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…
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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 seven cinemas in Barcelona which show films in their original language (mainly in English) with Spanish subtitles. The cinemas cater mainly to locals and show a mixture of classic films, cult movies and mainstream Hollywood blockbusters. Where to See English Language Films in Barcelona Cinemes MélièsAddress: Calle Villarroel 102Nearest Metro: Urgell (L1)Web Cines…
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…
Barcelona International Classic Bus Rally
This year Barcelona’s fourth annual international classic bus rally took place on the 1st and 2nd of June. Around 30 classic buses were on display in Av. Reina Maria Cristina from Saturday afternoon until Sunday morning. After that all but two of the classic buses drove from Barcelona to Caldes de Montbui. Not only was…
La Casa dels Entremesos: The Giants Museum
No Catalan festival would be complete without a procession of dancing giants. The papier mâché giants date back to the 14th century when they first appeared in Corpus Christi celebrations. Over the years they have been joined by “Capgrossos” (big heads), dragons and other animals. All of which can be seen dancing and whirling their way…
What to Wear in Barcelona in May
May got off to a good start this year with sunny weather and temperatures up in the twenties. In the afternoons even the locals were on the beach sunbathing. Then halfway through the month the weather turned bad, there were 4 days of heavy rain and it even snowed in the Pyrenees! The last two…
L’Ou Com Balla: Dancing Eggs !
If you like quirky and unusual traditions then you’ll love L’Ou Com Balla aka The Dancing Egg which takes place every year as part of Barcelona’s Corpus Christi celebrations. Basically the idea is that an egg is placed in a fountain and dances suspended by a jet of water. There are a total of 12 eggs…
Museum of Catalan Modernism
The Museum of Catalan Modernism opened in 2010 and contains furniture, paintings and sculptures from two private collections exhibited in a modernist building on Carrer Balmes. The museum includes works by most of the major exponents of the genre, including Antoni Gaudi, Joan Busquets, Eusbei Arnau, Josep Llimona and others. The museum occupies two floors,…
Understanding Barcelona’s Public Transport Zones
Fares on Barcelona’s public transport network are based on zones, much as they are in London and Paris. Unlike London, the entire city of Barcelona and some adjoining towns are within Zone 1. Zones 2 to 6 cover surrounding towns and cities, which are also included in the integrated fare system. Different maps, different zones…
How To Use Google Maps Without Paying Roaming Charges
Smartphones are great and one of the most useful Apps for travellers is Google Maps. If you haven’t used it yet I suggest you download it now from the Play Store and check it out. The only downside used to be that when you went abroad you got charged expensive roaming fees. Luckily last year…
Three Charming Art Nouveau Fountains by Josep Campeny
One of the things that makes Barcelona such a great place to live is the fact that, no matter how long you spend here, there’s always something new to discover. Everyone is familiar with sights such as the Sagrada Familia or the Pedrera, but I suggest you spend a few hours simply exploring and going…
What to Wear in Barcelona in April
April has been another month of mixed weather. The first week of the month was a mix of sunshine and showers, pretty typical for this time of year. First thing in the morning you still needed a warm jacket then by midday you could be in shirtsleeves. It rained a bit but only in short…
The Best Views Of Barcelona: El Turó de La Rovira
At an altitude of 257 metres in the Horta-Guinardó district, the Turó de la Rovira (aka Bunkers del Carmel) offers spectacular bird’s eye views of Barcelona. Unlike many of the city’s other viewpoints, from here, you get a full 360º panoramic view. You can also see along the coast as far as Mataró to the north…