Barcelona Advice

[boffbfc]

Hi All,

Off to to Barcelona next week and just wondering what people would recommend doing there other than protesting for Catalonian independence? Going with the missus and shes not really up for the Nou Camp but any other suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance
UTC

[Pstotto]

Tibidado (sic?) is a small quaint funfair at the top of the mountain overlooking Barcelona with great views.

Over the other side of the city you can get a cable car over the port and then a gondola (i think) up to Monjiuc overlooking the city. great views and take your binoculars to look over the massive container port as well as the rest of the city.

If it's warm enough the beach area at Cuitadella (metro) is relatively safe but avoid Barceloneta. No jewellery, no bags with stuff in it or you will be robbed for certain and they are real pros at it.

Go and watch Espanyol. Park Guell isn't really worth it. El Borne has nice bars, fairly relaxed. Foundacion Miro and MACCA if you like art, also Foundacion Tapies. There are loads of galleries, get an guide to what's on.

There are always trade fairs and concerts on Montjuic, it's a nice walk down from the top to see the exhibition area.

[FactualFrank]

Indigo lives there, so I'm sure he'll be able to give some sound advice when he's next on.

[COYC73]

Hi All,

Off to to Barcelona next week and just wondering what people would recommend doing there other than protesting for Catalonian independence? Going with the missus and shes not really up for the Nou Camp but any other suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance
UTC

There could very well be a full scale Civil War happening by the time your Barcelona trips comes around if Catalonia go ahead and declare independence in the next few days against the will of the Spanish government.....

[TheOriginalLongsider]

If you go to the cathedral, book your tickets in advance to avoid very long queues. You can book online.

[tim_noone]

Mount juic? Was surreal for me like id been there before...could have stayed all day! Went up on an incline shuttle train.great views of the port.i would love to visit again.

[Fretters]

My wife hates football but I still dragged her to Camp Nou, it's a must-see in my opinion. She actually ended up being impressed by it.

[Stockbrokerbelt]

Don't sing viva espania!!!

[thatdberight]

Declare your hotel room an independent state and see how the Catalans like it.

[Pstotto]

That's it, Tim; it's a funny railway. The Foundacion Miro is halfway up. I recommend buying a Rough Guide to the city and don't forget Espanyol as a footy option. When I lived there I went to the centenary celebration and got a whole season ticket on offer for £30!!!!!!!! We became football tourists and even went down to Valencia to see them win the cup. Got a bit of stick in Valencia in fact anything could have happened to us, but we survived!

The centenary celebrations when Espanyol were without a home and played in the Olympic Stadium. The very worse football snacks ever.

Espanyol Centenario.jpg (367.11 KiB) Viewed 2115 times

Me as a football tourist taking my life in my hands in Valencia:

Espnayol copa del rey.jpg (415.21 KiB) Viewed 2115 times

Raul Tamudo puts the ball in the back of the net for the first against Altetico (one of the best footy players I have watched:)

Espnayol Tamudo.jpg (480.56 KiB) Viewed 2115 times

[piston broke]

Fabulous views from Montjuic Castle. Tough haul up there unless you take the bus or cablecar.
A steady walk down to the Olympic Stadium, free viewing platform, and complex then cross over the road and more downhill to the National Museum, the famous fountains and Placa Espanya.

[Pstotto]

Yes, it's a glorious walk down. I had a friend who visited Barcelona with his girlfriend and complained about the shops. What was he expecting, his and hers 'Sagrada Familia' underwear? The whole point is to see the geography of a civilization on the edge of an abysss (the Mediterranean.) The form and space and the architecture is sublime, as a reciprocation with nature.

[what_no_pies]

My favourite foreign city.

If you do Gaudi then visit Casa Mila first and take the audio tour before you go elsewhere - you'll get so much more out of visiting the cathedral/park guell (it is well worth a visit) etc.

Las Ramblas is bustling and very entertaining with street performers everywhere. Can spend a whole day there on a shoe string with the excellent market a great option for lunch and a free contemporary art gallery at the bottom. There's trader's everywhere with antiques, craft etc and the harbour down the bottom end too. Harbour has loads of nice spots to eat and drink and the gothic quarter nearby is well worth exploring - we found some real gems around the narrow streets. Watch out for decent priced grub nr the tourist traps around there though as often the drinks are extortionate where the food seems reasonably priced. It's a clever trick and we got stung with it once.

My favourite thing about the whole place is the atmosphere. The people, the lifestyle, the beautiful architecture and the way the city feels like it belongs to its people - graffiti embraced and done beautifully. Groups taking to the street to play music often extend invites for you to join in the festivities. That buzz which surrounds the place seems to infect me whenever i visited and others have been with all felt it too. It may be interesting in light of recent events mind.

The clubs open late and kick out during daylight hours when the party often moves onto the cities beaches - a great experience once upon a time. This of course means that the bars are often fuller later and finding somewhere with a great vibe is a breeze.

Keep your wits about you as the pickpocketing is a very real issue - don't advertise your possessions or leave yourself open to it and you should be fine. For the most part the people are truly wonderful.

[thatdberight]

Keep your wits about you as the pickpocketing is a very real issue - don't advertise your possessions or leave yourself open to it and you should be fine. For the most part the people are truly wonderful.

This bit. It's not just pickpocketing though. A bag-snatcher just walked past us and made a grab for my wife's handbag as we were walking along only a few metres off La Rambla. She'd been warned and had a good grip on it.

I confess, not a city I warmed to that much but there's plenty to see - I enjoyed Casa Mila, Montjuic, Fundacion Miro, Santa Maria Basilica.

[bedswerver]

Your Barcelona trip isn't complete without a visit to the Sagrada Familia (named a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010), dreamt up by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí.