Designed by Antoni Rovira i Trias and inaugurated in 1876, the “Mercat del Born” was Barcelona’s first cast-iron covered market and is the largest of it’s kind in Europe. It was the city’s central food market right up-until 1971 when the new Mercabarna wholesale market opened in the Zona Franca. The abandoned market building fell…
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New Year’s Eve Fireworks Display
Traditionally the Spanish see the new year in at home with their family. As the clock strikes midnight everyone eats 12 grapes and toasts the new year with cava. If you’ve visited Barcelona before, you will know that midnight is pretty much considered early evening here! Once the family celebration is over most people meet…
What to Wear in Barcelona in December
The weather in December has been pretty mild with daytime temperatures between 10 and 16 degrees Centigrade. It has been mostly dry with a mix of blue skies and overcast. Two or three days were stormy with strong winds and heavy rain. Apart from that the only rain was a few light showers. Night time…
Multidisciplinary Art Exhibition at the Agbar Tower
The Agbar Tower isn’t normally open to the general public. So when I heard about the “Agua, Aguas” exhibition I was keen to get a peek inside. The exhibition is a collection of poems, paintings and photos with a common theme – Water. The exhibits are grouped together in 5 categories: The exhibition is very…
Free WiFi Hotspots in Barcelona
Free WiFi is widely available in Barcelona. In 2011 the city council launched Barcelona WIFI and installed antennas throughout the city. You can also get online for free in shopping centres, bars & restaurants and at the airport. Barcelona WiFi Barcelona WiFi is one of the largest networks of free internet in Europe. The transmitters…
Christmas Lights 2013
Barcelona’s Christmas lights were officially switched on by the mayor on November 22nd 2013 . This year there are a total of 85kms of illuminations and most of Barcelona’s main shopping streets have displays. The best known are in the centre of the city on Passeig de Gracia, Portal de l’Àngel, Las Ramblas, Carrer Aragó…
BarGelona – Barcelona’s Christmas Ice Rink
Important – This year (2015) the Barcelona ice rink changed venue to Hospitalet. I will be updating this post as soon as possible. Please check back soon! Now in it’s third year, Barcelona’s Christmas ice rink measures 1400m² making it the largest temporary ice rink in Europe. It’s covered by a giant circus tent (ex…
The Nativity Scene at Plaça Sant Jaume
Every December a giant Nativity scene or “Pesebre” is installed in Plaça Sant Jaume. The design changes each year and never fails to surprise. In 2013 the Pesebre depicted life on Barcelona’s rooftops and is one of the most original and interesting that I’ve seen to date. The traditional characters are all represented but with a…
Curling One Out For Christmas !
If you thought that Southpark’s “Mr. Hankey” was the only toilet related Christmas character – Think again ! The Catalan Christmas tradition includes 2 poo-related characters: The Caganer Spanish nativity scenes are larger and more elaborate than those seen in the UK. They usually include additional buildings, animals, shepherds, farmers, washerwomen and other characters. In…
Christmas Markets in Barcelona 2025
Barcelona is a great place for Christmas shopping, with a wide range of shops and department stores catering to all budgets and tastes. There are also several traditional Christmas markets that take place every year. La Fira de Santa Llucia The Market of Saint Lucia is Barcelona’s oldest Christmas market and dates back to the…
How to Get From Barcelona Airport to the City Centre
This article outlines the transportation options for travelling from Barcelona Airport to the city centre. The best choice for you depends on several factors: arrival time, the number of people in your party, which area of the city you are staying in, and your budget. Please note that the information in this post refers to…
What to Wear In Barcelona in September
The weather in Barcelona during September has been pretty varied. It started off like the first few weeks of August; sunny with blue skies and temperatures up in the high twenties. Then there were 2 weeks of mixed weather. Some days were cloudy and overcast with a few heavy downpours and temperatures in the low-twenties.…
Barcelona Windsurfing Spots – Badalona
Badalona is just 10km north of central Barcelona. The long sandy and un-crowded beach is popular with Barcelona’s windsurfers, many of whom store their gear at one of 3 windsurfing clubs. According to the locals, the prevailing thermal wind blows stronger here than at any of the other local beaches. The sea breeze normally picks…
The Mediterranean Tall Ships Regatta
From the 21st to 24th of September 2013 Barcelona plays host to the Mediterranean Tall Ship Regatta. This year 30 tall ships are going to race from Barcelona via Toulon (France) to La Spezia (Italy). In the days leading up to the race the ships are moored in Barcelona’s Port Vell (old port). Most of…
Computer and Electronics Stores in Barcelona
If you need to replace your laptop, hard-drive, digital camera, MP3 player or other electronic devices while in Barcelona then the first place you should head to is Ronda de Sant Antoni between Plaça de la Universitat and Carrer de Casanova. There are more than a dozen shops here, selling a wide range of products including; memory…
Catalonia’s National Day – La Diada de Catalunya
Every year on the 11th of September, thousands of Barcelona residents take to the streets to celebrate a public holiday called La Diada de Catalunya or National Day of Catalonia. Often refered to as simply La Diada, the day comemorates the fall of Barcelona to the French and Castilian troops of Phillip V of Spain during the War…
Poblenou Cemetery
Poblenou’s Cemetery (Cementiri de Poblenou / Cementiri de l’Este) was built in the mid 18th Century and then rebuilt and extended during the 19th Century. It is divided into 3 sections. The first of which is a labyrinth of 7 story high burial niches typical of Spanish cemeteries. The second section is full of extravagant…
Central Park…..Poblenou!
