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Before You Go
Spanish Entry Requirements for US Citizens:Passport but no visa
required for stays of up to 3 months. Contact: Embassy of Spain, 2375 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW, Washington, DC. 20037. (202) 728-2330, or consulate in Boston,
Chicago, Houston, LAX, Miami, New Orleans, NYC, SFO, or San Juan. Information
on Andorra: Andorran Mission to UN. 2 UN. Plaza, 25th Floor, NYC, NY 10018
(212) 750-8064.
Spanish Entry Requirements for EU Citizens: Passport or Identity
Card. Visa not required.
Health: US medical insurance not always
valid outside USA. Supplemental medical insurance with specific
overseas coverage has proven to be useful. Pharmacy hours established by each
town's City Hall, though such establishments generally open from 9.30 a.m.
to 2 p.m. & from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m.
The
UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office updated travel advisory for visitors to
Spain. Updated 23rd December 2002.
For current update visit The
UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.
SUMMARY
The vast majority of the 13 million British nationals who are expected to visit
Spain this year will have a trouble-free holiday. But, visitors should be alert
to the existence of street crime and continuing terrorist activity, for example
the car bomb in Santander on 3 December 2002 and bomb attacks during the summer
on the Costas del Sol and Blanca and other parts of Spain. Following recent
developments, including the terrorist bombing of a night club in Bali on 12
October and the Mombasa bombing of 28 November, UK nationals world-wide should
be aware of the risk of indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets in public
places, including tourist sites.
ATTENTION
TERRORISM
On 17 December 2002 the Spanish police
foiled an apparent attempt to bring explosives for later use into Madrid when
the suspect vehicle and its occupants were apprehended on a motorway north
of the city. Police sources were subsequently quoted as saying that the explosives
were destined for five large bombs to be placed and detonated in various Madrid
shopping centres on New Year's Eve. This attempt followed the car bomb explosion
in Santander for which a warning was received and in which no-one was injured.
These incidents followed a series of bombings during the summer of 2002 in
resorts on the Costa Blanca and the Costa del Sol and other cities in Spain.
These attacks followed the threat made by ETA in March 2001 that, to further
its aim of damaging the Spanish economy, it would attack Spain's tourist industry
and cause disruption in tourist areas. It warned tourists to stay away from
Spanish resorts. A number of Embassies in Madrid have received a letter, purporting
to come from ETA, which states that ETA remains strongly determined that tourist
facilities will continue to be targets during 2003, and again warns tourists
to stay away from Spanish resorts or risk involvement in their actions.
In the summer of 2001 too, ETA carried
out a number of mostly car-bomb attacks in resorts on the east coast, and
at Madrid and Malaga airports. In most cases, warnings were given and there
were few casualties. The high-speed rail link between Madrid and Seville was
briefly disrupted, and there was some minor evidence of planning against ferries
operating between the UK and Northern Spain.
During the autumn and winter, ETA attacks - shootings and
car-bombings - continued, though their number decreased. The main targets
continued to be Spanish politicians, members of the security forces, judges and
journalists. But a car bomb in Madrid in May (near a major football stadium
before a big match) was apparently aimed more at maximising public impact. In
mid May, the security authorities arrested 2 ETA terrorists in Madrid with bomb
making equipment.
There are also regular incidents of street violence in the
Basque country, involving organisations sympathetic to ETA, and directed against
the security forces, political parties and banks. These incidents normally
happen at night, and often take the form of Molotov cocktail attacks against
the homes of local politicians, security force buildings and cash dispensers.
Although the security forces have had considerable success
in arresting ETA terrorist groups, attacks are likely to continue. Warnings
have normally been given. But this may not always be the case or a bomb could
explode prematurely. Despite the recent bombs on the Costas and in other parts
of Spain statistically your changes of being caught in a terrorist outrage
remain very low. But, given the many millions of foreign tourists who visit
Spain each year, there will always be the chance of visitors becoming caught
up in any further attacks in tourist areas by literally being in the wrong
place at the wrong time.
