If you're visiting Spain for the first time this
year make sure you watch this video because in it I'll be sharing all sorts of tips and must
knows for first timers. Hi I'm Christina from HappyToWander.com and in today's video I'm going
to be sharing all my best tips for visiting Spain. Spain is honestly one of the most amazing and
diverse countries to visit in Europe and I can't wait to share all these tips with you to ensure
that your first trip is an amazing success. Now let's get started with some Spain travel planning
tips. First things first if you are visiting Spain as part of a trip with other European countries
involved, then one program to potentially look into is the Iberia Air free stopover program
so long story short this program allows you to book a free stopover in Madrid for up to seven
nights which allows you to basically get two destinations for the price of one because you're
paying for a flight to one place but you get to stay in Madrid for free up to a week which is a
really sweet deal and definitely a great way to get more value for money. Now in terms of where to
go in Spain just know that your options are wildly diverse.Spain is one of the largest countries in
Western Europe with 17 autonomous regions made up of 52 different provinces so needless to say there
is a lot to explore. Within the country of Spain, you'll find amazing coastline, gorgeous mountains,
epic cities, unique islands and mind-blowing scenery all over so don't assume you can just go
to Barcelona once and say you've completed Spain. As well keep in mind that not only are there
tons of different places to visit they can also vary a lot in terms of climate, culture, customs
and even language, so on that note when you're creating your Spain itinerary definitely try to
spice it up with some places that are a bit more off the beaten path if you're trying to decide
where to go. One thing I would really recommend is maybe picking one popular destination let's
say Barcelona and then also adding on some more off the beaten path explorations around that main
central core. This way it's kind of like the best of both worlds you get a taster that super famous
place, but also you get a chance to explore some places a bit more off the beaten path as well so
when you're building your itinerary definitely research for places that are a bit more off
the beaten path. I'd recommend looking at local Spanish blogs for this purpose because that way
you can see where the locals are vacationing and you can find some cool spots that you probably
otherwise wouldn't have heard of. Now in terms of when to go summer is definitely not the best
time. I think a lot of people tend to romanticize the idea of a Spanish summer but the truth is
a Spanish summer particularly in the south is unbearably hot and also in the month of August
that's when a lot of Spaniards go on vacation, so lots of places will be closed as well so it's
not really the best time to be visiting ideally for the best of weather and crowds. What
I would recommend is going in the shoulder seasons from September to November or March
to May these are definitely great times to go, but if you're just going to Spain for some of
the cities honestly winter is a great time to visit as well that's when the crowds will be at
their lowest and also the prices. Now if you're having trouble deciding where to go in Spain one
thing I'd recommend you do is search up some of the different festivals that take place across the
country Spain has such a rich cultural heritage and there are so many cool festivals that take
place throughout the year, so there's definitely something that caters to every interest. Some of
the most famous ones include La Tomatina which is known as the largest food fight in the world but
then again there's like 800 options so definitely have a Google see if there's any festivals that
really pique your interest and plan your trip around that. now another must know before you
visit Spain is to brush up on your Spanish or the local language of the destination that you're
visiting. So unlike other countries in Europe I found that in Spain English isn't as widely spoken
as a second language so definitely try to learn the basics when it comes to Spanish it can really
help you a lot in terms of navigating the country now it's important to note that depending on
where you go in Spain Spanish as we know it might not necessarily be the main language so
the language that we know as Spanish is known locally as Castellano and it is spoken widely
across the country but depending on where you go you might hear more Catalan like in Catalonia
or you might hear Basque or Galician, Valencian, etc so depending on where you're going it might be
worthwhile to research the typical phrases for the local language and not just Castellano. Lastly,
on a related note I want to say if you're doing research for your trip and you're trying to look
at ticket prices or you're trying to find out news one really good thing to do is actually use Google
Translate and do all your searching in Spanish rather than in English because I found that the
Spanish versions of websites tend to have a lot more information and you tend to find more current
information as well now in terms of getting around Spain from City to City there's a lot of different
options when it comes to public transport honestly there are a ton of airports across Spain that are
serviced by budget Airlines so if you're looking for a cheap way to get around flying is actually
not a bad idea otherwise both buses and trains do offer excellent links throughout the country
the only instance where I'd recommend you hire a car is really if you're looking to get a bit
more off the beaten path. If you're looking for more natural sites then in that case renting
a car might make sense but otherwise public transportation is perfectly fine. Now for the
train, the best way to save money is definitely by booking as far in advance as possible especially
when it comes to the longer distance trains that are high speed but if you need the spontaneity the
national rail company does have a real pass that you can use where you basically pre-purchase
a set number of trips in advance and you pay one set price so this can often save you money
compared to showing up at the train station the day of and just buying a ticket so be sure to look
into that if you're looking to do some different trips while you're in Spain now if you're visiting