Poblenou’s very own Central Park; “El Parc del Centre del Poblenou” opened in 2008 and was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. I’d describe the park’s style as “Post Industrial Recovery” which is a reflection of the surrounding area. When the park first opened the trees’ trunks were painted white to represent buildings. As the trees…
How To Read QR Codes With Your Smartphone or Tablet
QR codes are the square black and white bar-code like images which typically appear in magazines, advertising posters, stores and websites. QR code stands for “Quick Response Code”. The system was originally used by the Japanese automotive industry to manage components. They are now commonly used to store URLs and when scanned using a smartphone…
What to Wear in Barcelona in August
During the first three and a half weeks of August the weather was stable and pretty much identical to July. It was sunny with temperatures up in the high twenties and a relative humidity of about 65%. There was often a light sea breeze in the afternoon, making it perfect weather for sunbathing or enjoying…
Altaïr – Barcelona’s Travellers Bookshop
Whether you’re part way through a round the world trip, on a gap year or need a hiking guide for one of the many Spanish National Parks, you’ll be glad you found the Altaïr travellers bookshop in central Barcelona. Nowadays you can find lots of information online in travel blogs or specialist websites. But there’s still…
The Best Ice Cream in Barcelona
What better way to cool off when it’s hot and sunny than a delicious home made ice cream? The best ice creams that I’ve found so far in Barcelona are served at “La Campana” on “Carrer de la Princesa”. “La Campana” is a small shop with over a century of history ! When it’s not the…
Frank Gehry’s Golden Fish Sculpture
The 52-metre-long golden fish sculpture El Peix is one of the best-known and most striking landmarks on Barcelona’s seafront. Its gold-coloured stainless steel surface shines under the Mediterranean sun and changes appearance depending on the angle of the sun and the current weather conditions. The fish statue was built for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. The gold-coloured…
The Barcelona Mammoth Museum (now closed)
Unfortunately the Barcelona Mammoth Museum is no longer open to the public. Due to financial reasons, it closed down on the 25th of October 2016 and most of the collection has been moved to another museum in Italy. If your kids are fans of the Ice Age films then they’ll love the Barcelona Mammoth Museum.…
English Language Cinemas in Barcelona
There are currently six cinemas in Barcelona which show films in their original language (mainly in English) with Spanish subtitles. The cinemas primarily cater to locals and show a mix of classic films, cult movies, and mainstream Hollywood blockbusters. Where to See English Language Films in Barcelona Cines VerdiAddress: Carrer Verdi 32Nearest Metro: Fontana (L3)Web…
What to Wear in Barcelona in July
July has been hot, not only hot but hot and humid. Daytime temperatures have generally been around 28 ºC, dropping to about 24 degrees at night. It’s been sunny, mostly with clear skies or sometimes with high hazy clouds. At the start of the month there were a couple of summer storms when it rained…
The Caixa Forum
More than just a modern art museum, the Caixa Forum is billed as a Cultural Centre and stages temporary exhibitions as well as concerts, arts related educational workshops and films. There are 3 main exhibition halls, a cinema and a dedicated children’s activity area called Caixa Forum Kids. There is just one permanent exhibit; Joseph…
Badalona’s Fish-Kite Mural
The impressive Fish-Kite mural was painted in 2010 by a group of artists from the Identidad(es) initiative. The initiative was sponsored by Badalona city council and aimed to develop social cohesion through several different urban art projects. The mural was painted on the exterior walls of four terraced houses in the Barri Groc district of Badalona,…
What to Wear in Barcelona in June
June is officially the first month of summer with warm sunny days and refreshingly cool evenings. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the weather’s been a bit odd this year but June’s been great. Temperatures have been in the low twenties most days and generally sunny, not too hot and humid but definitely beach weather…
The Never Ending Tunnel at Passeig de Gracia
With ten lines, frequent modern trains and plenty of stations the Barcelona metro system is an excellent way to move around the city. You seldom have to change lines more than once to get anywhere in Barcelona. There is however one black spot; the dreaded tunnel at Passeig de Gracia! Passeig de Gracia metro station…