Welcome to Barcelona
Barcelona is a city where culture is everywhere. The Catalan capital is in itself a real epicenter of new trends in culture, fashion and gastronomy. It combines the creativity of its artists and designers with the love and respect for traditional businesses. The charm and tranquility of its historic district, the avant-garde of its most modern districts and the urban tumult of one of the most visited cities in the world coexist.
Barcelona attracts many visitors for its must-see monuments, such as the Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, Casa Batlló or La Pedrera. Those who visit it discover a city that has pleasant surprises in store for every trip: walks by the sea, evenings on the roof terraces with breathtaking views of the city, large green spaces such as Montjuïc Park or that of the Ciutadella, the Olympic port or everything related to FC Barcelona are all possibilities to live new experiences with each visit. The gastronomy is also very varied. You will find great restaurants famous all over the world, classic establishments offering Catalan cuisine, gourmet markets as well as restaurants of world cuisine.
Weather
Barcelona has a Mediterranean climate, characteristic for its warm temperatures in summer and mild in winter.
Winters in Barcelona are cold but mild. The maximum average temperatures are between 16ºC and 17ºC while the minimums are around 4.5ºC. During the months of September and October, there are often a few days of very intense precipitation due to the phenomenon of the cold drop, which can drop more than 80 liters per cubic meter in a few hours.
Summers in Barcelona are hot during the day and more refreshing at night. During the months of July and August, the likelihood of rain is low. The average maximum temperatures reach 28ºC and 19ºC for the seasonal minimum.
Getting to Barcelona
Prat Airport
The Barcelona Airport is located 17 km southwest of Plaça Catalunya. It has two terminals, T1 (the new one) and T2 (the old one), which is divided in zones A, B and C. To go from the airport to the city centre you have the following options:
· Aerobús (A1 and A2). Daily service between Plaça de Catalunya and Barcelona Airport. Frequency: every 10 minutes. Approximate journey time: 35 minutes. For further information about the Barcelona Aerobús : (902 100104; www.aerobusbcn.com).
· Train (RENFE). Daily connections with Barcelona Airport from the Renfe (Spanish Rail) stations at Sants. Frequency: every 30 minutes. Journey time: 19 minutes (from Sants). For further information about the train to Barcelona airport: www.renfe.com and rodalies.gencat.cat
· Metro (TMB). L9 sud metro line connects the city and Barcelona airport (T1 and T2) daily. Frequency: every 7 minutes. Approximate journey time: 32 minutes (from Zona Universitària). For further information: www.tmb.cat
· Bus (TMB). The 46 bus runs from Pl. d'Espanya to Barcelona Airport (T1 and T2) daily. Frequency: every 25 minutes. For further information: www.tmb.cat
· Night bus (NITBUS). The N17 night bus operates from Ronda Universitat / Plaça Catalunya to Barcelona Airport T1, stopping at Pl. d'Espanya. The N16 night bus operates from Ronda Universitat / Plaça Catalunya to Barcelona Airport T2, stopping at Pl. d'Espanya. Frequency: every 20 minutes. Further information about the night bus service to Barcelona Airport is available on the website: www.ambmobilitat.cat
· Taxi. A taxi from any of the terminals to the city centre – journey time approximately 30 minutes depending on traffic – costs around 25 €.
Sants train station
The Barcelona main train station is Estació de Sants (www.adif.es; Plaça dels Països Catalans; Sants Estació), located 2,5 km west of La Rambla. There are night trains from the main Spanish and European cities that arrive there.
Estació del Nord (Bus station)
The long-distance bus station (93 706 53 66; www.barcelonanord.cat; Carrer d’Ali Bei 80; Arc de Triomf) of Barcelona is in the district of Eixample, approximately 1,5 km at northwest of Plaça de Catalunya, and a short walking distance from metro station Arc de Triomf.
Getting around Barcelona
Tickets are shared by the three main types of transportation (metro, bus, and FGC).You can buy tickets on vending machines in all Metro and FGC stations or online on the TMB website www.tmb.net. Some of them also have a vendor. It is no longer possible to purchase tickets directly from the bus driver due to COVID-19 restrictions.
There are the following ticket options:
- One-way tickets
- A 10-travel ticket, called “T-Casual”
- Tourist tickets for 2/3/4/5 days called “Hola Barcelona Travel Card”
Metro (Underground train system)
The Metro, easy to use, has 11 lines numbered and codified with colours. It Works from 5.00 to 24.00 from Sunday to Thursday and holidays, from 5.00 to 2.00 Friday and before a holiday, and 24 hours on Saturdays.
Bus
The buses of Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB; 93 298 70 00; www.tmb.net) circulate on almost every city route every few minutes between 5.00 and 6.30 until approximately 22.00 and 23.00. Many routes go by Plaça Catalunya and/or Plaça de la Universitat. After 23.00 there is a small network of night buses. All of them stop by Plaça de Catalunya.
FGC trains
The sub-urban trains Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC; 012; www.fgc.net) include a couple of practical routes in the city that will bring you to the north, and up to the hills of Collserola. All the lines that go to the north stop at Plaça de Catalunya, Carrer de Provença and Gràcia. One of these lines (L7) goes to the foot of Tibidabo, and the other (L6 a Reina Elisenda) has a stop near the Monestir de Pedralbes. Most lines go beyond Barcelona to neighbouring cities.
Taxi
Barcelona has a service of 11,000 taxis which can be easily identified by their yellow and black livery. A green light on top of the taxi indicates its availability. There is also a service of taxis adapted for people with reduced mobility.
You can take them directly on the street by raising your hand. In this case, there will be an initial fare to start the journey to which additional costs will be added based on km made. Be aware that there is an extra charge for night journeys (from 20.00 to 8.00) and weekends.
You can also book a taxi via app, which provides you a fixed price and you can book it in advance. The app is called FreeNow and it is available both on Google Play Store and Apple play Store.
Practical information
Most shops in Barcelona are open Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., although a few small shops close later on Saturday afternoon. Shopping centers and supermarkets are open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Some shopping centers like the Maremagnum open every day of the year, even on Sundays and on public holidays. Tongue In Barcelona there are two official languages: Castilian and Catalan.
As in the rest of Spain and most of Europe, Barcelona's official currency is the Euro (€). The electrical outlets in Barcelona are European type, they have two round rods and a voltage of 220V.
Phone numbers to remember:
• Emergencies and police: 112
• Municipal police: 062
• Fire brigade: 080
• Medical emergencies: 061
• Spanish prefix: +34
• Barcelona prefix: 93