multiple countries in Europe getting a Euro pass might also make sense but this really depends on
your specific situation so be sure to watch my europass review video for some key considerations
to keep in mind no matter what though I'd highly recommend getting your tickets online in advance
before you go to the train station and the reason for that is I just find train stations in Spain
to be quite confusing trying to buy a ticket in person I've always had trouble with it I'm not
sure why so buying online in advance really just helps you know mitigate that anxiety if you're
anxious like I am another thing I'll note though is that sometimes I have trouble with the National
Rail website in Spain I'm not sure if it's just me but I feel like some sometimes they have trouble
with international cards so what I've started to do is use third-party websites like trainline or
omeo both of these are super easy to use really user friendly and they offer their services in
English so I actually prefer using these to book trains in Spain just because from my experience
trying to do it on the official Rail website and also in person can be really confusing the
last thing I'll say about train travel is just keep in mind if your train is delayed you might
be entitled to compensation so how much you get back really depends on the type of train and how
long you're delayed but on longer distance trains with the national network for instance you can
get a full refund if your train is more than 30 minutes delayed so just keep that in mind if
you're on a budget that could be a great way to recoup costs all right now let's tackle
some tips for attractions in Spain the first thing that I'll say is if you're visiting big
attractions make sure you book your tickets in advance especially for really big name attractions
like the Alhambra for instance you sometimes have to book months in advance because that's how busy
it gets during Peak tour season and if you see a skip the line option always go for that because
time is money another thing to potentially plan around is free hours so this is something I
haven't really observed in other countries but in Spain oftentimes there's different hours of
the day where certain attractions will be free so be sure to look into those if you want to
save a bit of money during your stay another way to save money is looking up for City passes
or combo Deals they have a lot of these all across the country especially in touristy cities like
Madrid or Barcelona and Barcelona for instance you have something called the Barcelona card
which basically gives you access to a bunch of the different attractions in the city for a
set price so if you're planning on doing a lot of sightseeing going to a lot of paid attractions
then it might be worthwhile looking into whether or not they have one of these combo cards just
because they can save you a ton of money all right now let's move on to the fun stuff food and
drink tips for Spain now first things first know that regionally Cuisines can really differ across
Spain I know in North America we think of Spanish food as Tapas and paella and sangria and that's
it but really there's a lot of cultural diversity within the country itself so make sure that you
research the regional specialty specific to the place that you're going because that way you're
going to get to enjoy a lot more dishes that you probably never have heard of before on a similar
note I know that Spain is super famous for Sangria but it's actually interesting because not a lot
of locals really drink sangria oftentimes they find it overpriced and in place of it they drink
something called cinto de Verano which is honestly very similar to sangria except it doesn't have
the fruit so it's made up of wine soda and ice and it's honestly super delicious and much cheaper
than sangria so be sure to keep an eye out for that on the menu otherwise just drinking wine is
very popular and affordable as well now when in Spain is also very important that you are able to
recognize tourist trap restaurants because many of them are all over the place especially in popular
tourist cities so needless to say you don't want to get ripped off by a tourist Trout Restaurant so
here's a few different ways that you can recognize them the first one is if they advertise free Wi-Fi
in really big letters or if they have really large pictures of their food or if the menu is written
in English and a bunch of other languages that's probably not a great sign that it's going to be
the best meal of your life oftentimes if they're located in a really busy area that's close to
tourist attractions that's not a great sign either and the nail in the coffin for me is if there's
a host outside that's like really aggressively trying to get you to sit down at their Terrace
odds are the food there is probably not going to be the best definitely expand your search and
try to go to places that are a bit farther from the main tourist drag and you're going to be
able to find food that's way better and more affordable as well now let's talk about Tapas
Tapas are small dishes in Spain that are meant to be shared and they are often known abroad as
the quintessential Spanish meal of course what's offered at tapas restaurants does vary regionally
but there are a few items that are Universal the first one is potatoes bravas which are fried
potatoes that are slathered in this very delicious spicy tomato sauce and these are super simple and
super delicious and they're so ubiquitous in fact that often what people will do is they'll use this
dish as kind of like a tester dish to see what the quality of that restaurant is like so often the
orders the potatoes bravas for the table and if it's good it's usually an indicator that other
dishes at that restaurant are also good so be sure to use that trick and try it out now one of
the biggest Regional differences when it comes to Tapas is whether or not you need to pay for them
so in some regions it's actually still common for you get a free tapa when you order a drink but in
other places Tapas are more or less just dishes that you would typically order from any restaurant
so it's important before you go to kind of research what the Customs are in your destination
so that you're not just sat there waiting for your free tapa that's never going to come similar to
Tapas or Pinchos which originate from The Basque country in the north of Spain so if you're in the
