Spain Money Saving Tips and Offers

Where to get free tapas in Spain?
In the Andalusian provinces of Jaen, Granada and Almeria there is a tradition of getting a free tapas when you order a drink in a bar.  I think this is probably due to the fact that these are amongst the poorest parts of Spain.  A tapas generally comes free with a beer or glass of wine.  You don't usually get a free tapa when you order a spirit or soft drink.  Don't expect the expat and Irish bars in these areas to give you free tapas. You will need to go to the Spanish bars.  In Jaen province, where I have spent a lot of time, we pay just over a euro for a small beer or wine so you can have 5 or 6 drinks and get a good feed for free.

We are not just talking about a free plate of olives or peanuts here.  It includes things like meatballs, croquetas, hamburgers, prawns, chorizo, jamon serrano, chicken pinchos, little sandwiches, black pudding, pork, rice dishes etc.

In the rest of Spain, unfortunately you have to pay for tapas, although you may get a small plate of olives with your drink, but not always.  I have heard that you can find the odd bar in big cities such as Madrid and Salamanca where they serve free tapas as well, but this is far from the norm in these places.  You will need to hunt out the freebies there.

One thing I have noticed in a few places where we live (Costa del Sol) are bars offering a tapa and a small beer for €1.50-2.00.  I guess this is a result of Spain's worsening economic depression.