Everything for your Spain trip: money, transport, tipping culture, when to go, insider tips from travelers, and the easiest way to get mobile data.
Spain packs an astonishing variety into one country: Gaudi's Barcelona, the museums and nightlife of Madrid, Moorish palaces in Andalusia, pintxos bars in San Sebastian and hundreds of beaches from the Costa Brava to the Canary Islands.
Life runs on a later clock here. Lunch starts around 2pm, dinner rarely before 9pm, and many shops still close for a mid-afternoon break outside the big cities. Adjust your rhythm and the country makes a lot more sense.
Spain is also several countries wearing one passport. Catalonia, the Basque Country, Andalusia and Galicia each have their own language, food and stubborn pride. Learn the local name for things — txakoli, not just 'white wine'; pintxos, not tapas — and you will be treated like someone who bothered to notice.
Do not try to do Barcelona, Madrid, Andalusia and an island in ten days. Pick a coast or a city-and-region pair, eat late, nap if you need to, and let the heat dictate the afternoon. The travelers who love Spain most are the ones who stopped treating it like a highlight reel.
Essentials
Traveler tips
Real advice from people who have been to Spain, curated by our team with links to the original sources.
Spain is very safe, but Barcelona's Las Ramblas and the Madrid metro are famous for skilled pickpockets. Keep your phone out of your back pocket and be suspicious of anyone bumping into you or offering unsolicited help.
On weekdays most restaurants offer a three-course lunch menu with a drink for a fraction of dinner prices. It is how locals eat out, and often the best value meal in the country.
Tickets to the Alhambra in Granada are capped and sell out well in advance, especially the Nasrid Palaces time slots. Buy from the official site as early as your dates are fixed.
Kitchens that fill at 7pm are feeding tourists. Locals sit down after 9, and the good places only hit their stride then. If you are starving at 7, that is what tapas and a vermouth are for.
In Granada and parts of León a drink still comes with a free plate. In Barcelona and Madrid you pay for every bite. Ask, or watch the next table, before assuming the olives are a gift.
FAQ
eSIM plans
From navigating tapas crawls to catching the right Renfe platform, data makes Spain effortless. Install an eSIM before you fly and you are connected from the moment the plane doors open, at local prices instead of roaming rates.
Renfe tickets, metro maps and the last-minute 'is this restaurant open at 11pm' search are why you want data from the gate. An eSIM means the first taxi or Cercanías train is a tap, not a hunt for airport Wi-Fi.
Secure, effective and private eSIMs across the globe