Spain in summer can be, let’s face it, absolutely roasting. While sunseekers head to the usual hotspots to sizzle on beaches or melt in inland cities, those in the know take a different route, up into the hills, out to the Atlantic coast, or deep into shaded valleys where a cool breeze still exists and you can sleep without clinging to a fan.

Here are some of the best places in Spain to escape the summer heat, with fresh air, cold rivers, shady forests, and not a heatwave in sight.

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1. Picos de Europa – Green Mountains and Glacial Lakes

Where: Asturias, Cantabria, and northern Castilla y León

Located up in Spain’s north, the Picos de Europa are where the air is cooler, the grass is greener, and the cows wear bells. This mountain range feels like a postcard from Switzerland but with cider instead of fondue.

Base yourself in pretty towns like Cangas de Onís or Potes, hike to Lagos de Covadonga, or take the Fuente Dé cable car for sweeping views. It’s proper mountain weather up here, even in July, you might need a light jumper in the evenings.

Bonus: Local food is hearty and comforting, fabada stew, blue cheeses, and sidra poured from above your head like some kind of fizzy waterfall.

2. Rías Baixas, Galicia – Where the Sea Is Cold and the Wine Is Crisp

Where: Western Galicia

While the Mediterranean gets most of the attention, Spain’s northwest coast stays refreshingly cool in summer. The Rías Baixas region is full of little estuaries, quiet beaches, and fishing villages with stone houses and drying octopus hanging outside.

Visit Sanxenxo or O Grove, eat fresh shellfish on a terrace, then wash it all down with a glass (or three) of Albariño. The Cíes Islands, just off the coast from Vigo, are part of a protected national park, think white sand, turquoise water, and limited daily visitor numbers.

It’s Spain, but not as most people know it.

Hondarribia & the Basque Coast – Stylish, Breezy and Delicious

Where: Gipuzkoa, near the French border

Hondarribia is a postcard-perfect town with colourful wooden balconies, cobbled streets, and some of the best pintxos in the country. It’s also blessed with Atlantic breezes that keep temperatures comfortable.

Just along the coast are places like Zarautz, Getaria, and San Sebastián, where you can dip in the sea, sip txakoli (a slightly fizzy white wine), and stroll the promenades without feeling like your flip-flops are melting into the pavement.

This area is perfect if you like a bit of city buzz with your sea breeze, and let’s be honest, it’s hard to beat a place where lunch involves a glass of wine and a €2 bite of heaven on a stick.

4. The Pyrenees – Wild, Peaceful, and Far from the Beach Crowds

Where: Running along the French border from Navarra to Cataluña

The Pyrenees are high, vast, and full of silence. And in summer, they’re glorious. Whether you’re exploring the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici, or the tiny stone villages of the Vall de Boí, the temperatures stay pleasant and the skies are (mostly) clear. Bring your walking boots, pack a fleece for the cool nights, and enjoy mornings by mountain lakes and afternoons watching eagles glide over sharp peaks.

Top tip: Stay in a rural casa, eat local goat’s cheese, and swim in an icy river if you dare.

5. La Garrotxa – Forests, Volcanoes and Villages with Zero Crowds

Where: Inland Cataluña, near Girona

Ever heard of La Garrotxa? Most people haven’t, and that’s exactly the charm. This region of ancient volcanoes, oak forests, and medieval villages like Besalú and Santa Pau is a dream for anyone who loves the countryside but doesn’t want to fry under the sun.

There are hiking and cycling trails through shaded woodland, cold rivers to splash in, and hardly a tourist coach in sight. Girona is nearby if you want a bit more bustle, but La Garrotxa is for people who like slow mornings and long lunches in garden cafés.

6. Bardenas Reales – The Coolest Hot Desert in Spain

Where: Navarra

This one’s a curveball. Bardenas Reales is a semi-desert full of strange rock formations, dusty tracks, and wide-open skies. Yes, it gets warm here, but it’s the kind of dry, silent, cinematic heat that feels different. There’s hardly any humidity, nights cool down fast, and the landscape is so jaw-droppingly odd you forget you’re in Spain at all.

It’s like being on another planet, with the occasional sheep.

7. Sierra de Grazalema – Green Hills in the South

Where: Cádiz and Málaga

You wouldn’t expect one of Spain’s rainiest areas to be in Andalucía, but here it is. The Sierra de Grazalema is a green pocket of rolling hills and sharp limestone cliffs. It’s cooler than nearby Sevilla or Málaga, especially if you stay in hilltop villages like Zahara de la Sierra or Grazalema itself.

It’s a great base for hiking, wild swimming, or just doing absolutely nothing with a cold drink and a view. It’s still hot at peak times but get much cooler at night and early morning.

Spain’s Cooler Side Is Still Full of Sunshine

Not everyone enjoys 40°C and the feeling of their T-shirt sticking to them and their legs sticking to a plastic chair. If that sounds like you, these cooler corners of Spain offer a summer that’s still full of life, but with more breeze, more shade, and fewer sunburnt shoulders.

So skip the scorched pavement this year. Spain has plenty of places where you can enjoy the season without melting, you just need to know where to look.

Main image: Picos de Europa, Asturias, Shutterstock/Marques