Visas & entry
Spain is in the Schengen Area. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens may enter with a valid national ID or passport; citizens of the US, Canada, UK, Australia and many other visa-exempt countries can generally visit for up to 90 days in any 180-day Schengen period, while other nationalities need a Schengen visa. Entry and ETIAS requirements can change, so confirm with Spain’s consulate or official immigration sources before travel.
Getting in
- Madrid–Barajas: The best all-round gateway: strongest long-haul network and the country’s most useful rail hub. Use it for Madrid, Castile and the easy AVE spine to Córdoba, Seville and Barcelona.
- Barcelona–El Prat: The logical arrival for Barcelona, Catalonia, the Costa Brava and much of Mediterranean Spain. It is a better endpoint than a detour from Madrid if your trip is city-plus-coast.
- Málaga–Costa del Sol: A major international gateway for southern Andalusia and the Costa del Sol. Useful for open-jaw trips with Seville, Córdoba and Granada, though Málaga is not as central to the rail network as Madrid.
- Palma de Mallorca: The main practical gateway for Mallorca and the Balearics, especially from European cities. Treat the islands as their own trip rather than a quick mainland add-on.
- Tenerife South / Gran Canaria: The principal international gateways for the Canaries. Choose the airport matching your island; flying via Madrid or Barcelona is often necessary from outside Europe.
Getting around
Use rail on the Madrid–Barcelona and Madrid–Córdoba–Seville axes: AVE/Avlo services are fast, comfortable and usually beat a car once parking and city driving are counted. Rent a car for the Costa Brava, Galicia, Asturias/Cantabria, rural Andalusia and the islands; it is close to essential in much of the green north and useful beyond Mallorca’s main towns. Do not assume the country is compact: Barcelona to Andalusia is effectively a travel day, and the north coast, Balearics and Canaries are separate trips; fly those longer jumps rather than forcing them into a rail itinerary.
Money
Spain uses the euro (€). Contactless cards are accepted almost everywhere in cities, but carry some cash for small bars, rural businesses, markets and occasional taxis; avoid relying on foreign-currency conversion offers at ATMs or terminals. Tipping is modest: round up or leave a few euros for good table service, rather than applying North American percentages.
Daily budget · EUR (€)
- Value
- €85–130/day
- Mid-range
- €160–275/day
- High-end
- €400–800+/day
- Bands are per person per day, excluding international flights but including accommodation, food, local transport, ordinary sightseeing and a share of a double room.
- €85–130: hostel dorm or simple pension, bakery/market breakfasts, menú del día lunches, modest tapas dinners, public transport and selected paid sights.
- €160–275: a well-located three- or four-star hotel shared by two, good lunch and dinner, advance-booked intercity rail, occasional taxis and regular museum/site admission.
- €400–800+: boutique or luxury hotels, private guides or drivers, premium rail or domestic flights, tasting menus, serious wine, and island resorts or peak-season beach properties.
- Accommodation is the major variable. Barcelona, San Sebastián, Mallorca and especially Ibiza can blow through these ranges in summer; inland cities outside major holidays are much easier on the wallet.
- August, Semana Santa, Feria de Abril, Las Fallas, San Fermín and peak beach weeks raise hotel prices sharply. Book high-speed rail early too: late fares can erase Spain’s value advantage, particularly on Madrid–Barcelona and Madrid–Andalusia routes.
Eating well
- Lunch is usually the main meal. A weekday menú del día is often the best-value proper meal of the trip.
- Dinner starts late: 8:30 pm is early in many cities, while 9–10 pm is normal.
- For Valencian rice, book a specialist restaurant—especially at weekends—and go at lunch rather than ordering paella at night in a tourist strip.
- In San Sebastián, do a pintxos crawl rather than committing to the first attractive bar; order a little at several places.
- Book destination restaurants, tasting menus and celebrated rice restaurants weeks ahead in high season. Reserve Friday and Saturday dinner in Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastián and Seville.
- Avoid photo menus, street barkers and generic ‘paella + sangria’ deals in tourist-heavy centers. Markets are good for browsing and casual breakfast or lunch, not automatically the best place for every meal.
Book before you land
Alhambra, Granada — timed entry regularly sells out, especially in spring, autumn and school-holiday periods. · Sagrada Família, Barcelona — reserve a timed ticket well ahead in busy periods. · Park Güell, Barcelona — timed entry is limited and official guidance requires advance online purchase. · Royal Alcázar of Seville — book a timed entry ahead for weekends, spring and major festival periods. · Destination restaurants, tasting menus and celebrated Valencian rice restaurants — reserve weeks ahead in high season; Friday and Saturday dinner in Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastián and Seville also merits a reservation.
- Spain is regional, not interchangeable: paella belongs in Valencia, pintxos are Basque, and Galicia is seafood country. Skip generic tourist menus claiming to do all of Spain at once.
