Fewer crowds
January is quietest.
January, at 31% of the busiest month (August). Low season, under 35% of the peak: January.
A good place. At the right time.
Best time to visitBasque Country.
Plan your visit
Find your month.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
Start with October.
#1 of 12 · Balanced · 7.8/10
Overnight stays are 62% of the busiest month.
Based on País Vasco regional averages.
- Afternoon high
- 70°F
- Sea temperature
- 66°F
- Crowds
- Busy
The sea averages 66°F (19°C). Fresh: fine once you are in. Warm air does not always mean warm water.
Check what is open. The off-season flag comes from visitor patterns. Confirm accommodation, services and transport for your dates.
Price context. Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €123 per occupied room-night. An average, not a booking quote.
Historical averages, not forecasts or live prices.
A regional guide. Figures cover País Vasco, including San Sebastián and Bilbao. Conditions vary within the region.
The whole calendar
Already have dates?
Explore your month, then weigh up the trade-offs.
October at a glance
Balanced match #1 · 7.8/10
Overnight stays are 62% of the busiest month.
The sea averages 66°F (19°C). Fresh: fine once you are in. Warm air does not always mean warm water.
Check what is open. The off-season flag comes from visitor patterns. Confirm accommodation, services and transport for your dates.
Read the October guide- Afternoon high
- 70°F
- Night low
- 54°F
- Sea temperature
- 66°F
- Rain days
- 7
- Daylight
- 11h 07m
- Crowds
- Busy
All 12 months, on the same measures. Tap a heading to sort or a month to open its guide.Select a month to open its guide. Scroll the table for more detail.
| Rank | Month | Overall | Weather | Crowds | Cost | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | October | 7.8 | 8.7/10 Very good | Busy | Moderate | 70°F | 54°F | 66°F | 7 | 11h 07m |
| #2 | September | 7.5 | 8.9/10 Very good | Busy | Pricey | 76°F | 57°F | 70°F | 8 | 12h 34m |
| #3 | June | 7.5 | 8.6/10 Very good | Busy | Pricey | 75°F | 56°F | 66°F | 8 | 15h 21m |
| #4 | May | 7.4 | 8.1/10 Very good | Busy | Moderate | 69°F | 51°F | 61°F | 11 | 14h 37m |
| #5 | April | 7.3 | 7.3/10 Very good | Moderate | Moderate | 64°F | 47°F | 57°F | 11 | 13h 21m |
| #6 | March | 7.2 | 6.4/10 Good | Moderate | Moderate | 60°F | 44°F | 55°F | 13 | 11h 51m |
| #7 | July | 7.1 | 9.0/10 Excellent | Peak | Pricey | 78°F | 59°F | 71°F | 5 | 15h 05m |
| #8 | November | 7.0 | 6.0/10 Good | Moderate | Moderate | 60°F | 48°F | 62°F | 15 | 9h 46m |
| #9 | August | 6.6 | 8.8/10 Very good | Peak | Pricey | 80°F | 60°F | 72°F | 6 | 14h 00m |
| #10 | December | 6.6 | 5.6/10 Good | Moderate | Moderate | 57°F | 44°F | 58°F | 12 | 9h 02m |
| #11 | February | 6.4 | 5.4/10 Good | Moderate | Cheap | 56°F | 42°F | 55°F | 12 | 10h 30m |
| #12 | January | 6.0 | 5.0/10 Good | Low | Cheap | 54°F | 41°F | 56°F | 14 | 9h 20m |
Overall follows your priorities. Crowds compare each month with this place's own year. Highs, lows and rain days are historical averages for 2011–2025.
A little perspective
The shape of the year.
Afternoon highNight low
Top balanced match · October
October
- High
- 70°F
- Low
- 54°F
- Rain
- 7 days
- Crowds
- Busy
Some weather measures are unavailable. Gaps in the chart mean no data.
Off season can mean fewer services. Confirm what is open for your dates.
