The Spanish rail network is among the best in Europe, with a fleet of modern high-speed AVE trains connecting major cities at speeds of up to 300km/h. Tickets for the AVE trains typically go on sale ninety days before that date of travel, and if you book in advance, you can get a discount of…
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How To Claim Compensation If Your Train Is Delayed In Spain
Public transport in Spain is good value for money, easy to use and efficient. In major cities like Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia you can choose between buses, trams, metro and urban trains. When travelling between cities, you have the choice of long-distance buses or trains. The Spanish national train company is called RENFE, which stands…
Buying A Prepaid Spanish SIM Card At Barcelona Airport
Buying a Spanish SIM card at Barcelona airport can save you money on roaming charges while ensuring that you stay connected throughout your stay. Free Wi-Fi is widely available in Barcelona, but the connection is quite slow, and with prepaid SIMs available for as little as fifteen euros, it makes sense to buy a local…
Electric Scooter Rental In Barcelona (Read Before Hiring A Scooter!)
Scooters are a familiar sight on the streets of Barcelona. A practical way to beat traffic jams and travel quickly around the city, the combination of good weather and easy parking make electric scooters an increasingly popular choice. If you’re visiting Barcelona for a few days and fancy having fun exploring the city on two…
The Miralles Gateway By Antoni Gaudí (Portal Miralles)
Antoni Gaudí was the architect behind many of Barcelona’s best known and most iconic buildings. From the groundbreaking design of Casa Milà to the spectacular beauty of the Sagrada Familia, there’s no denying that he left his mark on the city. But Gaudí didn’t limit himself to designing palaces and churches; he also worked on…
Monument to Simón Bolívar
Sometimes referred to as the George Washington of South America, Simón Bolivar was a Venezuelan soldier and politician who fought to liberate Venezuela, Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama and Bolivia from Spanish rule. The bronze statue of Simón Bolívar by Julio Maragall, which stands near the seafront in Barcelona, is replica of a similar monument in…
Where To Buy A Beach Umbrella & Other Beach Accessories In Barcelona (with prices and map)
If you visit Barcelona during the summer, the chances are, you’ll want to spend some time on the beach. The city boasts over 4km of sandy coastline, and Barcelona’s beaches are great places to relax after spending the morning visiting the city’s many cultural attractions or after a long night partying at one of the…
Júlia, the Life-Sized Concrete Mammoth Statue in the Parc de la Ciutadella
The Parc de la Ciutadella is Barcelona’s oldest and most central public park. Located on the edge of the old town, the park dates back to 1869 when the eighteenth-century citadel, which had previously occupied the site, was handed over to the city council. Home to Barcelona Zoo, the Catalan Houses of Parliament, a small…
Barcelona Tram System Guide | How to Use the Tram in Barcelona
The Barcelona tram system is divided into two separate networks which run through the suburbs to municipalities north and southwest of the city. To the south of the city, the Trambiax consist of three lines (T1, T2 and T3) which run from Plaça Francesc Macià to Espluges de Llobregat, Cornellà de Llobregat, Sant Feliu de…
Hercules Fountains & The Origins Of Barcelona
According to legend, Barcelona was founded by the Greek God Heracles, who, together with his brother Hermes, accompanied Jason and the Argonauts, searching for the Golden Fleece. The brothers set sail with a fleet of nine ships, one of which was lost in a storm somewhere in the Mediterranean. After days of searching for the…
Monument to Francesc Layret
Located in Plaça Goya, in Barcelona’s Sant Antoni neighbourhood, Monument a Francesc Layret pays homage to a left-wing republican lawyer who was assassinated in 1920. The monument’s centrepiece is a bronze statue of a young woman holding a flaming torch which symbolizes the struggle for liberty. Behind her, at a slightly lower level, three stone…
Monument To The Catalan Volunteers
Monument to the Catalan volunteers (Monument als Voluntaris Catalans) is a bronze statue by Catalan artist Josep Clarà located near the boating lake in the Parc de la Ciutadella. The statue is a memorial to the approximately 900 Catalans who fought with the allied forces during World War One, many of whom had enlisted as…
Barcelona With Kids: Family-Friendly City Guide
Barcelona is one of the most family-friendly destinations in Europe, and you can be sure that your kids will enjoy visiting just as much as you do. This post contains everything you need to know when planning a family holiday in Barcelona, including; what to do in Barcelona with kids, when to visit, where to…
An Interview With Ben Holbrook From Driftwood Journals
In this post, we talk to travel writer, photographer, filmmaker, blogger and all-round Barcelona connoisseur Ben Holbrook. I’ve been a fan of Ben’s work since discovering his blog Driftwood Journals back in 2013, and when the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance of finding out more about what inspires him and his life in…
10 Things That Barcelona Is Famous For
With an estimated twelve million visitors each year, Barcelona is one of the best-known and most visited cities in Europe. But what is Barcelona famous for? Barcelona is famous for its outstanding football team, stunning architecture, lively nightlife, sandy beaches, and world-class cuisine. Not to mention a vibrant cultural heritage and colourful neighbourhood festivals that…
