In Spain, It is very common to kiss people when you meet them. This is a kiss on both cheeks. Men usually shake hands. Is greeting with kisses normal in Spain?

In business settings, should you expect to go kissing everyone in a boardroom meeting?

When we say ‘kiss,’ it’s not really a kiss. Instead, it’s touching cheeks while making a light kissing sound.

In Spain, people stand close to one another. You don’t get much personal space. Strangers will greet you like an old friend. Compliments are thrown around constantly.

If someone stares at you in the metro in Madrid, how is it interpreted?

How would you react if you enter a bar and the floor looks like the one in the picture?

Do you think pedestrians crossings are respected in Madrid?

How do Spaniards order a coffee in a bar?

The Spanish are very direct. You’ll hear less “please” and “thank you” than you might expect but this is normal.

Not everything is a conversation starter.

“¿El último?” – that’s how a local will join a queue. 

“¿Vas a bajar?” – they’ll ask when you’re standing in their way on the bus. 

Doing laundry may turn into a challenging task.

No dryers are used in Spain.

After having lunch/ dinner in Spain, do you need to ask the waiter to bring the check?  Is it different in your country?

Children are often seen in bars

Ok so children don’t go out alone, but it’s not uncommon to see small children and even babies in bars well past midnight (with their parents.) Kids tend to stay up late in Spain.

Food amounts are smaller in Madrid than in my country.

Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, often including more than one plate, and sometimes involving a dessert (and it’s usually eaten at around 3pm).

Dinner is late in the day (sometimes eaten as late as 10pm or 10:30pm), and is often a pretty light meal.

Another common Spanish meal sits between lunch and dinner. Called ‘merienda,’ (which literally translates from Spanish into English as ‘snack’), it’s usually something sweet, like fruit, a cake, or a cookie. It’s typically eaten at around 6pm.

There are not many department stores.

Be fashionably late!

If you are from the United States, if you don’t arrive somewhere ten minutes early, you’re considered late.

In Spain, we couldn’t have a different mentality when it comes to time. If you arrive somewhere ten minutes early in Spain, let’s say, a hair appointment, your hairdresser will be extremely confused as to why you’re there so early.

A pharmacy is a place to buy medicine, but also food, snacks, greeting cards, shampoo, make-up, or house supplies.

You’ll Need to Get an Address Pretty Quickly

"Empadronamiento"

(In Spain)

When you go out for dinner with your friends, how do you pay?

People normally drink tap water in Madrid.

Shops are normally closed from 2 to 4 pm in Madrid.

Some Spanish stores close at the weekend, especially in small towns.

Banks close at around 2pm, not to reopen again until the next day.

Public services might also close at 2pm, and not reopen again until the next day.

Many stores and shops are closed on Sundays. Some of the chain supermarkets might remain open, but with shorter opening hours.

I feel in Madrid people are rude: they don’t say ‘hola’ in the street; waiters don’t smile.

I believe drivers are impolite in Madrid.

Madrid is not as relaxed as most coastal areas in terms of clothing where shorts and sandals are concerned.  People in Madrid dress nice and elegant.

In Spain, men whistle and shout at women in the street.

Tipping is not mandatory in Madrid.

Graffiti in the streets in Madrid means that you’re in a dangerous area.

Relationships with others (professors, friends, etc.) are less formal in Spain than in my culture.

Advertisements are more explicit In Spain, TV and magazines use more explicit images than in my country.

Madrileños (people from Madrid) speak really loud. It doesn’t mean they are angry or annoyed.

So, if you’re new to Spain, you might find it a bit louder than what you’re used to back home. Spaniards love a good chat, and they’re not shy about sharing their laughter or their favorite tunes with the world.

Phone conversations can get pretty lively here.

It’s very difficult to be vegetarian/vegan in Spain; meat and fish are basic elements in the Mediterranean diet.

You’ll Eat Lots of Olive Oil

Tortilla is not Tortilla.

If Spanish people are going out for the night, they’re really going out for the night.

Many bars are open until 4 a.m. Many nightclubs are open until 6 a.m. or later. People might not start drinking and partying until midnight.

It probably won’t surprise you that everyone in Spain speaks Spanish.

But it might surprise you that a very large portion of people don’t speak English.

People walk slowly on the sidewalk. People spend a long time chatting to each other on the street. People spend a while grocery shopping, choosing their products carefully instead of just rushing through.

Traditional siesta culture is largely dead.

Though wages here aren’t low compared to most parts of the world, they are low compared to most other parts of western Europe (and many other parts of the EU).

Politics is not discussed in public.