I’ve already created my travel guide to Spain but I wanted to write up another one which is a little more in depth. This Spain travel tips guide will be filled with everything you need to know before you visit Spain that the locals will tell you. In Spain, they do things a little differently to the rest of Europe, so be prepared.
01. Siestas aren’t just for napping, more for taking a break
The weather in Spain is known for being hot. Especially during the summer, the temperatures can reach up to 40 degrees. Siestas are there for locals to take a break from the heat during the hottest part of the day which is usually around 2pm. You are bound to find most shops and restaurants close during that time for an hour or two before reopening. Siestas aren’t usually for napping though they are there for taking a break from the heat. Do not assume everyone is at home sleeping as this can be quite offensive to some.
02. Breakfast isn’t the most important meal of the day
If you go to Spain looking for a full English breakfast, then forget it. They don’t exist in Spain! Most locals don’t bother to have any breakfast, if they do have something, it will be small like a coffee and pastry. The extent of their full cooked breakfasts are Spanish omelettes or in some places an Irish Breakfast but they are quite rare too.
I did find one cafe called Cereal Hunters in Madrid which I wish I had the chance to try (gutted). However that is an excuse to go back to Madrid and try it. I’m so annoyed I found it on our last day. Most locals have a small breakfast and then a much bigger lunch before siesta time. Cereal Hunters has a huge array of cereals, mainly from America but also from around the world. If cereal is your thing for breakfast, I highly recommend giving them a try as they have soooo many options.
03. Eat dinner as late as possible
The ideal time to eat your dinner is around 8-9pm. Most restaurants are open so much later in Spain than in other countries around the world. Most Spaniards will be out a lot later than you think, especially for drinks and socialising. We quite often found ourselves having a big lunch and then eating out at around 8pm and having drinks out even later and then returning back to the hotel around 12 – 1am. It was quite hard to adjust to the different times of eating in the couple of days we had in Madrid, but the longer you do it the easier it will get.
READ MORE: Travel Guide | Spain
Tapas at Grama Lounge Tapas at H10 Bar
04. Spaniards love to socialise
The Spanish locals love to socialise whether it’s over food, drinks or a cigarette. One of the reasons why I love eating Spanish tapas is because it’s such a social friendly food to eat. You can order several small dishes, talk over the food and try new things.
Quite often we had a dish each in one restaurant and then moved onto another for another dish to try. The Spanish also love a party or a drink so quite often to bars and rooftop bars are full with people having a good time, they’re great for meeting new people.
05. Spanish people love to stay out late
Again linking up with my point above, the Spanish love to stay out late to not only eat but to drink as well until the early hours of the morning. They either have a sleep or rest up during the siesta hours to catch up on some Z’s so they can go out later. Quite often you will find the locals out at bars and restaurants on a weeknight drinking. We stayed out quite late a couple of nights and there was still locals out at 1am still drinking.
06. Being vegan/vegetarian in Spain is quite difficult
When ordering breakfast, it was quite hard to find something that wasn’t vegan/vegetarian unless it was a Spanish omelette which isn’t suitable for vegans. Other than that it’s actually not that bad, especially if you are ordering tapas. When you are ordering tapas there is quite a range and depending on the restaurant they will quite often have different options for dietary requirements. So it’s not all doom and gloom for us.
Just make sure you keep a lookout at which restaurants cater and those that do not. The Spanish love their meat, especially jamón, chorizo and pollo (If you know some Spanish, you’ll know what these words are).
There are quite a few restaurants in Spain that are predominately meat based and you can see the legs of jamón just hanging from the ceiling – enough to make a vegan or veggie want to throw up. I know!
07. Go with the flow in Spain
When it comes to punctuality, in Spain they love to go with the flow and do not rush around. Whether it’s a coffee date, socialising with friends or dinner do not feel like you have to be on time. It’s a different story when it comes to work and school – as punctuality is important there.
08. Eat a Tortilla de Patata – especially for breakfast
Now the extent of their cooked breakfasts in Spain are Spanish Omelettes or Tortilla de Patatas. These are made from onion, potato, egg, salt and lots of oil. They are delicious and definitely worth trying. Most of the time they do not come with much but you can always add something else to your order to have with it. If you are vegan, this might not be an option due to the eggs.
