Here we have gathered information that we hope you will find useful when you are traveling in Spain.

Money and ATM's

Currency

1 Euro = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of 2 and 1 Euro, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.

Credit Cards

Access/MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and Visa are all widely accepted. Check with your credit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.

Travelers Cheques

Accepted throughout Spain.

Banking and Business Hours

Banks are generally open weekdays from 9 to 2 and Saturday from 8:30 or 9 to 1. In the summer, most banks close at 1 PM on weekdays and stay closed on Saturday. Currency exchanges at airports and train stations stay open later; you can also cash traveler's checks at El Corte Inglés department stores until 9 PM. Most government offices are open weekdays from 9 to 2 only.

Pharmacies keep normal business hours (9-1:30 and 5-8), but every town (or city neighborhood) has a duty pharmacy that stays open 24 hours.

Almost all shops in Spain close at midday for at least three hours. The only exceptions are large supermarkets and the department-store chain El Corte Inglés. Stores are generally open from 9-10 to 1:30 and from 5 to 8. Most shops are closed on Sunday, and in Madrid and several other places they're also closed Saturday afternoon. That said, larger shops in tourist areas may stay open Sunday in summer and during the Christmas holiday.

ATM's

Your existing bank cards are unlikely to work in ATM´s in Spain. However, if you have a MasterCard, Cirrus Card or Visa Card, there are a lot of ATM's in the country where you will be able to withdraw money.

Currency Exchange

Always try to exchange your cash at a bank, because currency exchange offices charge higher rates. The charge will include commission, so check beforehand! During the afternoon or week-ends money exchange can be done at large hotels.

Electricity

Spain's electrical current is 220 volts, 50 cycles alternating current (AC); wall outlets take Continental-type plugs, with two round prongs.

If your appliances are dual-voltage you'll need only an adapter. Don't use 110-volt outlets, marked for shavers only, for high- wattage appliances such as hair dryers. Most laptop computers operate equally well on 110 and 220 volts, so they require only an adapter.

To use electric equipment from the United States, bring a converter and adapter.

Weather

Summers in Spain are hot: temperatures frequently hit 100°F (38°C), and air-conditioning is not widespread. Try to limit outdoor activity to the morning hours. That said, warm summer nights are among Spain's quiet pleasures.

Winters in Spain are mild and rainy along the coasts, especially in Galicia. Elsewhere, winter blows bitterly cold. Snow is infrequent except in the mountains, where you can ski from December to March in the Pyrenees and other resorts near Granada, Madrid, and Burgos.

The Spanish measure temperature in Celsius, not Fahrenheit. For example, 23.9°C is a pleasant day of 75°F; 10°C is a chilly 50°F.

Phoning Home

Spain's phone system, Telefónica, is perfectly efficient. Direct dialing is the norm. Note that only cell phones conforming to the European GSM standard will work in Spain.

Area Codes: The country code for Spain is 34. Area codes normally begin with a 9 and are different for each province. If you're dialing from outside the country, drop the 9.

Directory and Operator Assistance: For general information in Spain, dial 1003. International operators, who generally speak English, are at 025.

Phone Cards: To use a newer pay phone you need a special phone card (tarjeta telefónica), which you can buy at any tobacco shop or newsstand, in denominations of €6 or €12. Some such phones also accept credit cards, but phone cards are more reliable.

Public Phones: You'll find pay phones in individual booths, in special telephone offices (locutorios), and in many bars and restaurants. Most have a digital readout so you can see your money ticking away. If you're calling with coins, you need at least €.15 to call locally, €.45 to call another province. Simply insert the coins and wait for a dial tone. (With older models, you line coins up in a groove on top of the dial and they drop down as needed.)

Emergencies

The pan-European emergency phone number 112 is operative in some parts of Spain, but not all. If it doesn't work, dial the emergency numbers below for national police, local police, fire department or medical services.

National police (tel. 091).

Local police (tel. 092).

Fire department (tel. 080).

Medical service (tel. 061).

If you see an accident, or any circumstance in which you think the emergency services should be called, please do so. The emergency services would rather be called 10 times about the same incident than not called at all.