01Free
The 30-second card
TimeUTC+1UTC+2 the rest of the year The capital’s time. The country has 3 time zones.Source: IANA Time Zone Database · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Emergency · tap to call
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗SIM and eSIM
With an unlocked phone, a Spanish SIM card or an eSIM also works.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Apps locals use
Police and Civil Guard app for quietly contacting officers if you suffer or witness a crime.Live train arrivals and departures for Spanish stations.Ride-hailing app that works in several Spanish cities.Ride-hailing app that works in several Spanish cities.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Cards or cash
Mostly cashMostly cards
Step 4 of 5: Cards are accepted for most payments, though a little cash is still handy.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Money in Spain
Euro · € · EUR
Many shops refuse €500 notes, so carry smaller ones too.
Cash machines set their own fees, so compare a few nearby and use the cheapest.
The fixed-price lunch menu, the menú del día, is often very good value.
Tips are best given in cash rather than added to a card payment.
Collect Euro in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpenPublic holidays in the next 12 months
Sun, 6 Dec 2026 · Constitution Day Día de la Constitución
Tue, 8 Dec 2026 · Immaculate Conception Inmaculada Concepción
Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day Navidad
Sat, 26 Dec 2026 · St. Stephen's Day Feast of Saint Stephen
Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day Año Nuevo
Wed, 6 Jan 2027 · Epiphany Día de Reyes / Epifanía del Señor
Sun, 28 Feb 2027 · Day of Andalucía Día de Andalucía
Mon, 1 Mar 2027 · Day of the Balearic Islands Dia de les Illes Balears
Thu, 25 Mar 2027 · Maundy Thursday Jueves Santo
Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday Viernes Santo
Mon, 29 Mar 2027 · Easter Monday Lunes de Pascua
Fri, 23 Apr 2027 · Castile and León Day Día de Castilla y León
Fri, 23 Apr 2027 · Day of Aragón San Jorge (Día de Aragón)
Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day Fiesta del trabajo
Sun, 2 May 2027 · Day of Madrid Fiesta de la Comunidad de Madrid
Mon, 17 May 2027 · Galician Literature Day Día das Letras Galegas
Thu, 27 May 2027 · Corpus Christi
Sun, 30 May 2027 · Day of the Canary Islands Día de Canarias
Mon, 31 May 2027 · Day of Castilla-La Mancha Día de la Región Castilla-La Mancha
Wed, 9 Jun 2027 · Day of La Rioja Día de La Rioja
Wed, 9 Jun 2027 · Day of Murcia Día de la Región de Murcia
Thu, 24 Jun 2027 · St. John's Day Sant Joan
Sun, 25 Jul 2027 · Santiago Apóstol
Wed, 28 Jul 2027 · Day of the Cantabrian Institutions Día de las Instituciones de Cantabria
Sun, 15 Aug 2027 · Assumption Asunción
Wed, 8 Sept 2027 · Day of Asturias Día de Asturias
Wed, 8 Sept 2027 · Day of Extremadura Día de Extremadura
Sat, 11 Sept 2027 · National Day of Catalonia Diada Nacional de Catalunya
Wed, 15 Sept 2027 · Feast of Our Lady of Bien Aparecida Festividad de la Bien Aparecida
Sat, 9 Oct 2027 · Day of the Valencian Community Dia de la Comunitat Valenciana
Tue, 12 Oct 2027 · National Day of Spain Fiesta Nacional de España
Mon, 1 Nov 2027 · All Saints Day Día de todos los Santos
02Free
Safety today
Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Spain say, side by side, checked daily.
German Foreign Office says
No travel warning
Calm ●
Caution
Serious
Don’t go
Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 20 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 20 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
U.S. Department of State says
Exercise increased caution
Calm
Caution ●
Serious
Don’t go
Level 2 of 4
Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 31 Jul 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 31 Jul 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
UK Foreign Office says
No advice against travel
Source: GOV.UK
Updated 12 Aug 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 12 Aug 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Scams to know
Fake police asking for your wallet
Real officers may ask for ID, never for a wallet or purse; keep yours closed.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Highway pirates
If waved down over a car fault, stop only in a lit public place such as a service station.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Timeshare offers
Be wary of timeshare and holiday club deals whose promised incentives prove false.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Street money changers
Change money only at banks or official offices; street changers may give fake notes.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.
03Free
Health
Keep routine vaccinations current. Peaks near Granada, Huesca and Tenerife can cause altitude sickness.
Vaccinations
Make sure all routine vaccinations are current before you travel.
Altitude
The higher mountains, especially around Granada, Huesca and Tenerife, can bring altitude sickness.
Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.
Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.
04Travel layer
In the app: the travel layer
The travel layer
Read a country like someone who’s been there.
What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use
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05Free
Deep facts
| GDP | ≈ $1.9 trillionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Per person | ≈ $38,627Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Top exports | cars, packaged medicine, refined petroleum, vehicle parts/accessories, garments (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Population | 49.4 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 47.2 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Life expectancy | 83 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 58.2%, atheist 16.2%, agnostic 10.8%, other 2.7%, non-believer 10.5%, unspecified 1.7% (2021 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2021 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Area | 505,370 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Climate | temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coastSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Terrain | large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees Mountains in northSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Type of government | parliamentary constitutional monarchySource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Calling code | +34Source: libphonenumber · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
About the data
Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.
From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.
CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗en.wikipedia.org · 4 Nov 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).
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