What are the Spanish people like?

The majority of the Spanish people are friendly towards visitors and do not resent tourists. They go out of their way to help visitors. Perhaps this is the secret of the tremendous growth of tourism in Spain. Visitors will not go to countries which resent them. They choose countries where they will be treated with respect and friendliness.

Spain has had a very long tradition of hospitality and foreigners are greeted and offered food and drink. An example is the small white town of Frigiliana, near Nerja, which has won the prize of the most beautiful town in Spain several times. On May 3 they celebrate the Cruz de Mayo festival and everyone who visits the town is offered food and the town's wonderful sweet wine for free. Tables are put on every street, where residents offer the food and wine to every single visitor.

For Spanish people, it's fashionable to be late. In general, people in Madrid leave for the party very late, so if you decide to meet at 11 p.m., it is a perfectly normal hour. And so is staying in the club till 4 a.m. or staying till the metro starts working again, so you do not have to deal with super late night buses, overcrowded with strange people.

In general, Spaniards do not like mornings. They like sleeping as long as they can and then go to bed very late instead. That is why you will not meet many people out in the streets very early and oftentimes, shops do not open before 9 or 10 a.m. Siesta is normally two-hour long break (2-4 p.m.) for taking a rest after eating lunch. During that time the streets are emptier than at other times of the day and many shops are closed. But generally, this is not as common as it may seem because many people cannot afford it: they have classes or to work during that time.