Why
Travel to Barcelona?
The city has sensational architecture, led by gaudy Gaudi,
a lively, walkable centre, truly great restaurants and bars at reasonable
prices, culture stuff by the ton and good beaches nearby.
Traffic and petty crime temper the pleasure of Spain's funkiest
city [pick-pockets love this city], but only slightly.
Barcelona
climate:
Best: April-June, Sept, Oct.
Avoid: August [hot, humid, crowded]
It can be a bit wet and cool in winter, but survivable.
Main Attractions:
Amazing Gaudi and 'modernista' buildings like the Sagrada Familia,
La Pedrera and the '[Manzana] Block of Discord' in the Eixample
area make Barcelona an architectural fantasy land.
Then there's the busy and entertaining La Rambla pedestrian boulevard [which has become increasingly seedy and unsafe of late, even in the middle of the day. More],
the medieval area [Barri Gòtic] including the stunning gothic
La Seu cathedral and the Plaça de Sant Jaume [with weekly
Catalan folk dances], Montjuïc hill with its great museums,
Spanish Village and cable car.
Short
Trips:
Sitges, 40km south, pretty seaside town favoured by gays.
Montsterrat, 40km NW, weird rock outcrops, caves and monastery.
Figueres, 90 min. north, for the fantastic Dali museum.
Tarragona, 90 min. south for Roman remains, medieval buildings,
rocky views.
Girona, 80 min. north, pretty, mixed-up medieval river city.
Barcelona
Festivals:
Feb/March pre-lent Carnival, [+ gay version in Sitges]
March-June, Guitar Festival
April, Contemporary Music Week
April/May, Ancient Music Festival
June, Dia de Sant Joan [dancing, music, fireworks]
*end of June-August, Festival del Grec [theatre, music, dance]
August, Festa Major de Gràcia [street music and events]
*Sept, 4 days, Festes de la Mercè, the city's biggest party,
[parades, street music, human pyramids]
Oct -Dec, International Jazz Festival.
For
some precise dates or more information see: European
Festivals or Arts
Festivals.
Barcelona
Arts and Culture:
Museums and Galleries: A huge selection including: Museu
Picasso [in beautiful medieval palace], Museu d'Art Contemporani,
Centre de Cultura Contemporània [includes concerts &
cinema], Museu d'Art de Catalunya, Fundació Joan Miró,
Museu Marès and plenty more.
Classical Music and Opera: Palau de la Música Catalana[visually
terrific too], Saló de Tinell [in Palau Reial, usually free],
Sala Cultural Caja de Madrid. Also in many churches, and Festivals
[see Festivals].
Theatre: mostly in Spanish, tho' Teatre Romea sometimes does English
for foreign travellers.
Dance inc. Flamenco: Teatre Lliure, Las Sevillanas del Patio, Tarantos.
Live Rock and Jazz: lots on so check the weekly Guía dl
Ocio or El Pais for listings.
Cuisine: Superb Catalan and Spanish food is all over Barcelona. Try La Boqueria food market just off La Rambla, with its attendant restaurants and overt whores, every day except Sunday, Barceloneta
[the port area] for seafood, Barri Gòtic for little traditional
eateries [though take care late at night] and Passeig de Gracia for
larger, posher restaurants.
Don't forget that you can make a great meal just eating tapas snacks
[especially good in Barri Gòtic], and Spanish people eat
dinner REALLY late. 11pm is not unusual in Barcelona.
Shopping:
Not especially interesting or cheap, but..
Classy: The Eixample, esp. Passeig de Gràcia
Wacky: The Rambla area
Take
Care: La Rambla is popular not only with tourists but
also aggressive prostitutes [legal in Spain], pickpockets and bag-snatchers. Beware of 'distraction events' in particular. i.e. when some good/bad event takes place that everyone looks at, except for the light-finger types who will be otherwise engaged in investigating your handbag or pocket.
The British Consulate says: '...be vigilant in Plaza Catalunya, Ramblas and surrounding streets of the old city and be aware of the possibility of violent muggings in the Montjuic area. In the Ramblas, Old Port [Port Vell] and Olympic Port Areas thieves posing as police officers may ask to see wallets for identification purposes'.
See the Safety page.
View Larger Map
Also
check Bugbog's other compact Spain city guides:
Seville Guide | Madrid
Guide | Barcelona
Links | Walking
Tours - Spain
|
