BARCELONA GUIDE BARCELONA GUIDE MONEY Currency: Euro, €1 = 100 cents Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant, three-courses Essential Information – €30-50 Money 3 Exchanging currency could be a challenge in Big Mac – €3.40 Barcelona, as exchange offices (cambio) are no Bottle of water at supermarket – 40 cents (1.25 Communication 4 Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, is a bustling longer abundant since the introduction of the liters) Mediterranean port and the economical cen- euro. However, you can still change your money Domestic beer (0.5 liter, draught) – €3 Holidays 5 ter of Spain. Its history dates back to the times at the bank, at the main railway station or in Gasoline (1 liter) – €1.40 the tourist districts of the city. Taking traveler's Hostels (average price/night) – €30 – 40 Transportation 6 of the Romans and the city does a lot to dis- play this with pride. Thanks to the 1992 Sum- checks might be a good idea. Another good 4* hotel (average price/night) – €100 – 200 Food 8 mer Olympics, a lot of effort went into modern- choice is taking advantage of the ATMs that are Car-hire (medium-sized car/day) – €30 – 40 izing the city while keeping its ancient charm. almost everywhere – this way, you won't need to Events During The Year 9 The city center and the main square, Plaça de exchange money at all. Credit and debit cards are Tipping Catalunya, show this unique blend of new and also accepted at most shops, even at Barcelona's Tipping is not expected in Spain. If you feel that 10 Things to do old. markets. Airport establishments might even ac- the service was outstanding, you can round up to Barcelona is also a center of culture and mod- cept payment in US dollar, but the exchange rate the next euro or leave one extra for the waiter. DOs and DO NOTs 11 ern architecture. Antoni Gaudí is the cre- is unfavorable. However, upscale restaurants generally expect Activities 15 ative mastermind behind many of the build- tips, as do taxi drivers in an upscale setting. ings here, such as Güell Palace or the Sagrada Tax Refunds . Família church. Museum-goers will be over- There is a VAT refund available for those who are joyed in this city, since there are many exquis- not EU citizens. The VAT is 18% and you need to ite artworks to be seen. And do not forget that spend a minimum of €90.15 in one shop on one Barcelona is right by the sea – after you are fin- day. Make sure you get a VAT refund form from Emergency Contacts ished with the cultural sights, head over to the the store at the time of your purchase. Fill out Emergency: 112 beach to soak up the Mediterranean sun or en- the form with your receipt attached and show the Police: 092 joy a drink at one of the beach bars. completed forms and the items you purchased Medical urgencies: 061 at your final departure from the European Union. Time Zone Fire service: 080 The customs authorities will stamp your docu- CET (UTC+1), observes DST. ments – make sure not to pack the purchased items in your checked luggage. Then claim the Contacts refund through the store's affiliate – Global Re- Tourist Contacts fund, Spain Refund and Premier are the three authorized companies for this in Spain. These Tourist information: 010 companies have their offices at the airport and at the borders, so you can get your money back immediately. Prices Meal, inexpensive restaurant – €10-12 2 3 COMMUNICATION HOLIDAYS Electricity at times, but it’s useful if you need access to the January 1 – New Year's Day The standard electricity supply in Spain is 230 volt internet from wherever you are. The name of January 6 – Epiphany – 50 Hz AC. The plugs have two round pins. Re- the network is “Barcelona WiFi”. Alternatively, Good Friday and Easter Monday member to bring an adapter or converter if you most hotels and hostels offer their own free Wi-Fi May 1 – Labour day need it. connection, as do regular cafés and restaurants, June 24 – St. John's Day although these might not be as abundant as in August 25 – Assumption Day Languages other big cities. There are also internet cafés, September 11 – National Day of Catalonia but they come and go quickly, as is the trend October 12 – National Day of Spain Barcelona lies in Catalonia – therefore, there are nowadays. The usual price for an hour is €1-2. November 1 – All Saints Day two official languages. Catalan is the main lan- More information on the free Wi-Fi connection December 6 – Constitution Day