If further incidents take place, tourists can expect disruptions
from real or hoax terrorist attempts. Visitors should follow the instructions
of the local police and other authorities.
SAFETY AND SECURITY
Your passport is a valuable document. Look after it! Replacing a
lost or stolen passport can be time consuming and expensive.
Street crime is common in many Spanish cities, towns and holiday
resorts. Passports, credit cards, travel tickets and money should not be
carried together in handbags or pockets. Be wary of approaches by strangers
either asking for directions or asking for, or offering, help of any kind.
These approaches, at times made by bogus policemen, are sometimes ploys to
distract attention while they or accomplices make off with valuables or
possessions and/or, for example, take note of credit card numbers for future
illegal use.
To combat the increase in street crime, which, in some cases, has
been accompanied by violence, the authorities have stepped up the police
presence in tourist areas. Nevertheless, visitors should remain alert in all
areas (including hotel lobbies, airports, train and bus stations, on public
transport, at car rental outlets and even supermarkets and their car parks). In
Madrid, particular care should be taken in the Puerto de Sol and surrounding
streets including the Plaza Mayor, the Retiro Park and Lavapies and, currently,
the Metro (underground) line from Barajas Airport to the city centre. In Barcelona,
visitors should be especially vigilant in the Ramblas and surrounding streets
and, following a recent spate of violent muggings, the Monjuic area of the
city. The cities and areas listed above are not exclusive and appropriate care
and precautions should be taken to guard against street crime in all places.
The incidence of rape and sexual assault is statistically very
low. Nevertheless attacks occur. Visitors are advised not to lower their
personal security awareness because they are on holiday. The Spanish
authorities have warned that they should also be alert to the availability and
possible use of "date rape" and other drugs, including
"GBH" and liquid ecstasy.
Motorists should be on the look out for "highway
pirates" who target foreign registered and hire cars, especially those
towing caravans. Motorists are sometimes targeted in service areas and
subsequently tricked into stopping on the hard shoulder. The usual ploy is for
a passing vehicle to suggest by gesture that there is something seriously wrong
with a rear wheel. Motorists who decide to stop to check the condition of their
vehicle should be extremely wary of anyone offering help. They should lock all
vehicle doors and keep bags containing valuables out of sight. Car keys should
not be left in the ignition.
LOCAL TRAVEL
Gibraltar
Spanish border
checks mean travellers may experience delays in crossing between Spain and
Gibraltar.
ROAD SAFETY
Visitors should
take particular care when driving as regulations and customs are different from
those in the UK and the accident rate is higher. Pedestrians should take care
particularly when crossing, or walking along, unlit roads at night. Driving
licences and insurance documents must be carried and produced for inspection if
required.
It is a legal
requirement for motorists travelling to or transiting Spain to carry (in all
vehicles) two red warning triangles to be placed, in the event of an accident
or breakdown, in front of and behind the vehicle. Failure to comply may result
in the imposition of a spot fine of up to 90 Euros. This requirement is in
addition to the need for drivers to carry a spare wheel, a spare fan belt and
full set of spare bulbs plus the tools to change them.
Spanish law allows
the carriage of any loads (eg bicycles) on the back of cars, camper vans or
caravans provided the load is securely fixed, does not touch the ground,
compromise the stability of the carrying vehicle, create noise or block lights,
reflectors, number plates or prevent signals made by the driver from being seen.
There is currently no requirement for bicycle racks to be certified or pass a
technical inspection. If a trailer is used, bicycle racks must not rest on the
drawbar coupling as this could result in the maximum weight allowed for in the
trailers technical specifications, being exceeded.
LOCAL LAWS AND CUSTOMS
Visitors should
respect Spanish laws and customs. In Spain the possession of all recreational
drugs is illegal. The authorities take the matter of drugs very seriously and
the possession of even small quantities can lead to imprisonment. Visitors
should not therefore become involved with drugs of any kind.
