Spain – quick travel guide

Origin of one of the most common languages, rich culture, architecture, known for nightlife and latin beach vibes.

In pop culture, we think of Spain for beaches, nightlife, tapas, and siesta. Most people don’t know it also has many big squares (like Italy’s piazzas), rich unique architecture (castles & moorish & Gaudi), and many inland destinations (not only beach stuff).

You could see Barcelona and Madrid in a week. Put 2 weeks and you can add in some popular spots in the picturesque southern Andalusia region. Or spend a month and you can comprehensively jump around all the main spots of north, center, and south…exploring both beachside and inland destinations, perhaps even one of the islands. Spain is rich in tourist destinations.

General tips for traveling in Spain:

• Mobile carrier – many options. But you could also buy one of those all-inclusive ESIMs that cover multiple European countries.
• Transportation – public transportation is very good. But yo
• Rideshare –
• Weather – very hot in the summer, especially in the south. I recommend you never ever come here for the hottest months (Jul/Aug), Jun/Sep is better but I’d avoid too if possible.

Miscellaneous tips:

• Tap water –
• Food delivery –

Safety tips:

• Pickpockets – Barcelona is the absolute worst. Tons of roaming gypsy gangs working the metro and streets. Watch out for everybody…kids, well-dressed women, old men, EVERYBODY! Tons of YouTube videos of Barcelona pickpockets. I found these pickpockets to be more aggressive than anywhere else. Barcelona is #1 worst in western Europe, Rome #2, Paris #3, Milan #4, London #5.
• Racism – I hate to say it, but I’ve seen more racist behavior in Barcelona than anywhere else in western Europe. Against blacks, against asians, against latin americans. It can be everyday micro-aggressions, or blatant drunk guy yelling the N-word in public, or group of teenagers mocking the Asian language.

Activities & Tours:

Foods to try:

• paella
• tapas
• pinxtos
• moroccan

Customs & Language:

• Languages spoken – Spanish, Catalan
• Hello & Bye –
• Yes & No –
• Thank you –

Itinerary suggestions:

Spain cities (* = recommended, ** = must see):

• North
  • Barcelona** – the most popular tourist city because it has a beach and is closest to the rest of western Europe. Incredible Moorish architecture and Gaudi architecture, vibrant neighborhoods full of eateries, shops, bars, etc. Big nightlife. Watch out for pickpockets.
  • Zaragoza – another one of Spain’s bigger cities.
  • San Sebastian* – beautiful small beach city with truly incredible food (called pintxos). Best food in Spain and arguably among the world’s best. Top class super fresh seafood. Has a charmy old town with narrow streets and then posh modern city buildings lining the entire beachline. Lots of hill elevation for panoramic views of the city below.
    • Bilbao – biggest city in Basque Country. Also nice food, picturesque with the water passing through and Guggenheim Museum with the big colorful spider in front.
    • Zumaia – small beach town around cool rock formations. Located right between San Sebastian & Bilbao.
  • Leon
• Central
  • Madrid* – underrated IMO. Major city commonly overlooked or talked about as skippable (compared to Barcelona) but actually I love it. Many big squares, grand buildings and parks, very walkable, safe, chill, far less pickpockets. And even more nightlife than Barcelona. Yeah, most people think Barcelona has more nightlife but it isn’t true. Madrid has entire neighborhoods and streets lined with bars and clubs. Whereas Barcelona has spots sprinkled throughout the city. You can’t bar-hop the way you can in Madrid.
    • Salamanca – nice small university town with a vibrant main square. Very lively and friendly.
    • Toledo – most people do a day tour here for the castle. I honestly would rather just walk around on my own and take photos as I like. Having the guided explanation is great, but I hate that they often dump you in tourist trap souvenir shops for way too long (1.5-2hrs).
    • Valladolid
  • Valencia
• South
  • Seville* – main inland city of the Andalucia region in the south. Can base yourself here while jumping off to other towns.
  • Cordoba* – top site here is the ___.
  • Granada* – most people come here for the Alhambra site. If you’re absolutely curious about it, you can skip.
  • Malaga* – small beach town that’s grown and developed so much to the point of being a popular vibrant beach destination. Think of it as a cheaper Spanish beach town but has all things of a bigger city.
  • Gibraltar
• Islands
  • Mallorca*
  • Menorca
  • Ibiza* – basically Spain’s version of Tulum (Mexico). A mix of authentic hippie spiritual with superficial summer beach party people. Make sure you go at the right party season or the town is totally dead.

Nearby countries:

• France** – c’mon it’s France. A country and culture you’ve already heard so much about in pop culture. Of course, you have to see it!
• Portugal** – is it worth venturing further away from the center of west Europe? Absolutely, yes. Portugal has its own unique language, food, culture, architecture, sites, etc. If I had to compare, I think France might have more iconic pop culture tourist destinations like the Eiffel Tower…but if I had to live, I’d more likely live in Portugal.
• Northern Africa* – Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia. Yes, yes, and yes. Cheap enough flights, cheap enough everything, and you get to see a whole new continent (not just a country).

Unfiltered notes: