Customs and daily life

Daily life

• Meal times: breakfast between about 7:00 and 12:00; aperitif and tapas between 12:00 and 14:00; lunch between 13:00 and 16:00; dinner between 20:00 and 22:30, until 23:30 in big cities and in summer (Turespaña).
• Shops: often open without a break from 10:00 to 21:00; some close between 14:00 and 17:00, especially in summer. On Sundays, shops and businesses are generally closed.
• Shows: from 20:00 or 21:00, and until 22:00 or 23:00 in summer.
• Tipping: not compulsory (service is included), but common in bars, restaurants, hotels and taxis: generally 5 to 10% (Turespaña).
• Payment: bank cards widely accepted; a minimum of about €10 is sometimes required to pay by card. You do not haggle over displayed prices.
• Papers on you: the law requires foreigners to carry their identity document and the document that proves their lawful residence (your resident certificate), and to show them to the police if asked; the law specifies that you can prove your identity by another means if you do not have them on you (LO 4/2015, art. 13).
• Emergencies: 112, free, everywhere and at any hour, with a translation service. The free AlertCops app lets you report a danger or an offence to the police (available in French, among other languages).

Languages

• Castilian: official language of the State; under the Constitution (art. 3.1), Spaniards have the duty to know it and the right to use it.
• Co-official languages (according to the statutes of autonomy): Catalan in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, Valencian in the Valencian Community, Galician in Galicia, Basque (euskera) in the Basque Country and part of Navarre, and Aranese in the Val d'Aran (Catalonia). This list follows the statutes of autonomy of the Basque Country, Catalonia, Galicia, the Balearic Islands, the Valencian Community and Navarre (in Navarre, Basque is co-official in the Basque-speaking zone: Foral Law 18/1986), plus Aranese in the Val d'Aran (Catalan law 35/2010).
• In practice: regional administration and school may operate mainly in the co-official language (see ES-ECOLE-TOUS-001). Learning a few words of the local language is greatly appreciated.
• Informal and formal address: tú is very common, even with strangers of your age, at work and in shops. Usted (formal "you") remains the norm with older people, in the administration and in formal contexts. If in doubt, start with usted and follow the other person's lead.

Public holidays 2026

• Non-replaceable national holidays (everywhere): 1 January (New Year), 3 April (Good Friday), 1 May (Labour Day), 15 August (Assumption), 12 October (National Day), 8 December (Immaculate Conception), 25 December (Christmas).
• National holidays that all communities have kept: 6 January (Epiphany, the Reyes, gift day for children).
• Holidays that vary by community: 2 April (Maundy Thursday, everywhere except Catalonia and the Valencian Community), 6 April (Easter Monday in the Balearic Islands, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Navarre, the Basque Country, La Rioja and the Valencian Community), 19 March (Saint Joseph, in a few communities), 25 July (Saint James, in Galicia and the Basque Country), 2 November (day after All Saints' Day, which falls on a Sunday in 2026, in nine communities), 7 December (Monday after Constitution Day, which falls on a Sunday, in about ten communities), 26 December (Saint Stephen, in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands). Check your community in the BOE table.
• Regional holidays 2026 (examples): 28 February (Andalusia), 23 April (Aragon; Castilla y León), 2 May (Community of Madrid), 30 May (Canary Islands), 9 June (Murcia; La Rioja), 11 September (Catalonia), 9 October (Valencian Community). In 2026, Melilla also celebrates Eid al-Fitr (20 March), and Ceuta and Melilla celebrate Eid al-Adha (27 May).
• Local holidays: each municipality adds up to 2 public holidays, published in the official gazette of the community or province. In the Canary Islands, each island also has its own holiday.

Public holidays 2027

The official 2027 list has been published (resolution of 8 October 2026, BOE-A-2026-21254).

• Everywhere in Spain: 1 January, 6 January (Epiphany), 26 March (Good Friday), 1 May, 12 October, 1 November, 6 December, 8 December and 25 December.
• Depending on the community: 19 March (Saint Joseph, in Galicia, Madrid, Murcia, Navarre and the Valencian Community), 25 March (Maundy Thursday, everywhere except Catalonia and the Valencian Community), 29 March (Easter Monday, in the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Navarre, the Basque Country, La Rioja and the Valencian Community), 16 August (Monday following the Assumption, which falls on a Sunday: Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, the Canary Islands, Castilla y León and Madrid).
• Regional holidays 2027 (examples): 1 March (Andalusia; Balearic Islands), 23 April (Aragon; Castilla y León), 17 May (Galicia), 31 May (Castilla-La Mancha), 9 June (Murcia; La Rioja), 11 September (Catalonia), 9 October (Valencian Community). In Ceuta and Melilla, Eid al-Adha falls on 17 May and, in Melilla, Eid al-Fitr on 10 March.
• Local holidays: up to 2 days per municipality, as in 2026. Check your community in the BOE table.

At work

• Legal working time: 40 hours a week at most, on an annual average (Estatuto de los Trabajadores, art. 34); actual hours depend on your collective agreement.
• Leave: at least 30 calendar days of paid leave a year (art. 38).
• Summer hours: many companies and administrations operate the jornada intensiva (continuous working day, often mornings only) in July and August. This is not a general rule of the law: it depends on collective agreements and companies.
• Siesta: much talked about, but in cities most people do not take one on weekdays. The long midday break remains common in small towns and in shops.
• August: many Spaniards take their holidays in August; procedures and building sites slow down.

Common pitfalls

• Arriving at the restaurant at 19:00 for dinner: many kitchens are not yet open.
• Planning a procedure on a regional or local public holiday: check the calendar of your community and municipality.
• Believing Spanish is enough everywhere for school: in Catalonia, Galicia, the Basque Country, the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community, part of the teaching is in the co-official language.
• Going out without papers: keep at least a copy of your passport or identity card and of your resident certificate; the original may be required.

What changes by country of origin

• French speakers: many words look alike, but beware of false friends (constipado means "having a cold", embarazada "pregnant").
• British citizens (Scotland included): driving is on the right; since Brexit, always carry your TIE card as well as your passport.
• Nordic and German-speaking countries: the shifted rhythm (late meals, evening life) takes a few weeks to adjust to, especially with children.