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Madrid · Barcelona · Andalusia · the islands

Spain,planned for Americans.

Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Granada, the Basque Country, Mallorca and the Canary Islands, explained in miles, US dollars and plain English, with the timed tickets, late meal hours, tourist taxes and train choices that trip Americans up. In-depth guides, checked in November 2026.

First trip to Spain Entry rules and the EES Madrid Barcelona Alhambra tickets Trains and tickets

ANDALUCÍAESPAÑA

Photos: The Alhambra at sunset from the Mirador de San Nicolás, Granada: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Barcelona seen from the hill of El Carmel: Jcca76, CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Metropolis Building on the Gran Vía, Madrid: Nan Palmero from San Antonio, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Tossa de Mar and its beach on the Costa Brava: Txllxt TxllxT, CC BY-SA 4.0

Before you book

Nine things every American should know

The planning guide →
Eat late, lunch bigLunch runs from about 2 to 4 p.m. and dinner starts at 9, often 10 in summer and in the south. The weekday menú del día (set lunch) of two courses, dessert and a drink costs about €13–20 (about $15–22).Food and meal times
Tip lightly, if at allService is included in Spanish prices. Locals leave small change at the bar and round up or add 5–10 percent for good table service; nobody expects American-style tipping.Money and tipping
Book the Alhambra and Gaudí earlyAlhambra palace entry is timed and sells out: €22.27 (about $25) online. The Sagrada Família costs €26 (about $29), Park Güell €18 (about $20), and both run on timed slots.Alhambra tickets
Take the fast trainRenfe's AVE and Avlo, Iryo and Ouigo compete on the high-speed lines: Madrid to Barcelona takes about 2 hr 30 min to 3 hr, center to center. Trains between Madrid and Andalusia were suspended after the October 28, 2026 collision near Urda, so check before you plan. Book early for the cheapest fares.Trains and tickets
Budget for tourist taxesSince April 2026, Barcelona charges about €7–12 (about $8–13) per person per night in hotels, for up to seven nights. The Balearics charge €1–4 in summer; Madrid and Andalusia charge nothing.Tourist taxes
Fingerprints at the border, no ETIAS yetNo visa is needed for up to 90 days in any 180 in the Schengen area. The EU's Entry/Exit System has run fully since April 10, 2026, taking a face photo and fingerprints at your first entry. ETIAS is not required as of November 2026.Entry rules
Guard your phone in BarcelonaSpain sits at Level 2 in the State Department advisory, like France and Italy. The everyday risk is pickpocketing and distraction theft, worst on the Barcelona and Madrid metros, Las Ramblas and the beaches.Safety in Spain
Plan around summer heat and AugustSeville, Córdoba and Madrid can pass 100°F (38°C) in July and August, and in August many family-run restaurants and shops close for two to four weeks while the coasts are at their busiest.When to go
Expect Sunday closuresMost shops close on Sundays and holidays, except in Madrid and tourist zones. The midday siesta is mostly a myth in big cities, but small shops in smaller towns still close from about 2 to 5 p.m.Etiquette and hours

Ready-made routes

Four classic first trips

Each route links to the guide with the details: where to stay, how to get around and what to book ahead.

8DAYS

Madrid and Barcelona

DAYS 1–3 Madrid: the Prado, the Royal Palace and tapas in La Latina
DAY 4 A day trip to Toledo or Segovia
DAYS 5–7 Barcelona: the Sagrada Família, Park Güell and the Gothic Quarter
DAY 8 Fly home from Barcelona

Read the planning guide → 10DAYS

Madrid and Andalusia by train

DAYS 1–3 Madrid
DAY 4 Córdoba and the Mezquita
DAYS 5–7 Seville: the Alcázar, the cathedral and Triana
DAYS 8–9 Granada and the Alhambra
DAY 10 Train back to Madrid

Read the Andalusia guide → 10DAYS

The north: pintxos and wine

DAYS 1–2 Madrid
DAYS 3–4 Bilbao and the Guggenheim
DAYS 5–7 San Sebastián's pintxo bars and beaches
DAYS 8–9 Rioja wine country
DAY 10 Back to Madrid

Read the Basque Country guide → 9DAYS

Barcelona and Mallorca

DAYS 1–4 Barcelona and Gaudí
DAY 5 Fly or sail to Palma
DAYS 6–8 The coves, the Serra de Tramuntana and Sóller
DAY 9 Fly home from Palma or Barcelona

Read the Mallorca guide →

Where to go

Find your Spain

Compare every destination →
COMMUNITY OF MADRIDMADRIDMadridMadrid's neighborhoods, hotels, airport transfers, metro, taxis, train stations and daily rhythm. CATALONIABARCELONABarcelonaNeighborhoods, where to stay, the airport and metro, the 2026 tourist tax and avoiding pickpockets. ANDALUSIASEVILLASevilleThe Alcázar, the cathedral, Triana, tapas, flamenco, Holy Week and the April Fair, with prices and timing. ANDALUSIAGRANADAGranadaThe Alhambra, the Albaicín, free tapas, Sacromonte flamenco, where to stay, and day trips. ANDALUSIAPUEBLOS BLANCOSAndalusia road tripRonda, the white towns, Jerez, Cádiz, the coast and Doñana by car, with routes and tips. BASQUE COUNTRYEUSKADIBasque CountrySan Sebastián, Bilbao and the Guggenheim, pintxo bars, the coast, and how to plan it. BALEARIC ISLANDSMALLORCAMallorca & BalearicsMallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera: choosing an island, beaches, Palma, ferries, flights and the tourist tax. CANARY ISLANDSCANARIASCanary IslandsTenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and La Palma: choosing an island, Teide, beaches and flights.

