The latest report from Mark Stücklin at Spanish Property Insight suggests the Spanish government’s campaign against foreign property buyers is starting to have an impact. New data from the Spanish Notaries Association shows home purchases in 2025 by non-resident buyers from outside the EU — think Brits and Americans — were down 17% year-on-year.

“That’s a striking drop in a segment that had previously been relatively resilient,” Stücklin writes in his latest newsletter.

Overall, the number of foreign home purchases in 2025 was relatively unchanged from 2024 — down 0.6% — thanks to a small increase in EU buyers, who are apparently still happy to buy their home in the sun. In contrast, the sharp drop in non-EU buyers stands out, in large part due to the timing, notes Stücklin, who has been a leading analyst of the Spanish property market for a couple of decades.

The decline coincides with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s high-profile attacks on “speculators” and the influence of foreign buyers, including much-discussed proposals for a 100% purchase tax or an outright ban on foreign purchases. None of these initiatives have gained traction, but they were widely reported and now the data raises an obvious question: “did the message land?” Stücklin asks.

Other factors could be affecting sales, including higher prices, limited supply and a general global craziness. “But political signaling shouldn’t be dismissed,” Stücklin writes. “When a government openly questions whether you should be allowed to buy property at all, it’s not unreasonable to hesitate—or look elsewhere. “

(On an anecdotal level, it definitely seems like there has been a shift in the market It’s interesting how many people I hear lead their international property destination list these days with Portugal, not Spain.)

Stücklin goes a step further and argues that the government’s efforts to curb foreign buyers is going to have little affect on goal of making housing more accessible to Spanish citizens. Non-EU buyers account for little more than 11% of the foreign market, and barely 2% of the total Spanish housing market, he notes. And the non-EU buyers primarily purchase in the coastal areas and the urban centers. They are not competing for homes with working class Spanish citizens.

“If the goal was to address Spain’s housing crisis, this changes nothing,” Stücklin writes. “Even if [the non-EU] segment disappears entirely, it won’t make homes more affordable where it matters most.”

Read the full article and find more info on the latest property trends here.

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Substack is hotbed of talented and engaged writers chronicling their travels and life in Spain. Each brings their own perspective and insights as they share stories of the culture, history and communities they are experiencing.

Here are a few that recently grabbed my attention. In typical Substackian fashion, they cover a wide range of topics, from a closed brothel to the power of urban design.

Spending Saturday in Jail in Segovia

Andrea Eschen / Snippets from Spain

“Thirty others also decided to pass a spring morning inside this prison, now called the Democratic Memorial of Segovia. It pays tribute to the men and women of this city, and of other places around Spain, who were locked up and tortured here for resisting Generalissimo Francisco Franco’s dictatorship and his Fascist regime. Usually, one doesn’t think of jail and democracy together.”

Snippets from Spain

Snippets from Spain

I spent last Saturday in jail in Segovia. Thirty others also decided to pass a spring morning inside this prison, now called the Democratic Memorial of Segovia. It pays tribute to the men and women of this city, and of other places around Spain, who were locked up and tortured here for resisting Generalissimo Francisco Franco’s dictatorship and his Fasc…

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a month ago · 16 likes · 10 comments · Andrea Eschen

What the Mixing of Everything Tells You About a City

Rocco Pendola / How It Works (and Why It Doesn’t)

“Cities that work mix ages, not just buildings… In places like Valencia, nobody is pushed out of the public realm because of their age, their schedule, or their stage of life. Everyone simply occupies the city together.”

How It Works (and Why It Doesn’t)

What the Mixing of Everything Tells You About a City

When my wife’s 22-year-old daughter visited last year, she went outside to call her friend at like one in the morning…

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a month ago · 12 likes · 3 comments · Rocco Pendola

King to Mexico: “We’re sorry” (Kind of)

Ian Mount and Adrian Bono / The Bubble

“King Felipe VI (aka F6) raised a few eyebrows this week after casually acknowledging that there was “a lot of abuse” and “ethical controversy” during the Spanish conquest of the Americas.”

The Bubble Newsletter

🌎 King to Mexico: "We're sorry" (Kind of)

Madrid | Issue #140…

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2 months ago · 6 likes · 4 comments · Ian Mount and Adrian Bono

Spain’s abandoned mermaid brothel: A Mediterranean roadside ruin

Melita Cameron-Wood / Unpack. Pack. Unpack.

A stop at an abandoned club is reminder of the power of getting off the road and exploring.

Unpack. Pack. Unpack.

Spain’s abandoned mermaid brothel: A Mediterranean roadside ruin

The motorbike screeched to an unexpected halt. A pair of pert-breasted mermaid statues greeted us with the hollow glare of spray-painted eyes. We’d been planning on driving back to Valencia after a long day out hiking. But something had caught my then-boyfriend’s eye. He had a thing for abandoned buildings — and the one in front of us was a real show-st…

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2 months ago · 17 likes · 11 comments · Unpack. Pack. Unpack.

