The pace of life in Barcelona is very relaxed. The almost sacred daily nap to break up the day often means that residents and visitors alike only venture out in the evening at around 10 or 11pm, with a popular and lively night club scene to follow if that's your thing.
The Catalan Capital is a stronghold of culture. The body of Barcelona Works include those by Antonio Gaudi (three of which are classified as World Heritage sites) or the Arc of Triumph Casanovas. Also worth mentioning is the work of Joan Miró, who left 10,000 drawings and paintings for posterity.
L’Eixample is a beautiful and trendy district to visit. Barceloneta is a former fisherman’s district that’s now bustling day and night. The same can be said for Bogatell, where the clubs are very popular. The Gothic neighborhood is no exception: its bars and restaurants are crowded late into the night. It is both close to downtown and has access to two beaches. The business district is located in Les Corts. In the El Raval neighborhood, it’s not recommended to walk alone or at night. Barrio Gracia is great to visit in August when its street festival is going on. The residential area is called Barrio Poble Sec.
The Barcelona Zoo should be on your to-do list, housing more than 7,500 animals of 400 species along with an aquarium. For sports enthusiasts, you could visit the Camp Nou stadium, the field belonging to Barcelona’s famous football team. Besides football, you can also swim in the Olympic pool.
Furthermore, transportation is made easy in the city with more than 10,000 taxis, 100 buses, 6 subway lines and 2 tram lines. In addition, there are 6,000 bikes (“Bicing”) that are leased out by the city. If you do find yourself walking, the city has several good walks around many picturesque corners: the Labyrinth (Passeig dels Castanyers) and Guell Parc (Carrer d’Olot.) In case you’re traveling with a family, it’s better to choose theme parks: Port Aventura or Tibidabo Park. Make sure to check opening times and daily schedules.
As an open city of Spain, Barcelona hosts many gay-friendly places such as Sitges. Recently, medical tourism has found this Catalonian capital to be quite the destination. Windsurfing enthusiasts can go to the beaches of Icaria and Bogatell, which houses a sailing school.
Places to see: Ciutadella Park, Poble Espanyol village, Magic Fountain of Montjuic
Cultural places to go: Catalonian History Museum, Antoni Tapies Foundation, Picasso Museum, Modern Art Museum
Important monuments to visit: Basilica of Santa Maria Del Mar, Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Congress Centre of Fira, La Sagrada Familia
Budget for one week: More than 500 euros.
Taxes and gratuity: A 7% VAT tax is added to prices. To show your appreciation, you can leave 5 to 10% of the bill.
Currency: Euro
Spoken and/or Official Language: Spanish
Area: 487 km2
Population: More than 1,650,000 people in the city, but the metropolitan area has more than 5,000,000
Main attractions: The party scene, parks, churches, the various neighborhoods, palaces, beaches, etc.
Electricity: 230V / 50 Hz :
- Type C (European plug with 2 round prongs)
CEE 7/16 (2.5 A/250 V without ground) / CEE 7/17 (standard German and French type: 16 A/250V without ground)
- Type F (3 round prongs)
CEE 7/4 (shuko in Germany: 16 A/250V with ground)
