How to travel sustainably and responsibly in Spain

Today, with the worsening climate crisis and increase in anti-tourism sentiments, it’s more important than ever to think about how your trip is going to affect local residents, as well as the environment.

There were dozens of protests across Spain last year asking visitors to stay away and blaming the industry for increases in housing prices and overcrowding. The truth, however, is that you don’t need to stay away completely and there are still many ways to visit Spain in a more sustainable and responsible way, so that you’re not adding to the problem.

READ ALSO: Spain's new Rail Pass for tourists: prices, rules and is it worth it?

Avoid mass tourism hot spots

Much Spain is suffering from overtourism and as mentioned above, several destinations staged a number of mass protests last year, accusing tourism of destroying their cities and driving up prices. If you truly want to help the situation then you don’t have to avoid Spain as a whole, but you may want to steer clear of hot spots such as Barcelona, the Balearic Islands, some of the larger Canary Islands and Málaga, which seem to be suffering the most.

Search out alternative areas to visit

Even though some destinations in the country have way too many tourists, there are still hundreds of places in Spain that don’t have many at all and even welcome them. Try places in the north of the country known as Green Spain such as Galicia, Asturias or Cantabria, although keep in mind they do get busy in summer with local Spaniards too. Or get to know Spain’s underrated western region of Extremadura with its amazing Roman heritage and vast natural parks. Castilla-La Mancha and parts of Castilla y León can also make for fascinating trips without the crowds. Think Cuenca, Consuegra and Zamora.

READ ALSO: Seven of Spain's lesser-known natural parks to visit this summer

Don’t book an Airbnb in a residential building

Spain is having a major housing crisis at the moment with many locals unable to afford soaring rental and housing prices. While several factors are to blame, one of them that is only adding fuel to the fire are tourist apartments. This is because many landlords choose to rent their places out to tourists to make a greater profit, taking them off the regular market. They're also causing problems for the neighbours who share the same buildings due to noise pollution and other disturbances.

Many of these Airbnbs in residential buildings are in fact illegal as they don’t actually have tourist licences, so it’s important before you book to see if somewhere has a licence. Better still, avoid these places altogether and choose a hotel or guest house instead – locals will thank you. Entire homes in rural areas are still fine to rent through these platforms if they have a licence.

Search for accommodation with eco-credentials

Not staying Airbnb-style accommodation will help, but it’s no good if you’re swapping it out for a massive hotel with a huge carbon footprint. You want to make sure the place you stay is eco-friendly and has policies on saving water and energy, uses sustainable materials and natural refillable toiletries. Several places in Spain, including Catalonia and Andalusia have only just gotten over one of the worst droughts in recorded history, so a hotel with a good water policy in place is best.

Many of the big online hotel booking agencies, such as Booking.com, TripAdvisor and Google, now have options so that you can search for eco-certified hotels.

READ ALSO: Nine otherworldly landscapes found in Spain

Take the train instead of hiring a car

Train travel is one of the most sustainable forms of transport and thankfully, Spain has a great network. High speed services link most of the major cities, while medium distance ones link smaller ones. There are also regional Cercanías or Rodalies trains that even connect many smaller towns and villages. Some regions have better transport than others. If you’re travelling in northern or central Spain, Andalusia or Extremadura, local buses will reach places where the trains don’t go.

Eat locally

Choose to dine at small family-run restaurants as opposed to big restaurant chains or fast-food options. This means you’re supporting the local population instead of the corporate giants. It’s important to choose local produce too – dishes and ingredients that come from Spain, rather than ones that are imported with a larger carbon footprint. Opt for items that are in season too so that no extra energy has been used to grow them at a different time of year.

Don’t go on a cruise

Cruise ships are one of the most polluting forms of transport and cause a lot of problems for Spain’s cities and islands, adding to crowding, overtourism and a rise in prices, not to mention the damage it causes to the environment. Barcelona has often been labelled as one of Europe's most polluted ports due to the number of cruise ships docking there. To put things into perspective, in 2023, the 218 cruise ships operating in Europe emitted more than four times more sulphur oxides than all the continent's cars combined

If you still want to travel to Spain find a more sustainable method of transport. Taking the train would be one of the best if you’re coming from mainland Europe. High speed services connect Barcelona to Paris and Lyon in France and there are other trains from France straight to the Basque Country.

Travel off season

Summer is no longer the season to travel to Spain, it’s crowded, it’s expensive and truthfully it’s way too hot in much of the country. You're much better off, travelling during shoulder seasons or even in winter if you want a quieter, more comfortable and less expensive trip. It also means that you’re not adding to the big overtourism issues as much, plus you will be able visit more historic and cultural attractions, which are just too hot to visit in summer. You should also avoid other busy times like Easter. Keep in mind that in very popular places like Barcelona and Málaga, there is really no low season anymore, they’re generally crowded year round, so you may want to look for alternatives above.

Buy Spain-made souvenirs

Often many of the small souvenirs for sale in tourist shops in Spain’s bigger cities such as fridge magnets, key rings and t-shirts may actually be made in China. So while they’re cute, buying them is not really helping the local economy or promoting Spanish crafts. Ceramics, wicker baskets, leather items and lace fans are all typical products from Spain, so use your money to support local artisans and buy those instead.