How to travel to Spain from the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Mexico and Ireland

Travel to Spain from the USA

Flights

Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona El Prat are the main long-haul airports. Some airlines fly direct from several US cities to Madrid and Barcelona at times, including New York, Newark, Boston, Miami, Chicago, Washington and others, and in some seasons from West Coast cities too; a few seasonal routes have also reached Málaga or Palma. Check current schedules. Flight time from the East Coast to Madrid is usually roughly 7–8 hours, and from the West Coast with a connection a total of roughly 13–17 hours is common.

Entry

Spain is in the Schengen area. US passport holders can usually visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted across all Schengen countries. The EU Entry/Exit System registers non-EU travellers at the border, and ETIAS is planned; check travel-europe.europa.eu and travel.state.gov.

Time difference and jet lag

Mainland Spain is usually 6 hours ahead of New York and 9 hours ahead of the West Coast; the Canary Islands are one hour behind the mainland. Overnight flights land in the morning, so keep moving, have a late Spanish lunch and try to stay awake until a reasonable bedtime. Spain's late dinner hours can actually help your body clock adjust.

Planning tip

Fly into Barcelona and out of Madrid, or the reverse, and take the high-speed train in between. If you visit other Schengen countries on the same trip, count your days carefully.

Travel to Spain from the UK

Flights

Spain is one of the most popular destinations from the UK, and some airlines fly direct from London and nearly every regional UK airport at times to Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Alicante, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao, Santiago de Compostela, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. Check current schedules, as many routes are seasonal. Flight times are usually roughly 2–2.5 hours to Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao, roughly 2.5–3 hours to Andalusia and roughly 4–4.5 hours to the Canary Islands.

Entry

British passport holders are treated as non-EU visitors and can usually stay in the Schengen area visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180 days. You are registered under the EU Entry/Exit System on your first crossing, and border officers may ask about your return ticket, accommodation and funds. Check gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain and travel-europe.europa.eu for ETIAS.

Time difference

Mainland Spain is one hour ahead of the UK all year, as both change their clocks on the same dates. The Canary Islands are on the same time as the UK. There is no real jet lag, but the late meal times take a day or two to get used to.

By land and sea

Ferries have linked southern England with northern Spain, including routes to Santander and Bilbao; check current sailings. Trains through France via Paris are another option. Both are slower but useful if you want to bring a car or avoid flying.

Travel to Spain from Canada

Flights

Some airlines fly direct from Toronto and Montreal to Madrid and Barcelona at times, and seasonal routes to other Spanish cities have run in some years; check current schedules. Flight time from Toronto or Montreal to Madrid is usually roughly 7–8 hours. From Vancouver, Calgary and other cities, most travellers connect through Toronto, Montreal, a US city or a European hub, with a total journey of roughly 13–18 hours.

Entry

Canadian passport holders can usually visit the Schengen area, including Spain, visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The EU Entry/Exit System applies at the border, and ETIAS is planned for visa-exempt visitors; check travel-europe.europa.eu for its current timing and travel.gc.ca for official advice.

Time difference and jet lag

Mainland Spain is usually 6 hours ahead of Toronto and Montreal and 9 hours ahead of Vancouver. The Canary Islands are one hour behind the mainland. Shift your sleep earlier a few days before you go, sleep on the overnight flight and spend your first afternoon outside in the daylight.

Planning tip

Spain's distances are larger than many visitors expect. With a week, it is often better to pick one or two regions, such as Madrid and Andalusia or Barcelona and the Basque Country, than to try to cover the whole country. High-speed trains make it easy to land in one city and fly home from another.

Travel to Spain from Australia

Flights

There are no direct flights from Australia to Spain. Most travellers connect through a Middle Eastern hub such as Doha, Dubai or Abu Dhabi, an Asian hub such as Singapore, Hong Kong or Bangkok, or another European city, and fly on to Madrid or Barcelona. Total journey times are usually roughly 22–30 hours from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, and a little less from Perth.

Spain is often part of a longer European trip. A multi-city ticket, into Barcelona and home from Madrid or Lisbon, for example, saves backtracking.

Entry

Australian passport holders can usually visit the Schengen area, including Spain, visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted across all Schengen countries together. That limit matters on long trips around Europe. Check smartraveller.gov.au and travel-europe.europa.eu for EES and ETIAS details.

Time difference and jet lag

Mainland Spain is usually 8–10 hours behind Sydney and Melbourne, depending on daylight saving in both countries, and 6–7 hours behind Perth. Consider a stopover night in Asia or the Gulf, get daylight on arrival and stay up until a normal bedtime.

Seasons

Spain's best months, usually March to June and September to November, fall in the Australian autumn and spring. The Australian winter is the Spanish summer, popular but very hot in Andalusia and the interior.

Travel to Spain from Mexico

Flights

Spain is the most common gateway to Europe from Mexico. Some airlines fly direct from Mexico City to Madrid at times, often daily, and routes have also linked Cancún and other Mexican cities with Madrid and Barcelona; check current schedules. Flight time from Mexico City to Madrid is usually roughly 10–12 hours. From Guadalajara, Monterrey and other cities, you can connect through Mexico City or a US city.

