During walks and excursions in Spanish cities and villages, it is better to have a photocopy of your passport with you, and keep your passport, money and air ticket in a hotel safe. Tourists should be careful in stores and watch their handbags and wallets – they steal here often and very professionally.

Capital: Madrid. Large and popular cities: Barcelona, ​​Granada, Cordoba, Seville, Bilbao.
Time difference with Moscow: 2 hours behind in summer and 3 hours in winter, in the Canary Islands – 3 hours in summer and 4 hours in winter.
Telephone code: 34.
Currency: Euro/EUR (1 euro = 100 cents).
Visa: you need a Schengen visa, the cost is about 45 EUR (of which the consular fee is 1230 rubles).
The cost of a regular dinner in a cafe is 10-13 EUR, in a restaurant from 20 EUR. Tip 10% of the bill.
Car rental per day from 35 EUR.
The official language is Spanish.
The population is about 46.7 million people.

According to Jibin123.com, regular direct flights from Moscow to Madrid and Barcelona are carried out by Aeroflot, Transaero and Iberia. You can also fly to Barcelona from Moscow with S7 and Vueling flights. Vueling flies from St. Petersburg to Barcelona.

Car rental in Spain
To rent a car, you need to present a passport and international rights. Some companies require the driver to be at least 21 or 23 years old, and the license issued at least one or two years ago. The rental price ranges from 30-80 EUR per day. Often companies require a deposit (sometimes equal to the cost of the entire rental) or a credit card. In Spain, it is mandatory to fasten seat belts: failure to comply with this rule can result in a very high fine. The permitted speed in the city is 40 km/h, on a regular road – 100 km/h, on a motorway – 120 km/h.

Banks and exchange offices
Currency can be changed at exchange offices, hotels and travel agencies, but the best rate is traditionally offered by banks that work without commission. Banks are open from 9:00 to 14:00, on Saturday – from 9:00 to 12:00, Sunday is a day off. You can withdraw money from a credit card at any time of the day at ATMs located at almost all bank branches. Most hotels and restaurants, as well as many shopping centers accept credit cards and travelers checks from the world’s leading payment systems.

Customs
The import of foreign currency is not limited (a declaration is required if the amount exceeds 10,000 EUR). The export of previously imported foreign currency is allowed – in an amount not exceeding that declared at the entrance. Duty-free import of 200 cigarettes, 2 liters of wine, a liter of spirits, food, household items and items is allowed – within the limits of personal needs. Radio, video and photographic equipment must be declared. Permission to import film equipment must be issued at the consular section of the Spanish Embassy. The import of drugs, certain medicines, weapons, ammunition and explosives is prohibited. It is forbidden to export historical valuables, antiques, jewelry,

Transport
Spain is considered a fairly large (by European standards, of course) country, so it has developed domestic air traffic. There are airports in almost all major cities: Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Malaga, Granada, Valencia, Alicante, Seville, Cordoba, Bilbao, Zaragoza. The most low-cost flights are offered by Vueling, which is considered the main low-cost carrier in the Spanish market.
An extensive network of bus routes covers almost all cities and resort centers of the country. The fare depends on the season, day of the week, time of day and distance of travel. As a rule, it does not exceed 30 EUR.

In the role of public urban transport in Spain are the subway, buses, taxis, local and intercity trains. Transport runs on schedule. The fare for the metro and the bus is the same. Electric trains are worthy competitors of buses when moving over medium-distance distances. They are not only more than two times cheaper, but in many cases – noticeably faster.

Spain is a very travel-friendly country. Every more or less large and noteworthy city necessarily has the so-called tourist buses. Having paid about 15 EUR, a tourist can use such buses as many times as he likes within 2-3 days. The network of stops of such a tour bus covers the main sights of the city, allowing you to see almost the entire city. In addition, not so long ago, a special tourist train Expreso de la Robla appeared in Spain.

Shopping and souvenirs
Provisions are usually brought from Spain (cheeses, wine, jamon ham) and souvenirs with the symbols of the country (fans, skirts, flamenco shoes). Other popular crafts are wooden caps (hair bands, if anyone doesn’t know) and other wood carvings, as well as clay products – from whistles to sets. Spanish craftswomen weave amazing (and expensive) lace, as well as skillful embroidery on silk. It is also worth taking a bottle of sherry, sangria or malvasia with you from the country.

Siesta in Spain lasts from 13:00 to 16:00: at this time, most banks, shops and government offices are closed for lunch. There is no siesta in the Sierra Nevada. Store hours are 9:00 am to 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm (large department stores often operate non-stop). On Saturdays, shops are usually open until 13:00, Sunday is a day off.

Holidays in Spain
In Spain, as in a good fairy tale: if you go to the right, you will get to the gorgeous coast, if you go to the left, you will find countless sightseeing riches. And in any case, wherever you turn, delicious food, friendly locals and beautiful nature await you everywhere. And if you consider that a trip to Spain sometimes costs only a little more than to the same Turkey, to a hotel of a similar level, you can really believe that you have fallen into a fairy tale.

For a consistently high flow of “winter” tourists, Spain should be primarily grateful for its location. It is thanks to him that almost everyone can find a route to their liking here. Someone will go to sunbathe on the beaches of the Canary archipelago. The other is to improve your snowboarding on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada. The third will decide to plunge headlong into the innumerable sightseeing riches of Spain, going on a tour of the cities and villages of this interesting and friendly country all year round.

You can’t help but like Spain: this noisy, colorful, very vibrant country invariably leaves a mark. For someone – from a swimsuit, after two weeks of a relaxing holiday in the Canary Islands. For someone – from a ski mask that was not removed for hours during steep descents along the Aragonese Pyrenees. For others, from jeans that cut into the waist after the second portion of paella. And someone, the happiest – in the soul: from the sincere smiles of local residents, the bright sun and simply an unrealistic amount of positive emotions and new experiences.