Spain tours

Spain is the second largest country in the European Union, with mountains going as high as Mulhacén in the Sierra Nevada, or the Spanish Pyrenees, which boast six of the country’s ten highest peaks. They all eventually sweep down to the coast, of course, and the weather varies greatly depending on whether you are heading to the northern or southern coast. In addition, Spain’s Canary Islands are much further south, and bask in sunshine all year round. So, when working out the best time to go to Spain, there are geographical influences to take into account, but also many practical and cultural ones. Which is why we have a much more detailed blog on the subject. 

Spain has a diverse climate due to its size and geographical differences, and on each of our holiday pages we have more specific details in the ‘When to go’ section. Working your way around the compass, if you want to take on the Camino de Santiago, for example, we recommend May and September as the weather is perfect, not too hot, not too wet. Although most of them are available for travel between March and November. For more information, see our blog, Best time to do the Camino de Santiago. Heading a bit further south, Catalonia starts to really shine from about March onwards, with temperatures as high as 15C in March, increasing by a couple of degrees every month, with top temperatures hitting around an average of 30C in July and August. 

With the southernmost coast, Andalucía is adventure-perfect in spring and autumn, as temperatures can hit 40C in summer, and many of our trips don’t run during those months. The Spanish Pyrenees, in contrast, aren’t really ready to ramble until ​​the beginning of June, with trips as late as mid-October. And the Canary Islands are all year round hiking or cycling heaven, with average annual temperatures of between 18C to 24C. For more information, see our blog, Best time to go to Spain.

Yes, you do. In December 2024, the Spanish government introduced a new law making it a legal obligation for all visitors to Spain to share personal details with their accommodations and car rental companies. Consequently, as we book your accommodation for you, we are obliged to pass these on to our local partners on the ground. After booking your holiday, we will send you a form to complete requesting all the legally-required information, including: name, nationality, gender, passport number, DOB, address, phone numbers and email address. This applies to all travellers aged 14 and over. If you are travelling with people under 14 years old, you need to declare your relationship to them. For more information, see here. 

Spain has a superb rail network, run predominantly by the national rail provider, Renfe, although there are now several other competitors, including iryo, which serves fewer places but has great prices. In addition, you have Ouigo España, which is a French train operator and it has good budget services. One of the most exciting services is an international service between Paris and Barcelona, run by SNCF’s TGV INOUI and takes you through a fiesta of landscapes in just 6h 45mins. You can see all of our holidays in Spain that are reachable by train here and, as there are so many rail-y good rambles to be had, we’ve a special blog for you on the subject, Exploring Spain by train. 

The Camino de Santiago is not only a vast trail, but also one that has lots of options in terms of routes and working out the best time to go. For that reason, we have a trail of blogs to follow for more information, including: Which of the Camino de Santiago routes is calling you?; Our camino tips for a smooth journey; Best time to walk the Camino de Santiago; Taking on the Camino de Santiago in a wheelchair; and Camino de Santiago packing list. 

Family life is central to Spanish culture and so you will always be welcomed with your little ones, or indeed with your family elders. We have some bespoke family adventures such as Cycling in Asturias or Cycling the Via Verde de Ojos Negros. In addition, it’s worth checking out our easy/moderate level walking or easy/moderate cycling holidays, to see if they appeal to all family members. If you have older teens, for example, who have walking experience, you may want to explore more moderate level hiking or cycling holidays. Our adventure specialists are here to cater for your needs, and we can often adapt a day’s itinerary if you think it’s going to be too hard or too easy.

Most definitely and we welcome solo travellers on a great number of our tours, ranging from most of our Canary Islands and Balearic Islands holidays, as well as all of our Camino de Santiago trips. Another glorious solo adventure, especially for those who want to escape Christmas, is in Málaga. Spend the silly season based in a gorgeous mountain hotel throughout the trip, with trails galore and temperatures as high as 13C. You can find all of our solo trips in Spain here, but please remember that a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared. 

Yes, the agua is buena. It’s strange how many people who would never normally buy bottled water at home feel a need to buy it when travelling. It’s fine to ask for tap water (agua de grifo) in restaurants, although not common practice for some reason. Staff often turn up with a default bottle of mineral water, in which case you can ask for tap water instead. If you want to check in your accommodation if the tap water is safe to drink, just say, “Por favor, ¿el agua del grifo es potable?” And if you are hiking in mountain areas, and want to drink from streams, where there can be a risk of harmful runoff, we recommend investing in a filtered water bottle to ensure water is free of any toxins. 

It’s worth noting that Spain has suffered the impact of water shortages due to the climate crisis, with the Iberian Peninsula, in particular, suffering its driest weather in over a thousand years. Water is therefore scarce in many parts, and so always use it sparingly at your accommodation when possible, no matter what time of year. And if there are drought restrictions in place, you may well have to drink bottled water instead.

Spain has excellent healthcare with no major health risks and it is also rabies-free. No vaccinations are required, but the WHO recommends routine vaccines such as tetanus, measles, mumps and rubella before travelling. Ticks can be a problem when hiking, so you do need to take precautions. Wear long sleeves and trousers, and tuck your trousers into hiking socks when possible. Lyme disease and Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) are both tick-borne, so always check yourself fully after hiking and carry a tick remover with you too, so that you can catch them quickly. 

Always make sure that you have suitable health insurance to suit your adventure travel and Spain also has an excellent farmacia (pharmacy) system. It’s worth noting, however, that there are also parafarmacias. The former distribute medicines and have other wellness products, and you can chat with a licensed pharmacist. The latter don’t sell medicine and may not have licensed pharmacists, but are more likely to have perfumes, makeup etc. 

