Hello Everyone,

I am planning a trip to Spain this winter break and was wondering if anyone here can answer a few questions for me.

I plan on leaving with a friend early January and staying there for two weeks. Will the weather be okay for climbing then, or will it be too cold?

Also, I am 21 and my friend is 22, will we e able to rent a car from the airport or is the minimum age 24 or so? Also, where can I get more information on places to stay, etc...

My plan is to spend the majority of the time in Margalef with some time touring Barcelona.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

1) yes, the weather will be fine as long as it does not rain (but you can still climb some places even in the rain). Climbing in the sun usually provides excellent temperatures, but it will get cold at night. Margalef tends to be a good choice because it has a lot of variety in aspect and altitude, so you should be able to find something comfortable for just about any weather.

2) Yes, you can rent a car. Margalef has a refugio where you can stay as well as a couple small hotels, but there is plenty of free camping around. climbinspain.com is a great resource for places to stay in other areas, and most will also have free camping.

3) Margalef is great, but don't limit yourself. If you have a car you should definitely check out some other areas. Montsant and Siurana are nearby and are both excellent.

I'll be doing the same thing at the same time. See you out there!

I agree - you should be able to climb in Margalef this time of year with a bit of luck and you should be able to get a rental. A German friend recommended www.sixt.com - but there are other outfits too. I also enjoyed Siurana and the tiny sampling I had of Monsant.

Enjoy!

I think Margalef, Monstant and Siurana would be pretty cold this time of year. We climbed there in October in the sun and it was perfect. I would suggest heading further south to El Chorro. It looks incredible and is super warm. I don't even think you need to rent a car. Check out this link for some great info: fincalacampana.com/

For winter time, here in Spain the best places for climbing are the nearest to Alicante, Benidorm, what we call levante coast.

El Chorro it´s a great place to climb in winter time. The rest of the territory it´s cold and wet now. Yesterday during a period of good time, I was climbing (tradclimb) here in Madrid. Everything was wet.

To sum up. South and east in winter time. It´s most probably to have better temperatures, and sun.

I am a student studying in Barcelona. If you'd like to meet up and climb while you're here let me know! I climb sport, and I like to boulder as well.