How to get to Spain

Passports are always required, except for citizens of the European Union, and of countries that are part of the Schengen area, such as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. In these cases, citizens can travel with a valid identity card (except for minors, who must have a parental permit).

We recommend that you arrange your rental vehicle before you travel and collect it at the airport upon arrival, at many train and bus stations or at the office agreed with the rental company. You can also book it directly at your destination. You can find car rental companies at all the airports and in the main train and bus stations.

If you need to change your money to €, you will be able to do so at bureaus de change, at various banks, and at the majority of hotels and travel agencies.

You will normally find offices or ATMs that exchange currency in the international airports and high speed train stations.

Yes. Most major Spanish airports offer a left-luggage service. This is the case at the airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga and Alicante-Elche for example. The same goes for the high-speed train stations at Barcelona, Madrid, Málaga, Seville, Valencia, Zaragoza, Albacete and Alicante.

Bus journeys are usually paid for upon boarding and cash is usually the only payment allowed. Payment is always in € and change is usually limited (never above €20).

Metro and train journeys are paid for at the station and there are usually ticket machines. On certain occasions, they only accept payment by credit or debit card.

Generally, yes. In addition, at the airports there are usually Wi-Fi networks that you can connect to.

Possibly some mobile phones, mainly from China and the United States may not work properly in Spain. We advise you to check which frequency your device operates on and the duplex or communication system it uses in the equipment’s technical specification. In Spain, the frequencies used by the main operators are:

• 3G: 900 and 2100 MHz
• 4G: 800, 1800 and 2600 MHz
• 5G: 700 MHz, 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz

The duplex used in Spain is FDD (Frequency Division Duplex).

In any case, calling and connecting to the internet will cost at least the same as in your country of origin, if not a little more. We recommend that you check with your mobile phone operator before starting your trip.

You can find more information at the following links:

Connections. How to get mobile cover and internet access

Find out what limitations there are for bringing products into Spain, depending on your country of origin, and find out how you can recover the value added tax (VAT) on the purchases you have made during your trip.

“112” is the free emergency phone number and is always available and with teletranslation in several languages. Remember it should only be used in cases of emergency.

You can also find a presence of the law enforcement bodies in the airports, ports, and international train and bus stations. You can go to the National Police and National Guard if needed.

If your problem is related to your transport or luggage, we recommend that you firstly contact the company responsible for your travel.

The mobile app Alertcops will also allow you to communicate directly with law enforcement authorities and alert them of any abnormal situation or violence. It is available in English, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish.