See video: Barceloca, the city of entertainmentThe cityBarcelona is the capital of Catalonia (the most prosperous Spanish autonomous community). The city has a population of almost 1,600,000, but there's in total 3,2000,000 living in the greater metropolitan area. The Catalonia region now has a population of 7 million.
In Barcelona city people speak Castilian and also Catalan, which is the official language of the Community. In recent year Barcelonans are making an effort to learn English as a third language.
There are important immigrant communities from Latin-American countries, Filipinos, Arabs, Pakistanis, Eastern Europeans, among other less numerous groups. European Union members are not considered immigrants, but they do account for a large number of foreigners.
Throughout history Barcelona has served as a stage for large International events, such as the Universal Exhibitions of 1888 and 1929, the 1992 Olympic Games and the 2004 Universal Forum of the Cultures, thus gaining attention and importance in foreign countries.
It's a city of commerce, industry, art, culture and sports and today is considered one of Europe's youngest and most vibrant cities.
The city is divided into ten districts:Old CityIn Catalan, the "
Ciutat Vella", is the oldest and historical center with important Roman and medieval ruins that can be seen in the
Musuem of History of the City located in the
Plaça del Rei.
Neighborhoods like the Raval, Gothic Quarter, Born-Ribera and the fisherman's neighborhood,
la Barceloneta, can all be found in this district.
The Ramblas, the Cathedral and the
Santa María del Mar Basilica are all musts.
Eixample"The Extension". This area lies in the plains that until the XVIIIth century existed between the Old City and what were once independent villages such as Sants, Gracia and Santo Andreu de Palomar.
Arranged into 100 meter blocs in the XIXth century by the architect
Ildefons Cerdà, and also gathered neighborhoods like Sant Antoni and
Sagrada Familia. It's the urban, upper-class area, where you'll find most businesses, banks and services.
Sarrià-Sant GervasiThis is the high area of the city, where nobility once lived back when this area was separate from the old city center. Here you’ll find the most expensive residential neighborhoods, like La Bonanova and Les Tres Torres.
GràciaOnce an independent village, it's also known as Vila de Gràcia (VdG).
There are many restaurants and bars, and lately is being sought out by lots of youths attracted by alternative movements.
Each year they hold their street festival on the third week of August. It's a popular street, with
correfocs,
castellers, animation, concerts and lots of food and drink.
Sant MartíThis district was renovated for the 1992 Olympics, as well as for the 2004 Forum. It's an old industrial area that gathers the Olympic Village and Pueblo Nuevo (Poble Nou) areas, and more recently, the 22@, Besòs, Maresme and Diagonal Mar areas.
Here you'll find the Olympic Village that hosted the athletes in '92, the Olympic Port and Forum area, a modern infrastructure which is currently used to hold concerts, conferences, exhibitions and varied events.
Les CortsThis is a calm residential neighborhood, and it’s here where you'll find
Camp Nou, the Royal Palace and its gardens and one of the El Corte Inglés departments stores and the Illa Commercial Center.
Sants-MontjuïcDistrict comprised of old working class neighborhoods. Here you'll find Paralelo Avenue, which is where most of the city’s theatres are located, the
Fundación Miró, the Olympic Stadium, the National Palace, Plaza de España, the
Caixa Fòrum, the Magic Fountain and the
Pueblo Seco neighborhood.
Other districts with lesser attraction are
Horta-Guinardó,
Nou Barris and
Sant Andreu.
HoursWork hours in Barcelona are no different from in the rest of Spain. Generally speaking, they go from 09:00am or 10:00am to 02:00pm and from 04:00pm to 08:00pm. Lunch is between 01:00pm and 02:00pm, and people dine late, especially on weekends: always after 09:30pm.
Bus and MetroTransportes Metropolitanos de Barcelona (TMB) is responsible for bus and metro services, these are efficient services which function throughout the whole city and its outskirts.
Tickets are valid for the two transportation systems. An individual ticket costs 1,25€, but you buy a ten-trip T10 ticket for 6,90€, which has the added benefit that it can be shared among various people.
The metro's hours go from 05:00am to mid-night; Fridays until 02:00am; and run all night on Saturdays.
The bus service also has a night-bus service (Nitbus) that service the entire city throughout the night.
See:
Barcelona metro station mapTaxisTaxis run on meters. If you are within Barcelona's metropolitan area the meter should always indicate a T-1 tariff between 09:00pm and 07:00am and a T-2 tariff between 07:00am and 09:00pm. Outside the metropolitan area the tariff is always T3. Ask if there are any supplementary fees before sitting inside.
Bicycles• In Barcelona bicycles are being used more and more frequently. Licenses are not necessary, but
Ordenanza Municipal de Circulación infractions will be sanctioned by the police.
• We recommend you rent a bicycle with the public Bicing service; it's the cheapest.
• Get advice from an experienced person on how to avoid getting robbed.
CastellersCastells, or human towers are a popular tradition throughout Catalonia that originated in Tarragona in the XVIIth century.
It's an exercise that demands good teamwork, strength and a lot of balance, and consists of making a human pyramid. The highest castles can have nine floors.
In Barcelona, a good time to see them is during the neighborhood street festivals, such as the Gracia festevities in the middle August, or the Mercè Festival in late September.
The
colles of the city are: Castellers de Barcelona, Castellers de Sants, Castellers de la Vila de Gràcia, Castellers del
Poble Sec and Castellers de la
Sagrada Família.
CorrefocsThe dance of the devils is one of the oldest traditions in the Spanish Levante region, apparently going back to times of medieval street theatre.
Correfocs ("fire runners") are a large group of drummers with fire, firecrackers, monsters and beasts making all kinds of racket.
In order to participate it's not necessary to be a member of one of the organized
colles, but you should wear old clothes, preferably made of cotton, and protect your face.
You can see it during the September Mercè festivities on the
Via Laietana.
FlamencoWhile some say it's not as popular as decades ago, Flamenco has been growing in Barcelona in recent years thanks to the great interest it awakes in certain sectors of the population and its great popularity among tourists.
There are prestigious dance schools and academies, and throughout the year there are always major concerts and shows with the greatest names in Flamenco. There usually isn't much seating, so we recommend you buy your ticket early if you want to go to a dinner-show.
SportsFootball is the king of sports and
FC Barcelona is the most popular team of the city and in all of Catalonia, having won 2 Champion's Leagues, 2 European Cups, 2 UEFA cups, 18 Spanish League titles, 24 Royal Cups and 7 Spanish Super-Cups.
Nevertheless,
RCD Espanyol also has a very loyal following and also stands as one of Spain’s oldest football clubs, having won 4 Royal Cups, 2 Duward Cups and having twice appeared in the UEFA Cup final.
Catalonia CircuitThe Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix takes place at the Circuito de Montmeló, on the outskirts of Barcelona. (Ticket service: 93 571 97 71).
Useful telephone numbers:Emergencies: 112
Health emergencies: 061
Municipal Police: 092
Autonomous Police: 088
National Police: 091
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