As with all international travels, it’s always worth getting up to date information at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for UK travellers or similar foreign office advice in your home country. One thing to be aware of in some Spanish cities, notoriously Madrid and Barcelona, is pickpocketing. Always carry your possessions in a secure way, and carry a copy of your passport when in busy tourist areas, leaving your original document in a hotel safe or somewhere secure.

Of course, this depends on the region that you are visiting but as with most of our adventures, you may be exploring remote terrain where weather conditions may be unpredictable. For that reason, we have some detailed blogs on packing, which may be of help: What to pack for a cycling trip and What to pack for a hiking trip. As well as that, don’t forget to pack your sense of adventure, plenty of sunscreen and a phrase book. 

Overtourism is an issue in many parts of the world, and although we are all for people having adventures, we’re aware that some places just need to put the brakes on. Which is why we aim to take you off the beaten path, and also encourage travel outside of the peak seasons. Sadly for Spain, there are some big cruise ship destinations, such as Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao and Ibiza. Although our adventures take you well away from the cruise ports, there may be times when you have to pop into the city. As we have flexible booking dates on most of our self-guided holidays, you can always use this clever cruise calendar, which means that you can time your trip when there aren’t three bruiser cruisers in port that day. 

There have been anti-tourism protests in both Barcelona and the Balearics, but be assured that, on our tours, you do Catalonia without the crowds. And we address overtourism on the Balearic beauty of Mallorca in this blog, where our in-house travel writer expected hassle and found only hiking heaven.

We don’t have any winter sports holidays in Spain such as snowshoeing or cross-country skiing. However, we have lots of options for winter sun holidays in Spain, where you can put enough Vitamin D into your energy banks to get you through the sleepy season. Our endorphin-inducing idylls include cycling the Camino Mozárabe, which was a pilgrimage route for Christians heading to Santiago de Compostela from southern Spain. Although it’s ancient, it’s new to our collection of winter sun cycling holidays following a section between Granada and Córdoba. Our Canary Islands are firm favourites with customers in winter, and we’ve got plenty of seasonal sierras too, such as Walking in Sierra de Guara Natural Park or hiking the Sierra Nevada on our Camino Mozárabe walking holiday. For all our winter holidays in Spain, see here. 

We always endeavour to ensure that your accommodations are aware of any dietary needs when we book your trip. However, Spain is a foodie nation with strong traditions, so although your needs will be catered for in bigger towns and cities, it’s not always the case in more remote areas. Spain has made huge progress in catering for people who can’t eat gluten, however, and asking for food without gluten (sin gluten) is seen as the norm now. You will often see products with gluten-free symbols, such as the cross through a piece of wheat. Find out more at FACE (Spanish Federation of Celiac Societies). With a country that loves its cheeses, it can be trickier to find dairy-free (sin leche) products, but there are a growing number of options. For vegetarians and vegans, you will still find a lot of meat on the menu. Useful phrases to know are: soy vegetariano/a (I am vegetarian) or soy vegano/vegana (I am vegan); sin carne, meaning without meat, and sin huevos, which is without eggs. 

It’s the euro, or €, the same currency that’s used across most countries in the European Union. 

Spain has produced some of Europe’s finest chefs and vintners and, although there are plenty of fine cuisine options, most adventurers in Spain’s rural areas just want a good three course meal at the end of the day, and some great picnic food for their backpack. Spaniards love their bread which means that bakeries are top notch and great value, especially for generous sandwiches, or bocadillos. And you’ll always get good value out of a Spanish market, so it’s worth timing your visit to coincide with at least one of these. A meal at an inexpensive restaurant outside the main cities costs between €10-€25 per meal, while mid-range establishments can charge €25-30 per person. Be prepared for the fact that bottled water is often the default water in restaurants, especially in the Balearic and Canary Islands. However, it’s fine to ask for tap water (agua de grifo) in restaurants, and you should never be charged for that. 

When it comes to drinks, prices can vary quite a lot. A beer in a bar ranges from €2-€5 and a glass of wine averages around €4. Sometimes snacks in bars are free when you get a drink and other times they’re not! On the Camino de Santiago, restaurants often provide pilgrim meals which, on average, are three course dinners, including wine, for about €14-18 per person. Being a pilgrim also opens the doors to convents along the way where they sometimes have a torno, a revolving window from which they sell homemade cakes, biscuits and sweets.

A service charge is often included in a restaurant bill (look for the words servicio incluido), and it’s not customary to leave extra in Spain. However, if it’s not included, the recommended tip is 10%. Also, some touristy places add a cheeky cubierto cost, which is a cover charge, but this is illegal, and should be challenged. Charging a terrace fee, if eating outdoors, is legal, however, but should feature clearly on the menu. Be prepared for the fact that bread (pan) is often brought automatically to the table, and you are often charged for that. So if you don’t want bread, it’s good to make that clear. Tips aren’t expected in bars, but having some coins to round up the bill is very much part of the culture. 

Generally it’s excellent although it can still be problematic in some rural areas. In general, however, it has one of the average fastest speeds in Europe, with average Broadband download speeds of 114.4Mbps, beaten only by France. Spain also has a clear strategy, known as Digital Spain, which aims to have 100% broadband coverage by 2025. There is also a huge move to have 5G access countrywide and, in 2025, 82% of the population had access to 5G. For more information on speeds and providers, see here. And, the most useful wifi phrase you can have on your travels in Spain is “¿Cuál es la contraseña del wifi?” or what is the wifi password please? For pronunciation, check out this short video.