The list

20 experiences worth the trip

From the famous to the ones Americans tend to miss. Each links to the guide with timing, tickets and costs.

  1. Carved arches and a long reflecting pool in the Court of the Myrtles inside the Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra.01Walk the Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra at your timed slotGranada · book weeks ahead
  2. Branching white columns rising to a vaulted ceiling lit by colored light inside the Sagrada Família.02Stand under the tree-like columns of the Sagrada FamíliaBarcelona · timed ticket
  3. The main terrace of Park Güell with the city of Barcelona and the Sagrada Família beyond.03Look over Barcelona from the mosaic terrace of Park GüellBarcelona · timed entry
  4. The long brick and stone neoclassical front of the Prado Museum in Madrid on a sunny day.04See Velázquez and Goya at the PradoMadrid · free last two hours
  5. The large pond in Retiro Park with the colonnaded monument to Alfonso XII on its far side.05Row a boat on the Retiro pond on a SundayMadrid
  6. A plate of thinly sliced cured ham served as a tapa in a Madrid bar.06Hop between tapas bars on Cava Baja in La LatinaMadrid · after 9 p.m.
  7. The old city of Toledo on its hill above the Tagus River, lit by the late afternoon sun.07Cross the Tagus into the old city of ToledoA day trip from Madrid
  8. The tall double tier of granite arches of the Roman aqueduct crossing the city of Segovia.08Stand under the Roman aqueduct of SegoviaCastile · 30 min by fast train from Madrid
  9. Rows of red and white striped double arches on slender columns inside the Mosque Cathedral of Córdoba.09Walk among the striped arches of the MezquitaCórdoba
  10. A long sunken garden and pool framed by carved arches in the Courtyard of the Maidens at the Real Alcázar.10Wander the tiled courtyards of the Real AlcázarSeville · book a slot
  11. The curved brick and tile building of the Plaza de España with its towers, bridges and canal in Seville.11Row along the canal at Plaza de EspañaSeville
  12. Handmade Spanish guitars on display at an exhibition in the Palacio de Villapanés in Jerez.12Hear flamenco in a small tablao in TrianaSeville · late shows
  13. The tall stone Puente Nuevo bridge spanning the deep El Tajo gorge between the two halves of Ronda.13Look down into the gorge from Ronda's Puente NuevoAndalusia · drive the white towns
  14. Rows of small pintxos on slices of bread lined up along a bar counter in San Sebastián.14Eat pintxos at the bars of San Sebastián's old townBasque Country
  15. The curving titanium clad walls of the Guggenheim Museum beside the Nervión River in Bilbao.15Walk around Bilbao's Guggenheim on the riverBilbao
  16. The baroque towers of Santiago de Compostela Cathedral rising above the old town, seen from Alameda Park.16Arrive at Santiago de Compostela's cathedral on footGalicia · the end of the Camino
  17. The jagged limestone massifs of the Picos de Europa rising above green valleys.17Hike in the Picos de EuropaAsturias and Cantabria · summer
  18. A wide, shallow pan of golden saffron rice, the classic paella valenciana.18Eat paella where it was born, near Valencia's AlbuferaValencia
  19. A sheltered cove of clear turquoise water ringed by pine covered rocks on Mallorca.19Swim in a turquoise cove on MallorcaBalearic Islands · May to October
  20. The broad volcanic cone of Mount Teide rising high above the island of Tenerife.20Ride the cable car up Mount TeideTenerife · winter sun

Photos from Wikimedia Commons: 01 Jebulon, CC0 · 02 Julian Lupyan, CC0 · 03 Danbu14, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 04 Imaginepascal, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 05 Carlos Delgado, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 06 David Adam Kess, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 07 Ввласенко, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 08 Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 09 Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 10 Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 11 kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 12 El Pantera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 13 Wolfgang Moroder, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 14 Basotxerri, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 15 José Ligero Loarte, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 16 Fernando Pascullo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 17 Teofrasto820, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 18 Francesc Fort, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 19 Tomas Francisco Fariña, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 20 Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 de

Free tools

Plan it, price it, pack it

Trip builderA day-by-day route from your dates, month and interests Budget calculatorHotels, tapas, trains, the Alhambra and Sagrada Família, tourist taxes and fuel, in euros and dollars ConvertersEuros, °F and °C, km and km/h, fuel by the liter, EU sizes, 230 V and time zones Packing checklistEverything an American needs for Spain, from Type C adapters to shoes for cobblestones Spanish phrasesThe words you need for trains, tapas bars and shops, with a little Catalan and Basque

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