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Languages
Time Zone
Religion
Customs
Borders
Opening Hours
Tipping
Dress
Games of chance
Telephone
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Languages
Castilian Spanish throughout the country: Catalan, Valencian,
Basque (Euskera) and Galician in those respective Autonomous
Communities.
Time zone
Peninsula and Balearic Islands: GMT + 1 hour (in summer GMT + 2)
The Canary Islands: GMT (in summer GMT +1)
Spain is six hours ahead of eastern standard time (EST) in the United
States. Daylight saving time is observed in Spain from the last week in
March to the end of September, so that during October, for example, the difference
from EST declines to five hours.
Religion
The Spanish Constitution guarantees religious freedom. Most of the
people are catholic.
Customs
Travellers entering Spain may transport a series of personal items
(such as personal jewellery, cameras, viewfinders, musical instruments,
portable video and sound equipment, athletic gear, camping articles,
etc.) without having to pay customs charges. Upon request, Spanish
customs officials will issue receipts to justify the entry into
the country of any item.
For certain articles, such as cigarettes, cigars, perfume, wines
and liquor, maximum limits have been established, with customs
fees required on surpassing quantities
There is no limit to the amount of pesetas (Bank of Spain notes)
tourists may bring into Spain. Also permitted is the entry of
cheques or vouchers issued against foreign accounts in convertible
pesetas, as are travellers' cheques, with no limits. Foreign currency
can also be brought into Spain with no limits, both banknotes
and coins, providing they are of legal issue.
Borders
Border posts by land.
With France
Irún, Valcarlos, Bossóst, Vera de Bidasoa, Isaba,
Puigcerdá, Echalar, Sallent de Gállego, Puerto de Ares,
Dancharinea, CanfranC, La Jonquera, Errazu, Bielsa, Portbou, Ocagavia,
Puerto del Rey.
With Portugal
La Guadia,Camposancos Alcañices,San Martín del Pedroso,
Tuy, Calabor, Valencia de Alcántara, Salvatierra, Torregamones,
Badajoz-Caya, Arbo, Fermoselle, Villanueva del Fresno, Puente Barjas,
Fuentes de Oñoro, Rosal de la Frontera, Verín, Piedras Albas,
Ayamonte.
With Andorra
La Farga de Moles
La Seu d´Urgell
Opening hours
Perhaps because of the benign climate and the long hours of sunshine
in Spain, Spaniards tend to get up later in the morning and stay out later
at night than the rest of their European neighbours. Shops and businesses
are usually opened from 9:00 or 9:30 am to 1:30 pm and from 4:30 or 5pm to
8:00 or 8:30 pm though it has become more and more common for businesses to
stay open through the traditional "siesta" hours.
Business establishments are usually closed for a day and half per week,
most often Saturday afternoon and Sunday, while many shops close only on
Sunday. In tourist areas, in summer, business hours are often expanded
to 10 or 11 pm with stores open 7 days a week.
Restaurant hours are quite varied, with the norm being from 1:30 to
3:30 pm for lunch and from 8:30 to 11 or 11:30 pm for dinner. In summer,
these hours are often expanded, with many establishments offering continuous
service and still other serving food into the small hours of the night.
Bars are usually open all day and close late at night.
In general, the nightlife in Spain is quite intense, and the bars and
discotheques stay open long past midnight. In summer, they often stay open
past 3 or 4 am. In big cities like Madrid and Barcelona, for example, there
are many places that stay open until dawn, even in winter.
Pharmacies
Pharmacy hours are established by each town's City Hall, though such
establishments are generally open from 9.30am to 2pm and from 4:30 to
8:00pm.
Besides this set schedule, however, a series of pharmacies are required
to remain open on an "on call" basis as well. All pharmaceutical
dispensaries provide a list of addresses of the establishments that are
"on call" with the nearest ones clearly indicated. This list
is also printed in the daily newspapers.
Banks
Bank offices are open for business from 8.30am to 2:30pm Monday through
Saturday, except in the summer months when they are closed on Saturday.
Some branch offices are open in the afternoon.
Post Offices
Post offices in Spain are open 8 AM to noon and 5PM-7:30 PM on weekdays,
(In summer only to noon)
but do not reopen in the evenings on Saturdays. However, main post offices
in large cities stay open all day. Letters addressed to you can be sent to
any Spanish city along with the words Lista de Correos; the mail
will be held for you until you pick it up, though it may be filed under
your first name, Spanish style, rather than your last.
Tipping
Tipping is a great tradition in Spain. While practically all establishments
currently include a surcharge for service it is still common to leave something
of a tip. This custom, common in bars and restaurants, has extended to
hotel porters, theatre ushers and taxi drivers, though in none of these
cases is it obligatory nor will anyone recriminate a client for not tipping.
Dress
There are no special norms in Spain with respect to dress. From a practical
point of view, it is advisable for those who come from colder countries
to remember than in many of the coastal areas the winter weather is characterised
by its temperate nature. For this reason, it is always a good idea to consult
the weather forecast pertaining to the respective area of interest beforehand.
With the exception of specific places, very warm clothing is usually not
necessary.
Comfortable shoes are supremely important; those charming medieval lanes in Spain
are often paved with cobblestones that can bruise the feet through thin-soled shoes.
Although sneakers would otherwise be ideal, they are not the fashion in Spain.
On a related matter, perhaps because the nightlife is such a great part
of Spanish culture, it is not necessary to dress formally for dinner or
the theatre, though tis naturally depends on specific cases and the variety
of ambience's and personal circumstances involved.
Games of Chance
Games of chance are quite widespread in Spain: there are several types
of lotteries and football pools.
There are casinos in the following places: Torrelodones (Madrid), Sant
Pere de Ribés (Barcelona), Villajoyosa (Alicante), Puzol (Valencia),
El Puerto de Santa Maria (Cadiz), Lloret de Mar (Girona), Benalmádena
Costa (Malaga), Marbella (Malaga), Calvia (Mallorca), Alfajarín (Zaragoza),
Isla de Toja (Pontevedra), Corunna Santander (Cantabria), Playa de San
Agustín (South Gran Canaria), Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife), Adeje (Tenerife),
Ibiza (Isle of Ibiza), San Sebastián (Guipuzcoa), Peralada (Girona),
La Manga (Murcia), Boecilla (Valladolid).
Telephone
The country code for Spain is 34. To call another city in Spain,
dial the province's area code after the international code and
then the number.
Check the telephone company for area codes and additional information
at TELEFONICA.
Example: We want to talk with someone at 4942143 in Seville,
International prefix: 34
Area code for Seville: 95
Number: 4942143
We shall dial: 34-95-4942143
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