10 Practical Etiquette Tips for Visiting Spain
Discover what to never do in Spain: from greetings, party timing to siesta etiquette and street scams. Avoid cultural missteps, enjoy Spanish!
Introduction
Customs vary across Spain, but a few practical tips can make visits smoother. Here are some useful points about greetings, schedules, meals, language, and common street scams.
About this reading companion: This is an edited English reading companion to Lucía’s video, with Spanish phrases and titles. It retains her personal experiences, humor and advice; cultural habits vary by person, region and setting.
Video sections:
- 0:22 — Spanish Terms of Endearment
- 1:14 — Spanish Party Time
- 2:03 — Siesta
- 2:54 — Greeting time
- 4:04 — Lunch and dinner
- 4:36 — Eat and go
- 5:26 — Be polite
- 5:59 — Table manners
- 6:40 — Movies
- 7:31 — Scammers
1. Spanish Terms of Endearment
In Spain, we often address people with terms of endearment. Guapo (handsome), guapa (beautiful), cariño (honey), mi amor (my love). The cashier lady or the waiter might greet you with an “hola, guapo,” or “hola, guapa,” and it may simply be a friendly expression. In my experience, people here are friendlier than in other countries and we get closer to people, so sometimes foreigners think we have different intentions. Do not assume a term of endearment is flirtatious; consider the speaker, region, tone, and wider context. I call all my male friends “guapo,” “guapísimo” or even “mi amor” and they know I don’t want any deeper relationship with them aside from being friends. If they call me “guapa” I know we’re just cool. You have to take into account other kinds of behavior to know if someone is flirting with you.
2. Spanish Party Time
Ok, they have invited you to a party. What time should you get there? You should be on time for work, school, or a doctor’s appointment. But when you meet in a group, people take it slower. Party timing varies, so ask the host when they would like you to arrive. You could arrive early if the host is a really good friend of yours and you want to help him or her prepare the party. I like getting to parties on time, but in my experience people often start arriving about 30 minutes after the scheduled time. You can do as you please, I’m just warning you. When I host a party, usually one of my friends arrives 5 or 10 minutes earlier, I have another friend who is very punctual and arrives on time, and the rest start arriving from 20 minutes later on.
And if you find this a culture shock, wait until you hear about the Spanish way of greeting in number 4.
3. Siesta
Do you know what siesta is? A little nap after lunch. Usually people sleep maybe 30 minutes to 1 hour, but not everybody. I think the majority of people don’t. Well, the thing is that some small shops close for part of the afternoon, to have lunch and a break at siesta time. Because people don’t usually shop at that time. So the 3rd thing you shouldn’t do is run errands at nap time. At least if you go to small stores. Shopping centers and big supermarkets often remain open through the afternoon, but check the individual opening hours. I like going to the supermarket at siesta time because there is nobody doing their grocery shopping and the whole supermarket is for meee ehhehe
By the way~ On My Daily Spanish we have a free study guide that offers a step-by-step process to help you learn Spanish faster. You can download it for free using the link in the video description.
4. Greeting Time
Well, greeting time. How do we greet people in Spain? Two cheek kisses are common in some social settings, but not universal. Greetings vary by relationship, age, region, and personal preference; follow the other person’s lead.
But to give kisses, there is an order, and this is very important. First, right cheek. So you lean your head to your left. Second kiss, left cheek. So you lean your head to your right.
If cheek kisses are offered, pause and follow the other person’s movement so the greeting stays comfortable.
Also, we don’t really kiss the cheek, it is a kiss to the air, you just touch cheeks. If you really kiss when greeting it is a little weird. Unless you are a grandma. Grandmas really kiss the cheeks of their grandchildren. When I was little I was scared when my grandma came to visit.
Ok, you should really take notes of the next one.
5. Lunch and dinner
What time do you have lunch? And dinner?
Many restaurants in Spain serve lunch and dinner later than visitors may expect. Here we usually have lunch at 2 or 3PM and dinner at 9 or 10PM. At lunch time, restaurants usually open at 1PM and close around 4 or 5PM. And open again at 8PM and close who knows when. Before going anywhere, have a look at their opening schedule. There will be some special restaurants for tourists which open earlier but they might be more expensive.
