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Spain Destinations
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Canadian citizens can stay in Spain and the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned departure from the Schengen area. The ETIAS authorization, expected in late 2026, was not yet required at the time of writing; check travel.gc.ca before departure.
About 7 hours nonstop from Montréal to Madrid and 7 hours 25 minutes to Barcelona, and roughly 7 hours 30 minutes to 8 hours from Toronto. Air Canada and Air Transat serve both cities, and Iberia also flies Toronto-Madrid. Most flights leave in the evening and arrive the next morning.
May-June and September-October offer the best balance of warm weather, pleasant sea and manageable crowds. In July and August, inland Spain regularly tops 35 C, especially Madrid and Andalusia. The Canary Islands stay mild all year, at 20 to 24 C even in January.
Yes, Spain is a safe destination visited by millions of travellers every year without incident. The Government of Canada nonetheless advises a high degree of caution due to the threat of terrorism in Europe. In practice, the most common problem is pickpocketing in the tourist areas of Madrid and Barcelona.
As a guideline, plan on 180 to 250 CAD per person per day on a tight budget, 250 to 400 CAD for comfortable travel and 500 CAD and up at the high end, flights excluded. Return flights from Montréal or Toronto generally run 700 to 1,400 CAD depending on the season.
Mainland Spain is 6 hours ahead of Eastern Time, both summer and winter, since Europe and Canada change their clocks within a few weeks of each other. The Canary Islands sit in a different time zone, 5 hours ahead. When it is noon in Toronto or Montréal, it is 6 p.m. in Madrid and 5 p.m. in Tenerife.
Much later than in Canada. Lunch starts around 2 p.m. and dinner rarely before 9 p.m., often 9:30 or 10 in summer. Many kitchens close between services; if you are hungry at 6 p.m., head to a tapas bar, where food is served continuously.
Between major cities, high-speed rail is unbeatable: Madrid to Barcelona in about 2 hours 30 minutes, and the same to Seville, with Renfe plus low-cost operators Ouigo, Iryo and Avlo. A car becomes useful for Andalusia's white villages, the Costa Brava or exploring the islands.
Tipping is not expected and locals leave little: round up the bill or leave small change at a café. In a good restaurant, 5 to 10 percent is appreciated for attentive service. Unlike in Canada, no percentage is added automatically to the bill.
Yes, cards are accepted almost everywhere, even for a 1.50 EUR coffee. Still, keep a little cash for small shops and markets. One euro is worth roughly 1.60 CAD; withdraw euros at ATMs and decline the machine's offer to convert to dollars, which uses a poorer rate.
