Practical tips
Best time
Spring (April–June) and autumn (September–October) are ideal. Summer is very hot inland (Madrid, Seville can top 40 °C); the coast and islands stay pleasant. Winter is mild in the south and the Canaries.
Languages
Castilian (Spanish) is the official language, close to Portuguese — you’ll understand a lot and make yourself understood. There are co-official regional languages: Catalan (Catalonia, Valencia, Balearics), Galician (Galicia) and Basque (Basque Country). English is reasonable in tourist areas.
Etiquette
Schedules run late: lunch at 2–3pm, dinner from 9pm, and nightlife starts when others are off to bed. Tapas are meant to be shared. Tipping is small (round up or a few euros). Be patient with the pace and sociable — the street is the stage.
What to see & culture
Places
Gaudí’s Sagrada Família and Park Güell in Barcelona; the Prado, the Retiro and the Royal Palace in Madrid; Granada’s Alhambra, Córdoba’s Mosque-Cathedral and Seville’s Giralda; the Camino de Santiago and the beaches of the Canaries and Balearics.
Culture
Andalusia’s flamenco (UNESCO heritage), festivals that fill the calendar (San Fermín, Feria de Abril, Las Fallas), and a heritage spanning the Roman world, Muslim al-Andalus and empire. The siesta and the tapeo are institutions.
Food
Valencian paella, ibérico ham, tortilla de patatas, summer gazpacho and pulpo a la gallega. In the Basque Country, pintxos are a religion. Pair with Rioja wine, a cerveza or a sangría, and tinto de verano in the heat.