Spain is a country with a variety of cultures, as many regional nationalists like to say.  The Catalans have their own Spanish that is a bit like Spanish combined with some French.  It is almost impossible to understand if you only speak Spanish.  The Basques in the north have their own language which is unique in the world (see web page on the Basques).  But probably the culture that is the most internationally recognized and the one that foreigners identify Spaniards with is the culture of Andalusia, which has a strong Arab influence. This area includes Granada, Cordoba, and Seville.  However, there are other regions that will catch your attention just as much as Andalusia. The north is very mountainous and rains a lot. The center is historical, and the east coast is the best place to relax and enjoy the beach.

If you go to Spain from the U.S. you will arrive at Barajas, the Madrid airport. To get to downtown you have three options: 1. go to the national part of the airport and take the subway, and 2. take the bus that will take you to Colon square (downtown) and from there take the subway to whatever you want to go, or 3. take a taxi directly from the airport, which will cost you around 20 euros to downtown plus a 5 euro fee for leaving from the airport. I recommend you take to bus because the subway from the airport is far from downtown and it has a lot of stops. The bus it pretty cheap- it probably will cost you no more than 4 dollars.

In the subway you should be careful with your bags. It is not unsafe, but in any big city you should watch your belongings. The subway in Madrid is big and it takes you to virtually any where in the capital.  It has been expanded recently with new lines.  Fares are less than a dollar for a trip, and every trip costs the same regardless of the distance. There is a 10 trip ticket, which is worth buying if you are going to use more than 5 tickets plus you can share it with other people. Be sure to ask for a subway map ("mapa" or "plano") when you get your metro ticket.  (a ten-trip ticket is a "bono de diez)  From Madrid you can go anywhere in Spain by bus or by train. There are three main train stations, Atocha, Chamartin, and El Norte. Atocha it is mostly for travel to the southern regions, Chamartin to the west and east -including Lisboa (Lisbon, Portugal)- and El Norte for the north.

Business hours & Holidays

Banks are generally open weekdays from 8:30 to 2, and Saturdays 8:30 to 1, but in the summer most banks close on Saturdays. Money exchanges at airports and train stations stay open later. However, you will get the best exchange rate by taking money out from a bank machine with a debit card.  Traveler's checks can also be cashed at the El Corte Inglés department stores until 9 PM. The next best thing to do is to bring traveler's checks and cash then in the banks. Money exchanges usually charge a high commission.

Most museums are open from 9:30 to 2 and from 4 to 7, and are closed one day a week, usually Monday, but opening hours vary widely, so check before you set off. A few big museums, including the Prado and the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, do not close at midday.

Almost all shops close at midday for at least three hours, except for the big department store chain El Corte Inglés. Generally store hours are from 10 to 2 and 5 to 8. Stores are mostly closed all day Sunday and on Saturday afternoon, except for El Corte Inglés and some specialty and tourist stores.

National holidays include January 1 (New Year's Eve, before it happens in the U.S.!); January 6 (Epiphany); March 19 (St. Joseph); March 28 (Good Friday); March 31 (Easter Monday)*; May 1 (May Day); August 15 (Assumption); October 12 (Hispanic Day); November 1 (All Saints Day); December 6 (Constitution); December 8 (Immaculate Conception); December 25. Most people have vacation for "Semana Santa", or Easter week in April, at which time you will find many Spanish tourists all over Spain.  Most Spaniards get vacation in August also, so this is a good time to go to Madrid since it is relatively empty.
In addition, each city and town has its own holidays honoring political events and/or patron saints. Madrid holidays include May 2 (Madrid Day), May 15 (San Isidro), and November 9 (Almudena).
*Easter holiday is different in each region and some celebrate Good Thursday instead of Easter Monday.

Money & Expenses

Spain is part of the Euro community. The Euro is divided in 100 cents. There are coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 y 50 cents of Euro and 1, 2 Euro. There are bills of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 Euros.
picture of Euros

Lodging can vary from 15 euros for a single room in a cheap hostel to 200 a night in a 5 star hotel. You can probably find a single room for 60 euros or less in a 3 star hotel.  You will find that there is a great variety in quality of hostels and hotels even among the same range of "stars" so it is best to visit hostels in person.
Food is one of the cheap things in Spain. A meal in a tourist restaurant can cost you 8 euros including wine and coffee. Tipping is not necessary, though it is polite to leave a euro or two. A bocadillo (sandwich) in a bar should cost you around 3 euros.
Coffee in a bar should cost around 90 cents. Beer is a bar costs about a euro for a caña (20 cl) or two for a tercio(33 cl). Soft drinks cost around 1.20 euros a bottle, more than beer or wine. A bocadillo (sandwich) costs around 3 euros. A one-mile taxi ride is about 3.50 euros, but the meter keeps ticking in traffic jams. The Madrid subway for one ride costs 1.15 euros, a ticket for ten trips costs 5.75 euros.

The South

There are three cities that you should see before you leave Spain:
Seville, Cordoba and Granada.

