Spain

Traveling

Recommendation: The road network is excellent, the main cities are reached via highways. The "Autovias" are free, the "autopistas" highways have tolls. The Web site of the Spanish Head Office of Transportation (both in Spanish and in English) provides with information on the condition of the roads, traffic, etc... www.dgt.es The police is very strict on speed limits: 120 km/h on highways, 100 on main roads and 50 km/h in cities. The fines are high and foreigners have to settle them at once and in cash. Car pounding is systematic in case of unauthorized parking. The fine may amount to 120 Euros.
Road maps
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Historical: -Prado Museum ( Madrid)
-Escurial (North West of Madrid)
-Modernism Road (Barcelro, Gaudi's works)
-Picasso Museum (Barcelona
-Fine Arts Museum (Sevilla)
-Alhambra ( Granada)
-Roman Theater ( Merida)
-Modern Art Museum of Bilbao: Güggenheim
-Alcazar ( Toleda)
Outdoor activities: Golf , big and small game hunting, river and sea fishing, sailing, scuba divinge, horseback tourism, paragliding, hang-gliding, rafting.
Theme parks: Port Aventura, Terra Mitica, Isla Magica.
Many water parks.

Top 10 highlights of the capital city

Top 10 highlights of the country

Time and time difference: It is %T:%M %A in Madrid (GMT+1 in winter, GMT+2 in summer)
Summer time period: Summer time from March to October.

Fuseau(x) horaire

Type of climate: Spain has a varied climate depending on the regions. It is mostly oceanic climate in the north, Mediterranean or even dry climate in the south and continental in the rest of the country. The seasons are more distinct in the centre of the country. Average temperature in Madrid is 8°C in January and 27°C in June while in Barcelona it is 9°C in January and 20°C in June. The best period to visit Spain is from mid-May to mid-October.

Climate

Culinary specialties: Traditional Spanish cuisine, excellent when well prepared, has a country base with distinct regional specialties.

Fried squids, gazpacho and tapas.

Caldereta: Lamb stew: Shepherd's dish par excellence. It is an adaptable dish allowing all types of local ingredients like wine, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, red and green peppers and garlic to be added. In the old recipes of Extremadure, the cooking juice is thickened with dried bread-crumbs, lamb liver and almonds, mixed up with a meat stock to make a sort of dough.

Paëlla: typical saffron rice-based Spanish dish accompanied with seafood and meat or poultry.

Churros: In Spain, the churros are part of the popular tradition. The dough is generally molded in a decorating tube with a star-shaped nozzle to make arm-length strips. Once they are fried, they are stacked and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon in cascade. They are eaten with hot and thick chocolate (Spain has obtained a waiver from the EU to be able to continue making chocolate containing a thickening agent).
Drinks
Dietary taboos

Domestic currency: Euro
ISO Code: EUR
To obtain domestic currency: From January the 1st of 2002, the currency in circulation is the euro. There are some notes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros. The nominal values of the coins are the following: 1 cent (or 1/100 of euro), 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, 1 euro and 2 euros."
Possible means of payment: All credit cards are easily accepted in the hotels, restaurants (except the very small ones and the bars) and businesses, except American Express. Taxis which accept credit card payment are rare. It is not possible to pay by checks other than certified checks. The Spanish have the habit of paying by cash; it is common to see people with wads of bills. If you want to pay by credit card, you will be asked to show an identity card.

Official language: Castillan (Spanish)
Other languages spoken: Some independent regions use their regional language for conducting business (Euskera, Catalan, Galician, Valencian). Other minor regional languages can be used: Bable, Aragonés, Aranés, Extremeño.
Business language: Spanish, with a growing use of English as well as French.
Getting some knowledge
Free translation tools: Dictionarios.com - Translation from Spanish to English, German, French or Italian as well as to Euskera, Catalan or Galician.
Eurodicautom - Translation into various European languages