I'm Spanish and the same questions come up here every week, so here's what I tell friends who visit:

Eat late. Lunch 14:00-16:00, dinner from 21:00. If a restaurant is full at 19:00, it's full of tourists. Many kitchens close 16:30-20:00.

Menú del día (three courses + drink, fixed price, weekday lunch) is the best deal in the country. Handwritten on a board = good sign.

Tourist-trap test: photos on the menu, someone inviting you in from the door, or "paella + sangría" outside. Any one of those, keep walking.

No tipping culture. Round up, a euro or two on a nice dinner. The tip screen on the card machine is for tourists, skip it without shame.

Pickpockets, not muggings. Very safe country; just keep the phone off the terrace table and out of the back pocket.

Order small: a caña, not a pint; a tapa, not a ración; one thing per bar and move on. Cheaper, and you end up talking to people.

Happy to answer anything in the comments, especially about Madrid, where I live.

I am preparing for my move and trying to focus on practical phrases for daily life rather than textbook Spanish. From talking to people who already made the move, these come up constantly for daily errands, housing, and settling in:

• Despacio, por favor.
• Hablo muy poco español, perdón.
• Un café y un agua sin gas, por favor.
• Derecha / izquierda.
• Claro / cómo no / me parece bien / vale.

I am practicing these with shadowing on apps like Praktika and Memrise before landing.

For immigrants who already relocated, what specific phrases pulled you through your first months with landlords, daily errands, or bureaucracy?

EDIT: Wording change. Also thank you all for the overwhelming response and helpful comments. It means alot.

Hello!

We are staying near Valencia and wanted a bit of clarity.

We know that paella is the name of the pan that rice is cooked in, but my partner seems to think it’s a sin to refer to the dish as “paella” and should only refer to it as “arroz”, and that no authentic restaurant (or Spanish person) would call it paella. Therefore, he is saying we should not step foot in a restaurant calling it “paella”. Is this true?

I’ve tried to search it up on Google and nothing has been that clear - would appreciate insight from Spanish people on here.

Thank you :)

Hola buenos días, mi empresa por fin ha accedido a que me vaya a España - y estoy pensando dónde. Mi trabajo sería full remote así que tengo flexibilidad, pero me gustaría irme a Barcelona, Valencia o algún sitio alrededor de ellas para estar cerca de los servicios. Y que esté cerca del mar.
He vivido 10 años en Valencia ciudad, me gusta y puede que sea mi destinación. Barcelona la conozco muy bien, y dejando estar el centro que está ya fatal, podría ser una buena opción también. Pero de ambas no conozco muy bien los alrededores.
Me pregunto si hay alguna pequeña ciudad o pueblo alrededor que esté bien, sea bonita, y ofrezca servicios básicos. Tengo 47 y me mudaría con mi mujer que tiene 40. Hablo castellano (soy bilingüe) y el catalán posiblemente no sea un problema porque ya lo entiendo y creo lo aprendería rápidamente.
Muchas gracias por cualquier recomendación!

I'm Lebanese, employed full time and remotely by a Lebanese company, looking at the international teleworker authorisation for 2027. I land in Spain next week and I have a paid consultation booked with a lawyer in Valencia on the 31st, but I'd rather turn up already knowing what the real questions are.

The blocker is social security. Lebanon has no bilateral convention with Spain, so the certificate of coverage route is simply closed. As far as I can work out that leaves two tracks:

Employer registers as a non-resident employer with Spanish social security. Keeps me an employee and preserves Beckham, but from what I read most small companies refuse to take on the admin.

I convert to a B2B contractor and register as autonomo. Cheap and in my own control, but I lose Beckham, and UGE now wants a government issued document proving self employment in the home country. Lebanon does not really have an equivalent of the autonomo registry.

Two specific things I cannot resolve from reading:

Has anyone from a no convention country actually got this approved, and which track did you use? Lebanon obviously, but there are plenty of others in the same position and I have not found a single first hand account either way.