In Seville the Giralda tower, the Cathedral, the Plaza de España, Casa Pilatos and Reales Alcazares are the most interesting sights to see. Seville is centered around a canal that is bordered by cafes and shops. At the Plaza de España, a palace with various expositions, there is a nice light and water show on the weekends that is free to the public and worth seeing; it is a secret little known to tourists.  Locals describe the show as "the eighth wonder of the world."

In Cordoba you should visit La Mezquita- the most wonderful Arabic monument en Spain, the Juderia and the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos. The mosque is quite famous, and is unique in that it has a chapel found inside the mosque. The Christians who took over the mosque after the Moors left built a small church inside.  The mosque is filled with row after row of white and red painted arches. If you hit it right in summer there is a patio festival, during which numerous families open their doors to tourists to visit their lovely patios full of flowers and plants.

In Granada you will find the magnificent Alhambra, an enormous palace-fortification. This Moorish structure is a must-see for any tourist in Spain; some locals call it the eighth wonder of the world.  The only draw back is that in tourist season it is so packed with tour groups that it distracts from the impact of the amazing palace.  The palace has a beautiful view of Granada, and lovely gardens with fountains.  You should also see the Cathedral and the Alcaiceria.

Other cities worth visiting are Torremolinos which is good for night clubs, Marbella for its glamour and Cadiz for its horses. Malaga has Picasso's house that is open to tourists, and it is an lovely little fishing village worth seeing en route to the other southern cities. It even has a bit of beach.

The North

Galicia with its green mountains and small Aldeas, that appear frozen in time, is the Celtic face of Spain. The cities to visit there are Santiago de Compostela and La Coruna. Santiago de Compostuela is a famous pilgrimage site, along a route to France. The cathedral is quite impressive, as well as the tombs below, which are open to the public. You can walk behind a large statue at the altar of the cathedral, which gives you a birds-eye view of a cathedral. Also in the north is Asturias, that has the Picos de Europa, a natural reserve that is famous throughout Europe. The big cities in Asturias are Gijon and Oviedo, but the real beauty is in the small towns.  Your best bet is to rent a car and explore various towns along the way.

The East Cost

Barcelona is an important city to visit, that has enough to see to fill its own guidebook. You may be surprised when you visit the famous Gaudi cathedral La Sagrada Familia that the structure is a long way from being completed, and there is not much to see inside other than a small museum about the structure.  You should visit the Gaudi park, full of picture-worthy sculptures and structures, as well as a nice view of Barcelona.  Be sure to be very careful along the Ramblas, the main avenue of Barcelona, as theft is very common, as well as in the Plaza de Espana park.  Theft in general in Barcelona is at least as common in Madrid, including car theft.  You should see the Picasso museum in Barcelona, that contains many early works of the famous artist that reveal his brilliance and veracity from a very young age.  There is also a nice museum dedicated exclusively to Miro in Barcelona, with paintings and sculptures by the artist.  At night you will find all sorts of artists and street vendors along the Ramblas.  Barcelona is bordered by the coast, and you can take a tourist boat out into the harbor for nice views of the city.  You should look for a guidebook before you go for a listing of all the Gaudi buildings scattered throughout the city.  Valencia is a medium size city that is also very beautiful. It has beaches full of British and German tourists, that are found outside the city.  And, of course, Valencia has plenty of orange trees. You can hike to the top of the tower of the cathedral for a wonderful view of the city. It has a big-city feel but is very safe. There is a nice indoor market in downtown Valencia that sells produce and lots of interesting meat and seafood products, some of which will seem strange to Americans.  On March 19 the Fallas is celebrated in Valencia. It is a party where many large cartoon-like puppets, based on different issues that have been popular during the year, are burned. There are too many people during this time in the city though. Valencia is famous for its seafood based paella.  The best part of the coast is the night life. Many "small" cities have a lot of night clubs where all of Europe goes to have fun. Benidor, Gandia, and San Juan are some of the best. These are especially good places for young people.

Central Spain

Madrid, Toledo, Salamanca, Segovia and Avila are the best cities to visit. Of course to get any where in Spain the best way to do it is from Madrid. There are buses that are pretty inexpensive that will take you any where, even to London. There are also trains and airplanes. In general I wouldn't recommend renting a car; for one thing gas in Europe is expensive, the roads are not as nice as the ones in U.S., and it is impossible to find parking.  Drivers are also very aggressive.  Salamanca is famous for its historic universities, and has a historic Roman bridge.  It also has good night life.  Toledo is only an hour away from Madrid, and is definitely worth a trip.  Toledo was once the capital of Spain, and you can still feel the history as you wander its maze of narrow cobblestone streets.  The cathedral is free to the public but it is worth paying the admission fee to see the museum exhibits; tickets are sold at the store across from the entrance.  The Santa Cruz museum used to be an excellent museum based in an old religious hospital, but the museum has changed recently and only contains passing exhibitions.  If you have time and energy, you should take a walk around the valley, starting at the steps at the edge of the main square, Zocodover, and continuing down, across a historic bridge and along a path that takes you all the way back into historic Toledo.  In Segovia you will find a Roman aquaduct where gypsies sell lace, and a historic castle that looks like the Disney castle.  Be sure to try suckling pig, the typical dish from Segovia.  Avila is at a high altitude so it gets cold; it is also a historic walled city with cobblestone streets.