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Spain consists of 17 administrative units called ''Comunidades Autónomas''. Some of these administrative units also represent historical nations that vary in traditions, culture, gastronomy and even language. Despite that all citizens of Spain speak Spanish and are politically recognised as Spaniards, you will be more liked by locals — especially in some northern regions such as Galicia, Asturias, Euskal Herria (Basque Country) and Catalonia where nationalist movements are vigorously flourishing — if you learn the basic particularities of each territory (i.e: Don't expect sevillanas and bullfighting in Girona and don't be surprised if you see bagpipes and celtic-like stuff in Santiago de Compostela!).
In Spainconsists of 17 administrative units called ''Comunidades Autónomas''. Some of these administrative units also represent historical nations that vary in traditions, culture, hitching isn’t a very common concept gastronomy and even language. Although all citizens of Spain speak Spanish and mostly done are politically recognised as Spaniards, you will be more liked by foreignerslocals – especially in the nationalistic Basque country and Catalunya – if you learn the basic distinctive features of each region (i. Howevere don't expect sevillanas and bullfighting in Girona, the thumb will and don't be understoodsurprised if you see bagpipes and celtic-like stuff in Santiago de Compostela!).
The In Spain, hitching isn’t a very common concept and mostly done by foreigners. However, the thumb will be understood. An effective best method is to can be ask people directly wheneverpossible, even if your Spanish is very poor. The Spanish phrase ''vas a... ?'' ‘are you going to...?’ is a good starting point. Because Spain is a touristic country, at some large service stations you can find drivers from all over Europe, who are more likely to take you than the local people. But be carefulHowever, as many petrol stations, especially this strategy is not advised in the Southfar south of Spain (Andalucia), are as service stations there tend to be deserted, if you are unlucky, only one or two non-local cars stop at the station every hour, and you might spend the night there.That being said, hitching from service station to service station is a lot easier than just standing on sometimes off of the main road, it can even go quite well if you speak basic Spanish. Just make sure you get to service stations as often as you can.
== Spanish concept of time ==
The country with more hours of daylight in Europe has slightly different habits related to time managment that not surpinsgly may shock hitchhikers from "darker" countries. Understanding this is essential for a succesful hitchhike.
===Siesta time===
''Siesta'' , the Spanish word for taking a nap, is not a myth. From 2pm to 5pm approx. even the biggest cities will seem empty and deserted. This is called the siesta time. Although most Spaniards will not go to sleep during these hours, they will go to have lunch (the most important meal in southern European countries), spend time with their friends or relatives, and have a break before they get back to work/study. Foreigners might think of the Spanish as lazy, but the siesta break is actually a necessity in the summer months when it is too hot — and sometimes dangerous— to work in the midday. Consequently, the Spaniards stop working, have dinner and go to sleep certianly later than their north-European counterparts.
Do not attempt to hitchike anywhere in Spain during the siesta hours. The traffic flow decreases drastically on the road too, and the Sun can be a strong enemy if you travel during the summer.
===Shopping and party time===
Usually shops open Monday to Saturday, from 9am to 8 or 9pm, with a break in the ''siesta hours'' (1.30pm ~ 5pm). On Saturday, some shops only open during the morning. Street markets and flea markets are usually held every Sunday. Bars and pubs can open until 2am, some will even close later in the weekends.
A night out any Friday or Saturday in a big city means walking from bar to bar from 10pm to 5am. 3am is usually the peak hour of every club.
Clubbing on Thursday nights is also pretty common, especially among university students.
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'''Spain''' is a member state of the European Union as well as the Schengen Agreement.
Even if you hitchhike alone or in groups of two: , be prepared to make much fewer kilometers per day than in e.g. Germany or France. Waiting times of over an hour are commincommon, and 500 or 700 500–700 km a day may be prove a real challenge. The first time you hitchhike in Spain, it might be a good idea to only plan for 300 km a day. During the hot hours of "the Siestasiesta" (2pm -5pmfrom 2 pm to 5 pm) , there tends to be less traffic density is decreased. In the summer, the sun can be very powerful at this time of day, so it may be best to avoid standing on the road during the siesta hours.
[[File:Espana.jpg|thumb|left|[[User:Amylin|Amylin]] hitching to Spain from [[Portugal]].]]
== Maps ==
From any tourist-info around country, you can find good roadmap of the region and/or the autonomous area for free of charge.
== Cities ==
