Travel Tips For Barcelona

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You Must Know from Barcelona:

1. Of all the places I have traveled around the world, Barcelona is the worst for pick pocketing I have ever encountered. This is one place to definitely consider wearing a money belt under your clothes. Leave your passport in the safe deposit box at your hotel; do not carry it with you. Also, only carry one card, one ID, and part of your money when you leave your hotel. Women should avoid carry a purse at night, but also be wary of what you put in your pockets. Do not wear expensive jewelry. It is very common for a thief to ride up on a motorcycle, snatch your purse, and drive away. Within one week, a friend caught a woman stealing out of someone’s purse while getting off the metro, another friend had is phone stolen, another had her purse stolen, and another had someone on the metro grab his hand and try to steal his wedding ring. Also, do not walk alone at night, especially near Las Ramblas.

By Nikki

2. Bring you student ID for discounts. A lot of places will only accept your student ID if it has an expiration date, so if your ID doesn’t have one, you might consider getting and ISIC card.

By Nikki and Leon

What to Do / Activities in Barcelona:

1. Barcelona is not such a cheap city any more, but there are still plenty of free places to see and enjoy if you're travelling on a budget. My top 10 free places to visit in Barcelona are as follows:

Gaudí's Parc Güell.
Las Ramblas.
The Barrio Gotico.
Montjuic.
The Caixa Forum gallery.
The Old Port and Barceloneta.
Parc de la Ciutadella.
The Gothic Cathedral.
Museum free days.
Passeig de Gracia.

These places are all well worth seeing and completely free, and you'll need more than a few days to visit all of them. For more detailed information visit:
www.movingtobarcelona.com/about-barcelona.shtml

By MovingToBarcelona.com

2. La Pedrera is cheaper and cooler inside than Casa Batlló, so if you have to choose one, go inside La Pedrera.

By Briann

3. At la buqueria, Barcelona's farmers market off of La Rambla, the prices are cheaper at the back than they are at the entrance. For example, you can find fresh squeezed juice for 1 euro if you walk around.

By Nikki and Leon

4. Like everything in Spain, it is difficult to figure out when to catch the show at the Magic Fountains of Montjuic. You are pretty much guaranteed to see the show if you go Thursdays and Sundays from 9:30pm to 11:30pm. Get there by 9pm for good seats.

By Nikki and Leon

5. El Palau de la Musica Catalana can only be seen by tour, but the tours are only offered at certain times in certain languages and the venue is sometimes closed for dress rehearsals. Check the schedule before you go, or when you first get to Barcelona to make sure you don't miss your opportunity to see the beautiful concert hall. Another great way to see the venue is to actually go to a concert instead of taking the tour.

By Nikki and Leon

6. The children's choir at Monserrat sings everyday at 1pm. gives yourself plenty of time to get there since you have to take a train and cable car to get there.

By Nikki and Leon

Getting Around in Barcelona:

1. The metro is open all night on Saturday. Also, cab fares go up on the weekends at night after 12:00.

By Brianna

2. If you are going to be in the city for more than a couple days, consider buy a metro pass. You can buy a pass for 10 trips, but if you are going to be taking more than 2 trips a day for one month, you should buy the 50/30 pass which lets you take 50 trips within 30 days for a little over 30 euro.

By Nikki

3. You can take the Renfe Ferrocaril from the Airport to Barcelona for under 2 Euro and from there you can take the metro or taxi to your destination. The train is located at the airport between terminals A and B. Consider that it is a little bit of a walk with luggage, but I made it with three bags

By Nikki

4. Pepecar.com is often the cheapest way to rent a car in Barcelona. The sooner you book, the better the price, and they have several pick up locations. Beware of restrictions on where you take the car. You cannot take the car out of the country and there may also be restrictions on taking it out of the province, etc.

By Nikki

Lodging in Barcelona:

To find a great midrange place, stay in one of Spain's Paradores. A state-run enterprise, the hotels are often in castles, palaces, fortresses, convents, monasteries and other historic buildings and are often times an excellent alternative to your standard hotel: www.parador.es

By Ryan

Money in Barcelona:

European ATM's only take cards with 4 digit pin #'s. If your pin is 5 or more #'s make sure to change it before you go. The ATM ate my card in Italy and my bank had to send me another one such a hassle!

By Giuliette

Shopping in Barcelona:

Riera Baixa Street, in the Gothic area, is the area for vintage shops.

By Nikki

Keep in Touch in Bracelona:

To buy a cell phone, try FNAC at Plaza Cataluña. A lot people in my groups got cell phones for around 20 euro which already had phone credit on it, so the phone was basically free. Other people in my groups subscribed to Blackberry world before going to Barcelona and were not as happy with their decision.

By Nikki

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