General Information

The city of Barcelona stands in the heart of the Catalonia region in the east of Spain. Being the 2nd largest Spanish city, it boasts both the fast-paced city atmosphere yet also an open coastline with sandy beaches. Hotels can be found all across the city to suit everyone's tastes and ideal locations - may I recommend the Hotel Balmes on Calle Mallorca as a very good value 3 star hotel in a great location for the average tourist like me (see my review for this hotel should the mood take you).

Transport

The transport system seems very well run as there is an underground train network running to all the main attractions and back to the city centre on a very regular basis and at a very good price - we bought a 10 journey ticket which made each single journey just 77cents...such a good price when you think of London prices. There were also plenty of buses darting around the city, including those specifically for tourists with the open-top hair-knotting benefit, but we found the tourist bus prices a little too steep for one day's travel. I definitely recommend the underground - just be prepared for a little bit of walking too as each stop isn't always right where you want to be for the attractions. But we'll get to that point later... As for airport transfers, we used the 'Aerobus' for about 8 Euros per person, which ran as a shuttle bus between Barcelona Airport and the city centre on a regular basis (I'd say at least 2 per hour). Just make sure that for the journey back you know which terminal you need, otherwise you could have a bit of a walk... Not that I'm speaking from experience at all...

Language

Everyone speaks Spanish as a native language, but the locals tend to converse in their regional language of Catalan - it's a little like Spanish and Portuguese put together. I, quite nervously at first, spoke to them in Spanish, anxiously anticipating either a blank, silent face or simply... 'qué?' But the language barrier was not a problem and the vast majority are happy to speak in any language at all, particularly English. Quite a lot of the central restaurants will also hold menus in a variety of languages, so it's always worth asking.

Food and Drink

Paella, paella, paella.... Enough paella to last a lifetime. There's so much on offer in fact, that its quite hard to know where to go to have it. We visited Las Ramblas the first night we were there and thought we'd better get into the Spanish swing of things and ordered some at one of the very 'touristy' restaurants there. Well, we were disappointed to say the least - I don't recommend you eat on Las Ramblas itself, as many of the places are not cheap but poor quality...even on their national dishes! So if possible, try restaurants that are off the main street; I hope they'd offer better quality food. Other than paella, there's generally a good helping of other Spanish favourites in the better restaurants: gazpacho, chorizo, sangria, shellfish and more. Prices can differ quite significantly depending on which street you're eating in - streets surrounding main tourist attractions and those in the heart of the city have pretty steep prices and might disappoint. So try and eat in quieter areas if possible, or perhaps in the hotel. Expect food prices to be generally quite expensive anyway after all (eg. about 15 euros per main course) as it is a big city...think London prices..! The same applies to drinks - bars and restaurants usually have a good selection, but we didn't find cocktails for less than 5 euros. However beer and wine worked out fairly cheap in most places. My advice would be to shop around, don't eat/drink in the first place you find, and allow a healthy budget for eating out whilst you're there.

Right, now for the attractions themselves... Let's have a look at what Barcelona has to offer: these are 5 places that I visited whilst there and very much enjoyed but, as you can imagine, we certainly didn't exhaust all the sights and sounds it has to offer, so do look around for comments on other sights that I unfortunately didn't have time to see...!

