Back to destinations

Spain

General Information

Capital City:
Madrid
Population:
46.14 million
Area:
195,349 square miles
Language:
Spanish (Castilian), Catalan, Galician, Basque
Electricity:
220V AC 50Hz
Direct Dial:
34
Driving:
Driving is on the right. EU Driving Licences are accepted, if not an International Driving Licence is required. Minimum driving age is 18, however minimum age for car hire is 21
Currency:
Euro (EUR 1 = 100 Cents)

Business Hours

Bank:
0900-1400 Mon-Fri, 0900-1300 Sat (except during the summer)
Office:
Times vary considerably
Shops:
0900-1300 & 1630-1930 Mon-Sat (1000-2000 department stores)
Public Holidays:
<b>2012</b> 01 Jan : New Year's Day 06 Jan : Epiphany* 19 Mar : San Jose* 05 Apr : Maundy Thursday* 06 Apr : Good Friday 01 May : Labour Day 15 Aug : Assumption 12 Oct : National Day 01 Nov : All Saints' Day 06 Dec : Constitution Day 08 Dec : Immaculate Conception 25 Dec : Christmas Day Note: *These holidays may be replaced by the autonomous communities with another date. Additional dates may be celebrated as regional public holidays and may vary from region to region.

Business and social hints

General:
Business is conducted in Spanish, many executives speak French or English. On social occasions, eg invitation to restaurants, be reasonably punctual and dress as for business meetings unless otherwise indicated
Tipping:
Service charges may not always be added to the bill, although a cover charge may be applied. Tips of 5-10% are discretionary
Clothing:
Lightweights for summer, mediumweights for winter with warmer clothes for central and northern areas
Emergency Services:
Police, Fire & Ambulance: 112
Hotel Classification:
Normal hotels and "Hotel Residencias" (residential hotels with no restaurant) are officially graded by stars from 1 up to 5. An extra-luxurious "5-star GL" category tops the range. Lower-quality accommodation called "Pension", "Hostal" and "Hostal Residencia" (a hostal with no restaurant) is graded less rigorously from 1 star up to 3 star. Holiday Villages (low-rise accommodation usually in spacious gardens) are also officially classified as "Ciudad de Vacaciones" and graded from 1 star to 3 star. Aparthotels and "Residencia Apartamentos" (aparthotels without a restaurant) are graded on the same basis as hotels from 1 star to 5 star. Apartments are classified by "Keys" from 1 key up to 4 keys.

Climate

Most of Spain is hot and sunny in summer but there are differences in temperature during winter depending on the climatic region. There are three regions: the north and northwest, the central region and the Mediterranean coast including the Balearic Islands. The north and northwest is the wettest region with cooler and wetter summers although there is still an ample amount of warm weather. The central region has low rainfall although during winter there may be quite heavy snow. Summers are hot with spring and early summer being the wettest seasons. The Mediterranean coast has milder winters with hot and sometimes humid summers

Madrid

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Maximum Temperature °C 10 11 14 18 22 27 33 30 25 19 12 9
Minimum Temperature °C 1 2 4 7 10 14 16 17 13 9 4 1
Average Humidity (mornings) % 89 87 84 78 75 69 63 63 73 83 89 90
Average Humidity (afternoons) % 71 65 58 52 51 43 37 36 47 58 68 72
Average Rainfall 39 34 42 48 47 28 11 15 32 54 48 48

Customs

Import Allowances:
For persons of 17 years of age or older: 1) Travellers entering from non-EU countries (including Canary Islands, Channel Islands & Gibraltar): a) 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250gr of tobacco b) 1 lit of spirits of more than 22� proof or 2 lit of up to 22� proof or non-denatured ethyl alcohol with more that 80% volume. c) 2 lit of still wines d) 50gr of perfume & 0.25 lit of eau de toilette e) Other goods to the value of EUR 430 (EUR 150 for travellers under 15 years) f) 4 lit of wine g) 16 lit beer 2) Travellers entering from EU countries: No limits for passengers arriving with goods purchased with the E.U that are for personal use only, inclusive of tax, in the shops of an E.U country and brought to Spain.
Contraband:
Products of animal origin, Fire Arms Ammunition

