Marta Budzyska moved to Madrid in 2022 after having lived and studied in Italy for years – but there’s one thing she just can’t get her head around when it comes to Spanish culture
Spain remains a top holiday hotspot for UK sun-seekers, with a staggering 17.8 million visits from Brits in 2023. That year, Spain emerged as the favourite escape for British holidaymakers, commanding an impressive 21% of all overseas jaunts by those from the UK, according to stats from the Office for National Statistics.
It’s also believed that thousands of Brits each year also make the sunny Spanish shores their home. But having soaked up Spanish sun and culture beforehand doesn’t necessarily mean that people looking to make the country their home won’t come across a few surprises when moving to their new country.
This was exactly what happened to Marta Budzyska, a Polish woman who moved to Madrid in 2022 after years of living and studying in Italy.
Marta thought she was fully clued-up on Spanish and Mediterranean ways of living before moving to the Spanish capital. However she quickly encountered one aspect of daily life in Spain that continues to baffle her – and it has nothing to do with the sunshine.
Marta turned to her TikTok account to share her major cultural shock since moving to Spain.
“One thing that will never stop surprising me about Spain is that they go to eat so freaking late,” Marta said in her video.
She continued to explain that she’d gone out for dinner with friends the previous evening, but that their booking hadn’t been until 10pm. Even then, people arrived more than half an hour late, which she said is a common occurrence in Spanish culture.
“And you know you have to think about the order, gets some starters, the main meal. And literally it took so much time,” she said, explaining that they were eating until midnight.
“And I’m not complaining, it was so much fun, I love it,” she said. “I love to live fully with another culture where I’m living or where I’m at, like at holidays. Spain is my home now, but like, that is just so funny and I think it’ll never stop surprising me.”
Marta went on to advise tourists: “So if you go to Spain, just don’t be necessarily on time. Stick […] with easy and chill, it’ll be better for you.”
People quickly took to the comments to share their own experiences, with many Spanish people relating to what Marta had to say.
“As a Spanish this is so true haha,” one viewer wrote. A second person said: “It’s shocking haha. How do you even work the next day.”
A third person also confirmed that similar eating habits also existed in Italy, but that the times could differ between 8pm and 10pm depending on what area of the country you were visiting.
Have you experienced eating dinner at a later time when you’re on holiday? Let us know in the comments.