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Best Time to Travel
SUMMER is a good season to visit the northern regions, especially the resorts along the Cantabrian coast, from Hondarribia on the French-Spanish border to La Guardia at the Portuguese-Spanish frontier. The medieval pilgrimage route of Santiago de Compostela is ideal at this time of year.

SPRING season is the best time to visit the central regions of Castile, Andalusia, the Mediterranean Coast, and the Balearic Islands. The climate is generally very good, but expect occasional rain.

WINTER season is a good time to visit the Mediterranean area along the Costa del Sol. The high mountain ranges in both the north and the south offer excellent conditions for winter sports.

FALL season is perhaps the best season of the year to visit the entire country. The climate is excellent, with sunny days and blue skies.

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What to Wear

No rigid dress code, dress changes with season, venue and circumstances. On the coast, owing to the mildness of a climate, it is not usually necessary to wear warm clothing, whereas inland, one should definitely dress according to the weather, since temperature conditions vary from one extreme to the other, being icy in winter and fairly torrid in summer. Spaniards are not hidebound as regards the way they dress when they go out, preferring to leave it to the place, atmosphere and occasion to set the tone.

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Important Numbers

AMBULANCE   061

FIRE                080

POLICE           091

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Utilities

Electric Current - Two round prong plugs are used in all outlets. Standard American plugs will not fit into Spanish outlets. 220 volts (50 cycles) is commonly used in Spain. Adapters may be purchased at any hardware store.

Telephones - Telephones to call Spain from the United States dial the international access code (011) followed by the country code (34) and the phone number. To call home from Spain dial the international access code (00) followed by the U.S. country code (1) and the phone number. Public telephones take 5-, 25-, 50-, and 100-peseta coins as well as prepaid phone cards which can be bought at post offices (Correos) and tobacco shops (estancos). In the cities, the phone company, Telefónica, also operates public phone sites (locutorios) where you can pay the attendant at the end of your call. Should you travel with your laptop computer there is no need to bring any special phone jack adaptors since Spanish and U.S. jacks are the same.

Mail - Stamps are available in post offices (Correos)which are usually open from 8:30am - 2:30pm, Monday-Friday and usually Saturday mornings, although some are open uninterruptedly from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm. The cost of the postage to the US of a postcard or letter up to 20 grams is 115 Ptas. Stamps can also be purchased at tobacco shops (estancos).

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Reminders
During the holiday season, it seems that there is no such thing as off-peak travel. In general, peak flight times are Monday - Friday from 6 AM - 9 AM and 4 PM - 7 PM. Avoid travel the day before any major holiday - as well as the Sunday that ends a holiday weekend.

Tourists may bring up to 1,000,000 pesetas (approximately $6,250) without declaring the amount at customs. Any amount exceeding 1,000,000 pesetas must be declared on arrival

Upon leaving Spain, tourists carrying more than 1,000,000 pesetas (or equivalent in any other form of currency) must declare it.

On January 1, 2002, the Euro will completely replace the peseta, becoming a common European currency

ATMs in Spain only accept four digit PINs so it is very important to make sure you have a four digit PIN before traveling.

For taxi rides, a 10 percent tip is sufficient. For restaurants, a 10 percent tip is customary.

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Race

Iberian race; a mixture of Celtic, Etruscan, Arab, Basque and Jewish stock.

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Languages

Languages: Castilian Spanish 74% (official), Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%.

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Religion

Religion: 99% Roman Catholic. Freedom of worship is guaranteed under the Spanish Constitution.

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