Health

Participant of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC scheme) which allows visitors on short-term stays to other member countries to use the public health care sector for free or reduced-cost medical treatment and emergency care. EHIC replaces the E111 form. <b>Please note:</b> The EHIC scheme is not an alternative to travel insurance. It will <b>not</b> cover any private medical healthcare or the cost of things such as mountain rescue in ski resorts repatriation to the UK lost or stolen property etc. For full details on eligibility and how to apply for a card visit www.nhs.uk or click<a href="https://www.ehic.org.uk/Internet/home.do"> here</a>

Compulsary Vaccinations
None.
Recommended Immunisations
None required, however for those travelling to Spain frequently or intending to spend extended time there, Hepatitis A & Hepatitis B <i>(Not Normally For Package Tourists)</i> should be considered.
Risks
- <b>Rabies</b> - Spread through the saliva of an infected animal, usually through a bite or scratch. There is a low risk in terrestrial animals in this country, but bat rabies maybe present, and exposure to bat saliva or neural tissue should be considered a potential risk. Any animal or bat bite should be assessed immediately. <b>GENERAL INFO FOR ALL TRAVELLERS:</b> Details listed can occasionally change at very short notice and it's recommended that all travellers seek advice from their Practice Nurse, GP or Travel Clinic when planning a visit to Spain. It should be noted that some vaccinations and treatments may require one or more visits and should be planned well in advance of travel. Primary courses and boosters should always be up to date as recommended for life in the UK. This should include vaccines given to special groups due to complications or risk exposure such as Hepatitis B for health care workers, influenza and pneumococcal vaccines for the elderly etc.

Immigration and Passport

Passports or Nationality Documents must be valid for the period of intended stay.

The following DO NOT require a visa: 1) Nationals of Spain. 2) EU Citizens, plus citizens of Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland. a) Holders of British passports endorsed "British Citizen". 3) For stays up to ninety days in a six month period by: a) Nationals of Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Korea (South), Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Seychelles, Singapore, St. Kitts-Nevis, Uruguay, USA, Vatican City and Venezuela. 4) For stays up to ninety days in a six month period by: a) Holders of Hong Kong (SAR), Macao (SAR) passports. b) Holders of biometric passports issued to nationals of Serbia, Macedonia (FYROM) and Montenegro. c) Holders of biometric passports issued to nationals of Serbia providing the passport is not issued by the Coordination Directorate ("Koordinaciona uprava").

Entry requirements may change from time to time and should be checked with the Spanish Embassy or Consulate.

Useful Contacts

Embassy

Embassy of Spain 39 Chesham Place London SW1X 8SB tel: +44 207 235 5555 fax: +44 207 259 5392 e-mail: Emb.Londres@maec.es website: www.mae.es/embajadas/londres/es/home Consulate of Spain 20 Draycott Place. London SW3 2RZ. tel: +44 207 589 8989 fax: +44 207 581 7888 E-mail: Cog.Londres@maec.es

Airports

  • A Coru�a
  • Alicante
  • Barcelona
  • Bilbao
  • Fuerteventura
  • Gerona (Costa Brava)
  • Gran Canaria (Las Palmas)
  • Ibiza
  • Jerez de la Frontera
  • Lanzarote (Arrecife)
  • Madrid Barajas
  • Mahon (Menorca)
  • Malaga
  • Palma (Majorca)
  • Reus (Tarragona)
  • Santander
  • Santiago de Compostela
  • Seville
  • Tenerife North
  • Tenerife South (Reina Sofia)
  • Valencia
  • Valladolid
  • Valverde
  • Vigo
  • Vitoria
  • Zaragoza

Start Your Search

Now click one of these
options to view your results

Back to categories

You selected:

Question Mark

Tooltip text

Question Mark

Tour pace:

For each itinerary we have created this simple guide to clearly illustrate the nature of your tour from a gentle, leisurely pace to a more lively experience.

Question Mark

Tour experience:

For each itinerary we have created this simple guide to clearly illustrate your touring experience, from the scenic delights of the world's natural wonders to city chic with included excursions and entrances, or a comfortable blend of both.

