Travelling to Spain: the tips to know before you go

Spain is an easy destination: sunny and well set up for tourism. A few local codes still catch out first-time travellers, and one or two traps cost you dearly when nobody has warned you.

Here are the Spain travel tips that genuinely change things: the documents to bring, the shifted meal times, the specific scams to know and the right way to pay on site.

Before you go: documents, season, language, payment

Your documents

If you are a national of an EU country, a valid national ID card is enough to enter Spain. No passport needed. Travellers from outside the EU should carry a valid passport and check visa rules for their nationality. Either way, check your document’s expiry date before you leave, and keep a photo of it on your phone just in case.

The best season

May, June and September are the most pleasant months: warm without being stifling, and fewer people than at peak summer. In July and August, the south (Seville, Cordoba) often passes 40 degrees in the afternoon. If you go in summer, plan your sightseeing for the morning and keep the middle of the day for shade or the pool.

The language

Castilian Spanish is spoken everywhere, but Spain has several co-official languages by region: Catalan in Catalonia and Valencia, Basque (euskara) in the Basque Country, Galician in Galicia. You will see plenty of signs and menus in these languages. No one expects you to speak them, but a few words go down well: gracies (thank you, in Catalan), eskerrik asko (thank you, in Basque). A hola and a gracias in Castilian work everywhere else.

Paying by card

Spain takes card almost everywhere, including small amounts at the bar. Keep a little cash for markets, small villages and some taxis. Tell your bank you are travelling to avoid a card block on your first payment.

Spain’s shifted hours

This is the first real culture shock for many travellers. In Spain, everything is shifted two to three hours later than in much of northern Europe.

Late meals

Lunch is taken between 2 and 3 pm, and it is the main meal of the day. Dinner rarely starts before 9.30 pm, often later in summer. If you arrive at a restaurant at 7 pm hoping to dine, you will find the kitchen closed or an empty room. Many restaurants close their kitchens between 4 and 8.30 pm. To bridge the gap, do as the Spanish do: a coffee and a slice of tortilla in the mid-afternoon.

The siesta and closed shops

In smaller towns and the south, many shops pull down the shutters between 2 and 5 pm. It is not a cliche: independents really do close for lunch. In big cities and tourist areas, shops stay open through the day. If you have a specific errand in a village, run it in the morning.

Nightlife

The Spanish evening begins when ours ends. Bars fill up around 11 pm, clubs after 1 am. Even families are out late, children included, on the squares in summer. Fit in a late-afternoon nap if you want to keep the local rhythm.

Scams and theft to avoid

Let us be clear: Spain is a safe country. Violence stays rare. The real risk is pickpocketing, concentrated in the big tourist cities. With a little method, the risk drops to almost nothing.

Pickpockets and their zones

Pickpockets work the crowds, often in pairs or threes: one bumps you or asks the time, the other empties your pocket. The hotspots are known: the Rambla and the metro in Barcelona (especially the lines serving tourist sites), around the Sagrada Familia, central Madrid near the Puerta del Sol, and the airports of El Prat (Barcelona) and Barajas (Madrid). Keep your phone and wallet in a closed pocket in front of you, never in a back pocket or an open bag on your back.

Fake taxis

Outside airports and stations, some drivers offer a meterless ride at an inflated fixed price. Take an official taxi from the rank (white with a stripe in Madrid, black and yellow in Barcelona) and insist on the meter, or order via an app. You avoid the haggling and keep a record of the trip.

Fake rentals

The fake rental listing scam exists on some platforms. Be wary of a rent that is abnormally low for a central spot, and of a landlord who pushes you to pay outside the platform. Always pay through the booking site, never by direct transfer to a stranger.

The Euronet ATM trap

Independent ATMs under the Euronet brand (often yellow and blue, very common in tourist areas) offer a “conversion to euros” when you withdraw. Decline it. Always choose the withdrawal without conversion, that is, in the account’s currency. The rate your bank applies is almost always better than the machine’s. Favour the ATMs of major Spanish banks (CaixaBank, BBVA, Santander).

Tipping, payment, ATMs

The everyday relationship with money differs from what many travellers expect.

Tipping

Tipping is not required in Spain, and no one will look at you twice if you leave nothing. Service is included in the bill. At a restaurant, for a good meal, rounding up or leaving 5 to 10 percent is appreciated without being expected. At a tapas bar, leaving the small change is enough. For a taxi, you round up to the next figure.

Everyday payment

Card works everywhere, contactless included. Just check that you are offered payment in euros and not “in your currency” on the terminal: it is the same conversion trick as at the ATM. Always choose euros.

Getting around Spain

The country is large but well equipped. The right mode depends on the distance.

High-speed rail

The AVE network links the big cities at over 300 km/h. Madrid to Barcelona takes 2h30, Madrid to Seville 2h30 as well. Book your tickets ahead on the Renfe site or with the competitors (Ouigo Espana, Iryo): prices climb fast as the date nears. It is often quicker and more comfortable than flying on these routes.

Long-distance buses

For destinations the AVE does not serve, or to travel cheaper, the bus is unbeatable. The network covers the whole country down to small towns. Allow more time than the train, but far lower fares.

Taxi apps

In the city, order your rides via Free Now (official taxis) or Cabify (the ride-hailing equivalent). The fare is shown in advance, payment is in the app, and you avoid meterless drivers. These apps work in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and most big cities.

Staying reachable in Spain

Most of these tips assume a connected phone: checking the hours of a restaurant that closes at 4 pm, ordering a taxi via the app rather than hailing one, showing an AVE train ticket on screen, paying at the right rate. Without a reliable connection, you lose all of that.

First reflex to know: Spain is in the European Union. With an EU mobile plan, roaming is included there, with no surcharge, within your data allowance. So there is no need to buy a local SIM for a short trip if your plan covers Europe.

The eSIM for Spain answers specific cases: a non-EU plan that does not cover Spain, a data allowance too tight for two weeks of GPS and bookings, or the wish for a dedicated number and data without touching your main line. You activate it before you leave, with no physical card to handle, and you are connected the moment you land at Barajas or El Prat, on the 4G/5G network.

With Orange, the service from a brand trusted by over 300 million customers, you travel with peace of mind: 200+ destinations covered, 24/7 human support, and a full refund if you never use your eSIM.