Barcelona abounds with pharmacies. Emergency after-hours service is provided by a neighbourhood duty pharmacy (farmacia de guardia), which changes every night according to a rotating weekly shift. Check out the notice board outside any pharmacy for the nearest one to you, or go to www.farmaciesdeguardia.com and run a postcode search.

Spanish pharmacies have long had a reputation for doling out antibiotics (or even anabolic steroids) without prescription. This is no longer the case, though the attitude to painkillers is relaxed, with large packets of 650mg paracetamol easily available over the counter.