The Madrid City and
Balearics Regional Government have banned, other than in registered street
cafes and bars, the consumption of alcohol in the street. Visitors to Mallorca,
Ibiza and Menorca should respect this law. Failure to do so may result in the
imposition of fines.
The Balearics
Government introduced an Eco tax of one Euro (two Euros for those staying in a
five star hotel) per person per night from 1 May 2002. Children under 12 will
be exempt.
Classical Swine
Fever
Since June of last
year, an outbreak of Classical Swine Fever has affected the regions of Lerida
and Castellón. This is a very serious pig disease but it does not affect
humans. The Spanish authorities have taken appropriate disease control
measures. All meat from the affected area must be marked with a special oval
health stain with a cross through it. This meat may only be used to produce
cooked products and it is illegal to bring this meat to the United Kingdom.
Visitors to Spain should be aware that they must not bring back any prohibited
meat as it could bring disease with it.
HEALTH
Visitors should
obtain an E111 form from their local post office/social security office to cover
the costs of any emergency health care they receive at State run hospitals
during their stay. But, please note that those unlucky enough to be involved in
an accident may be taken to a private clinic in the first instance where an
E111 will not be valid to settle the bill. Visitors are therefore strongly
recommended to also take out full private insurance cover. Additionally, an
E111 form gives no entitlement to medical repatriation costs, nor does it cover
ongoing illnesses of a non-urgent nature. Visitors to Andorra, which is not an
EU member, are specifically reminded that E111 forms are not accepted there.
GENERAL
Emergency Health Care
Visitors should obtain an E111 form from their local post
office/social security office to cover the costs of any emergency health care
they receive at State run hospitals during their stay. But, please note that
those unlucky enough to be involved in an accident may be taken to a private
clinic in the first instance where an E111 will not be valid to settle the bill.
Visitors are therefore strongly recommended to also take out full private
insurance cover. Additionally, an E111 form gives no entitlement to medical
repatriation costs, nor does it cover ongoing illnesses of a non-urgent nature.
Visitors to Andorra, which is not an EU member, are specifically reminded that
E111 forms are not accepted there.
Purchase of Property, Timeshare Ownership and Holiday Clubs
British citizens intending to purchase a property in Spain are
strongly advised to engage a local lawyer. Some general guidance notes on the
subject are available from the Spanish Desk in the Consular Division of the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Room G/105/6, Old Admiralty Building,
Whitehall, London, SW1A 2PA; and from British Consular Offices in Spain.
Timeshare ownership is well established in Spain with many known and respected
companies, agents and resorts operating legally, fairly and successfully.
However, there are equally many unscrupulous companies in operation, some of
which claim to provide various incentives (including stock market investments
and discounts on airfares and accommodation) when exchanging existing timeshare
ownership or taking out membership of holiday clubs. More often than not, such
inducements do not materialise once a deal has been signed and sealed. Anyone
who is approached by agents operating such schemes should treat the approaches
with the utmost caution.
Purchases of Tobacco products and Alcoholic drinks for export
HM Customs and Excise recently revised its guidelines on the
amount of tobacco products British citizens may import into the United Kingdom,
for personal use, from within the European Union. However, under Spanish law,
the number of cigarettes, which may be exported from Spain without additional
paperwork, remains unchanged at 800. Travellers to the Canary Islands should
note that, although part of Spain, the Canary Islands are outside the EU
trading zone.
British nationals returning to the United Kingdom may export more
than 800 cigarettes but Spanish law imposes the following requirements on
travellers who do so:
Up to 1200: Visitors must produce a bill from an authorised retailer, eg
a tobacconist or supermarket. This applies whether or not visitors purchased
smaller quantities from different retailers. Law 38/92 of 4 May 1998 Ordenació
de Mercado de Tabaco applies.
More than 1200: The Spanish authorities treat these quantities as commercial
and visitors must produce the bill and the Codumento de Acompanamiento. Law
8/92 of 12 December 1992 Impuestos Especiales applies.
