Spain Vacation Guide: Regions, Food, Costs and When to Go

Spain is a country of 17 autonomous regions on the Iberian Peninsula, and planning a trip here starts with choosing which two or three of them you want, because the north and the south are genuinely different countries to visit. Spain uses the euro, drives on the right, needs no vaccinations and asks no visa of North American visitors for stays up to 90 days. This guide covers the regions, how to get there and around, what to eat, when to go and what it costs.

Spain sits on the Iberian Peninsula alongside Portugal and Andorra, in southwestern Europe. It is the fourth largest country in Europe, a member of the EU since 1986 and of NATO since 1982, and among the two or three most visited countries in the world in any given year.

Spain at a glance

The facts most trip planning starts from are listed below.

Two of those have practical consequences. If your devices do not take type C or F plugs you will want a universal adapter, because Spanish sockets are not the same as British or North American ones. And because the tap water is drinkable almost everywhere, a reusable water bottle will save you a lot of money in a country where it is hot for half the year.

English is spoken in tourist areas and much less outside them, so a handful of Spanish phrases goes further here than in most of western Europe.

The 17 regions of Spain

Spain is divided into 17 autonomous regions plus the two North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, and each region runs its own tourism, food and in several cases its own language. They are set out below, roughly from south to north and then east.

1. Andalusia

Andalusia is Spain’s southernmost region and the one most people picture when they think of Spain. Andalusia holds the Alhambra outside Granada, the finest surviving Moorish palace complex anywhere, along with Seville, Córdoba and Málaga. Its history runs Jewish, Islamic and Christian in layers you can see in single buildings.

Beyond the cities it has the volcanic Tabernas desert, long Mediterranean and Atlantic beaches, and the Sierra Nevada, where you can ski within sight of Africa.

More on Andalusia: day trips from Rota.

2. Aragón

Aragón is a large, thinly populated region in the northeast made up of Zaragoza, Huesca and Teruel. Aragón has Mudéjar architecture that rivals Andalusia’s without any of the crowds, a string of monasteries and castles, and the Pyrenees along its northern edge for skiing in winter and walking in summer. Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park is the outdoor draw. Francisco de Goya was born here.

3. Asturias

Asturias is a green, wet region on the north coast with the least developed shoreline in Spain. Asturias has protected landscapes, national parks, 18 fishing villages along its coast and the port city of Gijón. Inland are the cave paintings around Cangas de Onís and a Jurassic museum near Lastres.

Eat and drink what the region does: cider poured from height to aerate it, fabada bean and sausage stew in winter, and cachopo, a breaded veal parcel large enough to share between four.

4. Cantabria

Cantabria sits on the Bay of Biscay between Asturias and the Basque Country, and it is the least built-up part of the northern coast. Santander is the capital and port, known for El Sardinero beach and the Cabo Mayor lighthouse, and outside it the region stays traditional.

The Picos de Europa give Cantabria the highest mountains on mainland Spain outside the Sierra Nevada, for climbing, walking and mountain biking. More than 60 caves here hold prehistoric painting, and Altamira is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

5. Castilla-La Mancha

Castilla-La Mancha is the plateau south and east of Madrid, the third largest region in Spain and the setting of Don Quixote. Castilla-La Mancha is windmills, vineyards, castles and wide open plain, and its two essential towns are Toledo, a walled city of medieval, Islamic and Jewish architecture with El Greco paintings in place, and Cuenca, where houses hang over the gorge of the Huécar.

6. Castilla y León

Castilla y León is Spain’s largest region, a high plateau ringed by mountains, north of Madrid and bordering Portugal. Castilla y León holds Segovia and its Roman aqueduct, Salamanca and its university, one of the oldest in Europe, and Burgos. This is where Castilian Spanish comes from, which is why it is where people come to learn the language.

7. Catalonia

Catalonia occupies Spain’s northeastern corner against France and Andorra, has its own language and its own strong sense of itself, and contains Barcelona. Catalonia is where Gaudí built: Park Güell, Casa Batlló, Casa Milà and the Sagrada Família, which completed its last tower in 2026 and is now the tallest church in the world. Our Barcelona itineraries cover the city from one day to a week.

Outside Barcelona, Girona has the largest medieval Jewish quarter in Europe, Tarragona has a Roman amphitheatre on the sea, and the Costa Brava has the coves.

