Spain

Capital Madrid

Population 46,438,422

Area 505,992 km2

Key factsTourismWeatherTransportSafetySmoking & Alcohol

Key facts

Spain is a member state of the European Union located in Southern Europe. There are 5 countries (Andorra, France, Gibraltar, Morocco, Portugal) that Spain shares its borders with. As for languages, the country’s residents speak Spanish, Basque, Catalan, Galician and Occitan. Unfortunately, if you speak English, it might be problematic to communicate fluently unless you know Spanish.

In the EF English Competency Index (EF EPI), which assesses the language proficiency of non-native speaking countries, Spain was ranked 33rd out of 100 countries in 2021.

The national currency in Spain is Euro (EUR). The euro (€) is subdivided into 100 cent (c).

With today’s currency rate, 1 USD is worth 0.93 EUR.

Spanish
Banknotes

€5€10€20€50€100€200€500

Spanish
Coins

€1€25c10c20c50c1c2c

Check with your bank before your trip to find out if there are any fees for using your card abroad. Some banks do not charge fees when you use a foreign ATM or pay in foreign currency, but others may charge a fixed cost for each transaction or allow a limited number of free withdrawals. The travel card provided by Wise.com, Revolut or Monose might be an excellent option to cut down on transaction fees.

Ookla® Speedtest The average fixed internet speed in Spain is 255.39 Mbps and mobile is 89.49 Mbs.The global average is 159.18 Mbps and 109.61 Mbps respectively.

ATM Density Spain has more ATMs than most other countries.96.54 ATMs per 100,000 people.The global average is 39.69.

SIM Registration In order to purchase a SIM card in Spain, a passport or ID is required as identification.

Socket types

There are 2 socket types used in Spain. Type C is a popular socket type throughout Europe (except the United Kingdom), Russia, and certain Asian countries.

Type C 230 V, 50 Hz  Type F 230 V, 50 Hz  

The sockets’ shapes and voltage differ from country to country and a travel plug adapter may be required. Portable devices, such as phones, notebooks or tablets, usually handle the entire range of voltages used across the world (110-240V).

Public holidays

In the year 2023, Spain will celebrate 10 national public holidays. Furthermore, there are 25 holidays that are only celebrated in certain parts of Spain. The next one Corpus Christi will take place on June 8.

 Show the complete list of holidays
Date Holiday name
January 1, 2023 New Year’s DayAño Nuevo
January 6, 2023 EpiphanyDía de Reyes / Epifanía del Señor
February 28, 2023 Regional HolidayDía de Andalucía Regional holiday
March 1, 2023 Regional HolidayDia de les Illes Balears Regional holiday
March 19, 2023 St. Joseph’s DaySan José Regional holiday
April 6, 2023Moving holiday Maundy ThursdayJueves Santo Regional holiday
April 7, 2023Moving holiday Good FridayViernes Santo
April 10, 2023Moving holiday Easter MondayLunes de Pascua Regional holiday
April 23, 2023 Regional HolidayDía de Castilla y León Regional holiday
May 1, 2023 Labour DayFiesta del trabajo
May 2, 2023Moving holiday Day of MadridFiesta de la Comunidad de Madrid Regional holiday
May 17, 2023 Regional HolidayDía das Letras Galegas Regional holiday
May 31, 2023 Regional HolidayDía de la Región Castilla-La Mancha Regional holiday
June 8, 2023Moving holiday Corpus ChristiCorpus Christi Regional holiday
June 9, 2023 Regional HolidayDía de La Rioja Regional holiday
June 24, 2023 St. John’s DaySant Joan Regional holiday
July 20, 2023 Eidul AdhaFiesta del Sacrificio-Eidul Adha Regional holiday
July 21, 2023 Aid Al AdhaFiesta del Sacrificio-Aid Al Adha Regional holiday
July 25, 2023 Santiago ApóstolSantiago Apóstol Regional holiday
July 28, 2023 Regional HolidayDía de las Instituciones de Cantabria Regional holiday
August 15, 2023Moving holiday AssumptionAsunción
September 2, 2023 Municipal HolidayDía de Ceuta Regional holiday
September 8, 2023 Regional HolidayDía de Extremadura Regional holiday
September 11, 2023 National Day of CataloniaDiada Nacional de Catalunya Regional holiday
September 15, 2023 Regional HolidayLa Bien Aparecida Regional holiday
October 9, 2023 Regional HolidayDia de la Comunitat Valenciana Regional holiday
October 12, 2023 Fiesta Nacional de EspañaFiesta Nacional de España
November 1, 2023 All Saints DayDía de todos los Santos
December 6, 2023 Constitution DayDía de la Constitución
December 8, 2023 Immaculate ConceptionInmaculada Concepción
December 25, 2023 Christmas DayNavidad
December 26, 2023 St. Stephen’s DaySant Esteve Regional holiday
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Tourism

