What to Do If You Get Sick in Spain: A Traveler’s Guide

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Getting sick in Spain can disrupt your vacation. Learn how to find medical care, contact emergency services, and understand when a video consultation may help.

This article is general information and does not replace personal medical advice. If you are unsure whether your symptoms are serious, seek urgent care.

Few things dim a vacation faster than feeling unwell far from home. You are not sure who to call,
the pharmacy sign is in another language, and all you want is to feel better. The reassuring part
is that help is easier to find than it first seems. This guide explains what to do, step by step: how
to tell an emergency from an urgent-but-manageable problem, when you can speak to an
English-speaking doctor in Spain by video, and when you should go straight to an emergency
department.

Know When to Call 112

Start with one question: could this be life-threatening? Chest pain, difficulty breathing, signs of
a stroke, severe bleeding, a serious injury, someone who is unconscious, a severe allergic
reaction, a seizure, or sudden confusion are all reasons to call 112 immediately. 112 is the Spanish version of 911 in the US.

As this guide to emergency numbers in Spain explains, 112 is free and works around the clock
from any phone, including a foreign SIM card. One call reaches ambulance and medical teams,
the fire service, the police and the Guardia Civil. English is available in most regions, especially
in tourist areas, and if an operator does not speak English, they can usually connect an
interpreter. In some regions you may also hear about 061, the regional health emergency line,
but 112 always works, so it is the one number to remember.

Emergency treatment is given to everyone, whatever their insurance. Costs are settled
afterwards: visitors without a Spanish health card, or with private insurance, receive a bill that
travel insurance may reimburse. Keep every hospital document.
Remember: in a medical emergency, call 112. Video consultations are for urgent, non-
emergency care only.

Find Care for Non-Emergency Illness

Most vacation health problems fall in this middle ground: a urinary infection, an earache, a sore throat, a rash or a stomach bug. They are miserable, but they are not emergencies, and you have four sensible routes in Spain:

A public health centre (centro de salud). Visitors from the EU, EEA, Switzerland, and the
UK can use the public system for medically necessary care with an EHIC or GHIC. Check
what your card covers before you go.
A private clinic or hospital. You pay for the visit yourself and can then ask your insurer
about reimbursement, which is always the insurer’s decision.
Your embassy’s list of local doctors. It can help you find a doctor who speaks your
language.
A private online GP. A video consultation lets you speak to a licensed doctor from your hotel or apartment, which can be a real relief when you feel too unwell to cross an unfamiliar city.

What to Expect From an Online Doctor in Spain

Video care suits people who can keep fluids down and have no warning signs. As an example of
how it works in practice, at drpedroyelamo.com a 15-minute consultation in English or Spanish
costs €50 and is available every day between 07:30 and 20:30 Spain time. The fee covers the
video visit, a medical report and an itemised invoice you can send to your travel or private
health insurer. Medicines, lab tests and scans are not included.

If a prescription is clinically appropriate, the doctor can issue a private electronic prescription
(receta médica electrónica privada) that can be dispensed at Spanish pharmacies. It is never
automatic or guaranteed, and medicines such as benzodiazepines, sleeping tablets, and opioids
are not prescribed by video. There is no hands-on examination, so if one is needed, you will be
told where to go in person. The service is only for people who are physically in Spain at the time
of the call.

Common Travel Illnesses and When to Seek Help

Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke Warning Signs

Heavy sweating with pale, cool, clammy skin, a headache, dizziness, nausea, muscle cramps and
intense thirst are the typical signs of heat exhaustion. Move into shade or air conditioning, lie
down with your legs slightly raised, remove tight or extra clothing, cool your skin with water
and a fan, and sip water or an oral rehydration solution. Heat exhaustion usually improves
within about 30 minutes of cooling down.

Treat it as heat stroke and call 112 if you notice confusion, slurred speech, a temperature of
40 °C (104 °F) or higher, a seizure, fainting, persistent vomiting, or symptoms have not improved after 30 minutes of cooling, rest and fluids. Heat illness in a baby, a young child, a pregnant
woman or a frail older person also needs 112 straight away. Heat stroke cannot be treated by
video.

Travelers’ Diarrhea and Dehydration

Loose stools, cramps and nausea can ruin a trip, but the main treatment is simple: oral
rehydration solution (suero oral, sold in Spanish pharmacies), sipped in small amounts often,
especially after each loose stool. Eat light, plain food when you feel able, and avoid alcohol and
very sugary drinks until you recover. Washing your hands with soap and water before eating
and after the toilet also helps.

Seek urgent in-person care, or call 112, for blood or black stools, a high fever, severe or
worsening stomach pain, vomiting that stops you keeping fluids down, confusion or fainting, or
passing very little urine. Extra caution is needed in pregnancy, for babies and older people, and
for anyone with a weak immune system.

Five Things to Check Before Booking an Online Doctor

A named doctor with a licence number (colegiado) that you can verify with the Colegio
de Médicos.
A clear price before you pay.
A private, GDPR-compliant video platform.
Prescriptions that are valid in Spanish pharmacies.
Honesty about limits, including what cannot be done by video.

Before You Travel: Prepare for Medical Care in Spain

Pack your EHIC or GHIC if you are eligible, and keep your travel insurance details to
hand.
Keep a list of your medicines and allergies, plus your ID, where you can find them quickly.
Save 112 in your phone and note your accommodation address.
If you need medicine at night or on a Sunday, look for the pharmacy on duty (farmacia de guardia).

Know Where to Turn If You Feel Unwell

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