Discover Spain

Spain occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula, shares the peninsula with Portugal, and is separated from the rest of the European mainland by the Pyrenees and from Africa by the Strait of Gibraltar. It is the largest country in Southern Europe and the fourth-most populous member state of the European Union, and it holds the southernmost point of continental Europe.

The country is more than the mainland. Spanish territory also includes the Canary Islands in the eastern Atlantic, the Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean, and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla on the African mainland. The Canaries in particular are not a footnote: their stable, spring-like climate makes them the most reliable winter-sun destination in Europe, and Teide on Tenerife, at 3,715 metres, is the highest point in Spain and the highest of any island in the Atlantic.

Inside the mainland, the geography is severe and it explains the country. Mountains frame nearly every side, and the interior is the Meseta Central, a high plateau that gives Madrid a continental climate quite unlike the coasts — hot summers, cold winters, and none of the maritime softening the edges of the country enjoy. The green, Atlantic-facing north is as wet as Ireland; the Mediterranean south is dry.

Madrid is the capital because Philip II set his court there in June 1561, in a town that had held city rights since 1188 and hosted the Cortes of Castile from 1309. It was chosen for being in the middle rather than for a river or a port, and it is younger as a capital than Seville, Toledo, Córdoba or Barcelona are as cities — which is the shortest explanation of why Spanish regional identity is as strong as it is.

Those identities are the country's central political fact. Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia have their own languages, media, police forces and political movements, and the 1978 constitution's system of autonomous communities is what gives them institutional form. Regional identity here is a live constitutional question, not a folk tradition.

Train or plane? Train, for anything on the mainland — the AVE network is extensive and fast enough that flying between Spanish cities rarely makes sense. Fly for the Balearics and the Canaries.

Do I need to carry my passport? You need photo ID, and you must produce it if a police officer asks; the police can hold you at a station until your identity is confirmed, and ignoring an officer's direct request is a criminal offence. You may also be asked for ID when paying by card, and some shops want the passport specifically.

Why won't the hotel give my passport straight back? Because hotels, tourist accommodation and car rental firms have a legal duty to register your passport details. Wait while they do it rather than leaving the passport at reception to collect later.

Is my EHIC or GHIC enough? No. It covers medically necessary state healthcare, but you are more likely to get appropriate care in a public facility, some tourist areas have none nearby, and hotels often call private doctors or ambulances where the card is not accepted at all. It also does not cover repatriation or rebooking.

Can I drink in the street, or on the beach? Not in some areas, and you can be fined on the spot. Controls on drinking in public places, including beaches, are strict. In Magaluf, Playa de Palma and San Antonio, local law also bans happy hours, all-you-can-drink offers, pub crawls, party boats and off-licence sales between 9:30pm and 8am.

Can I walk into town in my swimwear? In some parts of Spain that is illegal, being bare-chested is illegal in some areas, and fines are issued for swimwear on seafront promenades and adjacent streets.

What is the emergency number? 112, for police, fire and ambulance, with English-speaking operators, from any phone. 091 is national police and 062 the Guardia Civil, but 112 reaches everything.

When is it too hot? Inland, July and August regularly exceed 40°C and heat illness is the commonest serious problem visitors have. AEMET publishes the warnings. It is also wildfire season — causing a fire is a criminal offence in Spain even if unintentional.

Is the balcony really a thing? Yes. Falls from height, some fatal, are recorded every year; hotels will evict and fine you for dangerous behaviour on balconies; and your insurance may not cover an incident on a balcony or one where you had been drinking.