Spain (ES)
Spain is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy of 17 autonomous communities stretching from the sun-scorched Andalusian coast to the Pyrenean peaks, renowned for its passionate flamenco and football culture, world-famous gastronomy from tapas to Michelin-starred restaurants, 300+ days of sunshine on the Costa del Sol and the Balearic Islands, and a relaxed Mediterranean pace of life that consistently ranks it among Europe's most desirable destinations for expats.
Daily Life
Practical day-to-day information for living in Spain.
🛒 Supermarkets
Spain’s most popular supermarket. Wide own-label (Hacendado) range with excellent quality-to-price ratio. Fresh fish counter in every store.
German discounters. Great for pantry staples, weekly themed imports, wine. Slightly limited fresh range.
French hypermarket chain. The biggest hypermarkets have electronics, clothes, homeware. Express stores are convenience-sized and open long hours.
Ubiquitous budget supermarket, often in neighbourhoods where bigger chains don’t reach. Quality uneven but price unbeatable.
Department-store supermarket. Top-quality produce, deli and imported goods. Expensive.
French hypermarket (Auchan brand). Out-of-town giants with everything under one roof.
Cooperative-owned, strong in Valencia and the Mediterranean coast. Good own-label quality.
Opening Hours
Supermarkets: Mon–Sat 9:00–21:30 typically; large hypermarkets 9:00–22:00. Small shops close for siesta 14:00–17:00 in smaller towns, stay open in cities. Pharmacies: Mon–Fri 9:30–14:00 + 17:00–20:30, Sat 9:30–14:00, rotating 24h farmacia de guardia. Banks: Mon–Fri 8:30–14:00; some afternoon hours in winter only.
Sunday Rules
Most small shops are CLOSED on Sundays. Supermarket rules vary by Comunidad Autónoma — Madrid allows 7-day opening in "areas of great tourist affluence", Catalonia permits only 8 Sundays a year. Bakeries often open Sunday morning. Large shopping centres typically open the first Sunday of each month and all Sundays in December.
Recycling
Spain uses colour-coded street containers: yellow (plastic/metal packaging), blue (paper/cardboard), green-with-bottle-icon (glass), brown (organic, in many cities since 2020), grey (residual). No bottle deposit scheme nationwide as of 2026, though the Ley de Residuos 2022 mandates one by 2027 if recycling targets are not met. Bulky waste: book free collection with your Ayuntamiento or take to a Punto Limpio / Ecoparque.
Dining Out
Menú del día at lunch (Mon–Fri, ~13:30–16:00) is the best value in Spain: €12–18 for starter + main + dessert + bread + drink. Dinner à la carte €18–40 per main. Restaurants typically open 13:30–16:00 and 20:30–23:30 — in between they are closed. Tapas culture varies: in Andalusia (Granada, Almería) a tapa is free with every drink; in Madrid and north it’s paid.
Utilities & Internet
Electricity: Iberdrola, Endesa, Naturgy, Repsol, TotalEnergies, Octopus (since 2024). Since 2021 there is the regulated PVPC tariff (cheaper on weekends/nights) and free-market tariffs — compare at comparador CNMC. Gas: Naturgy, Endesa, Repsol. Water: municipal (Canal de Isabel II in Madrid, Aguas de Barcelona, EMASESA in Seville). Broadband: Movistar, Vodafone, Orange, Mas Móvil, Digi, O2 (Movistar budget brand). Fibre is near-universal in cities — 600Mbps/€25–40 is standard.
Cultural Tips for Expats
- → Mealtimes are a social institution, not a fuel stop — lunch is the main meal and typically 1–2 hours with colleagues.
- → Saying "vale" (OK) many times in a row is normal and marks a polite phone signoff.
- → Cheek kisses at a first meeting between a man and woman or between women; handshakes with men (or hugs if you know them).
- → Spaniards speak loudly in public — not rudeness, just animation.
- → "Mañana" (tomorrow) often means "not right now" rather than "literally tomorrow". Bureaucracy runs on its own rhythm.