6. Eat and go
Now that we are talking about going to have lunch or dinner, a relaxed conversation after the meal, or sobremesa, is common in many social gatherings. Here we have sobremesa. The normal thing is that after eating you spend a while chatting and having some coffee or ice cream in my case hehe. Taking it easy. You are expected to stay for more than just lunch. If some friends want to meet for lunch but I have something to do right after, I tell them in advance, like “hey, I will have to go at 3:30 or 4.” so they know I won’t be long with them. Last time I said that but ended up coming home at 7pm and I was like “shit, again.”
Hey~ If you like the article, please share it with your friends or loved ones. I hope you’re taking notes because the next tips are quite important.
7. Be polite
Don’t be overly polite. We talk informally. Just be nice. Give people a smile and they will love it. Smile, say “please” and “thank you.” Use of tú and usted varies by region, age, relationship, and setting. Tú is widespread in everyday life, while usted remains appropriate in many formal or respectful contexts.
Learner note — usted: At 5:37–5:56, the video exaggerates how rarely usted is needed in Spain. It is not reserved for presidents or important bosses: it is a valid form of respectful or formal address, with use depending on the relationship and situation. The advice here reflects Lucía’s usual informal style. Source: RAE DPD: usted.
8. Table manners
At the table, there are some behaviors you should avoid. Your hands should be visible. Traditional etiquette often keeps hands visible above the table, but habits vary by household and setting. So have both of your hands visible. Anyway it is normal that we eat with two hands. One for the fork and the other for the knife or the bread. We use the bread to direct the food on the plate to the place we want and make it easier. In more formal settings, resting your elbows on the table while eating may be considered impolite.
Number 10 might just change your entire travel experience. So keep reading!
9. Movies
Wi-Fi, Harry Potter, AC/DC, Spider-Man, USB…*(English style) Spanish pronunciation or localized titles may make some names easier to recognize.
We say: Wi-Fi, Harry Potter, AC/DC, Spider-Man, USB, PDF, Internet.
(*Spanish pronunciation)
Using familiar Spanish pronunciations can make these names easier for people to recognize. Also, usually series and films have their title in Spanish.
- Lord of the Rings is El señor de los anillos.
- How I Met Your Mother is Cómo conocí a vuestra madre.
- The Simpsons is Los Simpson.
- Game of Thrones is Juego de Tronos.
So do your research before talking about movies if you want to have a nice conversation, and pronounce things the Spanish way.
Last tip! Very important for surviving on the streets of Spain.
10. Scammers
Sometimes when walking on the streets, especially in big cities, some person might come to you offering something as a gift. “Regalo” in Spanish. If you ask “Is it free?” “¿Es gratis?” they will say “Sí, sí,” but after that they will ask you for money. The gift is a hook to tell you that they have children or that they are hungry, and that might be true, I don’t know, so I don’t want to call it a scam, but they start with a lie and that’s not cool. If you don’t give them any money, they ask you to give the gift back. So they pressure you into giving them money. I’m sure they need it more than many of us. But they are groups doing the same thing to people on the streets. There was a scam that I saw more than once in Madrid in which a guy asks you first if you are from there. And then he shows you some earphones and tells you that they are closing some store and that they are selling everything super cheap and tells you to pay 20 or 30€ for those and that their real price is 90€ or something very expensive. They probably bought those on AliExpress for 2€. In tourist areas, someone may offer rosemary or another small item “as a gift,” then demand payment or pressure you into an unwanted service. Decline clearly, keep your belongings secure, and walk away. You’ve got the information, you can do what you want with it.
Conclusion
Now that you know the don’ts of visiting Spain, how about we flip the script and dive into the dos? The things that make living in Spain absolutely enchanting. I’m sure you will love those. I’ve captured my favorites in this article, ‘Things I Love About Living in Spain.’ Don’t miss it! Hasta pronto 🙂
