Barcelona Visitors Guide

Learn from others about Barcelona

Here are some links to a bit more information about the various parts of town. Visit all of them if you can.

• https://housinganywhere.com/Barcelona–Spain/barcelona-neighborhood-guide
• https://devourbarcelonafoodtours.com/barcelona-neighborhood-guide/
• https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/the-trendiest-neighborhoods-in-barcelona/

Places to visit & things to do

• La Sagrada Familia – worth getting a tour guide from Context Travel or at least through the church when booking
• Tibidabo – you can walk from town, but it is a long walk, so we suggest you take a cab to the base and hike from there – there are amazing views of the city
• Camp Nou – FC Barcelona! Vamos Barça!
• Maritime Museum – great exhibits and history of Barcelona waterfront
• Montjuïc – you want to walk here or cab it and walk back
• Fountains
• Castell de Montjuïc – lots of torture and prison stuff here
• Brightside Sidecar Tour
• Barcelona Tiles — make sure to pay attention

Museums and art

There are so many museums–we’ve only hit the surface. Google and visit the ones that sound fun. If you’re looking for some galleries, the streets around Concell d’Cent are loaded with galleries. Fun to browse — the Limna App can help you with valuing if you’re interested in pricing.

In addition to formal art, there is lots of great street art around the city too. Gràcia, El Born & Raval seem to have the highest concentration. Here is my Instagram Petsolt Aveces just for photos of street art.

Day trips

• Figueres – to see the Salvador Dali Museum (book tickets in advance)
• France – It is really close!
• Montserrat – Monastery on top of a mountain, hiking
• Olympics – 1992 Olympic stadium and grounds
• Penedes – white wine and cava region (tours available from the city)
• Priorat – amazing terraced wine country (mostly reds)
• Tarragona – roman ruins

Language

Yup, it isn’t Spanish. But Spanish (Castellano) works everywhere. And English works almost everywhere too. But if you want to endear yourself to the locals, here are a couple of Catalan phrases:

• Good Morning – Bon dia.
• Good Afternoon – Bona Tarda.
• Good Night – Bona nit.
• Please – Si us plau.
• Thanks – Gracies or Merci.
• Cheers – Salut.
• Do you speak English? – Parla angles?

Books

We love to read books that take place in the place we’re visiting. Here are a couple to consider…

• Cathedral by the Sea – Very Pillars of the Earth about building Santa Maria del Mar in El Born – plenty of middle ages Barcelona history
• Fear and Loathing in La Liga — Yep, there are a lot of reasons Barça and Real Madrid don’t get along
• Shadow of the Wind – takes place in our neighborhood & Barcelona over several years and books. It is a series–but you can read just the first or all of them.

Transportation

First… walk.
The city is very walkable and safe. We walk everywhere.

Taxis

You can walk anywhere in the city. If you’re feeling like you want to take a taxi, they are easy to grab on the street. You can also use the app Free Now, which will call a taxi if you are out and can’t find one. There is Uber too, but they can’t use the taxi lanes, so we stick with taxis. Also note that if you’re down by the port or El Born, they have to go a long way around to get back to Eixample. This is just because of how the streets run–they aren’t trying to add distance.

Metro

Pretty easy to navigate. There are several within a couple of blocks of pretty much anywhere — can be a good way to move around.

Trains

Trains go to Montserrat, Sitges, and all kinds of other great places. But there are a few stations, so make sure to check for the right one. If you’re heading further, the high-speed trains will connect you to places like Madrid, Lyon, & Paris.

Crime

Crime is mostly petty theft — Barcelona is a very safe city. I would much rather walk the streets of Barcelona at night than most places in the States. That said, as a tourist destination, it is known for pick-pocketing. So just be smart. No open bags; keep hold of things when you’re in highly touristy places; don’t leave your phone sitting on the edge of a table; don’t have a trunk with all your belongings open and unattended; etc. Just use common sense, and you should be fine. One small tip: Most of the theft we’ve known about has been non-natives, so beware of small groups doing something distracting — that’s kind of the calling card.

News

Read about the latest events, politics, sports and changes in the city at Catalan News in English.

• https://www.catalannews.com/

Average Temps

Barcelona is one of the sunniest cities in Europe — around 300 days of sun a year. Temperatures are mild year-round, but there’s a real difference between a beach afternoon at 14:00 and a shaded alley at 20:00. Layers are a good idea, especially spring and fall.