What hotel chains are present in Spain?

There are Mariott hotels in 2 cities: Denia and Madrid.

The Hilton hotel chain operates in Spain.

The IHG hotel chain operates in Spain.

The Best Western hotel chain operates in Spain.

There are Radisson hotels in 5 cities.

The Accor hotel chain operates in Spain.

What fast food chains are present in Spain?

The McDonald’s chain operates in Spain.

The KFC chain operates in Spain.

The Burger King chain operates in Spain.

The Subway chain operates in Spain.

The Domino’s Pizza chain operates in Spain.

The Starbucks chain operates in Spain.

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Weather

What is the weather like in Madrid?

Today the sun in Madrid, rises at 6:45 AM and sets at 9:39 PM. The climate of Madrid may be categorized as a Mediterranean (Csa), according to Koppen’s classification system.

ThursdayJun 1DrizzleLow: 15.1°C (59.18°F)High: 23.4°C (74.12°F)
FridayJun 2DrizzleLow: 14.2°C (57.56°F)High: 20.6°C (69.08°F)
SaturdayJun 3DrizzleLow: 14.1°C (57.38°F)High: 21.8°C (71.24°F)
SundayJun 4Rain showersLow: 15.4°C (59.72°F)High: 23.9°C (75.02°F)
MondayJun 5Rain showersLow: 15.8°C (60.44°F)High: 24.8°C (76.64°F)
TuesdayJun 6Partly cloudlyLow: 16°C (60.8°F)High: 28°C (82.4°F)

Weather data for Madrid (capital city) by Open-Meteo.com

Transport

Railways There are passenger trains , and some of them are high-speed trains.

Subway Systems The subway system is available in Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid.

Taxi Apps Uber is available in 80 cities. You can use Bolt in 5 cities.

Car Rental Avis , Sixt , Hertz are all available in Spain.

Road Connectivity Index (2016)  With a score of 6.9, Spain is placed 3rd out of 129 nations.

Driving Side In Spain traffic is right-handed.

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Safety

Theft Occurrence Rate  223.00 thefts per 100,000 people in 2020.The global average is 544.

Road Traffic Casualties 3.90 deaths per 100,000 people in 2019.The global average is 16.74.

Travel Advisory Level (U.S. DoS)  Level 2: Exercise increased caution. 

Emergency phones in Spain

112 Police
112 Ambulance
112 Fire police

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Smoking & Alcohol

Smoking ban Smoking is forbidden in all public indoor locations, with limited exceptions.

Cananbis legality Recreational usage is decriminalized, and medical use is legal in certain circumstances.

The products are only for your own use or consumption, or as a present for members of your household. They may not be imported for commercial purposes under any circumstances.

Alcohol allowance

Travellers from EU countries:

  • 90L of still wine (60L of sparkling wine)
  • 110L of beer
  • 10L of alcoholic beverages stronger than 22%
  • 20L of fortified or sparkling wine or other liqueurs up to 22%.

Travellers from non-EU countries:

  • 4L of wine
  • 16L of beer
  • 1L of spirits over 22% volume or 2L of alcoholic beverages less than 22% volume

Tobacco allowance

Travellers from EU countries:

  • 800 cigarettes or 400 cigarillos or 200 cigars or 1kg of tobacco

Travellers from non-EU countries:

  • 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco
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