Trafalgar Tours

Trafalgar Tours:

Trafalgar Tours offer a range of first-class escorted tours including top-class hotels, comprehensive itineraries, luxury transportation, delicious meal plans and knowledgeable tour directors, often joined by experienced local guides.

Insight Vacations

Insight Vacations:

Insight Vacations provides premium-class escorted tours, enabling you to stay in the very best hotels where available, enjoying enhanced meal plans and touring on luxury coaches with fewer seats resulting in extra legroom.

Thompson's Africa

Thompson's Africa:

Thompson's Africa offers excellent first-class escorted tours but with smaller groups ranging from only 2 passengers to 18 per group and touring in air-conditioned micro-buses for a more intimate approach.

AAT Kings

AAT Kings:

AAT Kings, one of Australia's most respected travel companies, provides a range of first-class escorted tours in Australia and New Zealand which include top-class hotels, comprehensive itineraries, luxury transportation, delicious meal plans and knowledgeable tour directors, often joined by experienced local guides.

Brendan Vacations

Brendan Vacations:

When you travel to South America with Brendan, you can expect first class hotels in convenient locations that provide the highest standard of service and the most up-to-date luxurious coaches available

Milestones Tours

Milestones

City and Resort Breaks that allow for a more independent holiday while still matched with Milestones' unrivalled levels of service.

Uniworld River Cruises

Uniworld River Cruises

On board a Uniworld Boutique River Cruise ship, guests can enjoy an intimate, luxurious experience with five-star inclusions. With an average capacity of just over 130 guests and one crew member for every three guests, Uniworld's Premium Class award-winning services are recognised as the world's best.

Question Mark

First Class:

For over 60 years, our award-winning First Class tours have been providing incredible value escorted tours, not only showing you the major sites and attractions that you would expect to see but also surprising you with exclusive Hidden Gems along the way, that only a true expert would know. Enjoy the comfort of first-class hotels, travelling by air-conditioned coach with reclining seats and restroom, included meal plans and the services of our professional Tour Directors.
From exclusive Be My Guest dining experiences to in-depth insights provided by expert local guides, our First Class tours offer an enriching travel experience where you come away with a wealth of local knowledge and a photo album packed with memories.

Question Mark

Premium Class:

On a Premium Class escorted tour you'll be travelling with a smaller, more personal group of like-minded travellers (maximum 40 guests on board) on coaches featuring business-class-like legroom and spacious comfort.
And you'll be staying in superior quality hotels in the heart of every destination. We select only premium brands of major hotel groups. Your expert Tour Director will act as your 'personal concierge' throughout and will be assisted by local guides, passionate on the life and history of their own city. We include many special dining evenings such as authentic local lunches, Highlight Dinners and our unique Dine-Around experiences featuring smallgroup dining at a choice of restaurants.

Question Mark

At Leisure:

At Leisure is an inspiring new style of travel offering the best expertly planned escorted tours combined with more opportunity for in-depth, authentic experiences and more freedom to go your own way than ever before. With average hotel stays of two or three nights, spend minimal time unpacking andmore time soaking up the ambience of each amazing place. You'll also enjoy a leisurely start each day with departures never earlier than 9am on travel days. At Leisure provides free time to explore each destination on your own, including complimentary hop-on/hop-off city sightseeing passes where available. Plus you'll enjoy sightseeing in major cities with a local guide assigned to more intimate groups.

Question Mark

Premium Gold:

Premium Gold is an exclusive collection of deluxe tours, each celebrating the fine art of luxury travel. All of the luxury hotels exude elegance and style, with many being members of the Leading Hotels of the World or other internationally recognised upmarket hotel associations. Premium Gold itineraries are leisurely-paced with relaxed stays in the most sought-after locations and with ample free time for personal exploration.
You will delight in sumptuous, authentic dining with four-course hotel dining and superb a la carte menus in some of the best gourmet restaurants. Premium Gold features smaller group sizes on tour and includes Premium Highlight sightseeing often including private tours with VIP entrances.

Question Mark

Cost Saver:

We have introduced a new collection of touring holidays known as 'Cost Saver', a new and exciting programme of tours offering you fantastic European experiences at an unbeatable price.
The new selection of tours cover destinations such as Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The perfectly balanced itineraries combine plenty of free time to explore along with First Class touches including unique Hidden Treasures.