Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

LIFE IN SPAIN

‘Like Tokyo’: Spain’s cities get unbearably busy over long December break

Barcelona police have been deployed to prevent people from clogging up traffic by taking selfies in the middle of the road, one of many examples of how Spanish city centres become unbearably crowded during the December holidays.

Published: 11 December 2023 11:31 CET
'Like Tokyo': Spain's cities get unbearably busy over long December break
Christmas crowds in Malaga. Photo: JORGE GUERRERO / AFP

Despite the rise in travel costs, throngs of Spaniards have travelled during the early December holiday, causing congestion in many of its major cities.

The December puente or ‘bridge’ began on December 6th with Constitution Day, followed by the Day of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th, with many taking the 7th off too and heading away for a five-day break making it a long weekend.

Spain’s General Directorate of Traffic estimated that at least eight million cars would be travelling on the roads over the holiday and that most of them took place between Tuesday December 5th and Friday December 8th, especially along the Mediterranean coast, central and southern Spain.

Madrid

Madrid City Council activated their ‘black’ and highest level of police monitoring in the streets of the capital due to the huge influx of extra people.

Local press reported human traffic jams, suffocating metro carriages, long queues just be served at bars and slow-pace moving around the city centre over the holiday. 

“It reminds me of those videos you see of hoards of people in Japanese cities crossing the street,” one tourist told Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

Barcelona

The situation was no different in Catalonia, where large crowds descended on the centre to see the Christmas lights and markets. Barcelona’s Passeig de Gràcia boulevard was particularly busy, with swathes of people stopping to watch the Christmas light display on the façade of Gaudí’s Casa Batlló. So many people stopped outside the building to take pictures of the display along with the Christmas lights that they caused several traffic jams and police had to intervene.  

Urban Police also had to warn the public to not stand in the middle of pedestrian crossings in order to take photos of the Christmas lights which decorate the avenue, endangering both themselves and the circulation of traffic. 

On Sunday, December 10th Barcelona City Council decided to remedy the situation by cordoning off the sides of the two side streets running parallel to Passeig de Gràcia in addition to calling up more police reinforcements.

People take selfie pictures with Christmas lights in the background, in Barcelona. Photo: Pau BARRENA / AFP
 

Seville

In the Andalusian capital up, to 300 local police officers were deployed to monitor the city centre and keep the crowds in check. Online newspaper El Español described the scenes in the city as “a human river that fills any corner” and reported on the long queues and extra noise.

The Seville City Council confirmed that although very busy there were no major incidents.

Málaga

In Málaga city, famed for its Christmas light displays, local media reported that cafes and restaurants were completely full and long queues to wait for tables becoming very frequent.

The hospitality sector meanwhile confirmed that they are breaking billing and employment records. Business meals and the appeal of Christmas lights are also mentioned among the causes of the boom. According to recent stats, Málaga is now the third province in Spain, after Madrid and Barcelona, to employ the most people in the hospitality industry, more than 103,000.

Asturias

Not even typically quiet northern Spain could escape the crowds during the holidays with authorities in the region of Asturias reporting many hotels close to being full and blaming the throngs on the good weather of above 20C, making it warmer than the Balearic Islands, Valencia and Andalusia over the long weekend.

But it wasn’t just cities such as the capital of Oviedo that were packed, as two of its Parador hotels – Parador de Corias and Parador de Cangas de Onis said they were at capacity. Director, Daniel González from Parador de Corias said that “the weekend and Friday we were at 100 percent, and the previous days, above 90 percent”.

Toledo

In historic Toledo, there was a tale of two cities with residents and members of the political party PSOE, complaining about the hordes over the break, stating that there was a complete “collapse” as well as “problems – of mobility – seen in Santa Bárbara, the Paseo de la Rosa, the Azarquiel bridge, La Cava, Reconquista avenue, Madrid avenue and other roads that have been saturated”.

The Toledo council of PP and Vox, on the other hand,  congratulated themselves on the “historic packed house” that the city experienced during this pre-Christmas long weekend. Mayor Juan José also praised the local police “for their excellent coordination work and their speed in making Toledo a safer city”.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

PADRON

When and how you need to renew your padrón certificate in Spain

The padrón document you get when registering at your local town hall in Spain must be renewed periodically. Find out when and the steps on how to do it.

Published: 22 April 2024 13:09 CEST
Updated: 27 April 2024 10:18 CEST
When and how you need to renew your padrón certificate in Spain

The padrón certificate is used to show proof of where you live. Your town hall – or ayuntamiento – uses it to find how many people are living in the area and what their ages are.

The number of people living in each area will depend on how much money they will receive from the government. They use this money for local services such as schools, health centres, parks and police officers.

If you are a non-EU citizen with temporary residence (less than 5 years) in Spain, then you will need to renew your padrón certificate every two years.

You will also need to renew your padrón each time you move house, as it should have your current address. 

For some bureaucratic processes in Spain, you will also need to be able to show you have a padrón certificate that’s no older than three months. 

Depending on where you live, there are different ways you can renew it. This could be in person, online or by post.

READ ALSO – Padrón: 16 things you should know about Spain’s town hall registration

Generally, in order to renew your certificate, you will need:

  • A recent gas, water or electricity bill in your name
  • Your rental contract and receipt of your last rental payment
  • If you own your own property, you will need to show evidence that you own it, such as the property deeds

You will also need to show:

  • A valid residence card such as TIE
  • A valid passport
  • In addition, it is also advisable to bring your previous padrón certificate

For children you will also need the following:

  • Records of your digitised family book (libro de família)
  • A valid passport or residence permit of the minor
  • A passport of one of the parents which also contains the identification data of the minor
  • Birth certificate of your child

If you do not live in the same household as your child, you will also need:

  • A delegation for registration form, signed by the parent who lives with the minor.
  • Photocopy of the valid identification document of the parent who lives with the child.
  • In the case of minors under 14 years of age, it will not be mandatory for them to have an NIE, passport or identification document from their country of origin.

Remember that all your documents should be officially translated into Spanish or another local language such as Catalan, if they aren’t already.

READ ALSO: Can I get my padrón online in Spain?

In person

If you are applying in person, you will need to make an appointment at your local Ayuntamiento or town hall.

When the date for your appointment arrives you will need to complete the renewal form, which will most like look something like this, but may change depending on where you live. 

You will also need to bring originals and photocopies of all the documents above.

Online

If you have a digital certificate or Cl@ve PIN you are able to renew your padrón online. You will need to do this via your local government website.

First, you’ll need to identify yourself digitally with your digital certificate or Cl@ve PIN.

Next you will have to complete the renewal form and then attach digital copies of all the above documentation that’s required.

Then you’ll need to submit and sign it digitally.

By post

Although this is not the most common way to renew your certificate, some town halls may let you apply by post and will have details of the relevant address to send your documents and forms to online. 

SHOW COMMENTS