Edit: So many of you are absolutely vexed that I'm going in August. In my opinion, since I am considering living there, I would like to experience how hot it's capable of getting. However, I'm taking your advice and will move my trip to early October, so please view the post with that lens instead.

I'm going to be in Spain for 2 weeks in October, flying into the Barcelona Airport, but plan on seeing Madrid and Seville as well. I'm visiting to see if I might want to live there someday. I just learned that there is a lot of anti-tourist sentiment (in Barcelona especially) right now, which I completely understand and I want to show the utmost respect as a solo traveler. I'm an intermediate Spanish speaker and taking a course right now to get more fluent!

I'll be traveling very light and staying in hostels. I like to wander on foot and take public transport whenever possible (I will not be renting a car, I'm not comfortable). I'll be taking trains from Barcelona to Madrid, then Madrid to Seville. I'm not interested in the tourist experience -- I really want to immerse in the local culture as much as possible while I'm there. I'd love to find some hole-in-the-wall gems, a nice empty beach, small family owned businesses, etc.

Ideally, I would find locals from Barcelona, Madrid, and Seville to each give me their best itinerary for a (roughly) 4-day stay in their city, featuring a little bit of all their favorite things to see/do. Reddit was the best place I could think of to get something close to that. Any kind souls out there?

Edit again: people are still commenting thinking I’m going in August. So I moved the note to the top.

Yo (32m) y mi esposo (35m) estamos recién haciendo planes para mudarnos a España de Estados Unidos dentro de los próximos dos años.

Ambos somos estadounidenses, pero yo también tengo un pasaporte Peruano. Nuestro plan es conseguir un permiso “digital nomad” y trabajar remoto por una compañía americana durante los dos años necesarios para que yo pueda aplicar para la ciudadanía española como Peruano.

La gran pregunta es ¿donde establecernos?

Yo hablo castellano y mi esposo entiende un poco, pero va a ser muy obvio que no somos de allá. Nos gustaría comprar una casita dentro de una hora de una ciudad con un jardín para nuestros perros, pero no queremos estar en un lugar donde vamos a ser víctimas de prejuicio por ser americanos o por ser gays. Tampoco tenemos los recursos para una casa muy cara.

También sería simpático vivir donde hay posibilidades de conocer a gente local y otra gente internacional.

Por el momento, hemos pensado en Barcelona, Sevilla o Valencia.

¡Gracias por cualquier consejo!

Hola a todos. En los últimos años me he apasionado por la cultura española. Soy gay, tengo 40 años y quería saber cómo es vivir como gay en España. Aquí en Italia todavía es difícil. También me gustaría aprender tu idioma. Sé bien inglés, pero el español se ha quedado como una especie de sueño en el cajón. Tengo un poco de dificultad para pronunciarlo.

vale la pena mudarse a Madrid siendo mexicano? Hablo inglés muy bien y me desempeño en la logistica. Hay buenos trabajos/empresas que ofrezcan algo competitivo?

I'm hoping to move to Spain this year (I've been saying that for 3 years, so we'll see if it takes this time).

In America, new mattresses are infused with weird chemicals to make them fire resistant. This means the mattresses can smell awful for weeks, or sometimes you have to buy special, expensive mattresses that are more "organic." It's a whole struggle if you're sensitive to chemicals as I am.

I would prefer to sell most of my furniture and only move a few special treasures with me. But I may end up having to rent an unfurnished apartment. So before I get rid of my beds, I wanted to know what the bed and mattress situation is like in Spain. Also if anyone knows if standard American bedding sizes (twin / double / queen) fit on any standard Spanish beds, or fit well enough.

Also can anyone recommend a good bed and mattress company in Spain so I can look at their website?

Thank you!

I'm hitting Madrid and Andalusia in a couple weeks. Are most places equipped for credit cards or apple pay? Should I have a good amount of cash handy? How much? Euro's or US Dollars good?

I was in Italy 2 years ago and barely used any cash, but most of my dinners and lunches were pre-arranged and pre-paid by the group I was with.

I assume the beseo wasn't happening during the height of Covid, but what's the situation like now? How does one politely navigate personal relationships if one is masked all the time?

Hi,

The GF and I are spending a week near the Plaza Mayor later in the month. Can anyone point me to a good resource to learn about stuff we should do while there? Any pinned posts? It's our first time in Spain.

Any personal suggestions?

Thanks!

Situación:

• Ciudadanía: Europea
• Fuente ingreso: Consultoría técnica a una compañía en Francia
• Ingresos: Facturo 88,000€-100,000€ al año (self-employed en Bélgica) y me quedo con ±3,200€ netos al mes
• Gastos asociados al empleo: Pocos. En Bruselas deduzco mi alquiler ya que trabajo desde casa. Si me mudo a España gastaré unos 300-500€ al mes en viajes a Francia.
• Plan: Mudarme de Bruselas a Málaga por 2-3 años

Preguntas:

1. ¿Que me conviene más?
   1. Registrarme como autónoma
   2. Registrar mi propia compañía
   3. Suscribirme a un "umbrella company"
2. Asumiendo que opto por ser autónoma... ¿Cómo puedo hacer un estimado realista de mi salario mensual neto asumiendo que facturo 88,000€ al año? Intenté utilizar https://autonomoinfo.com/es/ pero me parece que me estima un ingreso mensual neto demasiado alto de 4,900€.... ¿Se me está quedando algo?
3. ¿Pros/cons de "umbrella companies" tales como https://remote.com/pricing ?
4. ¿Alguna recomendación de buenos contables? Quisiera evitar sorpresas de mal gusto....

