10 Things to know before moving to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain

Living in Spain is an exciting prospect, but adjusting to life in a different country can be challenging at first. Over the years I’ve come to love all the quirky characteristics of pueblo life in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, but there are definitely some things I wish I’d known before moving here. Below are some quick tips on what to expect; these tips are specific to Sanlúcar but are applicable to most places in Spain. Please don’t be like this lady…do your research before relocating to Spain and be prepared to adapt—you’ll be pushed out of your comfort zone but that’s part of the appeal!

1) Buying produce in Spain

This threw me through a loop when I first moved to Sanlúcar. Some supermarkets require you to weigh your produce before going to checkout and some don’t. One time I was chased by a supermarket employee when I left the produce section without weighing some fruit, they thought I was trying to steal it…so embarrassing. 😓

Here’s how to weigh produce: 

• Grab a plastic bag provided (or buy some reusable ones)
• Look for a ‘tecla numero’ sign
• Look for a scale in the area & place produce on top
• Select the identification number, print the ticket and stick it to your bag
• Take it to the counter at checkout  

Keep in mind Mercadona, Aldi and Dia weigh your produce for you at checkout, some places have an employee who weighs it in the produce section, and at Alcampo you’re required to weigh it yourself as I’ve described above. If you buy produce at the fresh market or from a local vendor they’ll weigh it for you. If you were to ask me which super is my fav, I’d say Mercadona—however Aldi is the only place to get kale in Sanlúcar I’ve come across (but only when it’s in season). 

Look for the identification number 

Place produce on the scale, tap the screen and find the # associated with the item you want

Also don’t forget you can buy items individually—at first I thought people were stealing individual cans of soda or beer, but it’s totally normal!

For example, one can is €0.90 and the pack is €10.80

2) Booking a taxi / Uber in Sanlúcar

Uber doesn’t operate in every city in Spain, especially not in small communities like Sanlúcar. Here we use an app called PideTaxi, or you can call RadioTaxi Sanlucar. Note, most small towns in this area have ‘Radio Taxi’ and you can find the phone number with a quick Google search. The main taxi stop in Sanlucar is at the end of Calle Ancha (close to the Plaza de Cabildo). On weekends you’ll find taxis lined up there to take people, but sometimes you have to call the number on the taxi stand (or radio taxi) to tell them to come pick you up.

3) Saving on  airport parking in Spain

If you live in Sanlúcar chances are you’ll likely fly out of the airport in Jerez de la Frontera, Malaga or Seville. Do yourself a favor and get the Aena parking app. If you book parking in advance through the app it will cost you significantly less! A taxi to the Jerez airport will cost around €40. If you’re flying out of Seville I’ve got some tips on how to get there. You might also try your luck with BlaBlaCar (rideshare app) if you need to get to Seville or Malaga and are tight on cash—my local friends have used this app for years.📱 NOTE: If you can’t find these apps you might need to change your App Store country to Spain in order to access them.

4) Renting an apartment in Sanlúcar

Sanlúcar is a holiday destination for many Spaniards. This means you’ll mostly have ‘seasonal’ rental options available, i.e. you can rent from September through June (when kids are in school). Annual rentals are harder to find and will be more expensive because June through August is the high season here. Some people rent in Sanlúcar during the school year and then go to Jerez because places are super cheap there in summer (due to the heat). Here are tips to keep in mind when searching for an apartment to rent in Spain:

• Most rentals have a washer machine for clothes, but keep an eye out for dishwashers and ovens too as those are less common. 
• I’ve never seen a rental with a clothes dryer so keep in mind you’ll need to air dry your clothes in winter (which takes forever).  
• I’d try to find a place that has a ‘termo’ so you don’t have to use a bombona (gas tank) to heat your water. Older apartments use the bombona system and it’s a pain in the butt to have to change the tank every few weeks. 
• Renters usually pay one month’s rent upfront as their deposit. Also if you can avoid dealing with contracting Wifi yourself that’s always a plus…seasonal apartments usually have Wifi.
• Some rentals will include a parking spot, some won’t; parking in off season is easy to find in Sanlúcar, but from April through August it’s more difficult to find free parking close to the center. Note gorrillas are super common here so don’t be alarmed when some random person tries to help you park your car; they expect some change in exchange for their service. Usually they’re harmless and you don’t have to pay them but I normally give them change if I have it.

You can use fotocasa.es, idealista.com, and milannuncios.com to find rentals in the area. I would not recommend paying the full deposit before seeing the rental in person first. These are the main neighborhoods in Sanlúcar I’d recommend—Quinto Centenario is also a fine area to rent/live, it’s just a littler farther walk to the center (about 15 minutes or so).