If travellers are apprehended with more than 800 cigarettes, but
without the necessary accompanying documentation, the Spanish authorities are
liable to seize the excess cigarettes or impose a large fine.
Dangerous cigarette lighters
United Kingdom airlines and the Civil Aviation Authority are
concerned about the serious fire risk in hold loaded luggage arising from
promotions in Spanish holiday resorts in which cigarette lighters are attached
to and/or packed in cartons of some brands of cigarettes. The lighters have a
sensitive electronic ignition, which can be activated by movement within a
suitcase as it is being transported. Travellers who buy such cartons of
cigarettes are advised to remove the lighters and dispose of them prior to
their return flight as these lighters should not be carried onboard an
aircraft.
THE EURO
The Euro was introduced in Spain on 1 January 2002. The Peseta is
no longer a valid currency. However, peseta notes continue to be accepted for
exchange but only in branches of the Bank of Spain located in Madrid and
regional capitals.
Crime& Security: Very low crime but
rising rate of violent crime. Pick pocketing, robbery & theft from cars
frequent & often directed against unwary tourists. Thieves often attempt
to distract victims by squirting mustard on clothing, asking for directions
on street, or otherwise diverting attention from accomplice. Thefts of radios,
luggage, cameras, briefcases, and cigarettes etc., from parked cars common
problem. Beware roadside thieves posing as "good Samaritans" to
persons experiencing car & tire problems. Thieves attempt to divert driver's
attention by pointing out mechanical problem & then steal items from car
while driver looking elsewhere. Problem particularly acute with cars rented
at Madrid airport. Be extremely cautious about accepting help from anyone
other than uniformed police officer or Civil Guard. Bags or other articles
left unattended likely to disappear. Andorra has low rate of crime. Terrorist
Activities: ETA Basque terrorists remain active. ETA efforts historically
been directed against police, military & other government targets. In
summer 1996, several small, homemade bombs exploded in areas frequented by
tourists, including bus station, regional airport, water amusement park &
tourist hotels. Size & location of bombs indicate they were not meant
to cause serious injury, but rather to frighten throngs of summer tourists.
However, in one incident, several tourists were injured. Anti-tourist attacks
have occurred every summer for past several years.
The
ETA proposed a campaign of attacks on
tourist areas during the summer of 2001. Talks are currently taking place
between the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and the Basque President
Juan Jose Ibarretxe to halt the violence of recent weeks but have so far failed
to make any progress on the issue. Tourists have been advised to be vigilant.
Money: The Euro was introduced in Spain
on 1 January 2002. The Peseta is no longer a valid currency. However, peseta
notes continue to be accepted for exchange but only in branches of the Bank
of Spain located in Madrid and regional capitals. Major credit cards widely
accepted. International travellers checks widely accepted. Check Universal
Currency Converter for current exchange rate. Exchange money only
at banks; hotels, restaurants & stores give less favourable rates. However,
the large El Corte Inglés department store chain changes money at bank rates
& remains open when banks closed. Banks open for business from 8.30 a.m.
to 2:30 p.m. Monday - Saturday, except in summer months when closed on Sats.
Some branch offices open in afternoon.
Weather: Climate varies from temperate in
north to dry & hot in south. Best months April - Oct, although mid-summer
(July - Aug) can be excessively hot throughout country except coastal regions.
Madrid best in late spring or autumn. Central plateau bitterly cold in winter.
Advice & Tips for Spain:
Electricity & Voltage: 220 volts AC
(110/125 volts in some older buildings), 50 Hz. Generally, round 2-pin plugs
& screw- type lamp fittings. To use US electrical equipment, bring converter
and adapter.
Airports
Madrid, Barajas Airport
7
miles east of the city.
By Taxi:Official Madrid taxis with red stripes. Fares posted in cab.
Extra for luggage & airport trips.