The Scent and Flavor of Granada: Eight unmissable Places

Blanca Valencia / Gazpacho Chronicles

“An insider’s tour of Granada’s most aromatic corners, from tea shops to olive oil evangelists”

The Gazpacho Chronicles

The Scent and Flavor of Granada: Eight unmissable Places

Like writer Federico García Lorca’s work, Granada is a perfumed stage set alive with the scent of orange blossom and jasmine. These two particular scents are synonymous with El Albaicín, the hilly UNESCO neighborhood overlooking the Alhambra, where they naturally scent the narrow cobbled streets. Every traditional house or…

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2 months ago · 23 likes · 21 comments · Blanca Valencia

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The city has launched a new portal connecting more than 60 Barcelona museums and cultural organizations on one site. Billed as “a unique digital gateway to the city’s museum network,” the new site offers quick access to all the organizations, which includes public and private venues.

On first glance, the site is pretty basic. You can’t buy tickets or get updated information; it is strictly a “portal.” But the site makes it easy to see the menu of options, what’s available and the latest news.

In its press release, the city calls the site a “cultural curator.”

“The new portal is not intended to be merely a directory, but also an active and dynamic cultural curator, with content updated on a daily basis. It allows users to intuitively browse the agenda of temporary exhibitions, permanent collections and family-oriented or specialist activities, and becomes the central hub for major annual events involving museum spaces…”

Content is available in Catalan, Spanish and English, which is helpful. Beyond the general public, the portal is aimed at “cultural tourists, the educational community and specialist audiences.” You can also sign up for a monthly newsletter.

You can find the portal here.

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As part of its on-going effort to shift the dynamics of the tourism industry, the Catalonia government last week approved a 100% increase in the nightly tourist tax charged at hotels and short-term rentals.

The new rates, which go into effect in April, will bump the tax rate for holiday rentals from €6.25 to €12.5 a night, while hotel guests will pay between €10 and €15 ($17.60) per night per person, depending on the type of hotel.

For the Barcelona tourist industry, this is the latest in a series of efforts by Catalonia to slow down the flow of tourists flooding the city. The announcement comes two years after Barcelona announced a plan to completely eliminate Airbnbs and short-term tourist rentals by 2028. Last year Spain’s Consumer Rights Ministry levied a €65 million fine against Airbnb for advertising unlicensed tourist rental homes, as cities work to claw back the available supply of homes for locals.

While the new tax rate may infuriate tourists and local businesses — “one day they will kill the goose that lays the golden eggs,” the head of the hotel association proclaimed — there are good reasons behind the moves. Barcelona can often feel like a theme park that decided to let everyone in for free. The city attracts more than 15 million visitors a year, an outrageous number for a relatively small city with a tightly defined tourist area.

At the same time, in a city that prides itself on taking care of its own, housing prices have soared and many residents have been displaced by the short-term rental industry, which exploded in recent years. (There are still more than 10,000 licensed short-term rentals in the city.)

Barcelona is not alone. Cities around the world are asking tourists to pay more, to help support city services. (Amsterdam charges visitors pay 12.5% of the nightly price, Fodor’s notes.) Catalonia will use 25% of the tax revenue for housing programs, which seems laudatory (even as it makes you wonder why it’s only 25%).

In Barcelona you can already see the declining number of short-term rentals available since last year’s crackdown on unlicensed listings. These days, the rentals you find are almost universally licensed — the number will be posted in the listing. For years, Barcelona was the wild west with unregulated flats throughout the city scamming tourists, hosting parties and distorting the housing scene. Getting rid of the unlicensed operators will help bring clarity to the market, while the legislators and courts continue to debate the realities of the ban.

The new taxes might hurt for many tourists and conventions, and some may simply decide to go somewhere else. But in the long term, the city is trying to find a balance between tourism, commerce and supporting the daily life of the city’s residents.

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UNESCO has proclaimed Barcelona the “World Capital of Architecture for 2026,” prompting a lengthy program of events throughout the year highlighting the “key role of architecture, city planning, and culture in shaping urban identity and sustainable urban development.”

Barcelona is the third city to receive the UNESCO, following Rio De Janeiro and Copenhagen.

“The city designated becomes a global forum at the forefront of discussions on contemporary urban planning and architectural issue,” UNESCO said in its announcement.

In total, the city will host more than 1,500 activities across 10 city districts, including workshops, debates and exhibitions. Many of the events, including guided tours, will be open to the public.

