First trip to Spain from India? Below is everything we wish someone had told us — Schengen paperwork, what to install before you fly, how to actually get from the airport to your hostel, and how to eat well as a vegetarian in a country where ham is its own art form. Read it end-to-end before you book flights.
Prices in INR/EUR are 2024-era estimates. Schengen rules change — verify at vfsglobal.com/in/en/visa/spain before applying.
⚠️ Things to Take Care Of
Spain is broadly safe but petty theft is real in Barcelona and Madrid — Las Ramblas, the Metro, the area around Sagrada Família, Puerta del Sol, and any crowded tourist square are the classics. Wear bags cross-body, zip closed, in front of you in crowds. Don't put a phone on a café table; don't leave anything on the back of a chair. Spanish meal times genuinely run late: lunch is 2–4 p.m., dinner from 9 p.m. — many restaurants don't open kitchens before then, and showing up at 7:30 means an empty room. Most shops shut for siesta (roughly 2–5 p.m.) and Sundays in smaller cities — plan groceries by Saturday. Spanish water is safe to drink. Tipping isn't expected — round up the bill if service was good. Easter (Semana Santa) is beautiful but processions close central streets for hours; check the city's official Semana Santa programme before booking restaurants.
🛂 Visa Process (Indian Passport)
Spain is a Schengen visa country — apply through BLS International if Spain is your primary destination (longest stay). Tourist visa fee is €80 (~₹7,300) + BLS service fee ~₹2,200. Processing officially takes 15 working days, but Barcelona and Madrid consulates get busy March–May and Sep–Oct — apply at least 6–8 weeks out. You'll need: passport with at least 3 months validity beyond return + 2 blank pages, two recent biometric photos (35×45mm, white background, no smile), bank statements for the last 3 months (rule of thumb ~₹1 lakh per traveler per week), ITR for the last 2 years, confirmed flight reservation (NOT a paid ticket — use a hold service), all hotel bookings, day-by-day itinerary, travel insurance covering at least €30,000 medical, leave letter from your employer, and a cover letter. Don't pay for flights until your visa is in hand.
🛫 Before You Land
Buy an Airalo or Holafly Europe eSIM (5GB ~₹1,400, works across all Schengen) before you fly. Install these apps before takeoff: Google Maps with the Spain offline pack downloaded, Google Translate with Spanish offline, Renfe for high-speed trains (book at least a week ahead for cheap Promo fares — AVE Madrid–Barcelona, Madrid–Seville), TMB (Barcelona Metro) and EMT Madrid for local transport, FlixBus and ALSA for intercity coaches (Madrid → Toledo is an easy ALSA hop), Cabify or Bolt for licensed taxis, and GuruWalk for the free walking tours we relied on in every city. Carry around ₹15,000 worth of EUR in cash — most places take card, but small bakeries, churros stands, and some flamenco venues are still cash-first. Book Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló and the Alhambra in Granada (if you add it) timed-entry weeks in advance.
🛬 After You Land
From Barcelona–El Prat (BCN): the Aerobús to Plaça Catalunya runs every 5 min for €7.25 (~35 min), or take the R2 Nord commuter train for €4.90. From Madrid–Barajas (MAD): Metro Line 8 to Nuevos Ministerios for €5 (~30 min, including the airport supplement), or the Renfe Cercanías C-1 train direct to Atocha for €2.60. From Seville (SVQ): the EA airport bus to Plaza de Armas runs every 30 min for €4 (~35 min). Withdraw your first EUR from a bank-branded ATM (BBVA, Santander, CaixaBank) and decline the dynamic currency conversion — always pay in EUR. Avoid Euronet machines in tourist areas; their FX rates are deliberately poor.
🚄 Transport
Renfe AVE high-speed trains are the headline act: Madrid → Barcelona ~2h 30m (€30–80 advance), Madrid → Seville ~2h 30m (€30–70), Madrid → Toledo ~30 min on AVANT (~€14). Book through the Renfe app or Trainline — early-bird Promo fares can be a third of the walk-up price, but they're non-refundable. For Madrid → Toledo, ALSA bus from Plaza Elíptica is the cheap option (~€5, 1h). Inside cities, day passes are good value: Barcelona T-casual 10-ride ~€12.55, Madrid Metro 10-ride Metrobús ~€12.20, Seville TUSSAM bonobús ~€7. FlixBus and ALSA handle longer hops across to Portugal (we used the Seville → Faro → Lisbon route). Uber and Cabify both work well in Madrid and Barcelona; outside the big two, use city taxis at official ranks.
🏨 Accommodation
Barcelona and Madrid city centres run €100–180 for 3-star hotels and €70–120 for guesthouses; Barcelona is consistently the most expensive, especially May–Oct. Seville and Toledo run noticeably cheaper. Hostels are excellent value in Spain — we used Newton Guesthouse in Madrid (clean, central, friendly, ~€25 a bunk) and you'll find similar at Generator, Sant Jordi and Kabul Party Hostel in Barcelona, and at The Nomad and La Banda Rooftop in Seville (€20–50 dorms, €80–130 private rooms). For Toledo, do it as a day trip from Madrid — there's no need to sleep there, and most hostels store luggage for free during the day. Most cities charge a small tourist tax (€1.50–3.50 per person per night) payable at check-in. Mar–Apr and Sep–Oct are the sweet spots; Aug is brutally hot in Madrid and Seville (40°C+) — avoid if you can.
🍽️ Food in a Nutshell
Spain is a happier place to eat than its sausage-and-ham reputation suggests. Vegetarian survival: patatas bravas, tortilla española (potato omelette), pimientos de Padrón, pan con tomate, croquetas de espinacas, gazpacho in summer, paella de verduras (be specific — most paella has chicken or seafood), and churros con chocolate in every city. Barcelona and Madrid both have excellent Indian restaurants and a strong vegan scene; we ate beautifully at vegan cafés in both. La Boqueria in Barcelona is a working market — bring cash and an appetite. Sobrino de Botín in Madrid (founded 1725) is the bucket-list lunch; book ahead. Spanish coffee is small and strong — order a café con leche in the morning and a cortado after meals. Tap water is fine to drink; ask for agua del grifo if you don't want bottled. Don't order bubble tea anywhere in Spain — trust us on this one.