By Car: 12 kms from downtown. By Airport Bus: Between airport & Air Terminal at central Plaza
Colon. Every 10-15 mins 6 am - 1am. Fare Aprox. 3 Euros. Beware con
artists, thieves & purse-snatchers at underground Plaza Colón bus station
Barcelona
International Airport
By Car: 8 miles/13 kms from town. Ride time 25 mins with congestion
at weekends & early mornings due one lane road. By Taxi: Fare Aprox. 18 Euros ride downtown approx. 25-30 mins. By Airport Bus:Every 15 mins 6 am - 11 pm. Fare Aprox. 5 Euros By Train: Every 30 mins to/from Sants. Placa de Catalunya, Arc de Triomf,
Clot Arago stations - on to Madrid. Fare Aprox. 4 Euros Terminal A: International Arrivals & Departures
Terminal B: All Spanish Airlines - Domestic & International.
Terminal C: Shuttle MAD-BCN. Malaga
Airport (In Spanish Only)
By Taxi: To all local resorts. Examples: To Marbella
54 kms for Aprox. 40 Euros. To Torremolinos 8 kms for Aprox. 20 Euros By Train: Every 30 mins for Aprox. 2 Euros to town.
By Airport Bus: Every 30 mins from 8 am - 11pm. Aprox. 1
Euro
Amenities: Bars, restaurants & shops
Now You’re There
Eating Out
Spanish eating out is often cheap & meals substantial
rather than gourmet. To sample Spanish food try tapas served at any time of
day in local bars: from cheese & olives to squid or meat delicacies. Many specialities
based on seafood, although regional specialities easier to find inland than
along coast.
In northern Basque provinces, cod vizcaina or cod pil-pil; angulas, tasty
baby eels from Aguinaga; bream & squid.
Asturias has bean soup, fabada, cheeses and the best cider in Spain, &
in Galicia shellfish, especially good in casseroles, & number of regional
seafood dishes such as hake à la Gallega.
Don’t expect to find No Smoking sections in restaurants or bars.
Restaurant hoursquite varied, with norm from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. for
lunch & from 8:30 to 11 or 11:30 p.m. for dinner. In summer, hours often
expanded, with many establishments offering continuous service & still
other serving food into small hours of night. Bars usually open all day &
close late at night.
Entertainment
In Spain, start evening with el paseo, leisurely stroll
through main streets, wearing fashionable clothes. A café terrace is
excellent vantage point to observe tradition, or enjoy street theatre
in larger cities. Atmosphere especially vibrant at fiesta time, or when local
football team has won.
Tapas bars offer delicious snacks in relaxed, enjoyable setting: try out
several bars in one night
Ibizahas the reputation of having the best nightlife in the World!
Nightclubs of Barcelona
& Madrid have attracted attention of international media, but variety
on offer caters for most tastes. Things work up to la marcha (good fun) relatively
late & possible to dance.
Shopping in Spain
In Spain shoppers finds items of high quality at fair price,
not only in cities, but also in small towns.
Madrid: The Flea
market, Rastro Market recommended, particularly on Suns. Half
of market takes place in open air & half in more permanent
galleries.
Catalonian textiles
are world famous. Mills throughout region. Spanish leather goods are
prized, offering high-fashion originals at reasonable prices.
Particularly suede coats & jackets. Furriers of Spain also outstanding. In
general, all leather goods, particularly those of Andalucía, combine excellent
craftsmanship with high-quality design. Fine, handcrafted wooden furniture is
one of products. Valencia especially important in field & has a yearly
international furniture fair.
Barcelona: The Flea market - Els Encants - for
browsers & serious shoppers.
Alicante -
important centre for toy manufacturing. Shoe manufacturing of high quality;
production centres in Alicante & Balearics.
Fine rugs & carpets made in Cáceres, Granada & Murcia. Numerous
excellent Sherries, wines & spirits produced in Spain make good souvenirs
to take home.
Open Hours: Shops
& businesses usually open from 9 am or 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. & from
4:30 or 5 p.m. - 8 or 8:30 p.m. though more common for businesses to stay
open through traditional "siesta" hours.
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