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Travel and Tourism in Spain
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Spain.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
- Time Difference
- UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) time zone note: Spain has two time zones, including the Canary Islands (UTC 0)
- Currency
- euro (EUR)
- Climate
- Madrid's climate is predominantly dry, sunny, and agreeable. Because of its elevation (about 2,000 feet above sea level) and its proximity to mountains, Madrid often experiences wide variations in temperature between winter and high summer. In winter, temperatures drop slightly below freezing and many winter days can be uncomfortably cold. Summers are quite warm with average midday temperatures of 95°F to 100°F. Except at the height of summer, evenings and nights are cool. Daily mean temperature ranges from 50°F to 68°F during 8 months of the year. Rainfall is scarce, except during a brief rainy season in October and November and again in spring. Snow, uncommon in Madrid, usually becomes rain and slush within hours.
- Language(s) Spoken
- Castilian Spanish (official nationwide) 74%, Catalan (official in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community (where it is known as Valencian)) 17%, Galician (official in Galicia) 7%, Basque (official in the Basque Country and in the Basque-speaking area of Navarre) 2%, Aranese (official in the northwest corner of Catalonia (Vall d'Aran) along with Catalan, <5,000 speakers); note - Aragonese, Aranese Asturian, Basque, Calo, Catalan, Galician, and Valencian are recognized as regional languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
- Ethnic Groups
- Spanish 84.8%, Moroccan 1.7%, Romanian 1.2%, other 12.3%
- National Holiday
- National Day (Hispanic Day), 12 October (1492); note - commemorates the arrival of COLUMBUS in the Americas
- Geographic Coordinates
- 40 00 N, 4 00 W
- Location
- Southwestern Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Biscay, and Pyrenees Mountains; southwest of France
- Airports
- 152
Destinations
Regions and cities, top sights, national parks, UNESCO sites, and festivals for visitors.
The Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (Islas Canarias) constitute one of the most geologically, ecologically, and climatically unusual territories in Spain, lying approximately 1,100 kilometers southwest of mainland Spain off the coast of West Africa between 27 and 29 degrees north latitude. The archipelago of seven main islands — Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro — plus several smaller islets, are of volcanic origin and display a range of landscapes that includes snow-capped volcanic cones, lunar lava fields, subtropical forests, and sand dunes of African origin.
Tenerife, the largest island, is dominated by the massive volcanic cone of Mount Teide, Spain's highest point at 3,715 meters and a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose surrounding national park encompasses extraordinary landscapes of volcanic rock and sparse endemic vegetation. The cable car ascent to near the summit offers views on clear days that stretch across all seven islands and, in the right conditions, to the coast of Africa.
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Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
Good medical care is available in both Spain and Andorra. Regulations regarding medications may vary from those in the United States. Spanish regulations do not permit the international shipment of medication, so please do not ship medication from the United States to Spain. U.S. citizens who plan a lengthy trip to Spain should bring their medication or obtain a prescription for that medication from a Spanish physician.
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