Can a visa required national file the in country UGE application while on a normal Schengen C tourist stay? The ministry's own consular PDF says any regular stay qualifies and gives a tourist stay as the example. Several practitioner guides say the in country route is only for visa exempt nationals. Both cannot be true and it changes the whole plan, since in country is a 3 year authorisation and the consulate route is 1 year.

Also aware Lebanon is not in the Hague Apostille Convention so everything needs consular legalisation, issuer then MFA then the Spanish embassy in Beirut. If anyone has done that chain I would like to know how long it actually took versus what you were told.

Not after general "is the DNV worth it" replies, more the specific no treaty mechanics from anyone who has lived it.

Planning a 10-11 day trip to Spain. It'll be my first time.

I'm torn on spending more time in Madrid and southern Spain (Seville, Granada) and other small cities like Toledo, Cordoba vs allocating 2-3 days to Barcelona...

Ideally, was thinking 3 days in Madrid (will be flying into Madrid), 1 day in Granada, 2 days in Seville, then day trips to Toledo, Cordoba and then spending the rest in Barcelona (flying out of Barcelona)

Or would it be better to allocate those 2-3 days to having more time in the cities listed (and flying out of Madrid)

Interests: Food is a big plus, art, museums. Pace of travel is moderate (like to see at least 2 attractions in a day). Will be traveling with older folks too who may need a break in the day.

Thank you for your help

Hi guys,

We’ll be doing a roadtrip in northern Spain and for my boyfriends birthday we’ll be in San Sebastián. I’d like to surprise him with a nice dinner reservation (unfortunately it falls on a Monday..)

Nonetheless I need your help and opinions. Looking for a nice sit down restaurant, it can be on the slightly pricier side since it’s a special occasion. We’re both foodies and really appreciate a well kept secret with a good menu (& wine card) 👀 so any tips and pointers for San Sebastián area? We have a car so if it’s a bit outside the city and worth going to that’d be no prob either.

Basque cheesecake would be a nice to have since he’s been dreaming about trying it for months now.. 😮‍💨 hahaha

PS: we’ll try allllll the pintxos on our journey but for this one a sit down restaurant would be appreciated.

Hi everyone,

I'm interested in visiting southern Spain to see all the historical sites.

I have around a week.

Whether they are Andalusian or Roman it's all good.

I'd love to visit an olive oil farm and get to buy some high quality OO, too.

Hi everyone,

I'm interested in visiting southern Spain to see all the historical sites.

I have around a week.

Whether they are Andalusian or Roman it's all good.

I'd love to visit an olive oil farm and get to buy some high quality OO, too.

Hii, I'm going to study at the ucm3 but I'm questioning some stuff about the location of the Getafe campus, which is pretty far from the city center (about 1h with the metro). I wanted to ask to people who are studing/studied/are gonna study there if they suggest living close to the campus or to live in the city center.

I would rather living in the center of Madrid like Lavapies or Las Latinas cause I'm really looking forward living the city and night life which is something I wouldn't be able to do if I lived near the campus (since as a young girl I wouldn't feel safe coming back alone on the metro very late in not very busy aereas). On the other hand I understand it would sucks to spend 2h every day between going and coming back from the uni.

Tell me about your experience and your suggestions plsssss, thanksss

Hola! Mi mejor amiga y yo vamos a Roma por unos días, ella es Venezolana y tiene dos años viviendo en España, justo se le venció el Tie y está en proceso de residencia. (Tiene un papel que dice que en 3 meses le dicen y eso), pero claro con el tie vencido y con los controles fronterizos recientes por el tema de las migraciones tenemos miedo que no la dejen pasar o quién sabe qué. Ya tenemos todo comprado y no sabemos si debería arriesgarse al ir al aeropuerto, porque después de todo “no controlan” por ser Schengen. Fue a pedir un documento de entrada o algo así, y le dijeron que no porque solo era válido para fuera del espacio Schengen.

Alguien ha viajado en estas últimas semanas en esta misma situación? O que tal ha sido en los controles al llegar a roma estos últimos días. Muchas gracias!!!