There is a clear effort to involve Barcelona’s neighborhoods and make this more than an event simply for academics. Throughout the year, activities will focus on the future of Barcelona and the ability of design to alter the city’s quality of life. Discussions will focus on inclusive design that represents the needs and lifestyle of the residents. In districts around the city, children will participate in workshops to imagine the future of city; each group will construct a scale model of their district.

The city’s official site can be found here.

And here’s the program.

As part of the event, Barcelona is also hosting the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026, June 28-July 2, which brings together architects, researchers, and leading professional figures from various disciplines.

More info on UIA 2026.

But the World Capital of Architecture is not the only big architecture event of the year. Barcelona is also marking the 100th anniversary of the death of Antoni Gaudí with the Gaudí Year, an initiative aimed at showcasing the legacy of the city’s best-known modernist and his “lasting influence on the city’s urban identity.”

Find more info here.

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Tourists will be annoyed to learn that the construction on La Rambla is set to continue for at least another year, as the city progresses on its facelift of the iconic walkway.

The €55.6 million renovation project is entering its final phases, but there is still major work ahead. The goal is to remake the promenade to improve circulation, connect the neighborhoods and ease the omnipresent crush of tourists.

The project is focused on the areas around La Boqueria market, the Liceu Opera house and Palau Moja. New public squares will be added, which should relieve some of the congestion and give the tour groups a place to relax, if nothing else. The design hopes to promote street food, add trees and benches, reduce traffic and make it easier to cross at key intersections.

There is also a social focus to the plan, which prioritizes residential uses and preserves the rights of long-time residents. The idea is to create a better pedestrian flow and do a better job of highlighting La rambla’s culture and history. The last phase is work on the “central boot” of La Rambla, which is expected to take 12 months. The work will be done in halves, first the Raval side and then the Gothic Quarter side, according to the city site.

“We will stop seeing the Columbus monument as a roundabout for vehicles and the new square will connect the city and the port,” Janet Sanz, Barcelona’s councilor for urbanism said during a press conference in 2022. The goal is for “Barcelona residents to stroll around La Rambla once again so they never leave the area and for them to feel it is a natural extension of their home.”

While the construction zones annoy tourists, the plan provides a long overdue refresh to the experience of the city’s most popular stroll. It may be a fantasy to “detouristify” La Rambla, the effort will help bring more character and historic elements to the tourist mobs.

Beyond the big ideas, there are several details that will help preserve the heritage of the area and connect it to the old city. For example, Barcelona Secreta has a nice article on plans for the ornate lanterns that line the street. “They will only be reinstalled in the large spaces that coincide exactly with the location of the old gates of the medieval city wall,” the publication reports.

You can download the City’s presentation here:

177860 Projecte Rambla Juliol 2023 En Gb

7.93MB ∙ PDF file

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Love it or hate it, tourism continues to boom in Catalonia. In 2025, hotels posted historic highs in hotel guests and overnight stays, according to the latest data published by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The final data shows 22,582,531 people slept in its hotels in the last year, a 4.5% increase from the previous year, Catalan News reports. The volume of stays surpassed the record set in 2024, reflecting a steady growth curve.

International visitors continued to drive increases, with little indication that sporadic protests against tourists are having any impact. However, analysts that “while the numbers of visitors has grown, there is also a trend towards slightly shorter stays on average,” Catalan News reports.

Overall, 2025 was a record year for tourism in Spain. More than 97 million international travelers visited in 2025, a 3.5% increase from 2024.

The Spanish government just made it a lot less expensive to travel around the country. A new rail pass, which went into effect Jan. 26, allows unlimited travel on national and state transportation for €60 a month.

The “Abono Único” (Single Pass) covers travel on national Cercanías (commuter trains) and Media Distancia (medium-distance trains), as well as national buses. This includes the Rodalies de Catalunya, the networks that connects cities in Catalonia.

While tourists will benefit, the main goal is to help reduce transportation costs for Spaniards, and to get people out of their cars. Germany, Switzerland, Hungary and Portugal have launched similar deals.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the initiative aims “to change the way Spaniards understand and use public transport forever.”

The new single pass comes with some important exceptions, which might make it a bit confusing. The pass is good for national and regional trains and buses, but not city and local transportation. Spain’s high-speed AVE trains are also excluded from the deal, as well as private and international services.

On the upside, if you’re under 26 years old, you’re eligible for a 50% reduction on the pass.

If you’re not a Spanish citizen, you can still opt for a Spain Rail Pass, which offers access to the high-speed trains. The Spain Rail Pass is more expensive — €195 to €410, depending on the number of trips — but the ability to use high-speed trains is a big advantage if you’re traveling across the country.

You can buy the new Single Pass from self-service machines or ticket booths at stations, or online at Renfe’s site (although you will need to register first). This Renfe page offers more details.