10 Things You Need To Know Before Planning Your Spain Trip

Spain

A Spain trip is on everybody’s wish list. And why not? The diverse beauty of this country, the cultures, food, wine, and experiences are reasons enough to take this trip. Go with family, friends, girlfriends/boyfriends or simply by yourself. Explore Spain in every possible way- luxury, budget, road, train, bus, and air! Spain is worth every experience.

Here are a few things you need to know while planning your trip!

#1

 

Spain is divided in different regions, each living with different customs and rules. For eg: Bull fighting races are prohibited in Barcelona (Catalunyan region) but are still a regular practice in Andalucia (Seville, Malaga)

#2

 

Spain is a culturally rich country that loves celebration. There are many festivals and events round the calendar that the locals celebrate. To be a part of one of these celebrations- La Tomatina, Bull Fighting Race, Wine Festival, Flour Festival, etc plan your trip accordingly!

#3

 

Monuments like Basilica of La Sagrada Familia need prior bookings due to the massive crowds. To save time, ensure you book tickets to major attractions online.

#4

 

Madrid has the highest number of bars and clubs in Europe. But drinking in public is strictly prohibited.

#5

 

Sale of alcohol in local shops after 10PM is strictly prohibited in Madrid, Seville.

Check out this Backpacking guide to Spain for more ideas!

#6

 

A rail pass is not enough to get you a seat in the Renfe trains. Prior reservation is mandatory while traveling by trains in Spain. It’s the best bet to make your reservations on the day of arrival for the rest of your Spain trip, as Weekends and holidays can be pretty packed and you might have to miss your scheduled train.

#7

Telecom operators in Spain have some really good plans for making international calls, most cities have free wifi, and you can still opt for a minimal data pack. Make your transactions at a company-approved outlet to avoid being thugged by shopkeepers.

#8

 

Yes, Seville is cheaper than Barcelona and also less crowded for adventure sports.

#9

FC Barcelona

There are endless Art Museums across the country, Football clubs are a major high, Spanish wine with Tapas is a must, Street music is one of Spain’s finest aspect. Not to miss out, Spain breaks the symmetry and represents art with its architecture. There is something for everyone to explore in Spain. So don’t go by generic itineraries, instead research and pick points of your interest.

#10

One of the least written aspects of Spain are the Spanish Villages that bring out a charming character with their culture, local life, customs and traditions. Definitely worth a dekko!

Don’t forget to read our guides to Madrid, Barcelona and Seville! If you still have questions, feel free to comment below.

Picture Credits: Parampara Patil Hashmi

Paramparā aka Cinemawaali is Bombay girl living in Vienna. Studying sustainability & telling stories about all things travel, culture & entertainment.

2 Pings & Trackbacks

  1. Pingback: Getting over the fear of missing out in Spain - Awara Diaries

  2. Pingback: 9 Reasons Why Travelling Across Europe Is Easy? - Awara Diaries

30 Comments

  1. Samarpita Sharma

    What jawdropping, gorgeous photographs! ? bookmarking the post, for I am hoping to travel a lot in 2017 ❤️

  2. Davide uTravelshare

    Spain is my favourite country in Europe, maybe for many things in common that we Italian people can find there! Anyway I have doubts about your point #4; I have been in Spain more than 10 times and except for the big cities like Madrid, Barcelona etc I have never found problems drinking in the streets! Spanish people do the same every day 😀 Sivilla is one of my favourite city in Spain, thanks for sharing it

  3. Parichay Mehta

    Italy & Spain are the most colourful countries of Europe for sure. 😀
    About #4, none of the stores sold alcohol after 10 PM & cops were catching people who drank on streets (not counting beer). Even in Seville, stores refused to sell alcohol after 10 PM. Seville is indeed the best & Plaza de Espana was my most favorite place! 😀

  4. Abhinav Singh

    That’s an easy and quick guide. More and more Indians are getting interested in Spain as a travel destination. I think the Bollywood Movie Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara played a major role. I would love to experience it someday too.

