Spain and Portugal have always been popular travel destinations for Chinese tourists. Today, we have compiled some practical tips for your trip to these two Iberian Peninsula nations, hoping to help you gain a better understanding of them.
1. Cuisine
The cuisine here is primarily based on stews and roasts. Stews are a medley of various meats, vegetables, sausages, bacon, and ham. Tomatoes or tomato sauce are indispensable. The sauces are generally thick and heavily seasoned; since all the flavor is concentrated within, locals often use bread to dip into the sauce or even scrape the plate clean. Vegetable soup is a personal favorite—it is both healthy and delicious. The portions served in restaurants here are generally large enough to fuel a marathon.
2. Souvenirs
What should you buy when traveling to Spain and Portugal? Famous souvenirs from Spain include olive oil, leather goods, saffron, Iberian ham, flamenco dance CDs, Spanish fans, sherry, Gaudí-themed souvenirs, mosaic crafts, and shawls. Famous souvenirs from Portugal include colorful roosters, blue tiles (azulejos), traditional soaps, wine, cherry liqueur (ginjinha), cork products, and cheese.
3. Hotels
Hotels are an important part of our travel experience, and staying in a comfortable and secure place can enhance the entire trip. Those who have visited Europe will notice that hotels here do not provide disposable items like toothbrushes or slippers, and the rooms are often quite small, not quite matching the standards of hotels with the same star rating in China. Therefore, when staying in hotels in Europe, be sure to prepare your own necessary toiletries in advance, and do not have overly high expectations for room size.
4. Time Difference
EU countries observe Daylight Saving Time from the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October, moving clocks forward by one hour to make full use of natural daylight. Portugal is in the UTC+0 time zone, and Spain is in the UTC+1 time zone. Therefore, during standard time, Portugal's mainland time is Beijing time minus 8 hours, and Spain's mainland time is Beijing time minus 7 hours. During Daylight Saving Time, Portugal's time is Beijing time minus 7 hours, and Spain's time is Beijing time minus 6 hours.
5. Transportation
A taxi from Madrid Airport to the city center costs about 30 Euros, from Barcelona Airport to the city center about 25 Euros, and from Lisbon Airport to the city center about 10 Euros. While most drivers are honest, one cannot rule out the possibility of some taking advantage of tourists.
6. New Year Customs
Do you know how the Spanish and Portuguese celebrate the New Year? They hold a glass of champagne in one hand and 12 grapes in the other, eating the grapes along with the 12 strokes of the clock at midnight, symbolizing a smooth and prosperous year for the coming 12 months. Afterward, family and friends hug, kiss, and toast together. Major cities also prepare New Year fireworks, which always attract crowds of citizens to come out and party.
7. Sundays
Some tourists arrive here on a Sunday only to find the streets empty, doors and windows closed, and very few people around, leading them to suspect it is a ghost town. It turns out that Sunday is a statutory rest day; most shops, restaurants, and cafes here are closed. If you need to buy something, you can go to Chinese-owned shops, gas stations, or supermarkets. Where did everyone go? People generally dress up to attend mass at church and then have a family meal.
8. Tipping
Here, tipping is voluntary, and the amount is also voluntary. So, if someone tells you that you must tip or must tip a certain amount, you can ignore them. Tipping is based on whether you are satisfied with the service and your own financial situation. Locals in ordinary restaurants usually just leave the coins from their change as a tip. Only in high-end restaurants is there more of a formal etiquette.
9. Minimum Wage
As of July 2014, the monthly minimum wage in Spain was 752.85 Euros, equivalent to approximately 5,732.36 RMB. The monthly minimum wage in Portugal was 565.83 Euros, equivalent to approximately 4,308.35 RMB. Of course, not everyone earns the minimum wage. Strikes and protests demanding higher wages are a common sight.
10. Cost of Living
A pack of cigarettes, though small, often reflects the cost of living. Taking Marlboro as an example, a pack of Marlboro averages 4.54 Euros in Lisbon, 4.83 Euros in Madrid, and 4.87 Euros in Barcelona. However, the price increases significantly when traveling to Paris, averaging 7 Euros. Therefore, the further north you go, the higher the cost of living. This is why Spain and Portugal are considered the countries with the best value for money for travel in Europe.
11. Currency
Spain and Portugal joined the European Union in 1986 and began using the Euro on January 11, 1999. The Euro has 7 denominations of banknotes (5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500) and 8 denominations of coins. One Euro equals 100 Euro cents. As of today, 1 Euro is worth 6.72 RMB. Recently, due to the sharp depreciation of the Euro, traveling to Europe has become more affordable.