Travel Tips for Spain

We had a blast on our last tour, but traveling with a large group can be challenging. Here are some tips that may help you out while in Spain.

Driving through streets that were designed for pedestrians, or horses at best, can be intense. On a few streets we had to fold the sideview mirrors so they wouldn’t scrape the walls. Parking in some of the older cities can be nearly impossible, even if you’re willing to pay top dollar. We once left the group to go park and after driving around Seville for 30 minutes and not seeing a single spot, we gave up and parked at a distant hotel and then picked them up from the city center when they finished.

Cultural differences can also be challenging. Americans like to eat early compared with Spaniards. Most restaurants in Spain don’t start serving lunch until 1:30 or 2 and then close from 4-8pm, so you can forget about getting any early bird specials. Waiters in Spain also don’t rely on tips, so don’t expect the service to be as great as in the US. On the bright side, they don’t care how long you stay at your table, so you can have a 2 hour lunch and the waiters still get their salary. If you did receive very good service you can leave a euro or two, or somewhere around 5% of the bill just to show your appreciation.

Don’t buy from the first souvenir shop you see. For starters, try not to buy anything from these stores as it’s junk made in China, but if you have to then at least be patient. Almost all of the souvenir shops have the same stuff and chances are you’ll pay more if it’s closer to one of the main attractions versus something off the beaten path. You may be able to haggle, but don’t expect big results. These are cheap things to start with so you may get lucky and get a few euros off, but in the end it adds up and you can save enough to get yourself a nice 10 euro menú (prix fixe) lunch.

Speaking of the menú, it’s one of my favorite dining options in Spain. In Madrid you can find plenty of lunch spots where you’ll pay 10-15 euros for a glass of wine/beer, bread, appetizer, main course, and dessert or coffee. Plus all the dishes are homemade and change everyday, so even if you go to the same restaurant you’ll have around 5-15 different starters and entrees to choose from each day (M-F). Weekend menús do exist, but are less common and a little more expensive.

For drinks, there are some really cool cocktail bars around and they aren’t too expensive. A lot of regular bar/restaurants serve well drinks for around 5 euros and they will give you a very healthy pour (around 3 shots).

If you’re looking to go to a dance club then be sure you take a nap, because many don’t open until midnight. So if you don’t want your carriage to turn back into a pumpkin, then get some rest so you can party until 6am just like the locals do.

For more tips follow us on facebook and twitter. If you’d like to book a trip just email us at deafeuropeasl@gmail.com and we’d be glad to help you. See you in Spain!