You will find at this page some information to help you to organize excursions for the week ends before/after the Conference, in case you decide to do it. Temperatures use to be mild, between 20-30 ºC, even in the south of Spain; days are long, and probability of rain is rather low. At the next link you may find information about the touristic cities of Spain; by clicking on each of them you get a short description, and additional links:

https://ssl.renfe.com/Abonos/SpainPass_EN.html


I you decide to go to the south of Spain (Córdoba, Sevilla), or to Zaragoza/Barcelona, definitely AVE (high speed train, 300 km/h) is the best choice. You may profit of the special prices for foreigners, on the conditions mentioned at the former link. AVE trains leave from Madrid-Atocha, with a frequency about every hour to Seville or Barcelona. You may get info about timetable and prices at:

http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/horarios.html