Sagrada Familia

As one of Gaudi's most famous architectural masterpieces, this cathedral attracts thousands of tourists every year. Despite not being finished yet, neither inside nor outside, the cathedral is a perfect gateway to a wonderful view of the city from the top of one of its towers. The towers are accessible by 2 elevators (so don't fret - it's not UP hundreds of steps, just down and only if you choose not to take the lift back down) which unfortunately only hold about 6 or 7 people at a time... Hence, as I'm sure you've guess, means some heavy queuing time. BUT... all is not lost - queuing for the towers is optional once you are already inside (at a 2 euro extra cost I believe) and the queue to get in to the cathedral itself did not take half as long when we were there. There is also an optional guided tour headset in a variety of languages, that comes at an extra cost of around 5 euros I think. It costs 11 euros to get in, allowing you to walk from front to back and around the inside of the great cathedral. There are some wonderful stone carvings and stained-glass windows that are definitely worth seeing, and also a small room explaining Gaudi's work on the cathedral. From the top of one of the towers, you can see right across Barcelona and by taking the stairs route down (NOT for the faint-hearted...or those who dislike a slightly light-headed, leg-wobbly feeling on completion) you can get a great 360 degree spectacle. At the bottom there is a reasonably priced gift shop (well, reasonable as gift shops go) and toilet facilities. In my mind, it is surely worth a visit, particularly for those with an interest in Gaudi/architecture. I was slightly disappointed that the cathedral wasn't actually complete, and some of the views from inside were obscured by scaffolding. We were told the works on the inside were due to finish in 2010, but those outside were not due for another few decades. So perhaps it would be worth checking out online if the work has been finished next year before planning a trip - I should imagine that without scaffolding it looks even better.

Overall, a great attraction for those who like galleries, museums, etc. but maybe not for those who may not like heights or who prefer more exciting attractions.

Las Ramblas and La Boqueria Market

This is the main tourist street in the city - on it there are market stalls, artists, street dancers, performers, restaurants, hotels, bars, shops...all sorts of forms of entertainment. It's nice to take an evening stroll down to the end, grabbing a drink or two along the way, and watching all the people and performers go by. It does get very busy, particularly in the evenings, but it is totally free and something that everyone can enjoy. Half way down and off a side street is the famous market La Boqueria - I had never seen so much fresh fruit, meat and vegetables in one place! It is quite remarkable. Prices are very good and many of the locals seem to shop there proving its quality and freshness. At the back of the market you can also find tapas bars - perfect for that little hole of hunger after seeing all the food on offer there! Beware of the meat and poultry stalls though - we weren't quite expecting the chickens up for sale to still have their heads on... :/ I don't mean to sound a killjoy or cynical, but it is wise to keep a close eye on wallets, handbags and other personal items whilst in this area - theft is apparently very common due to the volumes of people and number of unsuspecting tourists, so just keep a check on that one I suggest. We didn't experience any, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.

A great visit for all the family, allowing you to sample some great Spanish culture first hand.

Camp Nou - FC Barcelona Football Ground

Now this was quite a treat... Neither myself nor my mother are huge football fans, but this was an attraction we greatly enjoyed. We paid about 23 euros per adult to get into the ground and access to most areas of interest - the DIY tour (by this I mean there were no tour guides as such, just a route and a crowd that generally get you in the right direction) began with a 3D movie of the players in action which lasted around 10mins - the only downside was the lack of air-con...on a 36 degree day, this was not good! Anyway, once out of there it was into the visitors changing rooms, the press room, the conference room, down to the edge of the pitch, into the stand, the commentators' box, the trophy room and finally the gift shop. Now, we were there in August and it was VERY busy: queues were long and there weren't many options for a place to have lunch so perhaps bringing something with you is a good plan. The tour lasted about 2 hours, but then that really depends on how much time you want to spend in the different areas. We felt it was quite good value for money, as the stadium itself is just so huge (three tiers!) that it had a lot to offer even people who weren't real football adicts.

A great treat for football fans, and even fun for those who aren't. Reasonably priced (considering the much greater price of a match there) and well laid-out tour. Worth a visit - children will love it.

Barcelona is a great city, full of life and bustle. It offers so many things that I am sure that everyone will find there piece of the city to explore and excite them. Not many places such as Barca can offer a city experience but with beaches, so for that I really commend it. The transport is quick and easy, and there really is no reason NOT to go. There are many attractions such as museums, galleries, parks, aquariums, halls and all sorts that I have sadly not had the opportunity of visiting as yet, but one day I hope to go back and fully appreciate it all again.