Money, tipping and opening hours in Spain: a practical guide for your trip

How to pay: card, phone and cash

The currency is the euro (€). According to spain.info, Spain's official tourism website, paying by credit and debit card is very widespread, mainly Visa and Mastercard, and you can also pay in cash almost everywhere. The same page mentions three details:

• Some places ask for a minimum spend of around €10 to pay by card.
• When you pay at a machine (tickets or parking, for example), sometimes only cards are accepted.
• Haggling over the marked price is not acceptable.

The latest Banco de España study on cash use (November 2025) gives an idea of what to expect in small shops, bars and restaurants: cash is accepted practically everywhere, cards in 94% of them and mobile payments in 88%. In other words, a small bar or stall may not take cards, so always carry a few euros in coins and small notes.

Two more tips:

• Large notes. Andalusia's official tourism website warns that some restaurants and shops do not accept €100, €200 and €500 notes (andalucia.org).
• Taxis. spain.info advises using only authorised taxis and making sure you can pay by card before the journey starts. Keep your destination address written down.

ATMs, fees and why you should always pay in euros

You will find ATMs at bank branches, in shopping centres and in historic town centres (spain.info). To change money, use banks, bureaux de change and many hotels. Most banks in Andalusia open Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 14:00 or 14:30, and only some branches on Saturday mornings (andalucia.org).

What you may be charged. According to the European Commission (Your Europe), paying or withdrawing cash in another currency can add a foreign transaction fee from your bank, a currency conversion fee and a fee from the ATM owner. The Banco de España adds that the exchange rates used by cards and ATMs usually include a margin, and advises checking your card's terms before you travel. We give no figures because they depend on your bank: ask before you leave. At the ATM, read the screen before confirming and cancel if you are not happy with the charge.

Dynamic currency conversion (DCC). Sometimes the card terminal in a shop, restaurant or hotel asks whether you want to pay in euros or in your home currency (in yen, for example). That is dynamic currency conversion. The European Commission explains that:

• If you pay in euros, your bank does the conversion and you see the final amount on your statement. This is often the cheapest option.
• If you pay in your home currency, you know straight away how much you will be charged, but the extra fees often make it more expensive.
• A trader offering payment in your home currency must tell you how much extra it costs, as a percentage over the European Central Bank exchange rate, and you always have the right to say no and pay in the local currency.

Our advice: always choose euros (EUR).

Tipping: when and how much

Tipping is not compulsory in Spain. spain.info explains that all establishments include the service charge, but that tipping is common in bars, restaurants, hotels and taxis. As a guide, the same official website says tips usually range between 5% and 10% of the total, depending on the bill and how generous the customer is (spain.info).

Andalusia's official tourism website puts it this way: in bars, cafés, restaurants, hotels and taxis it is customary to leave a tip or round up the bill if you were happy with the service (andalucia.org). In practice, for a coffee or a small beer, leaving the coins from your change is enough. If you were not happy with the service, you do not have to leave anything.

Meal times: later than you think

This surprises many visitors more than anything. According to the official tourism websites:

spain.info adds that in big cities and in summer it is normal to have dinner until 23:30, and that between 12:00 and 14:00 people often go out for a drink or some tapas before lunch (spain.info; andalucia.org).

If you are hungry outside those hours, do not worry: the Andalusian tourism website explains that many bars and cafés serve food all day, with tapas, larger portions (raciones) and sandwiches at any time. And a detail for Granada: in the provinces of Granada, Almeria and Jaen, bars usually include the tapa in the price of your drink (andalucia.org).

Free water in bars and restaurants. Spain's 2022 waste law requires bars and restaurants to always offer customers non-bottled water free of charge (BOE, Article 18). Ask for "agua del grifo" (tap water).

Shops, Sundays and public holidays

Weekdays. According to spain.info, many shops open continuously from 10:00 to 21:00, although some close from 14:00 to 17:00, especially in summer. The Andalusian tourism website gives the more traditional hours of local shops: 10:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 20:00 or 21:00, while department stores open from 10:00 to 21:00 or 22:00 without a midday break.

Sundays. Sunday is the normal day for shops and businesses to close (spain.info). There are exceptions:

• Authorised Sundays and holidays. In Andalusia, the regional government sets 16 Sundays and public holidays each year when all shops may open, mostly during the sales and at Christmas. Each city council can swap up to two of those days (BOJA, 2026 calendar).
• Shops with no restrictions on hours. National law lets these open whenever they like: bakeries and cake shops, ready-meal shops, newsagents, petrol stations, florists, convenience stores, shops in stations and airports, shops in areas of high tourist footfall, and small shops (under 300 m²) that do not belong to large groups (Law 1/2004, Article 5).
• Pharmacies. Outside normal hours there are always duty pharmacies (farmacias de guardia): the list is posted on the door of every pharmacy in town (andalucia.org).

Museums and monuments. They usually open without a midday break and at weekends, and normally close one day between Monday and Thursday (andalucia.org). Always check each one's hours. For the Alhambra, all the details are in our Alhambra tickets guide.