north of Spain you'll often find Pinterest on the menu as well and these are very similar to Tapas
in that they're little bites but often they're served on sticks and they're never free with
a drink so just keep that in mind now for many visitors a huge culture shock is just how late
people in Spain eat dinner so depending on where you are it's not uncommon common to be starting
dinner after 10 o'clock which I know is way later than I typically eat my dinner and so just be
prepared to eat a little bit later than you're used to now a lot of restaurants will even close
between lunch and dinner so from 4 to 8 PM so just be sure to plan around that if you're the type of
person that gets hangry now another common culture shock for visitors is just the pace of meals and
also the pace of service in Spain because meals tend to be really savored over several hours and
servers will never rush you which in my opinion is a huge plus but if you're from a country
that's not used to that that might be quite a culture shock this is why you definitely need
to flag your server down if you want the bill or if you want anything extra they're never going to
come back and check on you because that's just not what they do so if you're wanting anything else or
you're hoping to get the bill just be sure to flag them down otherwise the bill is just never going
to come in terms of water at restaurants make sure you're ordering something called unvazo de Aguas
with a glass of water otherwise if you just order water it's often assumed that they're going to
bring you a bottled version which can cost a bit more money and if you're looking for a deal make
sure to look out for something called the menu Del Dia which is like the menu of the day or the
combo of the day this is often a set meal that includes a starter a main course a drink a dessert
and a coffee for a really good price all right now let's move on to some culture and etiquette tips
for Spain as I alluded to before one of the most important things to keep in mind really is
that Spain is made up of so many different diverse regions and many of these regions will
have their own proud national identity so the Traditions that you might observe in Andalusia
for instance aren't really going to be things that you see up in Catalonia a really big example
of this is Flamenco a lot of visitors come from abroad hoping to catch a flamenco performance
but really this is An Andalusian tradition it's not something that you would see in Barcelona and
if you do find a place in Barcelona that does it it's probably because it's catering to tourists so
just keep in mind that each region tends to have its own cultural tradition so before you head out
and try to find a cool cultural experience make sure it's the right one in terms of tipping tips
are definitely not expected in Spain to the same extent as North America but these days a lot of
tourists are tipping so people working in towards the areas are starting to expect the tip a little
bit more first things first though make sure that there isn't already a service charge that's
added to the bill sometimes this is already added in which case you don't need to tip extra
otherwise we for good service five to ten percent is definitely good enough all right last but not
least here are some tips to keep in mind once you arrive in Spain now the first is to plan around
Siesta time I think a lot of visitors have already heard of the Siesta but contrary to popular belief
it's not actually just about a nap it's not like everybody in Spain takes two hours off in the
middle of the day to go take a nap really what it refers to is just kind of a break in the middle
of the day where people might be able to rest have a long lunch so a lot of shops and potentially
attractions will be closed during this time so just be sure to plan around them now another must
do is to bring cash with you so Spain is still predominantly a cash Society some places will
take card but really you'll get by a lot easier if you have cash but on that note bring smaller
bills and also don't bring more cash than you can afford to lose because unfortunately in busier
places in Spain pickpockets are definitely an issue especially in Barcelona the pickpockets in
Barcelona are honestly Next Level I do have a full video all about how to avoid pickpockets in Europe
if you want to watch that just to get a feel for all the different techniques that they use but
generally speaking just make sure when you're in a busy place to always have an eye and a hand over
your valuables and also to just keep your distance because for the most part pickpockets thrive
on distraction so just kind of have your wits about you and make sure that you're Vigilant when
you're in busier areas especially train stations and popular tourist destinations now another
tip in terms of what to wear is to keep in mind that Spanish locals tend to dress for the season
rather than for the weather so for me personally if I'm visiting Spain in the off season if it's
like 20 degrees I'm gonna go out and I'm gonna wear a dress maybe with a jean jacket or something
because to me that is the appropriate temperature to be wearing a dress but in Spain they dress
according to the season not to the weather so if you want to blend in you shouldn't be wearing
summer clothes even when the temperatures are summer temperatures for you but at the end of the
day I don't really think it matters that much so just wear what makes you comfortable but just keep
in mind if you're trying to blend in a little bit more Spaniards tend to dress for the season not
for the weather and lastly be aware that in Spain it can get a little bit noisy so unlike central
European countries where people tend to keep their voices down and if you speak too loudly like
North Americans often do it kind of disrupts the peace in Spain that is not a concern Spain tends
to be quite a noisy place in the best possible way people will be speaking loudly there's going to
be music it's quite chaotic but embrace the chaos embrace the noise it's definitely really fun
alright thank you so much for watching I hope you enjoyed those tips and as usual if you have
any more comments or questions be sure to leave them in the comments and for more practical
travel videos just like this one be sure to like And subscribe for more thanks again
for watching I'll see you guys next week bye
