I usually carry on 4-6 bottles of wine and check 4-6 in my luggage. On my declaration form I list 'wine $100.00'. I have never been questioned or asked to pay duty. I did this as recently as July 2002 with no problems.

I use basically the same theory that jamiemiguel posted - and have never been questioned. Just when you declare the total dollar value of all purchases (unused,unoped, etc) keep it under $500 - I think that is the magic figure but you might want to reconfirm that ....

Needless to say - anything purchased and worn or used (perfume, etc) within reason doesn't need to be declared to the best of my knowledge and experiences.

Turrón!

Hi Jantraveller,

Here are my favorites.
Shoes-Antonio Parriego in Madrid on the corner of Lagasca and Goya- Bravo on Serrano just up from Goya.

Sweaters- Corte ingles and Cortefiel. People always comment on my sweaters.

Things I always buy in the Corte Ingles-
Little round tins of vaseline in at least 6 different flavors and fragrances, made in Spain, the tin is reproduction of an old art deco design, the brand is Perfumeria Gal Madrid, my favorite is melocoton.

Bags-beach bags, tote bags, coin purses in beautiful leather, wallets

I collect Pilitas- little holy water fonts to hang by doorways or as decoration anywhere. You can find them from the cheap stamped out assembly line type all the way to one of kind hand made ones or antique ones. If you've ever looked closely in the film Philadelphia, in Antonio Banderas' apartment there are Pilas y Pilitas on the walls on either side of the door. You can find these in just about any town. My favorites are from Sevilla, Valencia and Toledo. You can also see them in the Museo Sorrolla.

Things I buy in El Corte Ingles
soaps- Glycerine based, gift boxes by Puig, colonia, my current favorite is colonia S3 Slassic Fresh by Legrain... Bath and Shower Gel Timotei. I also by Denenes gel and shampoo for my 4 year old. I've used it since he was a baby.

Games, puzzles, decks of Spanish playing cards. I also always pick up a toy or two that is diffent from anything in the US. My son has som e great cars and trucks. Last summer I bought him a Mini Cooper for what a little car cost here at Walmart. The same car here was $20.00.

Scarves, shawls etc. If you want an evening wrap you can get any more elegant than a mantilla style shawl. In the Corte Ingles in Sol they have a huge selection in every color size and price. Spanish women always wear a scarf around their neck in the winter and the selection is incredible.

Pens- If you are a stationery and pen aficionado you can find cool stuff. Also in any papeleria.

Food- Boxes of nescafe- cans of mejillones, sardinas, Fabada Litoral, anchovies, and flan. Once I even brought back a box of Tejas, almond cookies that melt in your mouth, for my husband.

Small dishes of pottery from all over Spain for gifts. candleholders, soap dishes, tapas dishes, water pitchers etc.

my packing secret for breakables is that I always take plactic bubblewrap and tape.

Thats all I can think of right now. I hope that gives you some more ideas.

Gloria

dose anyone know the general rules for mailing alcohol from spain to the united states? Is that legal? if you run out of room in your luggage it would be nice to ship it home.

I always bring back food... various types of galletas, cola cao, chocolate, wine, etc. another thing my american friends are amused by is when I get them food tie products from movies. I bought my godmother a doll of a flamenco dancer and most other older women the flamenco shawls (which I got at Madrid's El Rastro for about $15 after bargaining down the price). In Sevilla I got my godmother's granddaughters purses and scarfs at the bizarre outside of El Corte Ingles in Plaza Duque - also very easy to bargain down prices there. And for the guys who knew anything about soccer, I bought soccer related items.

It's illegal to mail alcohol in the United States so I would presume it's even more illegal to send it internationally.

When I came back last time I brought 3 bottles of Manzanilla and they didn't have any problem with it.

Melinda

supajack, I´m interested in that too. I´m heading home for the holidays and I want to know exactly how much wine/turron/jamon/etc. I can cram into my bags. Anyone have a link to the rules about what you can bring in and how much?

They don't allow you to bring meat or fruit in... I had an orange and a chirozo sandwhich that my friend's mother gave me for the flight and they took them from me at customs! So I KNOW that's not allowed... Of course you can always claim you forgot to claim it... An Italian friend of mine always sneaks illegal meats into the country and so far has never been caught. They simply don't claim them and put them in the carry on luggage.

Melinda

Since this really cool topic is still going strong. I wish y'all would have told me about the street number tiles (or is that what "tiles" are?) Anyway, tho a little heavy, they sure make a neat & unique gift. Alas, everyone's address is not something I carry around. I saw the tiles alot but it wasn't till Mijas that I found the frames to hold them, did I overlook them or what?

If anyone would like a truly unique gift, you can get a custom tile made with the address numbers (or family name)opposed to getting individual pre-made tiles with numbers on each. It does require some time though, a week perhaps. These tiles are ordered from Talavera and you can choose a pattern for the border. There's a ceramic shop in Madrid across from the Hotel Melia Los Galgos (corner of Diego de Leon and Claudio Coello - or I think the street below toward Serrano, can't remember). Look for the hotel entrance and it's opposite that.
The tiles are not cheap but they are custom made and beautiful. I think I paid around $20-30 for a regular-sized one and a bit more for a large one. My mother framed hers and has it outside.

The man is very sweet and he also has the store chuck full of quality ceramics from Talavera. This is not the place for cheap ceramics. If you want the cheapest place in Madrid (a lot of seconds or functional ceramics, mugs, ashtrays, olive plates, etc.) there's a store near Cuatro Caminos (heading toward Nuevos Ministerios) that has tons for really cheap prices. I haven't been there in about 4 years so it may not even exist. There's also the spot in Madrid's Rastro where you can find a good selection.

If anyone has the time and is truly interested in making some purchases (large or expensive pieces) a trip to Talavera is worth it. They had so many ceramic pieces I had trouble deciding what to buy in the end. The different patterns were so beautiful and I hadn't realized there were ceramics beyond the typical blue and white patterns (with flowers, the kitchen quality).