Currency, Time, Voltage, Telephone Calls, Opening Hours…

Currency: The euro is the official currency, as of January 2002. A euro is divided into 100 cents. Coins: 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, 1€, 2€. Notes: 5€, 10€, 20€, 50€, 100€, 200€, 500€. Till receipts in some supermarkets still quote the equivalent price in the previous currency, pesetas, as do many Spaniards themselves.

Time zone: Spain falls within the Central European Time Zone: Greenwich Mean Time + 1 hour in winter, and GMT + 2 in summer. The Canary Islands are always one hour behind peninsular Spain.

Voltage: 220 V for two-pin plugs.

Measurement system: Spain uses the metric system for all weights, sizes and distances.

Telephone calls: The country prefix for Spain is +34. Calls from Spain: 00 + country code + telephone number. Calls within Spain are made to 9 digit numbers with no prefix.

Television: Spain was one of the first European countries to switch to Terrestrial Digital Television (TDT). TDT is the Spanish equivalent of of the UK’s freeview television. Digital television provides a greater number of channels and better picture quality using transmission to a standard television aerial. TDT also allows the viewer to choose the original version language, subtitles and in the case of some sports events, different camera angles. Analogue TV signals cease to exist now in Spain.

Business hours:

Banks: Generally Monday-Friday 8.30am to 2 or 2.30pm. Saturday opening (winter months only) 8.30-12.00.

Shops: Generally 9.30/10am-1.30/2pm, and 5-8pm. Afternoon hours may change to 6-9pm in the summer. Saturdays are generally mornings only. Larger department stores and shopping centres are open 10am-10pm Monday to Saturday.

Offices: Smaller offices tend to follow the same opening hours as shops, while larger offices may open earlier in the day and close by 2pm.

Restaurants and cafés: Lunch is usually served 1.30-3.30pm, and the evening meal from 8-11pm. Many may serve throughout the day.

Services and local information

International Dialing Codes:

Useful telephone numbers:

Embassies & Consulates: