Ultimate Spain Guide: By Expats Living in Spain

Welcome to SpainMadeSimple.com

We are a team of experienced local experts in all aspects of Spain.

Led by expat Mark Eastwood the website began in 2004 so that is now over 20 years of providing valuable tips, guides and advice on how to successfully move to Spain.

Not only do we have strong and useful sections on moving to Spain with many interviews from expats living in Spain, we also are able to guide you on the best places to visit in Spain if you are coming here on holiday.

Moving to Spain

Utilise our experience to avoid the problems & pitfalls of relocating to Spain that many people go through.

As expats ourselves we know what it is like living in Spain and the difficulties in getting established especially with all the bureaucracy. Not forgetting the Brexit implications!

We also have advice on things such as, what you should do once you arrive? i.e. the legalities, dealing with paperwork, visas, cars, utilities etc.

It is now more difficult to move to Spain now that the UK has left the EU, but non-EU residents can apply for the golden visa for Spain which is a residence visa issued once you make a significant property investment in the Spanish economy.

Spain (España) has such a fantastic climate and is made for the outdoors lifestyle.

Retire to Spain

With a well-funded modern national health system and a good private health system, you should definitely consider retiring to Spain.

There is an abundance of activities such as golf and tennis to enjoy as well as the beaches and mountains, not to mention the history, culture, sights and attractions in the big cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Seville.

Where we do suggest caution is if you are a young family intending on moving to Spain.

Work & Jobs

You will definitely need to read our major work and jobs in Spain 2024 section which gives you an idea of what job opportunities there are, especially if you are an English-speaking person.

There is also good advice on work rules and regulations and help if you are a student looking for a summer job in Spain.

Our property section has the market covered whether you are looking to buy a villa or apartment in Spain. We personally are great fans of renting first by taking out a long-term rental to try before you buy.

Compare Insurance Quotes

We also offer a new service where we are comparing the best prices for insurances in Spain and giving you the cheapest quotations we have been able to find on the market – why not get a quote using our Spain Made Simple Car Insurance service now or our popular compare home insurance in Spain page?

We have a growing section on looking after your personal finances in Spain, after all it is essential you understand the rules and regulations of the country and your tax obligations if you intend on become a resident in Spain.

Costa Blanca

Costa Blanca Tourist Information

We live in Javea on the northern Costa Blanca of Spain midway in-between Valencia airport and Alicante airport.

It is a green mountainous region with popular former fishing villages, now beach resorts such as Denia, Moraira, Calpe and mass package-holiday destination  Benidorm.

Further south beyond Alicante it becomes flatter, arider with many golf courses and resorts such as Torrevieja, Villamartin and Cabo Roig, all popular with expats especially Brits.

Costa Calida

Costa Calida Tourist Information

South of the Costa Blanca is the Costa Calida with the major city being Murcia.

There are some good sandy beaches.

Popular resorts include La Manga and Mazarron.

Costa Almeria

Costa de Almeria Tourist Information

Heading south to the dry and hot region of Costa de Almeria you will find a region that in places is desert. Popular beach resorts include Mojacar and Vera Playa.

Costa del Sol

Costa del Sol Tourist Information

At the very south of Spain we have the most popular coast for tourism.

Of course Spain is not all about the mainland. Some of the islands are incredibly popular tourist destinations and also good places to try find work.

Ibiza, Mallorca & Menorca

The Balearic Islands are not far off the eastern coast so the weather will be more or less comparable to the city of Valencia.

Ibiza is famous as the place to go clubbing or partying but many people are unaware just how pretty and unspoilt most of the island is. Some of the beaches and turquoise waters compare to the Caribbean as does neighbouring Formentera which you can only reach by ferry.

Majorca (Mallorca) is the largest of the Balearic islands with the capital city being upmarket Palma although most young job seekers and nightlife seekers head for built-up Magaluf.

For some of the best beaches in Spain and for peace and quiet head to the smaller version of Mallorca which is Menorca.

The Canary Islands are a group of seven islands belonging to Spain just off the African coast.

All our tourism pages have maps, flight info, insider tips, car hire comparison tools and recommendations on the best places to stay and eat.

The navigation column to the right has links to the main sections with links to our pages.

It is interesting to us to see so many nationalities searching for information about Spain, be it moving to Spain or going on holiday to Spain.

46% of our website visitors are from the United Kingdom (British)
15% Spain (Spanish)
6.5% from Ireland (Irish)
5.5% from USA (American)
3.5% Belgium
3.25% Netherlands (Dutch)
2% Norway (Norwegian)
1.95% Germany (German)
1.5% France (French)
1.4% Sweden (Swedish)

The site is growing rapidly and is regularly updated with fresh and unique content about Spain so please bookmark us, link to us or add us to your favourites so you can visit us again.

Spain Tourism – Frequently Asked Questions…

How Many Tourists Visit Spain?

Spain is consistently in the top 3 visited countries in the world. Pre-covid a record 83.7 million tourists visited Spain. Numbers are now increasing and the figures for 2022 were already back to 86% of the 2019 record levels at 71.6 million visitors. Could Spain break the record in 2023?

Where do Tourists to Spain Come From?

The largest nationality visiting Spain are from the United Kingdom. The British make up over 15 million visitors each year. Second are the French (11 million) followed by Germans (also 11 million). Italy, Netherlands and the United States also visit in large tourist numbers.

Can Brits Still Go on Holiday to Spain?

Yes British citizens can go on holiday to Spain without a visa as long as you do not exceed 90 days over a 180-day period. Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years from your entry date and be valid for at least 3 months after your departure date.

In practical terms the 90 day limit means that if you have come back from spending 90 days in Spain, you must now wait another 90 days before you can enter Spain (and any other EU country) again. Clearly this has an impact on retirees who own a holiday home (second home) in Spain who would wish to be able to stay for longer consecutive periods of time.

In November 2022 Spain’s tourism secretary, Fernando Valdes, admitted that the current 90-day limit on how long British tourists can stay in the country is affecting the holiday industry although he said that unfortunately any exemption or change would have to come from an EU rule change as it was out of Spain’s hands.