Language: Spanish

Climate: Spain has a variety of climate zones, including the Mediterranean characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters; and the vast central plateau with its hot, dry summers and cold winters. (Rain generally falls mostly in spring and autumn.) The mountains surrounding the plateau have a higher rainfall and often experience heavy snowfalls in winter. Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia have cool summers and mild winters. The weather is often cloudy with frequent rainfall. The area around Murcia has an almost African climate: rainfall is low and the Calima, or heat haze, is common during summer. On the Atlantic coast, the summers are cooler and fairly heavy rainfall occurs during winter.

Time Zone: CET - Central European Time

International phone code: 34

Currency: Euro

Capital: Madrid

Transportation: Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao have the most beautiful airports, designed by famous architects. Low-cost carriers flying to Spain include easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2.com. Train system in Spain is modern and reliable, most of the trains are brand new and the punctuality rate is one of the highest in Europe. There are lots of private bus companies offering routes to all major Spanish cities. Spain is connected by ferry to Northern Africa and the Canary Islands (which are owned by Spain). If you plan to move around large cities or explore further afield you will find many companies that offer car rentals at affordable prices because of the high competition between rental agencies.

Gay Spain

Despite being a predominantly Catholic culture, Spain allows same-sex marriages, providing legal and adoption rights to same-sex partners. The gay community is widely accepted, especially in the larger cities, such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Bilbao, Málaga, Zaragoza, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and other smaller cities that have a large number of tourists or a large foreign population, like Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Cádiz.

Spanish queer culture has been exported internationally with the films of Pedro Almodóvar, and events like Europride, celebrated in Madrid in 2007. Visibility has pierced several layers of society that were previously impenetrable, such as the army and the Guardia Civil. And although there are no out football (soccer) players yet, the FC Barcelona is the first team to officially accept a gay and lesbian fan club.

It is also a fundamental right to be naked anywhere you’d like. It may not be greeted with the widest of social acceptance, but according to their constitution, "one has the right to one's own image and clothing, or lack thereof."