After visiting Catalonia in Spain, we realized that is not difficult to fell in love with Barcelona, its people and its culture! The architecture, the chill vibes, and the food were the things that we loved the most. If you take into account the amazing attractions that you find in our post with the best places to visit in Barcelona you will want to move in that city!
- Things to know
- General information
- How to get to Barcelona
- What is Barcelona famous for
- Where to stay in Barcelona
- Transportation in Barcelona / Catalunya
- What and where to eat in Barcelona
Things to know
Visa
Spain is in the Schengen Agreement and the European Union. Citizens from the European Economic Area and in general European Union, do not need a visa to visit the country. The same applies to the rest of Schengen’s members. Otherwise, you should check in the Migration and Home Affairs section of the European Commission’s website for countries that are part of an exception.
For applying for a visa in Spain you should visit the official website here.
Climate
The weather in Barcelona, as a classic Mediterranean city is not extremely hot neither cold. It is balanced and makes you want to stay there whatever is the season. Humidity is a little bit hight during the summer months but definitely is not like Malaysia and Singapore. It is not that weird that in Singapore are simulating the Mediterranean climate as an attraction!
Best time to visit
Barcelona has a tourist flow of tourists all over the year. From 500k in the winter months up to 750k during the summer months. The difference is not that big by numbers but for sure you will notice it in the queue lines. Do you want to avoid the crowds? Book your tickets between October and March and you may even visit some of the beautiful skill resorts nearby!
Currency and budget
From the 1st of January 2002, Spain is part of the European Monetary Union and Euro (€). If you avoid the “very” touristic places for launch and dinner, Barcelona is not that expensive destination. A good prediction for your daily budget is around 70€ per couple.
Language
The official languages in Barcelona are Catalan, Spanish, and Aranese. You will not meet any difficulty though, in communicating in English as probably all the locals know to speak.
Internet
The Internet coverage was in high standards during the entire our stay in Barcelona and Catalunya. Having also roaming for free for European’s Union numbers made our life easier as well.
General Information
Barcelona became a worldwide destination after the Olympic Games of 1992 – we all remember the epic torch lighting from the archer in the opening ceremony and of course the Dream team! Barcelona became a worldwide destination because it managed to grab the opportunity and totally upgrade the city.
Using sand from Egypt Barcelona created one of the highlights of the city, the 2 kilometers beach the so-called Barceloneta. At the same time, the infrastructure developed at high rates and the new ring roads solved many of the traffic problems of that time. The city turned much greener while the ponds and fountains got tripled in number.
All the above helped Barcelone to become a friendlier city to the visitors and promote its art and culture. The number of visitors from 1.7 million in 1990 became around 9 million in 2017.
How to get to Barcelona
The best way to get to Barcelona is by airplane. Barcelona has one airport, the Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport. In case you cannot find the flight that satisfies you, you can book one to Reus south of Barcelona or Girona on the north. Both of them abstain around 110 kilometers from the city and they offer transfer services either by train or bus.
Barcelona is just 164 kilometers from the borders with France so in case you are hitting the road, a trip to the Catalunya coastline is a pretty big temptation! 🙂
What is Barcelona famous for
Barcelona is famous for its architecture with flagship the Sagrada Familia cathedral temple. While the city is full of amazing buildings of Antoni Gaudi many artists got and still are getting inspired by this magnificent city. Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Perejaume are some of the artists that lived and created masterpieces. One of the best attractions in the city is the city itself and just walking around without a destination should be in your “to-dos” list!
Barcelona Football Club is one of the most successful clubs and brands while the team’s stadium, known as Camp Nou is the biggest in Europe and the third biggest worldwide being able to host 99.354 fans.
Last but not least is the cuisine! The tasty Mediterranean cuisine that everybody in the world love is served in Barcelona’s unique way!
Where to stay in Barcelona
Accommodation in Barcelona is pretty much expensive. A decent hotel room or apartment in the center of the city will cost around 100 €. This fact drove us in a dilemma. Book accommodation in the city center or a little bit outside of the city, with a lower rate, and rent a car with the difference?
Being in Catalonia and with countless amazing destinations in a 1-hour drive away, we chose to stay in Holiday Inn Express in Granollers. A small city of 60.000 population, just 30 kilometers away from Barcelona. The hotel is just next to Formula 1 GP pista, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Of course, looking for a parking slot in Barcelona is not a good idea at all! The cost of the parking slots is around 3 € per hour. We found a way to avoid them by simply parking in Rambla de Prim street and boarding in one of the four Metro stations that are in the area. Besos, La Pau, Besos Mar, and El Maresme | Fòrum are just next to Rambla de Prim street.
Booking.comTransportation in Barcelona / Catalunya
As we have already mentioned above, on our trip to Barcelona we rented a car. The highways and ring roads may have traffic but there was no traffic jam at all. Our best advisor was the “Google Maps” and using the option “Avoid tolls” we were again in decent highways without extra costs.
The metro network of Barcelona is well developed and the prices are affordable. There are stations in all the major attractions and we always prefer to walk and explore the city above the surface! You can find the updated prices on the official website here.
What and where to eat in Barcelona
Everything and everywhere are super delicious except in the touristic areas. Mostly you will go for the worldwide known tapas. Tapas are called short portions from different kinds of appetizers. Varieties of cheese, olives, fish calamari, ham, mussels, and more that we cannot really recall. The prices are around 1 to 2 euros and the options are hundreds.
We loved the Bravas potatoes and the Paella, classic dishes in entire Spain, and of course the olive oil in the salads!
Accompany all the above with a cold sangria made of red wine and chopped fruits with brandy or orange juice in the summer or a nice local wine in the wintertime!
Just book the thicket and Fell in Love With Barcelona!
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