More on Catalonia:

• Things to do at Montjuïc in Barcelona
• Visiting the Dalí Museum in Figueres
• The Camp Nou Experience
• Hiking in the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park

8. Extremadura

Extremadura is the western region on the Portuguese border, and it is the least visited part of mainland Spain. Extremadura has three of the country’s most intact historic towns in Mérida, Trujillo and Cáceres, along with hilltop castles, empty roads and Monfragüe National Park, which is one of Europe’s great places to watch raptors.

The food is inland Spanish at its heaviest: stews, roast meat, strong cheese and Iberian ham from acorn-fed pigs.

9. Galicia

Galicia is the northwestern corner, wetter and greener than anywhere else in Spain, with a Celtic-influenced culture and its own language. Galicia is where the Camino de Santiago ends, at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, and that is what brings most visitors.

There is more than the pilgrimage. Lugo is ringed by the only complete Roman wall still standing anywhere, A Coruña has a working Roman lighthouse, and Praia das Catedrais near Ribadeo is a beach of limestone arches you can walk under at low tide. Pack a waterproof whatever the month.

10. Balearic Islands

The Balearics are four main islands in the Mediterranean off Spain’s east coast, and they are less interchangeable than they look. Mallorca is the all-rounder, with mountains, old towns and family resorts. Ibiza is the club island, and also has quiet northern coves that nobody photographs. Menorca is the calm one, with whitewashed inland villages and beaches around a coastline of 216 km (134.2 mi). Formentera is the smallest and reachable only by ferry from Ibiza.

11. Canary Islands

The Canaries sit off the coast of Africa, keep their own time zone, and have the mildest year-round climate in Spain. The main islands are Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and their beaches run from black volcanic sand to pale imported sand. Spain’s highest mountain, Teide, is on Tenerife at 3,715 m (12,188 ft).

Cheap flights and reliable winter sun bring the crowds. The other reason to come is the sky: the lack of light pollution makes these islands some of the finest places in the EU for stargazing, with professional observatories on Tenerife and La Palma.

12. La Rioja

La Rioja is Spain’s smallest mainland region and its most famous wine country. La Rioja’s vineyards run through the Ebro valley below the Cantabrian mountains, and Haro holds the Batalla del Vino every summer, a wine fight that ends with everybody stained purple. Logroño, the capital, has a baroque cathedral, a stone bridge over the Ebro and the tapas street of Calle Laurel.

13. Madrid

Madrid is the capital and sits in the geographic centre of the country, which makes it the natural first or last stop on any Spanish trip. Madrid holds three major art museums within a few hundred metres of each other: the Prado for Velázquez and Goya, the Reina Sofía for Picasso’s Guernica, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza for everything in between.

Outside the galleries it is a city of wide boulevards, late dinners and the Retiro park, where you can row on the lake. El Escorial, the monastery and royal burial place, is an easy trip northwest.

14. Murcia

Murcia is the small southeastern region between Andalusia and Valencia, and it gets more than 300 days of sun a year. Murcia city has a Gothic and Baroque cathedral, and most visitors head instead for the Costa Cálida, the Mar Menor lagoon and La Manga. Parts of the coast are so anglophone you can spend a week without using Spanish.

The region is semi-desert and still full of golf courses, which tells you something about how much water goes into them.

15. Navarre

Navarre is a small northern region that was part of the Basque world before Castile annexed it in the 16th century. Navarre’s capital, Pamplona, runs the San Fermín festival and its bull run every July, which is the region’s one globally famous export.

Geographically it covers an unusual range in a short distance: the Bardenas Reales badlands in the south, the Pyrenees in the north, and green valleys and gorges in between. It was one of the first parts of Spain to develop rural tourism.

16. Basque Country

The Basque Country sits on the Bay of Biscay and is not much like anywhere else in Spain. The Basque Country speaks Euskara, a language older than the Romance languages and unrelated to them, and it holds that difference as a point of pride.

San Sebastián is the food city, Bilbao was a working port that rebuilt itself around the Guggenheim, and outside the cities there is surfing at Mundaka, the chapel island of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, and cliff villages along the road between the two. Our Spanish Basque Country itinerary covers ten days of it.