READ MORE: An Amazing Music Themed Hotel In Madrid | Hotel Barcélo Imagine
09. Don’t just visit the cities
I have visited both Madrid and Barcelona now but I have also visited the outskirts of Spain and visited the less popular destinations (when it comes to city breaks) in visiting Ibiza, Tenerife, Lanzarote and Mallorca. Definitely visit outside of the cities and explore somewhere new.
10. Most of Spain is Catholic
I’m not religious at all but I will always adhere to respecting a country’s religion that I am visiting. Spain is a highly religious and Catholic country with a lot of their population attending churches and ceremonies around the country. Make sure you respect the churches and cathedrals that you visit and adhere to dress codes and the rules of entering a place of worship. Most cathedrals will not allow you to wear shorts or short dresses so please be aware of this before you visit.
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Have my Spain travel tips helped you? Let me know in the comments below.
This is making me want to go back to Spain! Love all the food there!
Isobel x
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Me too, all of the yummy tapas! I can easily eat my bodyweight in it aha x
Never been to Spain, these are great tips and information for anyone going there though! 😀
Sarah 🌺 || Boxnip || Latest Post
Spain is gorgeous! One of my fave European countries by far x
Good to know siestas are about simple breaks, too. I imagined all types of folks sleeping with their feet up LOL. Smart post.
Ryan
Great post! I loved that day starts a bit later in Spain then it does in Slovenia so even if we slept a bit longer we still got to enjoy uncrowded streets. I definitely love Spanish way of life and would love to live there for a while at some point.
Oooh I need to visit Slovenia *-* Yess I love the Spanish way of life and would love to live there too! xx
Wow! That is pretty cool! Spain isn’t on my Top 10 places to visit, and honestly I’d rather go there to look at historical/royal stuff.
I loved cereal bar though, that was REALLY cool! They need those places everywhere! I know I would be a happy camper. Lol
Definitely add Spain to your list! It’s gorgeous 🙂 Yes definitely, I’d love of those near my house. xx
I have never been to Spain. It looks beautiful. Do you speak Spanish? If not was it hard for you to communicate while you were there? If I ever am there I will take your advice and visit outside of the cities.
Spain is a gorgeous country with some delicious food! I speak a small amount of Spanish, enough to order things or ask something simple 🙂 It wasn’t hard to communicate as almost everyone talks English but it is appreciated if you know some Spanish xx
The lack of breakfast options kind of was a culture shock to me me when I went Majorca last summer. Loads of cafes werenopen nearby but only pastries, which I really enjoyed, and water and soft drinks were offered. Love these tips btw, 100% agree on travelling beyond big cities. There’s so much more to the Spanish culture than Madrid and Barcelona.
Johnny | Johnny’s Traventures
It isn’t it, you always miss your cooked breakfasts or local choices when you go on holiday. It took a little adjusting the first time but it’s always fun trying something new. I’d love to visit more lesser known destinations in Spain, especially more in the countryside!
Great tips! I agree about breakfast too – most folk I knew would have a wadge of toast thick as a doorstep and dripping with butter, along with a good strong cortado. The tip I’d most like to offer English speakers is how to pronounce the word ‘chorizo’ correctly. I cringe whenever I hear people using some strange bastardised Italianised version like ‘choritso’ – as though they think that because there’s a ‘z’ in the word it should be pronounced like pizza!
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed them 🙂 Oh definitely, I love my full cooked breakfast but it was interesting trying something new. It always intrigues me how people pronounce things, I quite often learn from locals the best way to pronounce a word.
I always struggle to get used to the late dinners! Great tips xx
Me too! I would always have a granola bar or something on me to tie me over until dinner but I slowly got used to it. It’s always hard adjusting out of your usual meal times especially when the time difference is massive x
Great tips! I will never forget when I was getting an early cocktail on my birthday in Barcelona with my friend and the bartender gave us free passes to one of the local clubs… after 1AM. In California, bars close at like 1:45AM so it was such a shock — and SO MANY PEOPLE were out! Like no one goes to the clubs before like midnight heh
Oh I know, I was surprised how late everyone goes out when I first went to Spain. It almost didn’t feel right even though clubs in the UK close at like 4am (I’m not a club goer) but it felt so weird especially on a weeknight.