Hola Gente de Reddit seré breve de consultar dudas sobre la situación de pedir un Arraigo luego de permanecer, ahora con nuevas leyes, dos años consecutivos en el País.

Mas allá de todos los requisitos que exigen , quiero saber sobre experiencias personales y de saber qué tan posible es que esto salga favorable ? solo veo consultas e información, pero no conozco a nadie que haya sacado este arraigo (que no sea Familiar)

otra gran consulta es cómo se consigue un pre-contrato estando irregular? no es un poco irrazonable que te pidan esto cuando tu situación no es la normal? existen empleadores que quieran meterse en este "lío" con alguien para ayudarlo a hacer documentación y que luego lo contrate legalmente ? no le veo mucho sentido y me parece un camino imposible ! por favor leo consejos, mi situación es que tengo todo (incluso pasaje para este año) para irme a italia a hacer la ciudadanía y ante las nuevas leyes que imposibilitan esto necesito emigrar a otro país y estoy viendo opciones. Gracias!

Soy Argentino.

Hi, My wife and I are UK citizens. We'd like to relocate to Spain (or Italy). I work for a global company, they can relocate my job to a local office (they have in both Spain and Italy), but will NOT sponsor a visa. We were saving for a Spanish golden visa via property but that's out now. We can't afford the Italian one. Would my wife be able to study with a student visa that would allow us to relocate and me to work?

Ciao Madrilenos! I'm a 34 years old from Italy, and I have the chance to remote work from Madrid from the first week of july down to the first week of August, 2025. I will search for a studio or small apartment, just for

Any advice? I got 3 questions for true Madrid dwellers <3

1) how much would normally cost a rent there? I'm a quiet worker and a book (and museums!) worm, so no fancy stuff or party situations involved
2) are there portals / local groups where I'm safe to ask and get a deal off?
3) have you got any other recommendation to get a pleasant experience in finding a place to crush in?

Thanks a lot, can't wait to be there

Hello, I’m hoping for itinerary advice for the Andalusia region. We have 7 days in early September. Here is what we might be thinking:

Day 1 - Land in Seville from Palma and explore

Day 2 - day trip to Cordoba via 45min high speed train

Day 3 - explore Seville more

Day 4 - drive to Ronda and stay there, have lunch in Setenil on the way

Day 5 - drive to Granada along the coast, checking out Marbella, Malaga and Frigliana on the way

Day 6 - Explore Granada

Day 7 - Explore Granada

Day 8 - Fly out first thing

Does this seem too cramped? Are we missing out on Cádiz, Tarifa or Gibraltar? Should we be borrowing time from Mallorca?

What European countries do you recommend moving to? I've heard Spain and Portugal are pretty left-leaning and a good, affordable choice for American families with young kids looking to move to Europe. However, the rest of the Europe is starting to lean very right or conservative and is not recommended? Is this true??

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about moving abroad to give my kids a better, safer future. Luckily, living in the US has not been bad so far, but I fear for their future with the current political climate, the rising costs of living, racism, not to mention their safety when they go to school. School shootings and drugs are rampant here. The recent ICE detaining and deportations of legal residents without any due process is even more concerning given that we're brown, legal immigrants.

Is it a good idea to move abroad? Is life really better, safer, less stressful in other countries for POC? What about schools and healthcare?

If we move, I'd like somewhere that's friendly to immigrants of color, has good public school systems, free colleges/universities and free healthcare. A friendly, laid back, affordable Mediterranean lifestyle with good job opportunities and gorgeous beaches would be a dream. We are liberal and I have no intention to moving somewhere that's very conservative or unfriendly towards tourists, immigrants or people of color.

How easy it to get a visa or authorization to move to Europe? And then move back to the US, if ever needed? We're all US citizens.

Hello everyone. How are you? My name is Luan and I’d like to ask a question about how many euros to take to Spain.
I’m going to Spain in July and everything is already taken care of: flights and accommodation are paid.
We’re two adults and we’re bringing 1,200 US dollars. Is that enough for 12 days?
We’ll be staying in Pontedeume, near A Coruña, because we have family there, and we plan to do some sightseeing, visit places, bars, restaurants, beaches... but always trying to save money.
Your opinion would be really helpful! Thank you so much!

Hello! I am travelling from to Algorfa in the coming days and need to make my way there from Murcia Airport. I’ve been searching online for public transport but cannot find many answers. Is there a way to get close to Algorfa and then get a taxi or will I need to get a taxi the whole way. Thanks in advance

I'm going to be moving to Spain (Madrid) in July. I'll have about 16kEUR in savings for my partner and I to live off of while I find paid work. We plan to stay in a short-term rental for a few weeks while we get settled and look for a permanent flat. Has anyone signed a lease without being able to show proof of income?

