would like quick and easy access to hiking trails and bike paths.

7. We would like to be within an hour’s drive of airport.

8. We want a safe community where we are not concerned about walking at night.

9. We don’t want to live in a community that caters too much to expats, for example having a large number of restaurants reminiscent of their hometowns.

That’s what I’ve got so far. Any ideas are welcome and much appreciated.

Hi, I live in the valencia region near Gandia it offers trails and fantastic beaches, also Valencia airport is 60 minutes away. /SNIP/

 

and how hot does it get in Valencia in summmer?

 

Around mid 30s Celsius on average.

 

So at the hottest part of the summer in Valencia, quite comfortable then, if you can mostly keep out of the direct sun during the day.

It was only when I moved to spain that I discovered how absolutely essential it was to have good fans dotted around the house.
I am not speaking of those ones with short vanes and that spin around super fast making a right bloody din, I mean ones with long vanes and that have multiple speed setting, so you can adjust the airflow depending on how hot it is. The best for a room at the ones that get fixed on the ceilings, but I also have ones that rest on the floor that can be moved around. But again I went for the longest vanes I could find, even with these. During the worst periods of heat it is necessary to resort to air con, but obviously that is limited to when the heat becomes intolerable even with fans, or overnight, as I need a good nights sleep, so I can function at work the next day. The one thing I learned when I came to Spain you have to be smart about limiting your amount of time out in the sun when it is hotter and schedule any trips to either the morning or late evening.

 

Everyone in the UK wants to find the place that you're looking for! Somewhere with moderately, hot summers and lovely mild winters.

The reality is that much of southern Europe is heating up, as in the USA, and drought is a real issue in Spain. We were just in Malaga in October and that's a beautiful city packed with culture and there's a lovely coastal resort half an hour away called Torre del Mar which has lovely sea breezes in October and so even when it reads 30°, it's actually more like 25. That wasn't too touristy at all, but it was just off-season. Malaga on the other hand is busy all year round, as is Barcelona, and any other major city.

One thing that's a popular option for many retirees, as in the US and Canada, are mostly caravans or RVs. People can then travel all over Spain, Portugal, France, the UK, wherever they like and find the places that might suit them at various times of the year. You could try this for a couple of months and see how you get on.

Once upon a time, I would've considered moving to one place in Spain, for example, and spending the winter is there and the summers in the UK, where it's mostly the kind of temperatures that you're seeking.

But I wouldn't now, because of climate change, I wouldn't permanently relocate. We shall work on visiting for longer periods in cooler months in the UK.

I spent a few years in the USA and it's an amazing country, you really have to live there to be able to comment on what kind of a place it is, it's much maligned and most people don't get to see the bright minded, intelligent, thoughtful side of American politics and American people. In many ways, the UK is now mirroring the cultural declines that they once took a smug pleasure in commenting on in the USA. But like anywhere, it's complex.

The only place I know that had temperatures you're describing would've been parts of California, and I think on the east coast, it would've been places like South/North Carolina possibly? Anyway, come and visit Europe and explore a bit and see if it might scratch that it's that you have, and maybe provide a possibility for you for at least part of the year.

 

rs.

The reality is that much of southern Europe is heating up, as in the USA, and drought is a real issue in Spain. We were just in Malaga in October and that's a beautiful city packed with culture and there's a lovely coastal resort half an hour away called Torre del Mar which has lovely sea breezes in October and so even when it reads 30°, it's actually more like 25. That wasn't too touristy at all, but it was just off-season. Malaga on the other hand is busy all year round, as is Barcelona, and any other major city.

I live just 5km inland from Torre del Mar and yes, it is a nice resort with a long and uncrowded beach and a promenade with gardens alongside which stretches for several kilometres, plus views to the mountains inland. It's possible to walk along the promenade for quite some distance, past the fishing port and marina at Caleta de Velez, Mezquitalla, Algarrobo Costa and El Morche I have always thought the town pretty architecturally ugly, though, as it's predominantly made up of apartment blocks mostly dating back to the 1960s and 1970s although newer ones have been built on the outskirts as the town has expanded, which it has done considerably since we arrived 18 years ago. Sadly the shanty town just on the western edge of town is still there although the local Council and the Junta de Andalucia have been promising to find new accommodation for the people who live there for the past 20 years and more. New luxury villas have now been built directly above it, I can't imagine their views are very edifying.

Junta and City Council create a commission to dismantle the shacks of the Casillas de la Vía de Torre del Mar - AxarquiaPlus

The town is never very busy except in July and August. For a town that size there are not many hotels, especially not large ones catering to package holidaymakers. A great many of the apartments are owned by Spanish families from areas further North in Spain who just come for a few weeks in the summer. It used to be very easy and cheap to rent an apartment in Torre for the winter months as many private owners rent them out when they are not using them, but it is now so popular especially with German, Dutch and Scandinavian long stay visitors that apartments are booked up a year or more in advance, and I know a few people who have been disappointed when hoping to secure one. In July and August it is very busy with long queues in the supermarkets, a lot of traffic and very scarce parking spaces, and public transport very crowded and subject to delays. It can also be noisy because of events like the Weekend Beach music festival in July which attracts over 100,000 people and the Air Show in September each year.

Torre del Mar's Weekend Beach festival runs out of camping area for 2024 | Sur Newspaper

 

Devastating about the floods in Spain.

 

We digress from the topic under discussion, so if you haven't started your retirment in Spain yet, I hope when you do, you have a good one.