- → Neighbourhood communities of owners (comunidad de vecinos) meet 1–2x per year — attendance is expected if you own.
Quiet Hours
Spanish quiet hours are enforceable under each Ayuntamiento’s Ordenanza Municipal de Ruidos and the Ley 37/2003 del Ruido (national noise law). They are less uniformly strict than in Germany but neighbours can and do call the Policía Local, and your building’s comunidad de vecinos can sanction repeat offenders. Hotel-dense tourist areas (Malasaña in Madrid, Barceloneta in Barcelona, Ibiza) have stricter enforcement.
All audible noise must stop: loud music, TV, vacuum cleaners, washing machine spin, DIY, drilling, hammering. Exact times vary by Ayuntamiento — check your city’s ordenanza.
Traditional siesta window — DIY and loud music discouraged. Not legally enforced in all municipalities but culturally respected, especially in smaller towns.
No DIY, drilling, or noisy outdoor work. Many comunidad rules also ban moving bulky furniture, vacuuming, or doing laundry at full spin on Sundays.
- •Running a loud washing machine after 22:00 in an older building — audible through concrete walls.
- •Drilling or hammering on Sunday — guaranteed neighbour complaint.
- •Loud children or TV after 23:00 with windows open in summer.
- •Hosting a terrace BBQ with music past midnight — neighbours will call the Policía Local.
- •Dragging furniture without felt pads on tiled floors after quiet hours.
First complaint: informal warning from the comunidad president or neighbour. Formal complaint: a Policía Local visit and noise measurement. Fines under the Ordenanza de Ruidos: €90–600 for minor noise infractions, €601–6,000 for serious. Persistent offences can lead to a judicial order, and for tenants, cause for eviction under Art. 27.2.e LAU.
Postal Services
Correos is the state postal operator. Letters, certified mail (certificado) and parcels are handled by Correos; private parcel carriers include SEUR, MRW, Nacex, GLS, and international DHL/UPS/FedEx. Physical post still matters legally — Hacienda, Seguridad Social and Ayuntamientos send official notices by certified mail. Missing a notification can mean losing legal deadlines.
Correos CityPaq lockers (~4,000 locations) and Amazon Hub lockers are growing fast. Register via the Correos app with your DNI/NIE. SEUR Now and MRW also operate lockers and pickup points. Not yet as dense as Germany’s Packstation network but expanding.
Correos offers the Servicio de Identificación Digital for digital onboarding of some banks and fintechs — bring your DNI/NIE/passport to any Correos branch. Many online banks use video-verification (selfie + document) instead. For Cl@ve PIN / Cl@ve Permanente (government e-ID), registration is done in-person at an oficina de registro (most Seguridad Social, Agencia Tributaria, Ayuntamiento offices).
Certificado or burofax is the legally-binding registered-mail method. Used to send formal notices (contract terminations, complaints, demands for payment). Burofax con acuse de recibo y certificación de contenido is the gold standard — it proves you sent a specific document on a specific date. ~€25–40 per burofax depending on pages. Keep the acuse de recibo (delivery receipt) for legal proceedings.
Correos offers Buzón de vacaciones (mail held during absence) and Servicio de reenvío (mail forwarding, €29.40 for 2 months, €45.60 for 4 months). Orders: correos.es. Notify your bank, Hacienda, Seguridad Social and Ayuntamiento directly of address changes — forwarding does not replace updating your empadronamiento.
- →Always sign up for Correos’ free Mi Correos app to track letters and certified mail.
- →Private carriers (SEUR, Nacex, MRW) do not coordinate with Correos — track parcels individually.
- →If you miss a certified letter, you have 15 business days to collect at the notified Correos branch with ID before it is returned to sender.
- →For apartments, tape your name + DNI on the letterbox — without it, Correos may return mail.
- →Never ignore a yellow aviso de Correos with "Notificación administrativa" — this is usually a Hacienda or traffic-fine notification with a legal deadline.