Facts About Spain

Located in southern Europe, Spain hosts an estimated sixty million visitors every year. Much like the United States has its individual states, Spain is made up of seventeen “comunidades autónomas: Andalusia, Aragón, Asturias, The Balearic Islands, The Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Catalonia, Extremadura, Galicia, Madrid, Murcia, and Valencia. Each region offers unique attractions, historic sites, and scenery.

Tourists will want to know the basics before visiting Spain. Knowing important issues before travelling can prevent troublesome events from occurring.

Airports:

Madrid and Barcelona have the two largest international airports. Flights in and out of Spain fly out of these airports regularly. There are many smaller airports, however, so you can easily reach any area in Spain by air.

Banking:

Though Spain has a number of excellent banks in many communities, tourists should be aware that banking hours are from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.  A few will be open on Saturdays from 9.00 am to 2:00 pm, but you will want to call ahead to make sure the nearest bank is, in fact, open on Saturdays. During the month of August, the majority of banks drop their Saturday hours.

Larger banks will have a specified area for foreign exchange transactions. This desk will have a sign stating “Cambio” or “Extranjero” and will convert your own country's currency for the Euro. Banks generally charge a much lower exchange rate that a Bureau of Change (Caja de Cambio), but Bureau of Change offices will have better hours. 

Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted throughout Spain. Larger bank branches are able to accommodate tourists with cash advances on their credit cards. They can also cash travellers cheques, usually they put a 3,000 Euro limit on the amount they will cash without advanced notice. You will need a passport for identification. If you are cashing a large amount of traveller's cheques, you will need the purchase certificate from your traveller's cheques purchase to complete the transaction.

During non-banking hours, you can access any ATM machine for cash. Your credit card must have a Cirrus or Maestro logo. The majority of ATM's offer instructions in English, Spanish, French, or German.

Communications:

Internet access is available in many towns and cities for a reasonable charge. You can keep in touch with friends and family members via the email. Alternately, there are many pay phones throughout Spain. These phones will accept calling cards or coins, but be warned calls to other countries can be extremely expensive.

If you are using a pay phone, remember to dial 00 to make an out of country call. Follow the 00 with your country code (44 for the UK, 1 for the U.S. and Canada, 353 for Ireland, and 33 for France) and then your phone number. If you need to make a call and have the other person pay for it, dial 900 99 00 and then your country code and phone number. 

All towns and cities have post offices. Yellow post boxes are readily available in all cities, but the mail is not picked up regularly in all areas. You may find your mail is delayed if you deposit it in a mailbox.

In the major cities and smaller towns Post offices (Correos) are generally open from 9.00 am to 2.30 pm on weekdays and from 9.00 pm to 1.00 pm on Saturdays. However it is worth checking these times out.

Currency:

The Euro is used throughout Spain. The Euro comes in seven different amounts: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500. Euro coins come in eight amounts: 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, 1 Euro, and 2 Euros.

While the peseta used to be the currency used throughout Spain, it has since been eliminated from the country. In 2002, the Euro became the only currency accepted in the country.

Customary Behaviour:

It is customary for Spaniards to say hello and goodbye to strangers at bus stops, elevators, and other public places. If a stranger comes up and greets you, this is customary, so be friendly in return. 

Men will shake hands in greeting. Women will kiss friends and family members on both cheeks as a form of greeting.

Emergency Numbers:

Before travelling to Spain, it is worthwhile to check your own country's government website and jot down the embassy or consulate numbers for the area you will be visiting. If an unforeseen emergency (medical or legal) occurs, they will be able to offer you help.

In all major cities, emergency services are accessible by dialing 112. The police can be reached throughout Spain by dialing 091. Fire services can be accessed in major cities by dialing 080. Finally, ambulance services are accessible by dialing 112 or 91 522 22 22 in major cities.

In rural areas, you should consult a phone directory to make sure these numbers will work.

Entry Requirements:

Residents of the E.U., Iceland, and Norway do not need a visa to enter Spain.

United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia are only required to apply for a visa if they plan to stay for more than ninety days.

A valid passport is required when you enter Spain.

Visitors from countries not listed above should check with their local government to see if they will need to apply for a visa in order to visit Spain.

Hours:

In general, museums and historic buildings are closed on Mondays. The rest of the week they will open around 10:00 am and close at 2:00 pm for the afternoon siesta. Following the siesta, they will reopen from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Again it is worth checking these times before you plan your site seeing trip.

Stores are usually open Monday through to Saturday from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm and again from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Major department stores may forgo the siesta break. Closely check schedules in August, as many store owners use this time to close their own businesses in order to go on much needed vacations.

Language:

Castellano is the language spoken throughout Spain. There are regions with different dialects or forms of Castellano, so be prepared for some differences. In Basque, Euskera is spoken. Catalan is the main language in Catalonia. Finally, those in Galicia will speak Gallego.

In tourist areas, most hotels, tourist information branches, and restaurants will have English speaking staff.

Religion:

Most of the population in Spain is Roman Catholic. The remaining 2% is a mix of Protestant, Muslim, and Jew. There are also close to half a million gypsies still living in larger cities.

Time:

Spain is in the Central European Time zone. The time is set at GMT plus 1 hour.

Tipping:

If you live in or have been to the United States, you know all about the required 18%tip that most restaurants now add directly to the bill. Spain is not really big on the tipping system that is used in other countries. If service is good, feel free to leave a little bit of extra money, but there is no set percentage that must be left.