How to recognise hay fever (and not confuse it with a cold)

Hay fever is an allergic reaction to airborne pollen. The classic symptoms come on quickly, within minutes of exposure, and fluctuate with where you are and what's in the air.

  • A runny, blocked, or itchy nose
  • Repeated sneezing, often in bursts
  • Itchy, watery, red eyes
  • An itchy roof of the mouth or throat
  • Sometimes a tickly cough from post-nasal drip
  • Fatigue from disturbed sleep and the immune response itself

The features that tell hay fever apart from a cold are: it usually comes and goes with exposure (outside, bad. indoors with the windows closed, better); the eyes are itchy rather than gritty or painful; there is no fever; and the symptoms can last weeks rather than days. If you have asthma, hay fever can flare it badly — that is worth taking seriously.

Spanish pollen seasons — what's flowering and when

Spain's pollen calendar overlaps with northern Europe but has some distinct peaks. The most aggressive trigger for many travellers is olive pollen, which has no significant northern European equivalent.

February – May
Cypress and plane trees
Affects southern and central Spain in particular. Cities with avenues of plane trees see peaks in spring.
April – June
Olive (olivo)
The single biggest pollen trigger across central and southern Spain. Andalucía in particular. Concentrations can be extreme.
April – July
Grass (gramíneas)
Widespread across Spain, often peaking in May and June. The same trigger most UK travellers know from home.
August – October
Weeds (mugwort, ragweed, pellitory)
Late-summer and autumn peaks, more common in coastal and Mediterranean areas. Pellitory (parietaria) is a year-round nuisance in the Balearic Islands and the Mediterranean coast.

Local conditions matter. A hot, dry, windy day in the olive belt around Jaén in May can have pollen counts higher than anything in the UK. Pellitory in coastal Catalonia or the Balearic Islands can trigger symptoms in people who have never had hay fever before. The Spanish Society of Allergology (SEAIC) publishes daily regional pollen counts on its polenes.com website, useful for planning when you are flaring.

When hay fever needs more than self-care

Most hay fever is uncomfortable but not dangerous. A small number of situations need in-person care, not an online consultation.

Get seen in person — do not wait
  • Worsening asthma symptoms — increased breathlessness, wheeze, or needing your reliever inhaler much more often than usual
  • Chest tightness, difficulty breathing, or wheeze in someone without a previous asthma diagnosis
  • Eye pain, change in vision, or a single red painful eye — points to something other than allergic conjunctivitis
  • Facial pain, fever, or thick coloured nasal discharge for more than a week — suggests sinus infection
  • Sudden severe reaction with swelling of the lips, tongue, or throat, or a widespread rash — possible anaphylaxis, call 112 immediately

If you have known asthma and it is flaring, do not rely on hay fever medication alone. Use your inhalers as prescribed, and get in-person assessment if the flare is not settling.

What a Spanish pharmacy can do without a prescription

Spanish pharmacies are well stocked for hay fever and the pharmacist is usually a good first stop. Without a prescription you can buy:

  • Non-drowsy oral antihistamines — loratadine, cetirizine, fexofenadine, and bilastine are all available over the counter. Bilastine is widely used in Spain and reliable.
  • Older sedating antihistamines if you want help sleeping. Avoid these if you are driving.
  • Saline nasal sprays, which rinse pollen and irritants out of the nose.
  • Decongestant nasal sprays, which work fast but should not be used for more than three to five days because of rebound congestion.
  • Antihistamine and lubricating eye drops for itchy, watery eyes.
  • Cromoglicate-based eye drops, which work as a preventive over a few days rather than instantly.

For mild-to-moderate hay fever, this combination is often enough. The stronger treatments — intranasal corticosteroid sprays in particular — generally require a prescription in Spain.

When you need prescription treatment

Step up to prescription treatment when:

  • OTC antihistamines on their own are not controlling your symptoms after three or four days of consistent use.
  • Nasal blockage is the main problem, and an antihistamine alone has little effect on it.
  • You have moderate-to-severe symptoms disrupting sleep or normal daytime activity.
  • You have an underlying condition (asthma in particular) where uncontrolled hay fever has a downstream impact.

Prescription treatment for hay fever is usually a combination of an intranasal corticosteroid spray, sometimes a stronger oral antihistamine, and prescription eye drops if conjunctivitis is the dominant feature. The exact choice depends on Spanish prescribing guidelines and your personal history — including any history of glaucoma, cataract, or recent eye surgery, all of which affect what is appropriate.

How to get a Spanish prescription the same day

Public route: Centro de Salud

With an EHIC, a UK GHIC, or a Spanish tarjeta sanitaria, any Centro de Salud will see you for hay fever. The realistic question is how quickly — on a busy spring day in the olive belt, the wait can be long.

Private in-person GP

A private GP appointment runs EUR 50 to 120 with same-day availability. Useful particularly if you want assessment for an asthma flare alongside the hay fever.

Online private consultation

For uncomplicated hay fever in someone otherwise well — no asthma flare, no eye pain, no signs of sinus infection — an online consultation is well suited. The symptoms are characteristic and respond to a known set of treatments, and the prescription can be issued the same day if appropriate.

OTC not enough?
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The Holiday Doctor flow: complete the form (about five minutes), our doctor reviews it the same day within consultation hours, often with a short call or email to confirm a clinical detail. If a prescription is appropriate, it is issued through REMPe and collectable at any Spanish pharmacy.

Practical advice for the rest of the trip

Pollen avoidance is unglamorous but effective.

  • Check the daily pollen count at polenes.com and plan outdoor time around it.
  • Wear wraparound sunglasses outdoors. They reduce eye exposure significantly.
  • Shower and change clothes after time outside, especially on high-pollen days. Pollen sticks to hair and fabric.
  • Keep windows shut during peak hours (usually mid-morning and late afternoon). Use air conditioning where possible.
  • Don't dry washing outside on high-pollen days.
  • Take your antihistamine before exposure, not after symptoms have started — they work best as a steady background.
  • Watch for asthma flare-up if you have asthma. Use your inhalers as prescribed, and get in-person assessment if you need your reliever more than usual.
Important. The Holiday Doctor does not assess severe asthma flares, suspected anaphylaxis, or any of the situations listed above. If there is any possibility your situation is an emergency, call 112.
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