- Lunch is the main meal. A weekday menú del día is often the best-value proper meal; dinner at 9–10 pm is normal, and eating at the bar is often cheaper and more enjoyable than taking a terrace table.
- Book long-distance trains early if you need a particular departure or are travelling on Fridays, Sundays, holidays or in summer. Cheap fares disappear; arriving at the station and improvising is not a strategy for a tight itinerary.
- Do not plan inland Andalusia or Madrid as an all-day walking trip in July or August. Shift sightseeing early and late, take a long lunch break, or choose the Atlantic north, mountains or Canaries instead.
- Semana Santa, Seville’s Feria de Abril, Valencia’s Las Fallas and Pamplona’s San Fermín are not minor calendar notes: they bring crowds, restricted streets and severe hotel-price spikes. Go for the event, or avoid the dates.
- Watch bags and phones in Barcelona’s tourist core, beaches, crowded metro stations and major transport hubs. Spain is broadly safe, but opportunistic theft is a real practical concern in high-traffic areas.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this country.
Season by season
March–May
The best broad-season choice: cities are walkable, Andalusia warms quickly by May, and the Atlantic north is green but less reliably dry; Easter can distort prices and access dramatically.
Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia city breaksAndalusia before summer heatRoad trips and hikingShoulder-season island travel
Semana Santa, Seville’s Feria de Abril and Valencia’s Las Fallas create heavy crowds, restrictions and expensive accommodation; book around them or avoid them.
June–August
Long daylight and beach weather dominate, but Madrid and inland Andalusia are often oppressively hot in July and August; the Atlantic north, mountains and Canaries are the sensible cooler alternatives.
Mediterranean and island beach tripsNightlife and festivalsBasque Country, Asturias, Cantabria and GaliciaMountain travel and surfing
Barcelona, Málaga, the Balearics and coastal resorts are busiest and most expensive; August closures can affect smaller businesses, while inland sightseeing becomes heat management.
September–November
September still feels like summer on southern coasts and islands, while October is excellent for combining cities, food, hiking and warm-enough Mediterranean water; November is quieter but wetter in the north.
Multi-region tripsFood and wine travelMediterranean swimming in early autumnCities plus hiking
September remains busy and hot in the south and on islands; by November, Atlantic Spain can be gray, wet and less dependable for outdoor plans.
December–February
A value season for Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and museum-heavy itineraries, with cold nights on the central plateau and real winter in the north and mountains; the Canaries stay mild and spring-like.
Museums and urban breaksSeville and Málaga in cooler weatherCanary Islands winter sunPyrenees or Sierra Nevada skiing
Days are short, beach resorts and rural properties may reduce service, and ski conditions are variable; Madrid is not a warm winter escape.
Events worth planning around
Las Fallas · Usually mid-March · Valencia
A spectacular but intensely loud, smoky and crowded citywide festival of installations, fireworks and late nights; hotels rise sharply and a calm city break is impossible.
Semana Santa · Moves each year between March and April · Especially Seville, Málaga, Córdoba and Granada
Major processions bring exceptional atmosphere but packed streets, road restrictions and sharply higher hotel prices; reserve early and avoid tight driving schedules.
Feria de Abril · Usually after Easter, with dates varying annually · Seville
Seville accommodation becomes scarce and expensive; book far ahead or base elsewhere if the fair is not your goal.
San Fermín · July 6–14 · Pamplona
Pamplona turns into a packed, expensive party city; book well ahead and go only if you actively want the festival, not as a casual stopover.
What to eat
Spanish food is regional: tapas are a way of eating, not a single national cuisine, and paella belongs to Valencia rather than every tourist menu in the country. Make lunch the serious meal, use a weekday menú del día for value, and eat at the bar when possible; it is usually livelier, cheaper and more local.
Paella valencianaArroz del senyoretArroz a bandaFideuàTortilla de patatasJamón ibérico de bellotaPintxosPulpo a feiraGazpacho and salmorejoChurros with chocolate
Valencia: Paella valenciana · Arroz del senyoret · Arroz a banda · Fideuà · Rice dishes cooked to order, traditionally at lunch
Madrid: Cocido madrileño · Callos · Tortilla de patatas · Vermouth on tap · Churros
Andalusia: Córdoba salmorejo · Málaga espetos and fried fish · Cádiz Atlantic seafood and tortillitas de camarones · Seville jamón, spinach with chickpeas and sherry · Granada tapas culture
Basque Country: Pintxos: gildas, anchovies, bacalao, mushrooms and tortilla · Seasonal seafood · Txakoli · Rioja
Galicia: Pulpo a feira · Percebes · Oysters, scallops and mussels · Empanada · Grilled fish, Padrón peppers and Albariño
Asturias: Fabada · Cider and cider-house food
Castile: Roast lamb · Roast suckling pig
Catalonia: Crema catalana · Seafood