  5. uTravelShare On The Road

    Great Post 😀 I agree with you in all the points… in these years I’ve been visiting Spain from North to South since I live there, and I really love this country….I could write a book about Spain…and seriously I’m not joking :D. Anyway, drink in public is forbidden, yes, but I think they refer to make “botellón” on the streets, that is what spanish teenager do on weekends, in other words take your own alchool bottle and meet up in a specific place of the city. I went many time on the street with a glass of wine or beer and the Policia never stop me or said nothing 🙂 maybe I’m just lucky.

  6. Happily Globalized

    This post makes my travel bug itch really badly, especially because of your beautiful pictures 😉 Andalucia is a regions I’ve seen very little of but want to return to most.

  7. Lauren West

    Wow, your photos are incredible! We need to take another visit to Spain, our last was too short. And this time we will go to the Alcazar, the architecture there is so exquisite!

  8. Wanderlust Vegans

    When we went to Barcelona we didn’t realise we had to book in advance for Sagrada Familia. Unfortunately the tickets they had available was for after we already left. Same thing happened to us in Berlin as well. Good to remember when travelling during peak seasons.

  9. Joanna

    I have been to Spain 3 times now and I have noticed how different regions are from one to another. I have visited Madrid, Barcelona and Granada and the lifestyles are so different. What you experience in Granada you won’t experience in Barcelona and what you experience in Barcelona you won’t experience in Madrid. I love this about Spain.

  10. Charmaine M. Imperial

    You got an amazing ig pics! Spain seems to be an awesome country..Now, i’m thinking of including it on my bucket list! ?

  11. Karate and Caviar

    I love Spain, it’s an amazing country. A few years ago I spent one month travelling from the north to the south of Spain 🙂 Can’t wait to go back again! What sort of adventure sports do you refer to in Seville? Didn’t know they had much there.

  12. Christina

    Love the your top 10 things to do in Spain! I am more of a Real Madrid fan though and went to their stadium tour over Camp Nou. I am sure Camp Nou is just as good 🙂 Your pictures are also all amazing. Nice job!

  13. travellingslacker

    Really enjoyed these insder tips. Coupled with great photographs, this becomes one of the most enjoyable guides I have ever seen on Spain. Some of these architectures are truly works of art.

  14. Indrani

    Awesome instagram stories. The arches in the rail station is taken so well. I did’t know bull fighting was not permitted in Barcelona. You can add – prior booking is needed to watch a good Flamenco dance – to this list.

  15. Parichay Mehta

    Thank you for appreciating our Instagram pictures. Bull fighting is banned in the Northern parts of Spain but in Southern Spain, its legal. Will surely add the suggestion to this list as well! Flamenco dance is indeed a treat! 😀

  16. Parichay Mehta

    Haha! I can understand the choice of Real Madrid over FC Barcelona if you are a fan. Camp Nou is equally good & well managed! 🙂

  17. Parichay Mehta

    I think adventure sports companies in Seville do not promote their services much but there were a lot of Skydiving options around the city which were cheaper than Barcelona. 🙂

  18. Parichay Mehta

    Ah! Didn’t know about Berlin’s attractions. Which attractions in Berlin require prior bookings? 🙂

  19. Parichay Mehta

    Thank you, Lauren. We need to take another trip as well. We couldn’t see Malaga, Granada & Valencia in this trip! 🙁

  20. Parichay Mehta

    Aw man! I’d love to read a book on Spain written by a local because those insider tips will be something more useful & different! Glad to know the concept of botellon. 😀

  21. Parichay Mehta

    Yes, Spain is increasingly becoming one of the top favorite destinations for Indians. Surprisingly most locals do not know much about ZNMD. But its worth exploring for its culture, life & of course, food! 🙂

  22. JB1989

    Spain really is a divers country. I really like that each region has its own culture, it makes it a lot more interesting. Sadly i have only been to three regions in Spain, so there are a lot more to see. 🙂

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.