Madrid's airport is a large hub with onward flights across Spain and Europe, which makes it easy to continue to Seville, Barcelona or another country.

Entry

Mexican passport holders can usually visit the Schengen area, including Spain, visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Border officers may ask about your return ticket, accommodation and funds. The EU Entry/Exit System applies, and ETIAS is planned for visa-exempt visitors; check travel-europe.europa.eu and gob.mx/sre before you travel.

Time difference

Mainland Spain is usually 7 hours ahead of Mexico City in the northern winter and 8 hours ahead in summer, as Mexico City no longer changes its clocks. It is 6–7 hours ahead of Cancún. Overnight flights arrive in the morning or afternoon, so try to sleep on board and follow local meal times.

Language

Spanish makes travel in Spain very easy for Mexican visitors, although some words and expressions differ, and Catalan, Basque and Galician are also spoken in their regions.

Travel to Spain from Ireland

Flights

Some airlines fly direct from Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Knock and Belfast at times to many Spanish cities, including Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Alicante, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao, Santiago de Compostela, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. Check current schedules, as many routes are seasonal. Flight times are usually roughly 2–2.5 hours to northern Spain and Madrid, roughly 2.5–3 hours to Andalusia and roughly 4 hours to the Canary Islands.

Entry

Irish citizens are EU citizens and can travel to Spain with a valid passport or Irish passport card. Ireland is not in the Schengen area, so you show your document on arrival, but the 90-day limit, EES and ETIAS do not apply to Irish citizens. Check dfa.ie/travel. Non-EU residents of Ireland follow the Schengen rules for their own nationality.

Time difference

Mainland Spain is one hour ahead of Ireland all year; the Canary Islands are on the same time as Ireland. There is no jet lag, so a long weekend in Madrid or a week walking part of the Camino de Santiago is realistic.

Planning tip

For the Camino, Santiago de Compostela has flights from Ireland at times, and many walkers fly into another northern Spanish airport, such as Bilbao or Santander, to reach their starting point. For the south, Málaga is usually the busiest gateway from Ireland.

Arriving in Spain on your own

Airport to city

Madrid-Barajas is linked to the city by metro line 8, by Cercanías commuter trains from Terminal 4 and by an airport express bus, as well as taxis and ride-hailing cars; the drive to the centre usually takes around 20–40 minutes. Barcelona El Prat has the Aerobús to the city centre, a train and a metro line, plus taxis. Málaga airport has a commuter train into the city and along the Costa del Sol.

Arriving at night

Spain's cities stay lively late, so arriving in the evening rarely feels deserted. Metro and train services end around midnight or a little later, with night buses in Madrid and Barcelona. Official taxi ranks or ride-hailing apps are the simplest option late at night. Keep your bag zipped and close in arrivals halls and on public transport, where pickpockets target tired travellers.

First hours

• Cards and contactless payment are widely accepted, so you need little cash.
• Buy a multi-trip transport card in Madrid or Barcelona if you plan to use the metro.
• Consider a local SIM or eSIM if you are from outside the EU.
• Allow time at passport control for your first EES registration.

Joining a group trip on arrival

Group trips often start in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville or Málaga. Arriving the day before helps after a long-haul flight and lets you settle into Spanish meal times. Send the organiser your flight details, check whether airport transfers are included and note the time of the welcome meeting, which in Spain is often in the evening.

Best time to fly to Spain

Spain is usually most comfortable from March to June and from September to November. July and August are hot inland and in the south, and coasts and islands are crowded.

From the northern hemisphere

From the UK and Ireland, Spain works all year: winter suits Andalusia, city breaks and the Canary Islands, and spring and autumn suit walking and touring. From North America and Mexico, spring and autumn give a good balance of weather and demand. Semana Santa, Las Fallas in Valencia and the summer holidays are peak times, so book flights and rooms early for those dates.

From the southern hemisphere

For Australians, Spain's spring and autumn are the Australian autumn and spring. Many build a longer European trip around Spain in those months.

Booking tips

• Fly into one city and out of another, using high-speed trains in between.
• Count your Schengen days if you are visiting other countries on the same trip.
• In August, some city restaurants close as Spaniards take holidays.

Combine Spain with Morocco

Spain is the easiest country to combine with Morocco: at the Strait of Gibraltar, the two coasts are only around 14 km apart.

By ferry

Ferries cross the strait between southern Spain and northern Morocco, including routes from Tarifa to Tangier and from Algeciras to Tanger Med port. Other routes have run from Spanish ports such as Almería and Málaga to Moroccan ports and to the Spanish enclave of Melilla. The Tarifa to Tangier crossing is often around an hour. Sailings depend on weather and season, so check current schedules. From Tangier, trains run to Rabat, Casablanca, Fes and Marrakech.

By air

Some airlines fly between Spanish cities, including Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga and Seville, and Moroccan cities such as Marrakech, Tangier, Fes and Casablanca at times; flights are short, usually roughly 1–2.5 hours.

Entry and timing

Days in Spain count towards the Schengen 90-day limit for many non-EU visitors; days in Morocco do not. Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish, so Schengen rules apply there. Check Morocco's entry rules for your passport separately. A classic route is Seville, Córdoba and Granada, then the ferry to Tangier and on to Chefchaouen and Fes.