First Time in Spain
Most of what goes wrong on a first trip to Spain is timing. The country runs two or three hours later than northern Europe, and nothing about that is negotiable.
Get the clock right and everything else follows.
The Spanish clock
Lunch is the main meal and runs from roughly 14:00 to 16:00. Dinner starts at 21:00 and many kitchens do not open before then. Turning up at a restaurant at seven means either an empty room or a tourist menu.
The siesta is real in smaller towns, where shops close from around two until five. In big cities it mostly is not.
How to order
Tapas are small plates, raciones are large ones meant for sharing, and a pincho is a single bite on bread. In most of the country you pay for all of them; in Granada, tapas come free with drinks.
Tipping is modest — rounding up, or leaving a euro or two for a good meal, is normal. Fifteen or twenty per cent is not expected.
Small things that help
A handful of practical habits that make a first trip easier.
- Carry ID — hostels and museums ask for it, and it is a legal requirement
- Cards work almost everywhere, but markets and small bars may want cash
- Sunday closes a lot of things outside the big cities
- Learn five words of Spanish; it changes how people respond to you
- Keep bags in front of you on busy metro lines and tourist streets
