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…
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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 52m long golden fish sculpture El Peix is one of the best known and most striking landmarks on Barcelona’s seafront. It’s 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…
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…
Human Towers at the Sagrada Familia
The Festa Mayor de la Sagrada Familia (festival of the Sagrada Familia district) started this weekend. The festival lasts from the 19th of April until the 6th of May and kicked off with a display of human towers called castells in front of the Sagrada Familia Basilica. Castells are built by teams called colles who perform…
Monestir de Pedralbes – One of Barcelona’s Best Kept Secrets!
The Monestir de Pedralbes is a beautiful gothic monastery which was built in 1326 by Queen Elisenda in an effort to be forgiven for her sins. Some of the most famous architects of the time worked on the project including Ramon Despuig and Berenguer de Montagut who also designed the Bascilica de Santa Maria del…
Windsurfing on the Ebro Delta
The Ebro Delta National Park is located 160km south of Barcelona. It is an important wetland habitat and home to about 300 species of birds. It is also one of Spain’s main rice growing areas. The strong north easterly Mestral winds which blow regularly from autumn to spring make the area popular with windsurfers and…
What to Wear in Barcelona in March
As March draws to a close we take a look back at the month’s weather and more importantly, at what we’ve been wearing. March sees the transition from winter to spring and the changeable weather normally reflects this. This year has been no exception. The first of March was sunny with maximum temperatures of around…
The Roman Temple of Augustus
Tucked away inside a medieval building in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, there stand four, nine metre high Corinthian columns that are nearly as old as the city itself. The Roman Temple of Augustus dates back to the first century BC and was part of the Forum at the centre of the Roman city of Barcino. During…
Plaça de Catalunya – More Than Just a Metro Stop!
For many visitors Plaça de Catalunya is the first place they see when they arrive in Barcelona. If you take the Aerobus from the airport, the chances are you will get off here on the way to your hotel. Plaça de Catalunya is also the intersection between Las Ramblas, Portal de l’Àngel, Ronda de…
The Roger de Llúria Monument
This bronze statue of Roger de Llúria was constructed in 1885 by Catalan artist Josep Reynés. The statue is located on Passeig Lluis Companys, just opposite the main entrance to the Ciutadella Park and was originally part of a series of 8 statues of Catalan heroes. Who was Roger de Llúria? Roger de Llúria was…
Sitges in Winter
Sitges is a Spanish beach resort located just 35km south of Barcelona. The town is famous for it’s nightlife, beaches, carnival and the Sitges Film Festival. Sitges in the wintertime is a popular day trip for Barcelona residents who typically visit on Sunday and take a stroll along the seafront followed by lunch in one…
Surprising Street Art in Poblenou
Barcelona has lots of street art and public art, ranging from graffiti to large and impressive statues and murals by famous artists. On my way to the beach this morning I noticed this interesting series of modified road signs at the bottom of the Rambla del Poblenou. There are about a dozen of these “modified”…
