Your first 24 hours in Spain

Key rules

• Keys: Confirm with your host or agent how you get the keys before you land, especially if you arrive late.
• Currency: When an ATM or card machine offers to charge you in your home currency, choose euros.
• Sundays: Shops are most likely to be shut on Sundays and holidays, except in Madrid and tourist zones.
• Night pharmacy: A pharmacy window shows the nearest open duty pharmacies.

Sort out the keys before you land

Message your host or agent before you fly to confirm your arrival time and how you get in. This is the step most likely to leave you stuck on the street.

• Short-term flat or tourist lodging: check-in usually runs from about 15:00 to 20:00 or later. Many hosts use a keypad lockbox or smart lock, with the code sent by message. If you arrive late, arrange it in advance. It may cost an extra fee. Some hosts hold a deposit on your card or ask for cash, and return it at check-out.
• Long-term rental: the landlord or agent usually meets you at the property. You sign the contract and the inventory, and you get the keys after you pay the fianza and the first month. Have both payments ready, and ask for a signed copy of the contract.

Get some cash

Cards work almost everywhere and contactless is common. Some small shops still prefer cash, so take out a little.

• Use a bank ATM. Most accept Visa, Mastercard and Maestro.
• If the ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, decline and choose euros. The rate is better.
• Skip airport exchange booths and independent ATMs. Rates and fees are worse.
• Banks often charge foreign cards about 1-5 euros per withdrawal. Daily limits are usually about 300-600 euros, depending on your card issuer and the ATM. If you may need a large sum, such as a deposit, ask your card issuer before you travel.

Find food when shops are closed

Shops run on a split schedule. Small shops typically open from about 9:30-10:00 to 13:30-14:00, close for a break, then reopen from about 16:30-17:00 to 20:00-21:00, Monday to Saturday. Supermarkets, malls and large stores often stay open all day, until 21:00-22:00.

Sundays and public holidays are the real gap. Opening hours are set by region. Madrid has no restrictions, while other regions limit how many Sundays and holidays shops may open. Tourist zones are exempt, so shops there can open on Sundays. Buy food for Sunday and holidays before you arrive in town or on Saturday.

If you land when everything is shut, try:

• A petrol-station shop.
• A bakery that opens on Sunday mornings.
• Convenience chains and 24-hour stores in big cities.
• Small bazaar-style shops with long hours.
• A restaurant or a delivery app. Expect higher prices, and not every place delivers.

Eat at Spanish times

Lunch is served from about 13:30 to 16:00, busiest at 14:00-15:00. Dinner starts around 20:30 and runs to 23:00 or later, busiest at 21:30. Many kitchens close between about 16:00 and 20:00. The north is a little earlier, and Madrid and the south are later. Tourist areas often serve earlier and all day. On weekdays, look for the menú del día, a fixed-price lunch.

Find a pharmacy at night

Normal pharmacy hours are about 9:30-13:30 and 16:30-20:00 on weekdays, and some open all day. Outside those hours, a farmacia de guardia stays open at night, on Sundays and on holidays. Every pharmacy must display the nearest ones in its window. Each provincial pharmacists' college also publishes the daily rota online. Some duty pharmacies add a small night supplement.

Stay reachable

Message your host or agent when you land, and keep your phone charged. Save 112 in your phone for emergencies. For the order of the day and a packing-style list, use the timeline and checklist below.

Choosing between options

Where do you get food and cash when shops are closed?

• Supermarket or mall: It is Monday to Saturday and you need groceries.

• Tourist-zone or Madrid shop: It is a Sunday or public holiday. Shops in tourist zones and in Madrid can open.

• Petrol station, bakery or late-hours shop: You are elsewhere on a Sunday and need basics. Petrol-station shops, Sunday-morning bakeries and small shops with long hours are open.

• Restaurant or delivery app: You want a meal and the shops are shut. Prices can be higher.

• Bank ATM: You need cash. Choose euros, expect a fee of about 1-5 euros for non-customers and a daily limit of about 300-600 euros.

On Sundays and public holidays, head for a tourist zone or Madrid first, then a petrol-station shop or bakery, and eat out if nothing else is open. For cash, use a bank ATM rather than an airport booth.

Timeline and deadlines

• Message your host or agent to confirm how you get the keys: before you fly

• Meet the landlord or agent for a long-term rental, sign the contract and inventory, and pay the fianza and first month to get the keys: at the property on arrival

Day-one arrival checklist for Spain

• Keep your passport or national ID card on you, not packed in your luggage. Police can ask to see it, and residents should carry their residence card (TIE) or EU registration certificate too.

• Withdraw some euros from a bank ATM and choose euros when it offers to charge in your home currency.

• Skip airport exchange booths and independent ATMs, which have poor rates and higher fees.

• Keep a little cash for small shops that prefer it, and use contactless for everything else.

• Message your host or agent before you land to confirm your arrival time, how you get the keys and whether a late arrival costs extra.

• Have your deposit and first payment ready if you collect keys from a landlord or agent, and ask for the signed contract and inventory.

• Buy food for Sunday and public holidays before shops close, or find a petrol-station shop, a Sunday-morning bakery, a small extended-hours shop or a supermarket in a tourist zone.

• Save 112 in your phone for police, ambulance and fire. It is free and answered in several languages.

• Save your consulate or embassy in Spain, your regional health line and your host's phone number and address.

Frequently asked questions

What time can I get dinner on my first night in Spain?

Most restaurants serve dinner from about 20:30 to 23:00 or later, with the peak at 21:30. Many kitchens close between about 16:00 and 20:00, so a late afternoon arrival may mean waiting.

How do I find an open pharmacy at night or on a Sunday?

Look for the farmacia de guardia, a rotating duty pharmacy that opens at night and on Sundays and holidays. Every pharmacy must display the nearest duty pharmacies in its window, and the provincial pharmacists' college publishes the rota on its website or app. Duty pharmacies may charge a small night supplement in some regions.

Are supermarkets open on Sundays in Spain?

It depends on the region, but you can find food in several places. Madrid has no limits on opening hours, and shops in tourist zones can open on Sundays. Elsewhere, other regions allow only a set number of open Sundays and holidays a year, typically 8 to 12.

What is the menú del día and when can I get it?

The menú del día is a fixed-price lunch, common on weekdays. Lunch is served from about 13:30 to 16:00, with the peak at 14:00 to 15:00, so arrive early to get a table.