Madrid in October

When to go

The national weather agency's long-term averages for October, listed in the facts, show mild days, cool nights and some rain; treat them as a guide, not a forecast. Spain's national holiday falls in October, and esMADRID says the city hosts a military parade every year to mark it, so check opening hours for that day. The Royal Palace switches to its October-to-March hours.

Trip facts

• AEMET (Spain's Agencia Estatal de Meteorología) lists, in its 1981-2010 climate normals for the Madrid, Retiro station, an October mean monthly temperature of 15.1 °C, a mean of daily maximum temperatures of 19.4 °C and a mean of daily minimum temperatures of 10.7 °C. (www.aemet.es, checked 2026-10-16)
• AEMET's 1981-2010 climate normals for the Madrid, Retiro station list an October mean precipitation of 60 mm and an average of 6.9 days with precipitation of 1 mm or more. (www.aemet.es, checked 2026-10-16)
• The EU's Travel to Europe site says the progressive start of the Entry/Exit System (EES) lasted until 9 April 2026 and that from 10 April 2026 the EES is fully operational at all external border crossing points of the European countries using the system. (travel-europe.europa.eu, checked 2026-10-16)
• The EU's Travel to Europe site says ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications for travel authorisations are collected at this point, and that the European Union will inform about the specific date for the start of ETIAS several months prior to its launch. (travel-europe.europa.eu, checked 2026-10-16)
• Spain's Boletín Oficial del Estado resolution publishing the calendar of work holidays for 2027 lists 12 October, Fiesta Nacional de España, as a national holiday that cannot be substituted (Fiesta Nacional no sustituible) in every autonomous community, including the Comunidad de Madrid. (www.boe.es, checked 2026-10-16)
• Madrid's tourism site esMADRID says that every year Madrid hosts a military parade which marks Spanish National Day, with personnel from the Armed Forces, Civil Guard, National Police and Maritime Rescue taking part, accompanied by ground vehicles and aircraft. (www.esmadrid.com, checked 2026-10-16)
• Patrimonio Nacional's page for the Royal Palace of Madrid lists October to March hours of 10:00 am – 6:00 pm from Monday to Saturday (last access 5:00 pm) and 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM on Sundays, a basic price of 18 €, and recommends purchasing tickets online in advance, as availability at the physical ticket office is limited. (www.patrimonionacional.es, checked 2026-10-16)
• Aena's page for Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport lists these ways to get to the airport: Underground (Line 8: Nuevos Ministerios-Airport T4), bus (city, intercity and long-distance lines), trains (two suburban train lines connect Terminal T4 with the city centre), taxi and car. (www.aena.es, checked 2026-10-16)
• Aena's bus page for Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport lists Line 203 Airport Express, Atocha railway station - Airport, with a 24-hour schedule and a standard fare, irrespective of the length of the journey, of €5. (www.aena.es, checked 2026-10-16)
• Metro de Madrid's airport page says the Aeropuerto T1-T2-T3 and Aeropuerto T4 stations both belong to Line 8 and are open to the public from 6 am to 1.30 am, and that entering or exiting there with a Single Metro Zone A and ML1 ticket (€1,5 - €2, depending on the number of stations travelled) requires a €3 airport supplement, which the Tourist ticket does not. (www.metromadrid.es, checked 2026-10-16)