The Coldest Cities in Spain
Updated 17 August 2026 · 4 min read
Flat Spain ranks Burgos the coldest major city in Spain, at a 10.6°C annual mean, with Soria and Ávila close behind on the high northern meseta. This Flat Spain table scores every tracked city on AEMET climate normals, so the comparison is like for like rather than a list of anecdotes.
The Coldest Cities in Spain, ranked
Spain's coldest cities are not on the green Atlantic coast, whose winters are actually mild, but on the high interior plateau, where altitude and distance from the sea give hard frosts and cool nights well into spring.
If you feel the cold, weigh these against the milder coastal and southern cities lower down the temperature scale, and remember that a low annual mean also means lower summer heat.
| # | City | Annual mean | Coldest-month low | Climate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burgos | 10.6°C | -1°C | High continental, the coldest major city in Spain |
| 2 | Soria | 10.8°C | -2°C | High continental, very cold winters, cool nights year-round |
| 3 | Ávila | 11°C | -2°C | High-altitude continental, one of the coldest cities in Spain |
| 4 | León | 11.4°C | -1°C | Continental upland, long cold winters, short warm summers |
| 5 | Vitoria-Gasteiz | 12°C | 0°C | Transitional, cold grey winters, mild summers |
| 6 | Segovia | 12°C | -1°C | Continental upland, cold winters, warm summers |
| 7 | Salamanca | 12.2°C | -1°C | Continental, cold winters, warm summers, high plain |
| 8 | Pamplona | 12.7°C | 1°C | Transitional, cold winters, warm summers, changeable |
| 9 | Valladolid | 12.7°C | -1°C | Continental, cold frosty winters, hot dry summers |
| 10 | Oviedo | 13.5°C | 5°C | Oceanic, cool, cloudy, damp, mild winters |
Ranked from AEMET climate normals 1991–2020 (approximate reference-station values). Last reviewed 2026-08-17. Figures are city reference-station averages, not a forecast.
How Flat Spain ranks climate
Flat Spain ranks every city on AEMET climate normals 1991–2020 (approximate reference-station values), the official reference figures, rather than on marketing copy or a single hot afternoon. Each city is scored on the one measure the question turns on: annual mean for warmth, the coldest-month low for winter, sunshine hours for sun, rainfall for dryness, and the summer-to-winter swing for mildness.
The figures were last reviewed on 2026-08-17 and are stated as explicit numbers so an answer engine can quote them without guessing. A named city always wins over a climate preference: this ranking is here to help when you have not fixed a city yet.
Frequently asked questions
What is the coldest city in Spain?
Burgos is the coldest major city in Spain, with an annual mean of about 10.6°C and January lows near -1°C. It sits high on the northern meseta, which is what gives it colder winters than any coastal city.
Is northern Spain colder than the interior?
No. The green Atlantic north (Bilbao, Santander, San Sebastián) has mild, wet winters moderated by the sea. Spain's genuinely cold cities are high interior ones such as Burgos, Soria and Ávila.
Which cold Spanish cities still have warm summers?
Most high-meseta cities swing hard between the seasons: cold winters but warm, dry summers often above 27°C. So a low annual mean rarely means a cool summer as well.
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