Spain Travel Guide

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Cuisine

Spain's eating and drinking culture is one of its greatest attractions, and a very communal one, with people rubbing shoulders in tapas bars and cafés, and a whole range of eateries from simple workers' lunch cafés to some of the world's finest and most innovative gourmet restaurants.

Tapas (pintxos in the Basque Country) are small snacks served with drinks in local bars right across the country. They can range from gourmet canapés to simple plates of olives or cheese, and may be charged or given free. It's an excellent way to sample different facets of Spanish cuisine. It's customary to move from bar to bar, having a drink and a tapa in each.

Things to Know: Most restaurants serve a menú del día at lunchtime; this is a three-course meal including drinks that generally costs from €10 to €20 and can be very good value

National specialties:
• Seafood: Ubiquitous, fresh, and excellent. Look out for bacalao al pil-pil (a Basque cod dish), pulpo (octopus), pescaito frito (mixed fried fish), navajas (razor shells), arroz con bogavante (rice with lobster), and boquerones (fresh marinated anchovies).
• Paella and other rice dishes, especially along the eastern seaboard.
• Cocido, fabada, butifarra amb mongetes (delicious hearty regional stews of beans or chickpeas and meat).
• Tortilla (a staple throughout the country, is a rich, chunky potato and egg omelette).
• Gazpacho (a delicious cold tomato-based soup from Andalucía).
• Jamón (ham), chorizo, longaniza, lomo and salchichón are just a few of the wonderful cured pork products available all over Spain.

National drinks:
• Sherry: fino and manzanilla (very pale and very dry), amontillado (dry, richer in body and darker in color), oloroso (medium, full-bodied, fragrant and golden) and various sweet sherries such as Pedro Ximénez or Cream.
• Wine - the national drink and made throughout the nation. There are numerous excellent denominations, including the well-known reds of Rioja and Ribera del Duero, the classy Albariño whites of Galicia, and the sparkling cava of Catalonia.
• Beer (cerveza): Common brands include Cruzcampo, San Miguel, Mahou, Damm, and Estrella Galicia.
• Spanish brandy such as Carlos I, Osborne and Fundador.

Legal drinking age: 16 for wine and beer, 18 for spirits.

Tipping: Staff don't expect tips except in touristed areas, where a service charge may be added to the bill. Spaniards tend to leave small change; 5% is considered generous in a restaurant.

Nightlife

Spaniards often start the evening with el paseo - a leisurely stroll through the main streets. A café terrace is an excellent vantage point to observe this tradition, or enjoy street theater in the larger cities. The atmosphere is especially vibrant at fiesta time. The night then moves on to the tapeo, moving between tapas bars, drinking and snacking. Then it's time for copas or cubatas - mixed drinks in bars, pubs, or nightclubs (discotecas). Cutting-edge nightlife can be found in the major cities like Barcelona and Madrid, and in coastal resorts like Ibiza or Marbella, but even small villages will have somewhere where you can dance until dawn. Flamenco (Andalucía, especially Sevilla) or other regional dancing displays provide an alternative for those who prefer to watch dancing.