Public holidays. On top of the national holidays, each region and each city has its own. In Andalusia, for example, 28 February is Andalusia Day (andalucia.org). On those days, the Andalusian website warns, transport, museums and shops may keep special hours. To see which festivals, concerts or exhibitions are on during your trip, check the Granada events calendar.

What about the siesta?

Do not expect a sleeping city at midday. What you will notice, as the official tourism websites explain, is that many small shops close for a few hours in the middle of the day, roughly from 14:00 to 17:00, especially in summer and in traditional shops. That is when people have lunch, which in Spain is the main meal of the day.

Department stores and shopping centres, on the other hand, stay open, bars and restaurants are at their busiest, and museums and monuments usually open without a break. Plan your day accordingly: sightseeing and shopping in the morning, an unhurried lunch after 14:00, and back out in the late afternoon.

Tap water: safe to drink

Andalusia's official tourism website states that the supply of drinking water is guaranteed throughout the region, although bottled water is commonly drunk on the coast (andalucia.org).

In Granada, the municipal water company, Emasagra, guarantees that the water reaching homes meets all the legal requirements of Royal Decree 3/2023 and publishes its test results on the Spanish Ministry of Health's information system (Emasagra). In Malaga, EMASA explains that its laboratories monitor drinking water right up to delivery to the consumer (EMASA).

One point Emasagra itself makes: the pipes inside each building are the owner's responsibility. If the water in your accommodation has an odd colour or taste, ask at reception. And remember that in bars and restaurants you can ask for tap water free of charge.

Plugs and voltage

• Plugs. Sockets follow the European standard, with two round pins (spain.info). If your plugs are different, you need an adaptor. Most hotels have adaptors, and hardware shops sell them too (andalucia.org).
• Voltage. Spain's low-voltage electrical regulations set 230 V between phase and neutral and a frequency of 50 Hz (BOE, Article 4). spain.info refers to 220 V and the Andalusian website to 220 to 240 V.

Check the label on your charger or device: if it shows a range such as "100-240 V", a plug adaptor is all you need. If it only accepts a lower voltage, as some hairdryers and hair straighteners do, you also need a transformer or a dual-voltage model.

Tax-free shopping: claiming back VAT if you live outside the EU

The standard VAT rate in Spain is 21%, with reduced rates of 10% and 4% for some products (Spanish Tax Agency). If your usual place of residence is outside the European Union, you can claim back the VAT on goods you buy and take home in your luggage. This is how it works, according to the Spanish Tax Agency:

Requirements

• Purchases made on the Spanish mainland or the Balearic Islands. Purchases in the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla do not qualify.
• Only goods for your own use, for your family or as gifts, bought occasionally. Services and anything that looks like a commercial consignment do not qualify.
• You must leave the EU with the goods within three months of the purchase.
• spain.info states that there is no minimum purchase amount (spain.info).

In the shop

• Ask for the refund when you pay and show your passport. The shop must check your identity and that you live outside the EU. If your passport does not show your country of residence, the Tax Agency asks for additional proof, such as a residence permit or an employment or rental contract.
• The shop gives you the invoice and the electronic refund document (DER) from the DIVA system. It must carry a barcode or QR code: a screenshot is not valid. If you give your email address, you will receive the result from [email protected].

At the airport, before checking in your bags

1. Go to a DIVA kiosk, choose your language and scan the DER code. The Tax Agency recommends arriving at least 3 hours before your flight.
2. Green tick: validation is complete. Red cross: go to the customs or tax-free office with the goods, your passport, the invoice and your boarding pass.
3. Collect your refund from an authorised refund company at the airport (it deducts its commission) or claim it from the shop, which must pay back the full VAT within 15 days.

If you change planes in another EU country. According to the Tax Agency, if you continue your journey through another EU country, or have a stopover with your purchases in your hand luggage, the procedure is not done in Spain: the DER is stamped in the last EU country you leave from, and you need to carry it printed on paper. Ask the shop for a paper copy and, before checking in, ask at the tax-free office of your departure airport (Spanish Tax Agency).

Validation points in Andalusia, according to the Tax Agency's list updated on 31 July 2026: Malaga airport, 24 hours; Seville airport, 24 hours; Granada airport, 7:00 to 21:00.

Early refund in the city. spain.info explains that Global Blue and Planet offer an early refund in city centres: they pay you in advance if you leave a credit card as a guarantee, leave the country within 15 days and validate the form at the airport (spain.info).

Internet and phone: roaming, SIM or eSIM

If your mobile line is from a country outside the EU, using data in Spain usually costs extra, depending on your operator, and spain.info suggests a prepaid SIM card with data as an alternative (spain.info). The same website notes that Wi-Fi is available in hotels, shops, restaurants and some public buildings, often free, and that 5G coverage is extensive.

Another option is an eSIM: a data plan you install on your phone without swapping cards. For example, you can buy a data eSIM for Spain before you leave and activate it when you land. Check first that your phone supports eSIMs and is not locked to your operator.

Useful numbers. Spain's country code is +34 and phone numbers have nine digits. The emergency number is 112, free of charge; in Andalusia it answers in Spanish, English, French, German and Arabic (andalucia.org).

Quick summary

Before you go, see what is on in the city during your trip on the Granada events calendar.