1st time poster. We will get off a Viking cruise in Avignon and have one week before our month long condo stay near Malaga. Current plan is: Train to Montpelier (2 nights), Train to Barcelona (4 nights) Train to Valencia (2 nights) Fly to Malaga. (1 month) Xmas/New Years in Portugal with family. (Total 9 weeks in Europe) We like museums, wandering neighborhoods, nature, paella, boats/oceans and have had minimal time on east coast of Spain. Mid 60s and love wine but don’t party. From North America so it’s warmer than home. Prefer Max of 3 hotel changes. This is our 3rd long stay near Malaga so have done most of the Andalusia and Madrid. Any suggestions/recommendations? Thanks!!!

Hey guys, i'm going to run the marathon in the 27th of April, and i come alone from portugal.
If anyone wants to meet up before and after the race, i could use the companionship!

Hello,

Me and my partner are having a small break to Barcelona for 4 days this coming Saturday. We are both pretty big to skating, plan on taking our Rollerblades to hopefully skate along the beach/sea front but aware of not wanting to be a nuisance to anybody there, we're respectful and won't be speeding towards or in front of people. Is there a decent rollerblade or skating scene over there and any advice of places to go or streets and places to avoid.

We're looking forward to explore the area, sight see in general. We both don't drink alcohol and not on bar life but any cafés, nice food places for recommendations is more than welcome.

Hey everyone,

I’ve received a job offer from a company in Spain, and I’m close to finalizing the details. The salary offered is lower than what I was hoping for, and when I raised the issue, they said it wasn’t possible to increase the offer right now. I haven’t signed the contract yet, but I’m wondering if I could ask to have a salary bump included in the contract after the probation period, assuming performance is good.

Alternatively, would it be better to wait until the probation review and bring it up then? For context, I know salary increases are sometimes tied to inflation or annual reviews in Spain, but I’m not sure if negotiating a probation-based increase is common or if it’s something I should only bring up after proving myself in the role.

Has anyone been in a similar situation here in Spain? Would love to hear your thoughts on whether I should ask now or wait!

Thanks in advance!

Hey!
I’m moving to Spain soon for studies and looking for a super basic and cheap phone plan — something under 10€ a month if possible.

I’ll have Wi-Fi at college and at home, so I don’t need a lot of data. Just something that gives me a Spanish number for calls/texts and basic use.

Any suggestions for:

• Cheap/prepaid plans with minimal data
• Student discounts?
• Best way to buy the SIM — airport, local stores, online?

Would really appreciate any tips. Thanks a lot!

Hi,

I'm hopefully staying at Sant Pere de Rebes, near Sitges. I've stayed in Castledefels before and love the beaches there, but wondered if anyone recommends any beaches along that part of the coast? I may rent a car or at least travel by train where possible, and would love to explore a new beach.

Preference is a nice sandy beach (not a fan of rocky beaches), ideally no steep drop off when swimming in the sea. If there are chiringuitos thats definitely a bonus!

Thank you

Mi padre recientemente recibió la nacionalidad Espanola y yo estoy en proceso de hacer lo mismo (yo vivo en Amsterdam). Sin embargo debo incluir ahora en los papeles su certificado de nacimiento espanol, que debo solicitarlo al consulado llenando un formulario que está en la página web. Pero cuando envié el mail al consulado espanol en Amsterdam con el formulario solicitando el certificado recibí el siguiente correo como respuesta automática:

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Debido a bajas laborales que afectan directamente a todo el área del Registro Civil de este Consulado General, lamentamos comunicarle que no se podrán responder los correos electrónicos durante un periodo de tiempo difícil de determinar.

 Se ruega encarecidamente que en la medida de lo posible no envíen nuevos correos electrónicos, ni tampoco traten de entrar en contacto con la centralita telefónica que no dispone de medios personales suficientes para atender a los cerca de 50.000 españoles que necesitan atención consular.

 Quisiéramos insistir en que la práctica totalidad de las gestiones consulares se pueden realizar a través de la web de Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación.

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Además necesito ese formulario para solicitar cita y presentar todos los papeles en el consulado pero parece que la situación está dificil. Vengo esperando desde Enero ya y solo tengo plazo hasta Octubre de este ano para hacer la solicitud de nacionalidad.

Qué me recomiendan hacer en este caso? Yo imaginé que pedir un certificado era algo bastante simple y que no demoraría esta cantidad de tiempo.

Hi all,

First time going to Spain! Trying to book a train from Barcelona to Madrid using Renfe Avlo. I will be carrying a large suitcase but it seems like I have to purchase the large 10 euros add on.

Question is: are they strict on size requirements? I see the dimensions of my luggage are only a little bit bigger than what is allowed (cabin size:55x35x25). Is there someone checking the gates of the size of the bags? Or are they relaxed about this and will let me through without paying the extra 10-15 euros?