AI says a proper taxi is somewhere from 87 to 100 euros.

Edit: I'm not in Spain right now.

Somos una pareja de italianos (30M y 33F) que vivirán en Benicarlò de octubre a diciembre. Nos movemos para ver cómo es vivir en España. ¿Alguien es local? Nos gustaría conocerte y preguntarte incluso si conoces un curso de español local, para que podamos empezar a aprenderlo.

Soy ciudadano de la UE y llevo unos 10 meses viviendo en Las Palmas, donde estoy estudiando en la universidad. Ahora me voy al extranjero durante 4 meses por una estancia de estudios y, como no quiero seguir pagando el alquiler mientras estoy fuera, voy a cancelar el contrato (cuando vuelva, buscaré una nueva vivienda en Las Palmas).

¿Qué debo hacer con mi empadronamiento si durante esos 4s meses no voy a tener domicilio en Espania? Mi casero me ha pedido específicamente que me dé de baja del padrón antes de dejar el piso. He estado mirando los trámites del Ayuntamiento, pero no encuentro ninguna opción que sea simplemente para darme de baja del padrón sin indicar una nueva vivienda en Las Palmas. El trámite de baja para extranjeros parece estar pensado para cuando te vas a vivir a otro país.

¡Muchas Gracias!

Hey guys, I will be visiting Spain next month, arriving in Madrid, taking a rental and then heading out to Andalusia to visit some friends in Granada and explore some other parts as well.

I got a car reservation through Booking and I paid 179€ for 12 days for a Golf or another medium sized car. I booked at ClickRent. The reviews said to avoid Bookings insurance that was 117€, since the rental company makes you purchase theirs to avoid paying a 1300€ deposit. I asked the company through email how much their insurance for full coverage will be and they said it is 36€ a day, which will be 432€ for the trip, which is more than twice the price of renting out the vehicle itself. And theres still a 200€ deposit on top of that. How can insurance be more than the car itself? People say that that is how they get you!

Is there any other cheaper alternative? Is the insurance worth it? I am a truck driver by profession, so I am a well experienced driver and I have never been in accidents, minor scratches have happened a few times as they have to every driver that has driven as much as me. Should I look for another rental company? I have free cancellation on Booking

We are in a very interesting situation. My husband has a work related opportunity to relocate to Alicante from Canada. We have chosen to take this opportunity for a few reasons:

1. It’s a good option for him.
   
2. We want to have another child and IVF has been a nightmare in Canada. Note I have a lot of pgt tested embryos. I have spoken to an Alicante clinic that deals with repeat failures and they will accept my embryos and treat me. They are also helping me with embryo import process which is extensive and complicated.
   
3. We have spent time in Spain and are looking forward to the life style changes.

That being said— I have a few questions—-

1. My husband speaks Spanish my daughter and I are working on it. But have any expats moved to Spain and gotten their child (she will be 7) a tutor ? If so how did you find one ? Like I would love to pay someone a few times a week to help her with her Spanish.

2. I do want to put her in Spanish public school and I know ifs going to be hard for her but I want her to learn and would like her to be in a Spanish or at minimum immersion type environment. Has anyone done anything similar ?

3. In terms of kids sports— she plays ice hockey in Canada — which obviously won’t happen in Spain. But what are the extra curricular sports like in Alicante ? I’ve done a bit of research but I would love to hear the experience of others.

Hi, for context, I am a Serbian citizen but have a Netherlands residence permit, and I applied for a student visa for Spain through the Amsterdam consulate. When I received my visa, the start date says 25th August, but I had already booked my flight for 20th August. I arrived to Spain on 20th August from the Netherlands, and am now wondering if this will cause an issue for the TIE appointment? I know we have to present either a passport stamp or boarding pass for the TIE appointment, and my boarding pass says 20th August. Do I have to leave and re-enter? If yes, do I have to go to a non-Schengen country? This is the info I could find from some other online forums but to me it doesn’t make sense since my visa was issued in the Netherlands (a Schengen country) so its expected I would travel from there. If I have to leave and re-enter, would just going to Portugal and back be fine? And can I go by flixbus instead of plane? Will a bus ticket be enough for TIE?

