Late October in Spain smells of roasting castañas and warm sugar. Bakery windows fill with inviting treats, while street braziers serve hot boniatos and cups of thick chocolate. The sweetest finds for Halloween 2025 in Spain sit in neighbourhood pastelerías, markets and the familiar corner braziers dotted around the big cities.
Barcelona
Barcelona leans into La Castanyada, one of Spain's most important Halloween traditions, with trays of panellets in every cake shop. These are small almond marzipan sweets, often rolled in pine nuts or dusted with cocoa, coffee or coconut, traditionally eaten around All Saints. While eating your way through the city, check out the many non-touristy things to do in Barcelona to avoid the crowds.
Pastisseria Escribà on Gran Via, La Colmena by Plaça de l’Àngel and Foix de Sarrià are reliable for quality. Street braziers along La Rambla and Plaça Catalunya turn out hot roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes). For something warm, Granja Viader in El Raval and La Nena in Gràcia pour thick hot chocolate. A small glass of sweet moscatell is the classic pairing with panellets.
Valencia
Valencia keeps it compact and seasonal, with neighbourhood bakeries in Ruzafa and El Carmen turning out autumn pastries and the occasional pumpkin sweet.
For easy pick‑ups, Mercat Central’s produce stalls sell fresh chestnuts and roasted boniatos for snacking before a night out. When the evening cools, Horchatería Santa Catalina pivots from summer horchata to hot chocolate, handy between sights or after a cemetery visit on Tots Sants.
Madrid
Madrid goes classic with huesos de santo and buñuelos de viento, and there's no shortage of things to do in the city during October. Huesos de santo are marzipan tubes filled with silky sweetened egg yolk cream, shaped to resemble bones, while buñuelos de viento are light, fried choux balls, often filled to order with cream, chocolate or truffle.
La Mallorquina on Sol, El Riojano on Calle Mayor, La Duquesita in Salesas and the Antigua Pastelería del Pozo near Tirso de Molina stack their windows with both. Chestnut stands cluster around Gran Vía and Puerta del Sol, and Chocolatería San Ginés is the safe bet for a warming cup if smaller cafés close early on 1st November.
Seville
Sevilla’s historic centre is dotted with confiterías, and the mood skews traditional on 1st November. La Campana cake shop near La Campana junction and Ochoa by the cathedral usually offer fine huesos de santo and cream‑filled buñuelos.
Street roasters set up along Avenida de la Constitución and by Puerta de Jerez, and Bar El Comercio is a dependable stop for churros with thick chocolate once the morning errands are done.
Málaga and the Costa del Sol
Málaga and the Costa del Sol bring mild evenings and easy snacking. Chestnut vendors pop up along Calle Larios, Alameda Principal and near busy bus stops, selling cones priced by size.
La Canasta bakeries around the centre provide seasonal pastries, while Casa Aranda keeps the churros and hot chocolate flowing. Inland villages often hold a community tostón—a daytime chestnut roast—over the first weekend of November.
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Bilbao and the Basque Country
Bilbao and the Basque Country blend urban cafés with autumn flavours. Pastelería Arrese’s branches stock neat boxes of huesos de santo and seasonal cakes, while chestnut stalls in the Casco Viejo around Plaza Nueva and along Gran Vía keep hands warm.
After dinner, locals sometimes sip a little patxaran, a sloe‑berry and anise liqueur that suits the season.
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Galicia
Galicia’s late‑October rhythm centres on chestnuts and cosy sweets. Community magostos (chestnut roasts) run from late October into early November, and city centres in Santiago, A Coruña and Vigo usually have take‑away cones near main squares.
Neighbourhood bakeries set out custard‑filled buñuelos, and cafés often serve a thimble of licor café, a gently sweet coffee liqueur, after lunch or dinner.
Canary Islands
In the Canary Islands, warm evenings stretch the snack window. Chestnut stands appear in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas, while resort patisseries in Costa Adeje, Playa de las Américas and along Las Canteras stock seasonal sweets for visiting families.
Chocolaterías and cafés stay open late, so it’s easy to find a hot chocolate or dessert even on the bank holiday.
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