17. Valencia

The Valencian Community runs down the east coast and its capital is Spain’s third city. Valencia has the City of Arts and Sciences, a complex of museum, aquarium and planetarium, and an old town of small tapas bars behind it. Paella was invented here, and Las Fallas every March is one of the loudest festivals in the country.

South of the city, Benidorm and Alicante take huge numbers of visitors and hold a large permanent foreign population. For quieter ground, La Albufera nature park sits on the coast and the Carrascal de la Font Roja is inland.

Ceuta and Melilla

Ceuta and Melilla are two Spanish enclaves on the North African coast, both bordering Morocco, both using the euro and both part of the EU.

How to travel to Spain

Entry requirements

Spain is in the Schengen Area, so EU travellers enter freely and citizens of the United States, Canada and most other countries can stay up to 90 days without a visa. Spain asks that your passport be valid for at least three months beyond your intended departure, and border officers can ask for proof of onward travel and accommodation.

By plane

Spain has direct flights from across Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia, and its national carrier is Iberia. Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona El Prat handle most long-haul traffic, and a large network of smaller airports takes low-cost flights from within Europe and between Spanish cities. From Australia you will change at least once. All of the international airports are run by AENA, whose site lists current arrival and departure information. Check flight options and prices to Spain.

By train and bus

Direct trains link Spain with France and Portugal, and high-speed services run between Paris and Barcelona. Long-distance coaches connect Spain with France, Portugal and Andorra, and with Morocco via ferry. Check train and coach routes and prices to Spain.

By ferry

Ferries reach Spain from the UK, Italy, Morocco and Algeria, and most routes take vehicles. The main ports are Bilbao and Santander in the north, Barcelona and Alicante on the Mediterranean, and Tarifa and Algeciras for the crossings to Morocco. Most services run year-round; the Plymouth to Santander route is seasonal. Brittany Ferries runs the UK routes, Grimaldi Lines most of the Italian ones, and Trasmediterránea the domestic island services. Check ferry routes to Spain.

Travelling around Spain

Spain has the largest high-speed rail network in Europe, so trains are the default way to cross the country. The AVE links Madrid with Barcelona, Seville, Málaga, Valencia and Alicante at speeds that beat flying door to door, and competition from several operators has pushed fares down. Where rail thins out, in Galicia and Asturias in particular, the bus network is good and ALSA and Monbus cover the long distances.

Driving is worth it for the parts of Spain that trains do not reach: Extremadura, inland Andalusia, the Picos de Europa, the Pyrenees. The motorway network is excellent and often near empty. Do not hire a car for a trip that is only cities, because parking is expensive and city traffic is not. Look at rental car options for Spain once your route is fixed.

What to pack for Spain

Spain has three distinct climates, so pack for the region rather than for the country. The Mediterranean coast and the south have hot dry summers and mild wet winters, the centre has hot summers and genuinely cold winters, and the north coast has cool summers and rain in every month.

Summer: light clothing, a light sweater for evenings, swimwear, sunglasses, sunscreen, aftersun, trainers and a pair of walking sandals that can handle cobbles.

Winter: layers, a warm coat, a warm scarf, merino socks and closed shoes. Madrid and the northern plateau get properly cold, and Spanish buildings are often less well heated than northern European ones.

Spring and autumn: layers and a rain jacket. These are the two seasons where the weather can do anything, and the difference between morning and afternoon can be 15°C (27°F).

The best time to visit Spain

March to May and September to October are the months to aim for in most of Spain, because the cities are walkable and the coast is warm without being unbearable. July and August are the Spanish holiday season, which means the beaches are full and the inland cities are too hot to sightsee in the middle of the day.

Two exceptions are worth knowing. Northern Spain is at its most pleasant in summer, because it is cooler and wetter than the rest of the country all year. And if you are coming to ski in the Pyrenees or the Sierra Nevada, the season runs roughly November to March.

What to eat in Spain

Spanish food changes completely between regions, so treat a national list as a starting point. The dishes below are the ones worth seeking out, with the region each belongs to.

