(From someone who’s made every single one of them…)

If you’re heading to Spain for the first time, let me save you from the traps, misunderstandings and small disasters most travellers walk straight into. I’ve lived, travelled, eaten, hiked and mildly embarrassed myself all over the country — from the backstreets of Madrid to tiny fishing villages in Tenerife — and these are the mistakes I see people make again and again.

Think of this as your mate quietly taking you aside and saying, “Right… before you go, let me tell you what actually happens in Spain.”

Here we go.

1. Treating Spain like it’s one place

This is the biggest mistake of all. Spain isn’t “Spain” — it’s many different countries wearing the same coat. Madrid feels nothing like Barcelona. Galicia feels nothing like Andalucia. Even the Spanish language shifts. My first shock was in Bilbao, ordering a coffee and realising everyone around me was speaking Euskera, not Spanish. If you want the real experience, treat each region as its own mini world.

Tip: If you can, try pairing regions with contrast — say, a few days in Seville and then a quick flight to the Basque Coast. You’ll think you crossed a continent.

2. Eating too early (Spain doesn’t run on your timetable)

I promise you, nobody in Spain is eating dinner at 6 pm. I learned this the hard way in Madrid when I sat alone in an empty restaurant in La Latina and the waiter looked at me like I’d arrived for breakfast. Dinner starts around 9 pm — later on weekends — and it’s worth waiting.

If you need a “tide me over”, grab some tapas, these are on offer all day around in many bars across Spain.

3. Expecting tapas everywhere

Tapas culture changes wildly. In Granada, they’ll practically force-feed you free tapas with every drink. In Barcelona? Not so much. I once took a friend to a bar in Gracia and he was deeply offended when his beer arrived solo.

Just know the rules: in Andalucia, you’re sorted. In the north, pintxos are the star. In Madrid, tapas are common but not universal.

4. Thinking sangria is the national drink

You’ll spot sangria mainly where the menus are in six languages. Locals drink tinto de verano — red wine with lemon soda — especially in summer. It's cheaper, lighter and actually refreshing.

Grab one at La Ardosa in Malasana neighbourhood of Madrid, located at Calle Colon, 13, where the house vermouth is also dangerously good.

5. Only visiting Barcelona and Madrid

They’re great, obviously, but you’d be missing the soul. The places that changed how I saw Spain were the smaller spots:

• Caceres, where the old town feels like a film set after dark.
• Cudillero, a fishing village in Asturias, looks hand-painted.
• Ubeda, in Jaen, which has Renaissance palaces nobody tells you about.

Spain’s magic often hides where tourists don’t go.

6. Overpacking (the weather lies)

Spain has every weather system under the sun. I once froze in a Galician summer and nearly melted in a Valencian spring. Nights in Madrid in winter? Bring a proper coat. Andalucian shade in August? Practically tropical.

Layers are your friend. And a good pair of shoes — you’ll walk more than you think.

7. Booking everything last-minute

Some things in Spain are spontaneous. But others? They sell out faster than churros on a Sunday morning. The Alhambra in Granada is the big one. If you’re hitting Barcelona, Park Guell and the Sagrada Familia also need booking days ahead.

Don’t wing these — trust me, I have, and I’ve spent the afternoon staring at a wall wishing I’d been inside it.

8. Only eating near tourist attractions

The quickest way to spend too much and eat badly. Wander three or four streets away and suddenly everything tastes better.

In Valencia, avoid the beachfront paella and head inland to Casa Carmela — the paella is cooked over wood fire and it tastes like it.

9. Overplanning your days

Spain likes to slow you down. That’s sort of the point. If your itinerary has 14 things a day, it’s going straight in the bin once you meet the reality of Spanish pacing.

Give yourself space to sit in a square, sip a coffee, people-watch, and let the day unfold. My favourite memories were things I didn’t plan — like stumbling into a tiny flamenco show at La Carboneria in Seville.

10. Relying on English

You can get by in English in major cities, but I’ve found even the clumsiest Spanish opens doors instantly.

If you only learn one Spanish phrase, make it this: ¿Me recomienda algo?
(“What do you recommend?”)

I’ve discovered some of my favourite dishes because I asked this.

11. Assuming every beach is like the Instagram photos

Spain has stunning beaches… and crowded ones. The trick is knowing where to go.

If you’re in Tenerife, skip the packed beaches near the resorts and head to Playa de Benijo. It’s wild, dramatic, and unforgettable — but go early, the waves are no joke.

12. Believing the stereotypes

No, Spaniards don’t nap all day. No, everyone isn’t late. And no, paella isn’t a national dish — it’s Valencian.

The sooner you drop these ideas, the sooner you start discovering the real Spain.

13. Ignoring the local stuff in favour of the “famous” stuff

In Seville, everyone rushes to the Alcazar (rightly), but skip the Hospital de la Caridad at your peril. It’s quiet, eerie and home to a couple of jaw-dropping paintings. I still think about it years later.

And in Barcelona, pop into Antic Teatre for a drink. It’s a leafy courtyard hidden behind a plain door — an oasis in the middle of the city.

14. Thinking you can “do” Spain in a week

You can’t. You really can’t. Spain is a slow travel country. Pick two or three areas and savour them. The more you try to cram in, the less you actually experience.

My advice? For a first visit: Madrid + Toledo + Seville. Perfect mix of food, culture, sunshine and chaos.

15. Forgetting that Spain has mountains

The beaches get the spotlight, but Spain’s unspoken glory is its hiking. I once did the Ruta del Cares in Asturias and it instantly became a top-five Spain moment. The cliffs are outrageous.

Even around Madrid, the Sierra de Guadarrama is brilliant for day hikes and barely any tourists go.

16. Trusting Google Maps blindly

Spain’s old towns are a labyrinth. Google Maps will tell you to turn down a 600-year-old alley that suddenly becomes a staircase. Especially in Toledo. My advice: enjoy getting lost. That’s how I found my favourite wine bar, Taberna El Pecado, hidden down a street so narrow you’d almost miss it.

17. Avoiding local markets

The beating heart of Spanish towns. You’ll learn more wandering around Mercado de Triana in Seville or Mercado Central in Valencia than in any guidebook. Buy fruit, chat with stall owners, grab a bite — these places are Spain at its most real.

18. Expecting everything to be open all day

Siesta hours are still alive. Shops may close from around 2 pm–5 pm, especially outside big cities. Restaurants may shut between lunch and dinner. Sundays can be very quiet.

Plan around it and embrace the slower rhythm.

19. Forgetting to wander without purpose

Some of my absolute favourite moments in Spain weren’t on any list. Like stumbling across Cafe Irun in Pamplona and having the best tortilla of my life. Or taking a wrong turn in Cordoba and landing in a tiny patio overflowing with jasmine.

Sometimes Spain rewards curiosity more than planning.