Expat issues ‘complicated’ travel warning for Brits holidaying to Spain this summer

If you’re counting down the days to your summer holiday to Spain, you might want to mark down a few dates on your calender.

From Barcelona to the Costa del Sol, we all know Spain is much loved fly and flop destination for Brits – a staggering 17.8 million UK tourists flocked to the country in 2023.

However, one cultural difference could catch unsuspecting travelers off guard: bank holidays.

While bank holidays in the UK are mostly on Mondays (with a few exceptions such as Good Friday and Christmas) Spain has them across various days of the week.

Yep, Spaniards aren’t always given the gift of a long weekend, as supermarkets, restaurants and clubs shut their doors for numerous celebrated days across the year that occur on any and all weekdays.

This fact caught Stephanie Saint Remy, a YouTube content creator, off guard, when she moved to the country. The revelation led her to her share the knowledge with those planning to travel like her.

Stephanie remarked that ‘the amount of times I’ve gone into a supermarket on a Wednesday only to find that it was closed, is incredible.’

Far from ideal if you’re looking to pick up those all-important holiday snacks (Lays crisps anyone?)

Stephanie also warned that tourists and residents alike may also be caught out by the fact that not all bank holidays are the same across Spain, with certain events only happening in one or two communities.

She said the situation can be particularly ‘complicated’ because it’s hard to find much information on the internet. Thankfully she’s come up with a solution: ‘If I go into my local supermarket they’ll have their monthly opening hours printed.’ This indicates which days are bank holidays. Genius.

Stephanie also suggests creating a timetable for the events occurring during your stay in Spain to keep yourself in the loop.

Prime holiday season is rapidly approaching, so what events should you note down if you’re travelling in the coming months? Fear not, for the hard work has been done for you.

Here are the public holidays across Spain for July and August (although like Stephanie says, these vary from region to region):

• Thursday 25th July – Both the National Day of Galicia and St. James’s Day, impacting Galicia, Basque Country, Cantabria, Madrid and Navarre.
• Monday 5th August – Our Lady of Africa, taking place in Ceuta.
• Thursday 15th August – The Assumption of Mary, a national bank holiday.

For those travelling in the later months of the year to escape the floods of other tourists and the chill settling in over the UK, all dates can be found online.

What can you expect to do on these holidays within your holiday? Research into the individual events and how they are celebrated as you might find yourself in the midst of a street party.

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