Meteo Tossa de Mar (Costa Brava) in maggio

Girona's forum describes May as genuinely split — early May can be cool and rainy, while the back half turns noticeably more summery and reliable. Regulars point to the city's Temps de Flors flower festival as a highlight worth timing a visit around, and flag the sea as still too cold for swimming this early, making May better suited to walking and sightseeing than the beach.

Tossa de Mar's forum pushes back on the idea that Costa Brava winters are dreary: several posters describe January as chilly but typically sunny with clear blue skies, closer to a crisp day than the grey damp of a UK winter, which matches the destination's own mild low-teens-C average high. Most tourist-facing bars and restaurants close for the season in October, so the town reverts to serving its Catalan residents rather than visitors - it's quiet, but not shut down, and weekend day-trippers still fill the seafront spots when the weather cooperates.

Forum posters describe July as when the Costa Brava season really comes together - sea temperatures around 23C and genuinely comfortable for swimming, with the town noticeably livelier and warmer than earlier in summer. Posters note Tossa stays relatively calm midweek in early July, but by mid-month crowds build and stay heavy through the end of August, so early-to-mid-July offers a window with somewhat thinner crowds while conditions are already excellent. Heat and humidity are genuinely present by mid-July, and nights stay warm enough that even an after-8pm walk still feels balmy rather than cool - a real contrast to the shoulder-season evenings earlier in the year.