guage here, used on street signs and the like. (www.bcn.cat) December 8 – Day of the Immaculate Concep- The locals also speak Spanish fluently, since they tion learn both languages at school. However, Catalan Internet Resources December 25 – Christmas Day is widely preferred, since most of the locals con- December 26 – Boxing Day/Saint Stephen's sider Catalonia a separate region from the rest of Barcelona's official tourist website (www.barcelonaturisme. Day Spain. Put in the effort and try to learn some of com) Spain's official tourist website (www.spain. the basic phrases in Catalan – this will make the Opening Hours locals happy and can open many doors for you, info) Shops are generally open Monday to Saturday even if you lead the rest of the conversation in Barcelona's public transport system (www. from 10 AM to 2 PM; when there is a break and Spanish. tmb.cat) they re-open at 4:30 PM, closing at 8 PM. How- Barcelona events (eventful.com) ever, this lunch break may be omitted in the People in Barcelona also understand English and city center, and the large shops and department French, more so than in other Spanish cities. stores might stay open up until 10 PM. Opening hours on Saturday may be shorter. Banks are Mobile Phones open from 8 AM to 2 PM. The whole country is covered by the GSM 900/1800/GPRS/HSPDA network. European mobile phones should work Museums and other sights are open from 9 AM to fine, visitors from the US and Asia might need to around 7 PM. On Mondays and some holidays – check compatibility. There are four operators in Christmas, Good Friday and New Year's Day most total running the network – Movistar, Vodafone, of them are closed altogether. However, each Orange and Yoigo. You can use your own card times may differ, so always check the museum or buy a pre-paid anonymous card if you want website before you plan your trip. a Spanish number or better rates. The interna- tional access code for Spain is +34, the area code for Barcelona is 93. Internet The city council provides its own free Wi-Fi con- nection and access points are scattered all over the city center. The connection might be slow 4 5 TRANSPORTATION TRANSPORTATION Public Transportation Bike A suitable way of exploring the city. There Talking on the cell phone while driving is ille- Barcelona is a large city, and is therefore covered are plenty of bike rental shops in Barcelona; the gal and it is forbidden to use earphones while by a network of public transport. One ticket costs price for a day is about €7-10. driving. €2. There is also the T10 ticket which you can use Drive on the right. ten times in one zone (which is enough for most Taxis Children under 12 can't sit in the front seat; young children should travel in a baby seat. attractions in the city center); it costs €9.25. A one Barcelona's taxis are black with yellow doors. You Screen-based navigation systems can't be day ticket costs €6.95 and a five day ticket costs can either flag one down or you can go to one used in Spain. €28. These can be bought at vending machines of the taxi stands. Alternatively, just call one of Barcelona is the same as any other major Eu- in the subway (cards are accepted), at the tourist the companies. Some taxis are adapted for peo- ropean city; parking is expensive (even though offices or even online. ple with disabilities. The minimum fare is €2.05 there are some free parking spots) and driving Official Website of the public transport com- and the basic price for a kilometer is €0.93. These in the city center won't make anything easier for pany (www.tmb.cat) prices vary on weekends, at night and on other you, since you will just get stuck in the narrow Ticket prices (www.tmb.cat) occasions. There are also special fares for trips to roads. But, if you want to drive, make sure you Metro There are eight lines in total that serve the airport – one ride costs €20 minimum. have a road map (a tourist map is not enough). the most frequented parts of the city. It oper- Taxi Amic – +34 934 208 088 (adapted for the Of course, if you plan on venturing beyond the ates from 5 AM to 12 PM during the week. On disabled) city center, driving is a good way to get there. weekends, the metro runs from Saturday 5 AM to ZBarna Taxi – +34 933 581 111 Sunday 12 AM with no breaks. The same applies Cooperativa Radio Taxi Metropolitana – +34 for public holidays. 932 250 000 Walkability Fono Taxi – +34 933 001 100 Barcelona is a very walkable city.