Page 324 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

322  THE IBERIAN PENINSULA

Practical Information price and ask the sales assistant
for a formulario (tax-exemption
Spain’s tourist-information service is efficient and extensive, form). On leaving Spain, you
with offices in most towns providing advice on lodgings, must ask customs to stamp your
restaurants, and local events. In August, many businesses formulario (this must be within
close and roads are busy. It is worth finding out whether six months of the purchase).
You receive the refund by mail
local fiestas will coincide with your visit, as while these are or on your credit card account.
enjoyable, they may also cause closures. Free Wi-Fi is available
in many hotels and cafés, and some major cities offer free Personal Security
Wi-Fi hotspots. When changing money, credit cards often
offer the best exchange rate and can be used in cash Violent crime is rare in Spain.
dispensers. The Spanish lunch hour lasts from 2pm to 5pm. Petty theft is the main problem
in the cities, especially Madrid,
Barcelona, and Seville, where
When to Visit
to 2pm, and, usually, reopen visitors should be extra vigilant.
August is Spain’s busiest vacation from 5pm to 8pm. The main
month. Spanish locals on holiday museums stay open through Police
and millions of foreign tourists lunch. Most charge for entry.
flock to the coast. Easter is a Some churches may only be There are essentially three types
good time to visit: temperatures opened for services. of police force in Spain. The
are more bearable, especially in In smaller towns, churches, Guardia Civil (National Guard)
the south, the countryside is in castles, and other sights are mainly police rural areas and
bloom, and some of the often kept locked. The key, impose fines for traffic offenses.
country’s most important fiestas available on request, will be The Policía Nacional operate
take place. In the mountains the lodged in a neighboring house, in larger towns. They are
ski season is from mid- in the town hall, or perhaps with replaced by a regional force,
December until early March. the local bar owners. the Ertzaintza, in the Basque
country, and by the Mossos
d’Esquadra in Catalonia. The
Tourist Information Visa Requirements Policía Local, also called Policía
and Customs
All major cities and towns have a Municipal or Guardia Urbana,
tourist information office (oficina Citizens of the EU, Switzerland, operate independently in
de turismo), which will provide Iceland, and Norway do not each town and have a branch
town plans, lists of hotels and require a visa for entry to Spain. for city traffic control.
restaurants, and details of local A list of entry requirements – All three services will direct
activities. There is a Spanish available from Spanish you to the relevant authority
National Tourist Office in embassies – specifies other in the event of an incident
several large cities worldwide; countries, including the US, requiring police help.
the website is a useful resource. Canada, Australia, and New
Zealand, whose nationals
do not need a visa for visits Emergency Services
Opening Hours of less than 90 days. There is one pan-European
Most monuments and Non-EU residents can reclaim emergency telephone number
museums in Spain close on IVA (sales tax) on some single for police, fire, and ambulance:
Mondays. On other days, they items at stores participating in call 112. There are also
are generally open from 10am the scheme. You pay the full telephone numbers for
The Climate of Spain
MADRID SEVILLE
Spain’s large landmass, with
its mountain ranges and the 35/95
influences of the Atlantic °C/ºF 32/90 °C/ºF
and Mediterranean, accounts 21/70 25/77
for a varied climate. The 17/63 16/61 20/68 18/64 13/55 16/61
eastern and southern coasts 8/46 10/50 10/50
and islands have mild winters; 5/41 0/32 5/41
however, winter temperatures 8 12 6.5 5 6 8 4.5 2
in the interior often fall below hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs
freezing. Summers everywhere 48 11 53 39 50 58 55 55
are hot, except in upland areas. mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm
Northern Spain is the wettest
area all year round. month Apr Jul Oct Jan month Apr Jul Oct Jan

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