Barcelona Travel Guide
Renowned all over the world, and in no small part to its lucrative football club and a top class racing track, Barcelona is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. The second largest city of Spain, Barcelona is divided into several districts; the ones of interest to visitors include the old town of Ciutat Vella, the modernist Eixample, the distinctively Catalan Gracia and Barceloneta with all its sandy beaches, restaurants and cafes.
To travel around in Barcelona, the public bus service is apt as it not only links all the tourist sites in the city, but is also quite reasonable on the pocket. Most Barcelona Hotels will have a bus stop nearby, which makes it even more convenient. There is also a metro and a tram service, and the best thing is the same ticket is valid for all the public modes of transportation. Hiring a car to move around the city is not advised as parking spaces are not easy to find, and it would be a wiser option to rent a scooter or a bicycle if renting were necessary.
The people of Barcelona are more likely to respond animatedly in either Spanish or Catalan to any of your queries, but they are not averse to the use of the English language. Places worth a visit include the La Rambla - the famous boulevard, the Placa d’Espanya- the fountain which was earlier used for public hangings, the Montjuic Castle, the winding streets and squares of the Barri Gotic, and cathedrals, churches, museums and zoos. Also worth a visit is the Nou Camp, the famous football stadium of FC Barcelona.
Barcelona is marked by a spate of festivals and carnivals throughout the year - the chief annual festival being the Festes de la Merce, wherein the revellers can partake in a variety of festivities such as live music shows, formations of high human towers, breathtaking fireworks on display and so on.
Major shopping areas in the city include El Corte Ingles and Fnac, where you can find anything and everything you could think of. A visit to Barcelona would not be complete without Cava, the national drink of Barcelona. Moving over to food and eateries, the Catalan cuisine is particularly exquisite and the seafood is delicious. A tiny treat in the form of waffles can be bought off street stands. The famous Chocolate Factory of Barcelona is a must-visit for chocolate lovers.
The best time to visit Barcelona would be the month of August as a majority of the Spaniards are on vacation at the time, and it is a lot easier to find reasonable accommodation. In particular, those looking for some tranquillity will find that quite pleasing. Also, more than a couple of Barcelona’s festivals are held annually in August.