País Vasco regional averages · Historical patterns, not a forecast. Gaps mean no data. Crowds compare months within this region.
The busiest month records 3.2 times the overnight stays of the quietest.
Very-good-or-better weather scores: April to October. No month has a poor weather score.
Peak-season months: July to August. Low-season months: January.
The two busiest months account for 26% of annual overnight stays.
Figures cover the whole País Vasco region, suburbs included. Historical hotel revenue here averaged €152 per occupied room-night in August and €75 in January.
Euro figures use the 2024–2025 monthly average.
Before you go
Pack a little context.
Good weather
April, outside the busy season.
Very good or better April to October. July has the highest displayed weather score (9.0/10). Highest weather score outside the busy season: April.
Lower prices
December to February.
These are three lower-price months on the historical regional hotel series. The lowest monthly average is €75 per occupied room-night in January. It uses the 2024–2025 monthly average. These are average revenues, not current booking quotes.
School holidays
Summer break meets the busy season.
If your dates follow US school breaks: June falls in busy season; July and August fall in peak season. Spring break (March–April) falls in moderate season.
Local families travel too: at least 30% of people in Spain live where schools are out on a typical day June to August and December. Spain's school calendar for September isn't fully published yet. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL, and official calendars.)
About these answers
These are historical seasonal patterns. Crowds compare a month with this place's own busiest month; they do not measure queues at individual sights. Weather answers use the displayed weather scores. These seasonal facts stay the same when you change your priorities; your Overall recommendation updates above. Prices retain the scope stated beside them. Full methodology.
Choose your season
The year, season by season.
Winter
Dec–Feb
Visitor levels change through the season.
December falls in moderate season; January falls in low season; February falls in moderate season.
54–57°FAfternoon highs
Spring
Mar–May
A quieter start, a busier finish.
March and April fall in moderate season; May falls in busy season.
60–69°FAfternoon highs
Summer
Jun–Aug
A busy season for visitors.
June falls in busy season; July and August fall in peak season.
75–80°FAfternoon highs
Autumn
Sep–Nov
A busier start, a quieter finish.
September and October fall in busy season; November falls in moderate season.
60–76°FAfternoon highs
Ranges span monthly average afternoon highs, not daily extremes. Conditions and seasonal openings vary within Basque Country.
How we know
The default Balanced Overall weighs weather 50%, crowds 30% and cost 20%. Your priority choice updates the Overall, month ranks and recommendation. While your weather weight is at least 40%, Overall cannot exceed weather by more than 1. Close scores can describe different trip experiences. How the scores work.
| Statistical region | ES21 · País Vasco |
| Region type | City (Eurostat NUTS3 typologies weighted by population: urban 100%, coastal 85%, mountain 100%; median ground height 336 m) |
| Population used | 2.2 million (1 January 2025) |
| Crowd reference years | 2024–2025 average |
| How our weather was checked | 31 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.1°C), night lows within 1°F (0.4°C). |
| Climate index | HCI:Urban, observed climatology over 15 years (2011–2025) |
| Hotel occupancy (annual) | 69% |
| Accommodation mix | 72% hotels, 9% camping |
| Hotel rates | INE Spain, EOH/IRSH table 2059: hotel average daily rate per occupied room |
| Country price level (restaurants & hotels, EU27 = 100) | 84 |
| Daylight latitude | 43.05° N |
Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments by month and NUTS 2 region, per 1,000 inhabitants, divided by days in the month. "Season here" is the month's figure as a share of this region's busiest month. "Visitors" ranks overnight visitors per resident against all Europe's regions that month. Weather: Holiday Climate Index (Scott et al. 2016; Rutty et al. 2020) computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records and population-weighted to the region. Prices are regional where the page says so (INE Spain, EOH/IRSH table 2059: hotel average daily rate per occupied room), otherwise national. Hand-written notes are marked and nothing depends on them. Full method · this region's data.