If you’re planning to move to Sanlúcar my family has an apartment located in the center of town at the end of Calle Ancha. If you’re interested in renting it (short-term, seasonally or annually) reach out to me here for more info. The apartment is located inside a palace renovated in 2024—it has 15ft ceilings, all new appliances and furniture, central air/heat, wifi, and is literally in the heart of the city. 👇

The interior patio leading to the apartment

Living space and kitchen

5) Getting food delivered in Sanlúcar

When I first moved to Sanlúcar in 2011 there were no food delivery apps in the area, so I was super stoked when the Glovo app finally arrived! You can get food delivered to almost anywhere in town, even the golf course. At the moment Nakame D Rolls is my favorite takeout sushi place in town—highly recommended! You can also get your groceries delivered—I know Mercadona delivers for orders placed through their app (there’s a 6.50€ delivery fee), and I’m sure other supermarkets in the area offer the same.

6) Supermarket parking Spain

Most of the supermarkets in the area use a parking ticket system now to ensure only paying patrons use their parking lot. When you pull into the supermarket you’ll need to push the button to collect a ticket to lift the barrier. If you’re lucky the scanner will read your license plate correctly, but save the ticket in any case. At checkout you’ll present the ticket to the cashier and they’ll add a barcode to your receipt. If the scanner didn’t read your license plate correctly, you’ll need to scan the barcode while exiting the supermarket parking lot for the barrier to open. If it reads your license plate correctly, it’ll automatically open for you. If not push the little intercom button until they open the gate for you (lol).

Example of parking ticket issued at Mercadona

7) Waiting in line “etiquette” in Spain

For some reason people don’t like to queue here, they’ll just hang around inside a business in no discernable order…so if you go to a crowded carnicería, phone/internet store, etc. and aren’t sure who’s the last person in line you can ask ‘quién es el último?’ (who’s the last one?); usually someone will say ‘yo’ and you can reply ‘vale, voy detras tuyo’ (okay, I’m after you). Keep an eye out for a ticket machine because many businesses have them by the entrance. 

If you go to a public or private doctor, usually you’ll receive a piece of paper with your numero de orden and the hour of your appointment. When you get to the door of the doctor, if there’s no nurse asking and calling people’s names, I’ll ask the people around me if they’re waiting for door number X, or doctor X— if they say yes I’ll ask “A qué hora tienes tu? Yo tengo a las 10:15” (for example). Sometimes people like to get to appointments early to try to cut in line, so I always ask them for their hour to know if I go before or after them.

8) Kid-friendly restaurants in Sanlúcar

I get a lot of questions from readers about kid-friendly restaurants in Sanlúcar. To be honest, there’s only one or two places I wouldn’t take my kids to eat here; not because they don’t like kids, but because they don’t have cheap fried fish or croquettes on the menu. So in other words, kids are welcome everywhere as long as you keep your child under control. Our go-to places are Gozo for pizza and burgers, anywhere outside in the Plaza de Cabildo, Restaurante Copa Casa Club (green space), Inesperado (seasonal beach bar our friend works at), and Saam Club de Mar (paid kid zone on weekends with babysitters but you need a car to get there)—they’ve either got space for the kids to run and play, are frequented by families, or are casual/noisy so my boisterous twins won’t annoy other patrons. Child’s Play (yes I know the name is creepy) is a new indoor play space (ludoteca or parque infantil) and arcade where you can take your kids after 5pm to let them blow off some steam while you enjoy a beer or coffee. Another favorite is Los Caracoles off the calzada in the center, where you can enjoy a beverage and/or tapa while the kids play on the playground.   

Enjoying tapas in the center of Sanlúcar

9) Double parking happens everywhere…

When I first moved to southern Spain I was shocked and annoyed by how common double parking is. Now that I’ve been driving in Spain for the last 5 years, I’ll confess I am guilty of doing this myself when dropping my kids at school (daily). My advice is to just accept it and drive around them because double parking is simply a way of life here. 😂 If you’re going to double park make sure to turn your emergency lights on, fold in your mirror, and for the love of God ensure there’s enough room for cars to pass you—once I caused a 2 block traffic jam and everyone was yelling all kinds of fun insults out the window as I made my walk of shame back to my car. To be fair, I had large vans pass me without issue…I just had a bit of bad luck with an abnormally large vehicle trying to drive down the street at that exact moment during the school run.

10) What’s open on Sundays & during siesta in Sanlúcar?

Everything except restaurants close on Sundays in Sanlúcar. The only exception would be the malls (Las Dunas in Sanlúcar and Area Sur in Jerez) are occasionally open on specific Sundays and during the holiday season leading up to Christmas. You might also find the occasional kiosk open selling snacks and sandwiches. During weekdays siesta takes place daily between 2pm – 6pm. Most of the local shops and pharmacies are closed at that time for lunch—however supermarkets and franchises usually remain open. Note that every city has a daily designated Pharmacy “on duty” or Farmacia de Guardia which is open 24 hours for anyone who needs medicine. The pharmacy Piña Linares C.B. located on the calzada in Sanlucar does not close for siesta on weekdays.

 

I hope you found these tips useful. If you’ve got any to add leave me a comment below! 🙂