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[edit] Travelling About Town
Taxis are cheap, flabbergastingly cheap, especially when shared with 3 other people. But don't expect to find available taxis on a Friday or Saturday night - they are impossible! Queues in Pl. Catalunya can range from 15 minutes to 2 hours on a Friday or Saturday night.
Buses are easy to use and get around but nightbuses don't run that frequently though. Getting the bus from the airport to Pl. Catalunya costs 3.65 euros and the average journey time is about 25 minutes. You can also get the train into various stations across the city cheaply.
The metro stations are very HOT in the summer, so be warned! Once you get onto the metro itself, it has air conditioning and is usually efficient and on time. Everything on the metro is pretty much within half an hour reach. A 3 month pass for under-21 year olds costs 100 euros, which is excellent. And the pass works for the bus metro and tram. For over 21 year olds it is 112 euros, so there is not much of a difference. If you are not in the city for as long you can buy a T-10 metro ticket which will give you ten journeys about the city and is very good value. Using the public transport system is a grat and effective way to see the city, especially if you want to see Barcelona on a budget!
[edit] Staying in Barcelona
There are loads of places to stay depending on your budget and the type of stay you want. The good thing about Barcelona in that it is easy to get around so do not be worried about having to stay near Las Ramblas if you come on holiday here. Lots of people choose here as it the the main place they have heard of, but it can be pricey and there are lots of other options. Las Ramblas can be noisy and touristy so try somewhere a couple of streets out and you will find a great place.
Pensions are like little inns and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some will have en suite and bandb, others will have a shared bathroom and offer a space for you to cook if you want. It really varies but the can be a good value option.
Barcelona is a party city so there are plenty of cheap hostels and hotels, research you hostel or hotel though as some can be noisy and crowded with party people at the weekends!
There are some great luxury hotels in Barcelona if you want to Splash out. Look out for those located near Passeig de Gracia and around the north end of Av Diagonal.
To enjoy the city and get a taste of local life renting an apartment of studio is a great option, and they can be great value too, especially if you are a family or in a group. You can chose from really traditional apartments in the old quarter or newer, modern ones in places like Eixample. In the Old Quarter don't expect a huge amount of space and don't be put off by first apperances: communal hallways can often look quite run down and there is not always a lift but, once in the apartments they are usually well kept!
[edit] Shopping in Barcelona
There is something for everyone in Barcelona. If you feel like splurging you can head to the designer shops on Passeig de Gracia with the likes of Gucci and Chanel available. If you want to keep in fashion but to not have the budget for designer goods head to the high street: C/ Pelai and C/de lÁngel, either side of Las Ramblas have a good selection. If you like SPanish style you can snap up bargains at Mango and Zara as well as many others.
In El Borne you can find lots of unusual gifts from artwork to furniture, to jewelry and handbags at excellent prices. The same can be said of the markets, especially at Christmas. You are truly spoilt for choice in Barcelona!
[edit] Part-time Jobs
Relatively easy to find them if you are a Spanish speaker. Even better if you also speak Catalan.If not, look in loquo.com or english pubs around the Ramblas. Don't expect to be paid a lot though. A normal 4 hour\day part-time job will pay you about 300 euros per month (obviously, it also depends on your job). In other words, Spain is not the richest country in the world and hence you don't get paid so well as you do in other European countries. But then again, where else can you find sun, fiesta and sangria like you do in Barcelona....?
[edit] Drinking and partying in Barcelona
Beers have average bar price of 2 euros in smaller establishments. In the popular bars and clubs they can go up to €5. Sprits are about €5 usually...but they are always very generous measures, if you are used to your 25ml UK measures, so be careful! Again you will pay far more than this in a club: expect anything between €8 and €11. It can be expensive to drink in the clubs, but alcohol is cheap in the supermarkets so if you are self catering the best idea is to get in some supplies before hand, then head out later. Remember Barcelona nightlife doesn't even start until about midnight so there is no need to hurry!!
