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Leisure travel and discounts

Travel around Spain cheaply and smoothly, use the discounts you are entitled to and host visitors well.

Travelling around Spain is easy once you know how the country moves. This topic covers trains, coaches and flights, resident discounts and discount cards, where to stay, and when to book around peak seasons. It also looks at trips from your city, strikes and protests, and hosting visitors.

6 articlesAbout 35 min of readingHolidays, leisure, and public life

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  1. Youth, senior and large-family discount cards in Spain

    Spain has three main discount cards: regional youth cards, a Renfe card for people 60 and over, and the large-family title. This page explains what each gives and which ones foreign residents can get.

    5 min read

  2. Where to stay on trips in Spain, including state hotels (paradores)

    A guide to choosing between hotels, state-run paradores, rural houses and tourist flats for trips in Spain, and to knowing where a tourist tax may be added to your bill. For anyone planning stays around the country.

    4 min read

  3. When to book: peak seasons, long weekends and prices

    Shows when travel in Spain is most expensive and busiest: Semana Santa, August, Christmas and long weekends. For anyone planning trips who wants to book at the right time and avoid sold-out trains and flights.

    6 min read

  4. Weekend trips and day trips from your Spanish city

    Realistic day trips and weekend trips from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Bilbao and Málaga, with rough public transport times. It is for newcomers who want to explore beyond their own city without a car.

    3 min read

  5. How strikes and protests disrupt travel and city life

    Explains how strikes and big demonstrations affect trains, flights and city transport in Spain, how minimum services limit the disruption, and where to follow announcements. For anyone travelling or living in Spain who needs to plan around them.

    4 min read

  6. Hosting friends and family who visit you in Spain

    What your friends and family need to enter Spain, how long they can stay, which ID to carry and when to invite them. For residents in Spain who will host visitors from the EU or from outside it.

    7 min read

About this topic

It is for anyone thinking about moving to Spain, planning the move or already settled in. The aim is to help you travel cheaply and smoothly, use the discounts you are entitled to and host visitors well.

Start with "When to book: peak seasons, long weekends and prices". Easter, August and bridge weekends shape both prices and availability, so timing your bookings well saves the most money and stress. From there, move to whichever article fits your next trip.

Key rules

  • Tarjeta Dorada: The Renfe Tarjeta Dorada is for people aged 60 or over and costs 6 euros, valid for 4 years.
  • Visitor stay limit: Visitors from outside the EU who don't need a long-stay visa can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counting days in all Schengen countries.
  • Strike notice: Strikes in rail and air transport must be announced at least 10 days ahead, and minimum services are published before the strike.
  • Carnet Joven: Age limits and prices differ by region, so ask your regional youth office.
  • Tourist tax: Spain has no national tourist tax; only some regions and towns charge it, per person per night.
  • Tourist flats: A legal tourist flat shows a regional registration number and, since July 2025, a national registry number.

Leisure travel and discounts: the whole process, step by step

  • Check whether your visitors need a visa or travel authorisation, and whether they can show an invitation letter if asked (see Hosting friends and family who visit you in Spain): Before booking any travel

  • Plan the length of the visit within the stay limit: up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counting days in all Schengen countries (see Hosting friends and family who visit you in Spain): Before booking flights

  • Book accommodation and time your bookings around Easter, August and bridge weekends (see Where to stay on trips in Spain, including state hotels (paradores), and When to book: peak seasons, long weekends and prices): Well before peak seasons

  • Get any discount card you qualify for, such as the Tarjeta Dorada for people aged 60 or over (see Youth, senior and large-family discount cards in Spain): Before you start buying tickets

  • Pack a valid passport for non-EU visitors, or a national ID card or passport for EU citizens (see Hosting friends and family who visit you in Spain): Before you leave for the airport or the trip

  • Check for rail or air strikes and published minimum services (see How strikes and protests disrupt travel and city life): Strikes must be announced at least 10 days ahead, so check in the days before you travel

  • Choose weekend or day trips near your city (see Weekend trips and day trips from your Spanish city): Once dates and transport are settled

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

Other documents

Each article lists the other documents it asks for, where you need them.

Leisure travel and discounts: questions that cross several articles

Will I pay a tourist tax when I stay in a hotel in Spain?

It depends on the region, because Spain has no national tourist tax. Mainly Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, some Galician municipalities and Valencia charge it, usually per person per night on your hotel bill. Read Where to stay on trips in Spain, including state hotels (paradores) before booking.

Can a foreign resident get youth, senior or family discount cards?

Yes, most cards depend on age and legal residence rather than nationality. Regional youth and senior cards need residence in that region, and the large-family title needs legal residence in Spain.

What do my visiting friends need to enter Spain?

Non-EU visitors need a valid passport, and some nationalities also need a Schengen visa. The host can request an invitation letter at the National Police for a visa or border check. Read Hosting friends and family who visit you in Spain.

What happens to my trip if a rail or air strike is called?

Strikes in rail and air transport must be announced at least 10 days ahead, and minimum services are published before the strike. Check them before you book or travel. Read How strikes and protests disrupt travel and city life, and When to book: peak seasons, long weekends and prices.

Explore places

Where you live changes the details. See how Spanish regions and cities compare on rent, jobs, weather, safety and healthcare.

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