• Gazpacho: chilled soup of tomato, pepper, cucumber and olive oil, from Andalusia and eaten in summer.
• Jamón: cured ham, hanging in almost every bar, at its most expensive as acorn-fed jamón ibérico de bellota.
• Tortilla española: potato and egg omelette, thick, served hot or cold, everywhere.
• Paella: rice with saffron, from Valencia, traditionally with rabbit and beans rather than seafood.
• Pimientos de Padrón: small green peppers fried and salted, from Galicia, one in ten of them hot.
• Gambas al ajillo: prawns in garlic, chilli and oil, served in the clay dish they cooked in.
• Fabada asturiana: bean and sausage stew from Asturias, a winter dish and a large one.
• Bacalao a la vizcaína: salt cod in a red pepper sauce, from the Basque Country.
• Pulpo a feira: Galician octopus, boiled, cut up and dressed with oil and paprika over potato.
• Churros con chocolate: fried dough with thick drinking chocolate, eaten at breakfast or at 3am.

The eating clock is the thing that catches visitors out. Lunch runs from 2pm and dinner rarely starts before 9pm, and kitchens in smaller towns close between them.

Festivals and public holidays

Spain’s festival calendar is one of the reasons to time a trip, and the largest events are listed below in the order they fall.

1. Carnival (40 days before Easter): celebrated nationally, biggest in Cádiz and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
2. Las Fallas (March, Valencia): five days of enormous satirical papier-mâché figures, ending with all of them burned.
3. Semana Santa (Easter): processions in every city, most intense in Seville and Málaga.
4. Feria del Caballo (May, Jerez): a week of horse parades and shows, with hundreds of tapas stands.
5. Arde Lucus (June, Lugo): a weekend in which the whole city dresses Roman and Celtic.
6. San Fermín (July, Pamplona): the bull run, and a week of the city in white and red.
7. La Tomatina (August, Buñol): a tomato fight with tickets that sell out fast.
8. Feria de Málaga (August): a week of fair, music and family events.
9. La Mercè (September, Barcelona): Catalan culture, human towers, fireworks and concerts.
10. Fiestas del Pilar (October, Zaragoza): processions, concerts and an offering of flowers.

National public holidays are New Year’s Day, Epiphany on 6 January, Good Friday, 1 May, Assumption on 15 August, the National Day on 12 October, All Saints on 1 November, Constitution Day on 6 December, the Immaculate Conception on 8 December and Christmas Day. Every region and most cities add their own, so check the local calendar for the dates you are travelling: shops and museums close, and transport runs to a Sunday timetable.

Money, cards and tipping in Spain

Spain uses the euro, and cards are accepted almost everywhere including on public transport in the big cities. Carry some cash for village bars, markets and small independent shops, which sometimes set a card minimum.

If the euro is not your home currency, always choose to be charged in euros when an ATM or a card terminal offers to convert for you. Dynamic currency conversion is a worse exchange rate every time.

Tipping in Spain is casual and never obligatory. Rounding up the bill or leaving a couple of euros is normal in a restaurant, nothing at all is normal in a bar, and a tip is only really expected at the expensive end. Our guide to tipping in Spain has the detail by situation.

Phones, data and WiFi in Spain

An EU SIM works in Spain at no extra cost, because roaming charges inside the EU were abolished. If you are coming from outside the EU, check what your plan charges before you land, since Spanish roaming rates can be brutal on a non-European contract.

An eSIM is the simplest fix for a phone that will not be roaming free. Check out Airalo for day passes and monthly plans; use the code HARRY5578 for €3 off a first eSIM. It installs on the phone before you travel, so you land with data already working.

Where to stay in Spain

Spain runs the full range from pensions and hostels to paradores, the state-run hotels housed in castles, monasteries and convents, which are often the most interesting room in a small town. Filter by neighbourhood rather than by price alone, because in Spanish cities a 20-minute walk changes both the cost and the character of where you sleep.

Compare hotels and guesthouses when you look for a place to stay in Spain. For an apartment with a kitchen, which is worth it if you are shopping in Spanish markets, Vrbo is the better search.

Do not forget travel insurance

Travel insurance covers what planning cannot: a cancelled booking, an injury abroad, a stolen phone or camera. European health cards cover EU residents for treatment in Spain but not for cancellation, theft or repatriation, so a policy is still worth having. Check out SafetyWing if you have none. Their plans can be started once you are already travelling, and they were the first travel insurer to cover COVID.