Head down to your local Champion, Dia or SuperSol and see what bargains you can get. You can easily make a 1.5L bottle of Cuba Libre (whisky-coke) for under 4 euros. Any plaza should be the perfect setting. Have a couple of bottles, mingle with the locals and the night is set...Watch out for those Mossos - You have been warned! Please Note: It is lovely to watch the sunset on the beach with some drinks or sit in a placa soaking up the atmosphere but remeber that drinking in the streets is not legal so be careful!
If you do want to party...but not in particularly Spanish Style, head to Port Olímpic. Here you will find a 'strip' of bars and clubs...that despite claiming to offer various nationality themes (Irish, Aussie etc, are all pretty much the same. The nice thing about the area is that there is quite a lot of seating outside, so you can enjoy port views while sipping your drink. Talking of drinks....
It is possible to get quite a few free drinks in Port Olímpic if you head down early, about 11pm for example. All of the bars have people ouside encouraging you to go in. They will offer you a free drink...or if you are feeling cheeky you can ask for one and they will usually oblige. It will more often than not be Sangria or some sort of fruity shnapps.
There are always people flyering on Las Ramblas too, but be picky...collect a few flyers and see who has the best offers on, if you can speak a bit if Spanish (although most speak English too) you can often haggle discounted entry or drinks offers too.
[edit] Events, Festivals and Fiestas in Barcelona
The Spanish like nothing more than a good party, and they know how to party. There is always a fiesta or festival of some sort happening in the city so whenever you come to the cty you are likely to stumbe on something fun! Check out websites like barcelonayellow or barcelonaflats events updates to see what is going on when you visit.
The aim of this section is to provide some ideas as to what happens year on year, so that people can get the most of their visit to the city, or even plan a trip especially to see something!
January:Epiphany and the Three Kings Parade: for the Spanish the party isn't over on Jan 1st like it is for many...the festivities continue into the New Year with the Three Kings Parade through the streets of Barcelona on Jan 5th. The huge floats are displayed in the days leading up to it, then on the 5th they wind ther way throught the streets up to Montjuic castle. As they make their way people throw sweets out to the admiring crowd and kids are encouraged to leave messages requesting gifts from the kings. On the eve of the 5th children leave out shoes, to be filled with gifts, which are then exchanged on the 6th.
April: Easter, or as in Spain, Semana Santa is celebrated widely. The biggest celebrations happen in the south of Spain however parades and fiestas tsake place throughout the week in Barcelona too. Barcelonians have a sweet tooth so look out for all the chocolate shops and bakeries which will have extra special treats in stock!
23rd April sees the celebration of St Jordi and it is a day when lovers and sweethearts traditionaly exchange gifts, like St Valentines Day. Traditionally women receive a rose and men, a book. Perfect for a romantic springtime break! Look out for book readings across the city if you are into Spanish literature, as many stores arange them around this time.
June: the day of St Joan is celebrated from sunset on the eve of the 23rd until dawn on the 24th, with bonfires, fireworks, parties and the consuming of copious sweet cakes. You will be able to catch parties and displays all over town, particularly down by the beach, or for a good view of the city's various displays head up to Montjuic Castle.
November: Haloween and Todos Los Santos days are celebrated in Spain, with the latter being a public holiday. As is usual there are parties and dressing up and feasts! You had better like sweet potatos and chestnuts, because they are all over the place at this time of year, as well as 'panellets', little marzipan sweet cakes that are available in all bakeries.
Barcelona is a big footballing city and the two teams, Barcelona FC and Espanya provide an excellent opportunity to combine a city break with a game. You can but tickets through various different distributors including footballticketsbarcelona.
[edit] Group Events and Conferences
Barcelona is one of the most popular destinations in Europe for business events, meetings and conferences. Great hotels, a vast variety of venues, team building activities and of course the beach too. With the difficulties of 'manana syndrome', language barriers etc , highly recommended to use the services of an experienced event planner. Conference Coordinator Spain
[edit] External links
Interesting and random facts about life in Barcelona. A local's perspective of the city. Courtesy of A Brighter Place - Barcelona Student Guide
A website that talk about the famous park,
Park Güell.