Spain’s second city is one of the country’s most popular holiday destinations and for good reason. With astounding architecture, amazing culinary and nightlife scenes, great weather, and museums brimming with art and history, Barcelona packs a lot in.
Barcelona is famous for its spectacular architecture that can be found all over the city. The structures of Catalan architect Gaudi dominate the city, which are characterised by their unusual and creative appearances. Most well-known is the Sagrada Familia, the epic cathedral which has been under con...
Spain’s second city is one of the country’s most popular holiday destinations and for good reason. With astounding architecture, amazing culinary and nightlife scenes, great weather, and museums brimming with art and history, Barcelona packs a lot in.
Barcelona is famous for its spectacular architecture that can be found all over the city. The structures of Catalan architect Gaudi dominate the city, which are characterised by their unusual and creative appearances. Most well-known is the Sagrada Familia, the epic cathedral which has been under construction for over 100 years and is still not complete. As you walk around Barcelona, other buildings and architectonic spaces by Gaudi are easily recognisable, such as Park Guell, Casa Batllo, and Casa Mila. Also head down to the Gothic Quarter, where you can see the impressive Barcelona Cathedral as well as the remains of the old Roman wall.
Art is an important part of the fabric of Barcelona life, with an astonishing number of museums and galleries to visit. High on any visitor’s list should be the Museo Picasso, which has a vast collection of the artist’s early works. Contemporary art is particularly popular in the city; MACBA, the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Caixa Forum are both great places to view pieces by both famous and emerging artists. But you won’t just find arts in the galleries and museums. Barcelona has lots of street art which attracts visitors – and even artists – from around the world.
A visit to La Ramblas, Barcelona’s answer to the Champs Elysees, is an absolute must for every person traveling to the city, and its biggest highlight is the Boqueria market, bursting with local produce. While you can find everything here from fresh fruit and vegetables to an array of spices, it’s the fish carousel in the middle of the building that attracts most people’s attention. Tapas is, of course, a Spanish institution, and it is obviously a no-brainer that you will have to try some when in Barcelona. The famed chef Ferran Adria, described as one of the most forward-thinking chefs of his time, has a few restaurants in the city, such as Tickets, Alkimia, and Dos Palillos if you fancy trying something imaginative.
Being such a big city, Barcelona has various neighborhoods and districts which each offer something different when the sun goes down. For those who love to party, the Port Olympic area has lots of nightclubs where you can dance the night away. Nearby Barceloneta, the beachside district, has a great variety of bars, including cocktail bars, tapas bars, and beer bars. For something more alternative, El Raval, once Barcelona’s most dangerous area, is now a thriving art community with many hip restaurants and underground bars. Recent years have seen Barcelona’s live music scene grow, with plenty of places offering DJs and live music.
Because of its location on the coast of Spain, facing the Mediterranean Sea, Barcelona provides great weather for visitors all year. Their summers are six months long, lasting from May to October, and are very warm and dry. Winters are humid and mild but never get too cold.
But with the long summers, autumn and spring only last about one month each. There is not a wrong month to visit Barcelona to be able to take advantage of the mild Mediterranean weather.
Near the end of summer each year, the largest festival is celebrated in the streets of Barcelona with dancing, parades, and events of all kinds. This festival is called La Mercè Festival and is held for five days at the end of September, in honor of Mare de Deu de la Merce, the patron saint of Barcelona.
If you’re visiting at the end of winter, attempt to be there while the city celebrates The Calçotada. A traditional Catalan culinary celebration in honor of spring onions, this is a unique gastronomical event that should not be missed.
Spain, being a member of the European Union and the eurozone, uses the euro (symbol: €) as its currency. The euro is a bit stronger than the US dollar with 1 euro equaling around 1.20 USD. The banknotes being issued for the euro come in denominations of 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, and 5 euros.
Coins come in both euros and cents with values of €2, €1, 50c, 20c, 10c, 5c, 2c, and 1c. Most large shops, restaurants, and hotels do take credit cards but it’s good to carry a little cash for the small shops and restaurants that still require cash at the checkout.
As in the rest of the country, tipping is not a requirement or an obligation in Barcelona. If you feel like you received great service that is deserving of a tip, go ahead and leave 5-10% or the loose coins you received as change.
If you are paying with a credit card, there will most likely not be an option to add a tip. In countries without a tipping culture, workers are paid a living wage and do not rely on tips to survive.
Although Barcelona is the capital of the autonomous region of Catalonia and the Catalan language is ever-growing to the point of being understood by over 90% of the population, Spanish is nearly universally spoken and understood by all.
English is spoken by many people in Barcelona, especially those who work in the tourist industry. However, taxi drivers and older generations won’t speak as much English as the younger generations.
It will be beneficial to learn a few phrases of Spanish or Catalan to show respect to the region or for the situations where somebody might not know as much English. Compiled here are some of the most common phrases from both languages that you might need to use:
For tourists visiting Barcelona, there are two great options for you to travel around the city and see any tourist site. The first option (which can be used in many other cities as well) is to use the cities hop-on/hop-off bus, the Barcelona Bus Turistic, as a way to get to all of the main attractions.
A 2-day pass is around 40 euros and comes with a map, audio to learn about everything while on the bus, and double-decker seating for you to view the city. Ride the bus around the full route first to see and learn about everything then choose where you might want to get off and explore during your next time around the route.
Another option is the Barcelona Card which gives visitors unlimited travel on public transportation and free or discounted entry into dozens of museums or attractions. This is a great option for those wanting to visit numerous museums but if not, it might be more cost-effective to buy tickets for public transportation separately.
Unfortunately, Barcelona is considered the pickpocketing capital of Europe. You should not keep your wallet, cash, or important IDs in the pockets of your pants or outside pockets of bags/purses. Wearing a money belt while in Barcelona is one of the best ways to avoid losing your belongings to these criminals.
Busy tourist areas, metro stations, and other crowded places are the most common locations for these attempts at pickpocketing unsuspecting tourists. Always be aware of your surroundings and your belongings.
Scammers are also very common in touristy areas. These criminals will work in teams to distract you so another person can grab your things or empty your pockets. They might be asking for directions or ask to show you a trick. They might be acting like an “undercover” cop or wanting you to sign a petition. They might even say they’re helping you clean bird droppings off of you.
The best defense against all of these is just to ignore and walk away from any stranger that is trying to talk to you and/or touch you. Even with these unfortunate problems with pickpocketers, Barcelona still provides incredibly unique sights and delicious cuisine as the capital of Catalonia.
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