Barcelona

I have now been to Barcelona on several occasions. My Rough Guide is so old that it needs replacing. This article was written mainly in the noughties and was updated during our visit to Valencia in 2009; we travelled through Barcelona to get their. Otherwise, Hotels, Airport and Things to Do, or have done.

Rough Guide

Of course, the Rough Guide to Barcelona, sadly they have a shit view on allowing the reuse of web content and so what I want to link to isn’t there.

Currency

Spain is in the Euro (EUR) zone. You can convert EUR:GBP using google search.

Hotels

I revisited this section and deleted most of it in 2017 as it is now many years since I did this research.

• Hotel H10 Ithaca, near Barcelona Sants, so good for overnights between the station and the airport, business hotel, nice public space but 2nd floor best avoided as it is above the kitchen and noisy in the morning. I have used this twice.

Getting there

There are it seems flights to and from LCY, by BA. The low fare carriers operate out of Gatwick and Luton, a return for about £70, when I looked although there are no tickets released for the summer of 2024 yet. Aug 2023.

Airport and things

The train from the airport arrives in Barcelona at Barcelona Sants station. The airport terminus as at T2.There are now two terminal buildings at Barcelona, named 1 & 2. There is a bus between the two terminals and also between Terminal 1 and the train station. 2009

Getting about

There is a public transport authority (TMB), which runs the metro and buses. They have an app, which is pointed to by their tickets and fares page. One can also buy online via the web. Five day card costs €35, €7 per day. There is a full route map (.pdf) at https://www.movingtobarcelona.com/barcelona-maps/

Things to Do

• The Rough Guide’s top 20 include, Bars in the Barri Gotic and Old Town, the Montjuc, Parc de la Ciutadella, the Modernista Architecture and La Seu.
• Visit the Palau Musica, and look at the stained glass skylights. Their web site, http://www.palaumusica.org/, like many in Spain hides the URL’s, but they have an about themselves page. Its a concert hall, but do guided tours during the day. It was started in 1905.
• Visit the MACBA, Barcelona’s contemporary arts centre
• What’s up with the Picasso museums? The rough guide pages 65-66 deal with the Museum, his life and other sites in Barcelona that deal with his life and work.
• Barri Gothic
• We ought to be able to put together a civil war “Republican Monuments” walk including the Generalitat and Post Office buildings.
• Parc de la Ciutadella, Barcelona’s favourite park, allegedly. It includes the city Zoo, which we can miss, the Catlan Parliament building, which doesn’t permit visitors but also includes the fountain (el Cascada), the Hivernacle, a conservatory and bar and Umbracle, a palm house. You can see why it’s popular.

When reading the Rough Guide, 20 years ago, it recommended a visit to Girona, and I took notes which said, it had a beautiful river and impressive cathedral.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1qOux7t-AU55Sp6z3-8eGm-1sZpk&ehbc=2E312F

Google Maps

When to go?

It’s warm in the Spring and Autumn, and maybe too hot in the Summer. The Guide suggests that you avoid the winter if you don’t want any rain. So we Brits should be OK

Its best to avoid Holy Week, the week before Easter.

Three Festivals that might be fun to be there for include, St. George’s Day, April 23rd, which coincides with International Book Day, Dia del Treball (Labour Day) and St. Joan’s Day, which also warrants a party the day before on June 24th. Joan might be John, and they promise a “night of fire”.