Spain

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Traveling in Spain

Entry requirements

Passport and visa service: Please visit conpapeles.com
Diplomatic representations: Visit the Spanish Ministry of External Affairs website

Organizing your trip

Means of transport recommended in town

Recommendation: It is recommended to use taxis (plenty, well signposted and affordable). It is necessary to have sufficient knowledge of the city beforehand to use the mass transport. The cities usually have a very good bus network.
Maps of urban networks: Madrid metro map
Barcelona metro map
Barcelona transport map
Valencia transport map

Transportation from Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car rental
Madrid - Barajas (MAD)	13 km / 8 miles	EUR 17-23 / 20-30 min	EUR 1.10	EUR 2	Available
Barcelona - El Prat (BCN)	13 km / 8 miles	EUR 13-50 / 25-35 min	EUR 2.80 / 30-40 min	EUR 2.40	Available

Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country

Recommendation: Apart from the high-speed lines, it is better to avoid rail transport since it is slow and often behind schedule. Domestic airline services are aplenty but crowded and flight departure delays are frequent. The bus transit network is dense, reliable and affordable.
Rail companies: RENFE (Entire Spanish territory)
FEVE (North of the country and Murcia)
ADIF (entire Spanish territory)
FGC (Catalonia)
FGV (Valencia)
Euskotren (Basque Country)

Airlines

Name	Type	Domestic flights	International flights
Iberia	Major	yes	Yes
Air Europa	Major	yes	Yes
Spanair	low cost	yes	Yes
Vueling	low cost	yes	Yes

You can consult the list of airlines banned within the EU. Look also the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Traveling by yourself

Recommendation: The road network is excellent. The major cities are served by turnpikes (AP - autopistas de peaje) or free expressways (A-autovías). The police is very strict about respecting speed limits. Fines are very high and foreigners must pay immediately in cash. Impounding for wrong parking is systematic. It is compulsory to have a fluorescent vest inside the car (and not in the trunk) and also two hazard warning triangles.
Road maps: Road network map
Find an itinerary: Guia Campsa
Via Michelin

Visiting

Different forms of tourism

Historical: There are many prehistoric sites (the Altamira caves). The eight centuries of Muslim invasion have left traces (the Alhambra). A number of castles, palaces, and medieval cities (Toledo).
Cultural: Spain is a country with strong Catholic culture, but also Muslim and Jewish culture, since these 3 religions have coexisted (Toledo).
Various sites registered in the world heritage sites of UNESCO.
Various museums to visit: all the museums listed on the Ministry of Culture website.
Folklore and traditions present during the fairs or the various festivals.
A number of theatre and dance festivals, concerts, bullfights, etc. especially during summer.
Nature: Many natural and national parks
Religious: Pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela
Numerous churches, monasteries, convents, mosques and synagogues to visit.
Thermal: A number of spas the tradition of which dates back to the Greek, Roman and Arab occupations.
Beach: With a vast Mediterranean coast without tides and sunshine, Spain is a paradise for "sunshine and beach" tourism. In the North, the Atlantic coast, often steeper, is especially suitable for water sports.
Winter sports: Spain has around thirty winter sports resorts spread across the Pyrenees and the different mountain ranges of this mountainous country. The most popular is Baqueira-Beret in the Aran Valley (Catalonia), the southern most is near Grenada.
Outdoor activities: Golf , big and small game hunting, river and sea fishing,sailing, scuba diving horseback tourism, paragliding, hang-gliding, rafting.
Theme parks: Port Aventura, Terra Mitica, Isla Magica.
Many water parks.
Shopping: All the big Spanish cities offer significant options: presence of outlets of all the major Spanish and international brands (especially Madrid and Barcelona). Large shops El Corte Ingles, business centers, etc. Various products and artistic souvenirs can be bought during the fairs or markets.