Safety in Spain

Spain is one of the safer countries in Europe and the main risk to a visitor is theft rather than violence. Pickpocketing is concentrated in exactly the places you would expect: La Rambla in Barcelona, metro carriages in Barcelona and Madrid, crowded festivals, and airport and station concourses.

Keep your phone and wallet where they cannot be lifted, do not leave a bag on the back of a chair on a terrace, and do not leave anything visible in a parked car.

Some Spanish worth knowing

A little Spanish is worth more here than in most of western Europe, because outside the tourist areas English is not widely spoken. The most useful phrases are below, with rough pronunciation.

The th sound in gracias and cerveza is mainland Castilian, where both c and z are pronounced that way. In Andalusia and the Canaries you will hear an s instead, and both are correct.

Cultural things to know

Two customs catch visitors out more than any others. Greeting is two kisses on the cheek, one on each side, between women and between a man and a woman, including on a first meeting; two men usually shake hands unless they are close friends.

And Spain remains a Catholic country in its buildings even where it is not in its habits. Dress respectfully in churches, cover shoulders and knees where signs ask you to, and do not walk around during a service.

A short history of Spain

Spain’s history is a sequence of arrivals, and the buildings you visit are the record of them. The Phoenicians named the peninsula in the 8th century BC, Rome took it in the 1st century BC and left the aqueducts, walls and lighthouses that still stand, and Visigoths followed as Rome receded.

Muslim forces crossed from North Africa in 711 and ruled much of the peninsula for centuries. That period gave Spain the Alhambra, the Mezquita of Córdoba and an agricultural and scholarly flowering that peaked in the 10th century. The Christian kingdoms of the north completed the reconquest in 1492, the same year Columbus sailed, and Jews and later Muslims who would not convert were expelled.

Silver from the Americas funded an empire that made Spain the dominant European power into the early 19th century, when the Napoleonic Wars and the loss of the colonies ended it. The Civil War of 1936 to 1939 killed hundreds of thousands and brought Francisco Franco to power; he ruled until his death in 1975. Spain restored the monarchy and democracy after that, joined the EU in 1986, and now welcomes more visitors a year than any country except France.

Want to read more before you go? Our list of books about Spain is a place to start.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a visa to visit Spain?

Not for stays of up to 90 days if you hold a US, Canadian, UK, Australian or most other non-EU passports, because Spain is in the Schengen Area. Your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your departure date.

What is the currency in Spain?

The euro. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, but carry cash for village bars, markets and small shops, and always choose to be billed in euros rather than in your home currency.

How many days do you need in Spain?

Ten days covers two regions properly, for example Madrid with Andalusia, or Barcelona with the Basque Country. A week is one region plus its capital. Trying to see Barcelona, Madrid and Seville in a week means three travel days out of seven.

Is Spain expensive?

Spain is among the cheaper countries in western Europe for food and drink, and about average for accommodation in the big cities. The set lunch menu, the menú del día, is the cheapest good meal in the country and is served on weekdays almost everywhere.

Do you tip in Spain?

Rarely, and never as a fixed percentage. Round the bill up in a restaurant, leave nothing in a bar, and tip properly only at the expensive end.

WonderfulWanderings Pro Tips

Four things will make a Spanish trip go more smoothly than reading a longer guide will.

1. Book long-distance trains rather than internal flights. Spain’s high-speed network reaches Seville, Málaga, Valencia and Barcelona from Madrid faster than flying once you count airport time, and several operators now compete on the same lines, so fares drop if you book early.
2. Eat the menú del día. It is a weekday lunch of three courses with bread and a drink, it is what Spanish workers eat, and it costs a fraction of the same food in the evening.
3. Check the regional holiday calendar for your dates. Every autonomous region and most cities add their own public holidays to the national ten, and on those days museums shut and transport runs a Sunday service.
4. Choose euros at every card machine. When an ATM or a card terminal offers to charge you in your own currency, it is offering you a worse exchange rate. Decline it every time.

About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh, and the first-hand notes across our Spain coverage come from her trips to Catalonia and the Basque Country, including Barcelona, Girona, Figueres, Bilbao and San Sebastián. The team covers Spain for independent travellers, including the tours, hotels, car hire and rail routes worth booking, and updates this page when prices, dates and rules change. See all our posts about Spain.