Travel Tips: What to know when you're visiting Spain

We went to Spain in 2022 for our honeymoon, and here are some travel tips that will help you plan your trip there if you are visiting Spain.

What to know when you're visiting Spain

Travel Tips before you go - visas and planning

Before the trip, we had to apply for the Schengen visa, and that was a mission and a half. We were required to submit various financial documents, including payslips, bank statements, and proof of employment. We also had to share proof of travel and accommodation. While we thought we had to make these bookings before the visa application, this was not the case. There are lots of providers that can do provisional bookings that can help with your visa application. The application will be done through a VFS, and you may need to provide additional documents. We also suggest applying way in advance, as they are finicky and (frankly) a wee bit racist, too.

We visited 3 cities: Barcelona, Seville, and Valencia, and we honestly would visit them again. Travel operators often push Madrid and Lisbon with Barcelona, but Seville and Valencia are really worth it. Especially Seville, since it has nearby towns such as Giralda and Alcazar that you can visit with awesome trains. We chose Barcelona over Madrid because Aliasgher is a big fan of their city design. But we also realised there is just so much history in Barcelona that is definitely worth checking out. You can also embark on several water adventures from Barcelona, but we couldn’t do this because of the weather. This isn’t a bashing of Madrid in any way, which we are sure is a great city and one that we want to visit!

Our flight to Barcelona cost R19207 ($1200) round-trip. Since this was in 2022, we suggest budgeting slightly higher at R20,000-21000 ($1250 - $1400). Flight Centre helped us with bookings, and their rate was quite affordable at that time. It also gave us a piece of mind if we needed to make any changes since we were travelling to many cities. We used Qatar Airways - our total flight time was 17 hours with a transit of 2 hours in Qatar. The flight was okay, and the food was okay too. It was the most affordable option, and if budget is your concern, we suggest taking Qatar if they are the cheapest option. We enjoyed the airport, as it was both fancy and cosy, with many spaces to pray. There are lots of shopping options too if you want to get some duty-free items during your travel.

Our hotel in Barcelona costs R3767 ($230) for 2 nights, R5175 ($300) for 4 nights in Seville and R5052 ($300) for 3 nights in Valencia. We used Booking.com to make our reservations, although it’s difficult to recommend them now, given the genocide in Palestine. We recommend using online providers, though, as travel agent prices are pricier and will not have the best options that you can browse through. Lots of options online now give great discount rates, and we suggest trying them out.

We stayed 4 days in Barcelona, 3 days in Seville and 3 days in Valencia. In hindsight, we would increase our days in Barcelona and Seville by 2 days each at least. Barcelona, because they have so many attractions and Seville, because the nearby towns are worth travelling to and exploring the nook and cranny of each space.

When you're there - getting around

In terms of travel apps, we highly recommend Rome2Rio for travel in Europe. You can punch in the names of the two cities you want to visit, and it will give you all the options of how to travel between them. We also suggest using Google Maps to walk around, it’s extremely accurate and has public transport options loaded on it - including the train and bus numbers. All the apps require data, and SIM cards are easily accessible when you land. The world has now moved to eSIMs, and there are a few apps online that offer affordable eSIM travel bundles. We haven’t used any of these, so we can’t recommend anything, but Airalo and Saily are popular options.

Since we were crunched for time, we chose to fly Ryan Air between Barcelona and Spain, which took us about 1h45mins. However, we would definitely take the train for 5h52 mins if we had to plan all over again. The train option will also require a whole day of travel, while the flight takes off at night. All hail Ryan Air for extremely affordable flights of R2600 ($150) for both of us. Between Seville and Valencia, we chose a 4.5-hour train costing us R2800 ($170) for two tickets. The flight was shorter, but only marginally so if you take into account the travel to the airport and waiting period. The intracity train experience is also amazing, winding away across the countryside with beautiful scenery and views.

A train ride between Spanish cities is beautiful

We used public transport the whole time we were there. In Barcelona, you can get the Hola Barcelona Travel Card, which provides unlimited travel on all public transport including the metro, buses, trams, funicular, and even the airport metro line. The card is available for 2, 3, 4, or 5 days, with 2025 prices ranging from €18.10 for 2 days up to €42.10 for 5 days. You can buy it online with a discount or pick it up at the airport or any metro station, and kids under 4 travel for free. Seville was very small, and we relied mostly on walking to get around and the Red Bus Tour. If you do need public transport, though, there's the Tarjeta Turista tourist pass for €5 (1 day) or €10 (3 days), plus a €1.50 refundable deposit for the physical card.

Single bus tickets are €1.40 if you pay the driver with cash or just tap your debit or credit card. Valencia has the Valencia Tourist Card available for 24 hours (€15), 48 hours (€20), or 72 hours (€25), with a 10% discount when you buy it online. The card includes unlimited free transport on all buses, metro, tram, and commuter trains, including the airport stops. But what makes it really worth it is that you also get free entry to all municipal museums and monuments, discounts of up to 50% on major tourist attractions like the City of Arts and Sciences, Oceanogràfic, and Bioparc, and even free tapas and drink at participating establishments.

If you want to book any activities, we suggest GetYourGuide, which has good discount rates and lots of options. We have linked our favourite activities so that it's super easy for you to book.

Want help with planning your trip to Spain? Reach out to us here, check out our itineraries, or subscribe to our blog.

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