Spain - Hiszpania

	Spain; España
	Flag
	location
	Information
Capital city	Madrid
System	parliamentary monarchy
Currency	euro (€)
Time zone	UTC 1 - winter; UTC 2 - summer
Surface	504,645 km²
Population	46 733 038
Official language	Spanish
Dominant religion	Catholicism
Telephone code	34
Car code	E.
Internet domain	.es

Spain (Spanish España) - a country in southwestern Europe, occupying most of the Iberian Peninsula.

Characteristic

An attractive tourist destination, unique monuments, urban complexes, museums, Mediterranean beaches and mountains.

Geography

Spain is a country located in Mediterranean Europe. It covers an area of 504,782 km².

Climate

Spain is located in the area of the subtropical maritime climate in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic and Continental Oceans in the central part of Spain.

During Polish holidays (July and August), the heat in the central and southern parts is unbearable and the temperatures reach 40 degrees. April and May are a good time to visit the cities.

The climate in Spain is not uniform across the country but ranges from north (where it is temperate) to south where it is warm and dry. The uneven terrain greatly diversifies the climate. Spain has different terrain and altitudes which also influence the climate. Generally in the north, temperatures are cooler. In the central part it is warm and dry, and in the south the temperatures are mild and warm all year round. In January and February there is plenty of snow and sun in the mountainous areas, such as in the mountains Sierra Nevada.

The best months to visit Spain are: May, June, September and October. Best time to travel on Canary Islands it is from May to October and November. In high season, prices are up to 150% higher.

The hottest month is July when max temperature is around 33 ° C (91 ° F) usually the second week is the hottest. But be aware of rain and thunderstorms. The coldest month is December. In this month, temperatures can drop as low as 0 ° C (32 ° F) at night. (source: http://hikersbay.com/climate/spain?lang=pl)

History

Culture and art

Society

Traditions

Spain is famous, among others, for the bull race in Pamplona.

Every year on the last Wednesday of August in Buñol, 25 km from Valencia, the famous "La Tomatina", The tomato battle.

An administrative division

Andalusia (Andalucía)
Aragon (Aragón)
Asturias (Asturias)
Balearic Islands (Islas Baleares)
Extremadura (Extremadura)
Galicia (Galicia)
Cantabria (Cantabria)
Castile-La Mancha (Castilla-La Mancha)
Castile and León (Castilla y León)
Catalonia (Cataluña)
Basque Country (País Vasco)
La Rioja (La Rioja)
Madrid (Madrid)
Murcia (Murcia)
Navarre (Navarra)
Valencia (Comunidad Valenciana)
Canary Islands (Islas Canarias)
Ceuta (Ceuta)
Melilla (Melilla)

Cities

According to official data from 2011, Spain had over 50 cities with a population of over 100,000. residents. The capital city of the country, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and Málaga had over a million inhabitants; 4 cities with over 500,000 up to a million inhabitants; 47 cities with a population of 100-500 thousand and the rest of the cities below 100,000 residents.

Interesting places

Granada – Alhambra, the last captured Moorish stronghold in Europe.
Segovia – Roman aqueduct, a wonderfully preserved and impressive building.
Toledo - cathedral, alcasar and synagogues
Cordobaor actually Cordova - the old town with the Mezquita - a former mosque, now a cathedral

Preparations

Travel time selection

Apart from the limitations described in the climate section, the country is worth visiting all year round.

Visas

Spain is a member European Union. EU citizens, Canada, Japan, Liechtenstein, Romania, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Norway, Of the United States, Australia, New Zealand and some other countries do not require entry visas. The only document required when crossing the border is a passport. EU citizens must have at least an ID card, however, as Spain belongs to the Schengen Area at the land border and at airports, for intra-area flights, this document is not checked.

Customs regulations

Citizens of the European Union are not restricted by customs regulations regarding the import and export of goods. The only limitation is the limits on the import of alcohol and tobacco products.

Currency exchange

Many bank branches offer exchange for euros, unfortunately they do not accept zlotys (except for a few banks in Madrid). The best and cheapest solution is to buy euro in Polish exchange offices, pay on the spot, wherever possible, with a payment card. Before withdrawing cash from ATMs, you should precede the information from your bank about the costs of this operation, as some payment cards settle these transactions with the US dollar, which means double commission. Our bank's commissions can also be surprisingly high.

Insurance

Phrase book

Drive

By plane

Airports in Spain

By train

By car

By bus

By ship

The main seaport is Barcelonafrom which we have a choice of many ferry connections both on Balearic Islandsas well as to other European cities.

Border crossings

Spain is in the Schengen Area. It is possible to cross the land border along its entire length, except for local restrictions. Therefore, border crossings are located at sea and airport ports and concern traffic outside Schengen.

Transport

Rail

Spain has high-speed sections similar to the French TGV.

Car

Similar to Polish road traffic regulations are in force, with the frequent application of the right hand rule, i.e. right of way for oncoming traffic. Navigating is facilitated by numerous roundabouts. The speed limit on motorways (120 km / h) is generally complied with, with few exceptions. Spanish drivers are not in the habit of giving way to another vehicle when changing lanes or entering traffic. They also often use a horn, e.g. while standing in a traffic jam, as if that could change anything. The backbone motorway network covers the country evenly, some of them are toll roads, but there are good alternative roads. The quality of services at gas stations differs from what we are used to in Poland. Fuel dispensers are equipped with three square buttons, pressing the lower one allows you to refuel to the fulland the other two for a certain amount. We meet on the highways via de servicio, parallel to the motorway, even several kilometers of road, where petrol stations, restaurants, hotels or hostels are located.

Trip

Tongue

Spanish (Castilian), Catalan, Galician, Basque (euskera). Knowledge of the English language, although more and more frequent, is still not common. Nevertheless, Spaniards are very open and always try to communicate, even by sign language.

Shopping

Gastronomy

Accommodation

Reservations can be made, inter alia, through the following portals:

Spain hotels

Science

work

Security

Spain is not a country with a very different level of security than other European Union countries. The threat to tourists in Spain is common crime, petty theft and pickpocketing. Watch out for thieves on motorbikes or mopeds who steal handbags from passers-by, as well as deliberately puncturing car wheels and theft on the pretext of getting help on the road or parking lot, in which Gypsies specialize.

Health

State citizens European Union are treated on the basis of reciprocity. This means that visitors and even tourists have the same rights and obligations as a Spanish citizen. The basis for obtaining help is the card EHIC.

Medical advice: free, but beware: make sure the doctor admits to the state healthcare.

Anxieties: for retirees and pensioners free of charge, the rest 40% of basic medicines, the remaining 100%.

Emergency: free, only in emergencies. Tel. no 112.

Hospital: after making sure that the hospital works under state health care, stay in a dormitory room - free. In single rooms, the patient is treated as a private patient and bears all treatment costs.

Dentist: 100% paid

Attention!
In the case of Spain, due to the inefficiency of state health care, it is recommended to have a separate, private insurance for medical costs, including transport to Poland. When concluding insurance, you should choose a company that does not require us to provide cash and return it after returning to the country, because we may not have such an amount.