Most questions about data in Spain are really one of two questions: do the islands count, and is the interior as empty as it looks. Here are both.
The islands
The Canary Islands and the Balearics are Spanish territory, so a Spain plan generally covers them — but the plan's own coverage list is what decides it, and that is the thing to read before you buy. If the list names Spain without exclusions, Tenerife and Mallorca are included.
A couple of things that are true regardless of plan:
- On the ferry between islands, you lose signal in open water. Normal, and nothing fixes it.
- Volcanic terrain blocks radio badly. On Tenerife, the roads inside the Teide caldera and the ravines of Anaga have long dead stretches. La Gomera and El Hierro are worse. Download the maps.
- Mallorca's Serra de Tramuntana: the twisting descent to Sa Calobra and the mountain villages have gaps where the cliffs shadow the towers.
The interior is genuinely empty
Rural Spain is thinly populated, and it shows. Movistar, Vodafone and Orange cover the cities, the AVE corridors and the coasts well. Away from them:
- Extremadura, inland Aragón, the Castilian plains, Teruel: villages have signal, the long roads between them often do not.
- The Picos de Europa and the Pyrenees: resort towns fine, passes and trails not.
- The Camino de Santiago: good in the towns, patchy on the meseta between them. Pilgrims should download the whole route, not the next stage.
If your trip is Madrid–Barcelona–Seville you will never notice any of this. If you are renting a car, you will.
The AVE
High-speed rail in Spain behaves like high-speed rail everywhere: fast handovers, metal carriages, tunnels. Signal on an AVE drops in and out. Download your ticket as a file before boarding rather than depending on an app that needs to reach a server at the gate.
Spain alone, or a Europe plan
- Spain only: the single-country plan wins, clearly. A lot of Spain trips are two or three weeks in one country, and that is where a dedicated plan is cheapest.
- Spain plus Portugal: the most common pairing, and the one case here that is close. Two single-country plans versus one regional plan is roughly even — work out your own numbers rather than taking a rule of thumb.
- Spain, France and Italy in one trip: the regional plan wins, and you also avoid a gap in data at each border.
If you will cross into Morocco from Tarifa or Algeciras, do not assume your Spain plan reaches across the strait — it does not. Some Europe plans do name Morocco in their coverage list, so if that leg matters, read the list.
How much data
- Ordinary sightseeing, maps, messaging, bar hunting: 2 GB a day.
- Multiple cities, heavy maps and timetable checking: 3 GB a day.
- Tethering a laptop, uploading video: 5 GB a day or more.
Where a plan slows after its high-speed allowance, you keep a usable connection for maps and chat, but video becomes frustrating. Pick a figure that keeps you clear of it rather than relying on what happens after.
No Spanish number
Data only. In Spain the consequences are small but specific:
- Apartment hosts and car hire desks sometimes call. Give them something you can receive on.
- Some parking and toll apps want a Spanish mobile number at signup. Register before you travel if you plan to use them.
- 112 works from any phone on any network, with or without a plan.