Where to Stay in Barcelona: Best Areas & Neighbourhoods
It’s no secret that choosing the right hotel or apartment can make or break a holiday, and deciding where to stay is possibly the most important decision you’ll make when planning a trip to Barcelona. In this post, I’ve pooled together the knowledge gained from more than twenty years of living in the city to…
When’s the Best Time of Year to Visit Barcelona? (Month-by-Month Guide)
For most visitors, the best time of year to visit Barcelona is from early April through to mid-October. Throughout this period the weather is generally warm and sunny. It’s also when most of the city’s many vibrant festivals take place. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t visit at other times of the year. In fact,…
Barcelona Metro Guide: Timetables, Maps, Tickets & More
The Barcelona metro is modern, efficient and easy to use. Trains run frequently throughout the day, and you seldom have to wait more than a few minutes. This article contains all the information you need to help you get around the city, including maps, timetables, tickets and more. Contents Barcelona Metro lines and maps Route…
Which Barcelona Airport is Best? (BCN, GRO, REU)
Three international airports serve Barcelona and the surrounding area with flights to and from the UK, Spain and other European countries. When visiting Barcelona, it’s best to fly to Barcelona Airport, which is located 14 kilometres south of the city centre and is the largest of the three airports. There are frequent bus, train and…
Monument to General Prim
Barcelona’s best-known park, El Parc de la Ciutadella, takes its name from the fortress which once occupied the site. Built immediately after the War of the Spanish Succession to dominate the fallen city, the citadel became a symbol of oppression that was hated by the people of Barcelona. In 1869 the government of General Joan…
Ripoll: What to See and Do
Ripoll is a small town in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountain range, one hundred kilometres from Barcelona. The town is best known for the monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll, which was founded in the ninth century and is considered one of the most important Romanesque monuments in Spain. Ripoll also makes a good…
Plaça de Mossèn Jacint Verdaguer
Plaça de Mossèn Jacint Verdaguer is basically just a large and fairly busy roundabout in the l’Eixample district of Barcelona. The plaza would probably go unnoticed if it wasn’t for the twenty-metre high monument which stands in the middle and the giant neon owl that stares down from the roof of a nearby building. Monument…
Desolation by Josep Llimona
Desolation (Catalan: Desconsol) is one of the best known and most evocative statues by Catalan sculptor Josep Llimona i Brugera. Born in Barcelona in 1863, Josep Llimona is widely considered to be the most influential sculptor of the Catalan Modernism artistic movement. His earliest commissions were mostly monuments and funerary statues. In fact, Desolation is…
Statue of Little Red Riding Hood
Who isn’t familiar with the story of Little Red Riding Hood? The tale of a young girl and her grandmother who are saved from a fierce wolf by a burly woodcutter. The Little Red Riding Hood fountain in Barcelona portrays a smiling Red Riding Hood casually stroking a friendly-looking wolf. Presumably, inspired in the girl’s…
10 Charming Squares & Pretty Plazas in Barcelona (with map)
Barcelona’s squares and plazas are the very essence of city life. Places where locals and visitors alike come to meet friends, relax and enjoy a drink or a meal. From large imposing plazas surrounded by elegant buildings to tiny squares where children can run and play, there are literally hundreds of squares of all sizes…
Neptune’s Fountain: History and Symbolism
Neptune is one of the best known Roman gods and there are fountains dedicated to him in numerous European cities including Rome, Florence, Madrid and Berlin. Neptune’s fountain in Barcelona was inaugurated in 1882. Originally located in the Port Vell harbour, in 1912 the fountain was moved to the Laribal Gardens on Montjuïc where it…
Homage to Picasso by Antoni Tàpies
Homage to Picasso is a large abstract sculpture that was commissioned by Barcelona city council in 1981 to celebrate the centenary of the artist’s birth. Created by Antoni Tapies, the sculpture consists of a collection of Art Nouveau furniture traversed by iron beams and tied together by rope. One side of the pile of furniture…
Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol
Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol (St. Josep Oriol’s Square) is located next to the Santa Maria del Pi Basilica in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter. Built on the site of one of the Basilica’s three cemeteries, the square hosts a regular artists market which takes place every weekend. Artists Market One of the delights of exploring Barcelona’s…
Monument to Anselm Clavé
Josep Anselm Clavé was a musician, composer, writer and political activist. A committed socialist and founder of choral societies aimed at working-class people, Clavé played an important role in the development of popular Catalan culture during the nineteenth century. Monument to Josep Anselm Clavé Inaugurated in 1888, the monument consists of a bronze statue by…
MALIP: Monument to Lost Dreams
The Monument to Lost Dreams (Catalan: El Monument a les Il·lusions Perdudes) is a sleek, abstract sculpture by cartoonist and multidisciplinary artist Toni Batllori. Installed in Poblenou in 2015, the pale granite statue was created as part of a fundraising drive for Clowns Without Frontiers (Payasos Sin Fronteras) a registered charity that sends clowns to…