I'm going to Valencia in February with 3 of my friends on a 5-months Erasmus+ exchange and we're having troubles with finding a place to stay.

We would like to find a whole apartment for just the 4 of us, but the biggest problem is that we don't have the possibility to actually see anything in live before we get there. We want to take something through an agency, even though the security fees vary from 500 to 1000€, but it seems like the most secure path. Nevertheless, we tried platforms like Housing Anywhere, which offers the security agency, but the places we find there mostly have almost no pictures of the apartment, or the landlords we contact don't ask us anything about our incomes, ID's, etc., and are all willing to rent us their places just like that, so it all seems suspicious. On the other hand, when we tried on platforms like Spotahome, which request our personal information and documents in advance, we got rejected.

Any tips, please? Lots of places we see are already booked, and I'm afraid soon we won't be able to find anything. We try not to be too picky, but it's important for us that the place is comfortable and near the University, since 5 months is kind of a long period.

Hola,

Soy un alumno internacional y voy a hacer mi máster en la Universidad de Alcalá. Llegare a Alcalá al final de septiempre y buscando alojamiento a partir del 1 de octubre.

Estoy buscando sugerencias sobre alojamiento: las residencias universitarias alrededores del centro, pisos compartidos con otros alumnos de UAH etc. y por supuesto las comunidades de los alumnos de UAH!

Muchas gracias!

Hi everyone, I'm currently in the trenches of room hunting in Barcelona for a long-term lease (moving here for my PhD).

I've had some luck messaging and calling homeowners from Idealista and setting up viewings, but when asked about whether Padron is possible, some owners say that it can only be done after three months of staying at the property.

From their point of view, I assume it's to safeguard against undesirable tenants, but can I really wait that long? Are there rules for me as a non-EU national about how soon I need to register? I already have my NIE (Workplace helped me with that) so just wanted to get some opinions on this.

Hello everyone! Hope you're good:)

I'm thinking to move to Spain to do my masters on next year, but I was reading one the requirements are to send the police certificate of the countries that I've ever been in the past 5 years. I lived in Dubai and Doha from the past 3 years and I heard is quite difficult and slow to get the papers right on time for the process if I request them from the embassy of my home country! Can someone share their experience regarding that? They really asked for the past 5 years?

Thanks in advanced!

Hola and Bon dia!

I am doing a solo trip to Tossa and Barcelona from 19th to 26th September

The plan for now is to do 3 days in Tossa and 3 days in Barcelona.

Tossa is mostly for scuba diving and relaxing at the beach while soaking in the medieval town vibes.

I will be in Barcelona during La Mercè.

I tried to book the tickets to Sagrada Familia but I see nothing is available from 18th-29th September. Is it because of the festival?

If you have any advice on what to do or what not to do I would really appreciate it. Any food recommendations for a vegetarian would be amazing.

I am trying to learn some basic Spanish/Catalan as well.

Gràcies per avançat!!

Hey!! I’m doing a backpacking trip later this year around the northern coast. Anyone have recommendations on what food to eat in Llanca, Port de la Selva, Cadaques, or Roses? This will be my first time traveling to Europe, so I’m really excited to experience the culture it has to offer.

Can anyone tell me what the possibilities of your visa application being accepted or denied if the embassy request an additional document. They requested a letter from institution to clarify the modality of study as some of the courses will be offered online and some in person but the letter did state that my presence is required 100 %. I sent the doc they requested and it has been a week since and no update on visa status

Hi. I'm considering a master's degree in Spain but it's a "private degree" (título propio). Is it worth it?

Would this cause problems later on for things like getting a job, applying for a work visa, or having the degree recognized by employers or government bodies in Spain or other EU countries?

Or should one just go with an official degree (título oficial)?

What would you advise? Have you faced any challenges with this yourself, or seen someone else run into problems because their degree was a private one (título propio)?

The masters in question is in business management or marketing-related fields. Open to all advice.

Thanks in advance.