Top highlights of the capital city
Royal palace of Madrid
Prado Museum
Queen Sofia Museum
The Mayor Plaza
Alcala Gate
Cibeles fountain
Promenade of the Castilian
Escurial Monastery
Congress of Members of Parliament
Open air sculpture museum

Top highlights of the country
The Alhambra
The Grand Mosque of Cordoba
Aqueduct of Segovia
Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
The Salamanca University
The Alcazar of Seville
Temple of Sagrada Familia
The castles of Castile-La Mancha
Miramar Palace
Picasso Museum

Tourism organizations: Ministry of Culture
National office of Tourism in Spain
Spanish association of countryside tourism

Living conditions

Health and safety

Health precautions: No mandatory vaccination required for international travel. There is no specific health risk.
International hospitals
For further information on sanitary conditions: Information pages of the World Health Organization
Information pages of the Ministry of Health
For further information on safety conditions: Interior Department (study on crime in Spain)
The Current Travel Warnings of the American State Department
Travel Advisory from the Canadian Foreign Affairs Ministry

Emergency numbers

Fire Department	080
Guardia Civil (Regional police)	062
National Police	091
Civilian welfare (including medical emergencies)	112
Medical emergencies (in Catalonia)	061

Time difference and climate

Time and time difference: It is %T:%M %A in Madrid (GMT+1 in winter, GMT+2 in summer)
Summer time period: Summer time from March to October.

Map of the time zone

Fuseau(x) horaire

Type of climate: Spain has a varied climate depending on the regions. It is mostly oceanic climate in the north, mediterranean not to say dry climate in the south and a continental climate in the rest of the country. The seasons are more distinct in the heart of the country. Average temperatures in Madrid are 8°C in January and 27°C in June and in Barcelona 9°C in January and 20°C in June. The best time to visit Spain is from mid-May to mid-October.
For further information: Spanish meteorology agency

Average annual temperatures and rainfall

Climate

Eating

Food specialties: Traditional Spanish cuisine, excellent when well prepared, has a country base with distinct regional specialties.

Fried squids, gazpacho and tapas.

Caldereta: Lamb stew: Shepherd's dish par excellence. It is an adaptable dish allowing all types of local ingredients like wine, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, red and green peppers and garlic to be added. In the old recipes of Extremadure, the cooking juice is thickened with dried bread-crumbs, lamb liver and almonds, mixed up with a meat stock to make a sort of dough.

Paëlla: typical saffron rice-based Spanish dish accompanied with seafood and meat or poultry.

Churros: In Spain, the churros are part of the popular tradition. The dough is generally molded in a decorating tube with a star-shaped nozzle to make arm-length strips. Once they are fried, they are stacked and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon in cascade. They are eaten with hot and thick chocolate (Spain has obtained a waiver from the EU to be able to continue making chocolate containing a thickening agent).
Drinks: The quality of the numerous Spanish wines is constantly improving.
The main labels of quality are: Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Priorat, Toro, Ribeiro, Rias Baixas, Albarino, etc. Catalogne prepares large quantities of a Champagne method sparkling wine labelled « cava ». The Andalusian sherrys are known for their variety: fino, oloroso, amontillado, manzanilla, Pedro Ximenez. There are special spirits: anisette, Pacharan and fruit liqueur. Asturias produce cider and Pays Basque du Txacoli (white wine).
Dietary restrictions: Rabbit, horse meat and snails are eaten only in some regions of Spain. It is rare to eat raw shellfish.

Paying

Domestic currency: Euro
ISO Code: EUR
To obtain domestic currency: The easiest is to directly withdraw money from the ATMs. There are many of them easily accessible in the airports, downtown and in all areas.
Possible means of payment: All credit cards are easily accepted in the hotels, restaurants (except the very small ones and the bars) and businesses, except American Express. Taxis which accept credit card payment are rare. It is not possible to pay by checks other than certified checks. The Spanish have the habit of paying by cash; it is common to see people with wads of bills. If you want to pay by credit card, you will be asked to show an identity card.

Speaking

Official language: Castilian (Spanish)
Other languages spoken: Some independent regions use their regional language for conducting business (Euskera, Catalan, Galician, Valencian). Other minor regional languages can be used: Bable, Aragonese, Aranese, Extremaduran.
Business language: Spanish.
English is rarely used but it is developing.
Getting some knowledge: Use the travlang website.
Free translation tools: Dictionarios.com - Translation from Spanish to English, German, French or Italian as well as to Euskera, Catalan or Galician.
Eurodicautom - Translation into various European languages

Useful resources

To find an accommodation: Paradores
Hotels.com
Hostales.org, Infohostal.com, Guiadepensiones.com, Hospedajesydominios.com
Ruralgest, Casasrurales.info,
Terreespagne.com, Vacaciones-España, Rentalia
Ministry of Tourism
To find an apartment: Buscainmobiliarias.com
Real estate agencies

Advertisements from real estate agencies and individuals
Habitamos.com
Planetanuncios
Loquo
Segunadamano
En Alquiler
Foto Casa
To find a job: InfoJobs.net
CBJobs España
Infoempleo.com
Monster

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