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Things to do in Barcelona
Barcelona is one of the most popular tourist cities in Europe, and it enjoys a enviable location on the northeastern coast of Spain. Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain, after Madrid, and it is the capital of Catalonia.
Combining superb beaches on the Catalonian coastline with superb city attractions, including Las Ramblas and historical monuments, Barcelona offers visitors a wide range of attractions, from museums, monuments, beach resorts and some of the best restaurants and bars in Spain. Whether you are looking for family fun or vibrant nightlife, you will find it in this vibrant city.
Two official languages are spoken in Barcelona, Catalan and Castilian Spanish, and this cosmopolitan city is home to many different nationalities who come to the city to study or to enjoy the many attractions on offer.
Barcelona hotels and accommodation
If you want to stay in Barcelona, book one of the many excellent small hotels in or around the city centre, which are close to all of the attractions, hotels, restaurants and bars. If you are looking for luxury hotels in Barcelona, boutique hotels or five star accommodation you will be spoilt for choice, but cheaper budget accommodation in the city is also widely available for a fraction of the cost of the larger hotels. There is also a wide range of basic Barcelona accommodation and hostels to choose from in the city centre which suit all budgets, and even bed and breakfast guesthouses which cater for visitors on a nightly basis. Wherever you choose to stay in Barcelona, you can find good rail links to the city centre, and public transport is also available but it can prove expensive.
Barcelona Airport car hire
The best way to see the sights of Barcelona, particularly if you want to travel beween the city and the coast, is to hire a car from Barcelona Airport and take your time to explore the region at your own pace. Car hire at Barcelona Airport is easy to pre-book on this site, and we guarantee cheap car hire, as we have access to special deals and car rentals offers that are not available elsewhere. Compare prices in minutes from over 50 car hire sites in Barcelona and the rest of Spain, and you can pre-book your vehicle to save time and delays when you arrive at Barcelona Airport. Many travellers to Barcelona like to combine a city trip with a tour of the coastal areas on the Costa Brava, including Sitges, Lloret de Mar, Roses, Blanes, Calella, Estartit, Roses, Santa Susanna and Tossa de Mar, and the best way to explore the coast and the city is by hire car from the airport.
Barcelona weather
The Costa Brava translates at the ´wild coast´, which often reflects its windy and unpredictable weather either side of summer. June until September sees plent of sun and high temperatures which peak at around 28ºC in July and August. The southeast facing resorts in summer are actually warmer than the north facing ones, as they enjoy warm, dry weather from Africa. Temperatures can even reach as high at 30ºC in summer, although temperatures are a lot more comfortable than in other coastal areas of Spain such as the Costa del Sol. July is the sunniest month with nine hours of sunshine every day, and the sea temperature gets up to 25ºC in the hottest months. Temperatures normally drop to around 21ºC in October and 16ºC in November and the nights are cold. The average temperature from December to February is around 13ºC, although you can still see plenty of sunshine. Spring temperatures from March to May usually range from 16ºC to 21ºC.
La Rambla Barcelona
No trip to Barcelona is complete without a stroll (or a ramble) along La Rambla, the famous pedestrianised street near the city centre. With street performers, musicians and mime artists performing for the crowds who flock to La Rambla, plus a host of quirky shops, bars and restaurants along the way, this is a Mecca for tourists who want to see Barcelona at its best. Five streets are strung together to create Las Ramblas, and the tree-lined boulevard is packed with street entertainers, who entertain the tourists and residents alike. La Rambla also has a colourful market, the Mercat de la Boqueria, and is home to the Gran Teatre del Liceu, which is a famous 19th Century opera house. La Rambla ends at the Monument to Christopher Columbus and the vibrant harbour area of the city. The Maritime Museum, close to the harbour is also well worth a visit, and if you want to stop and eat near La Rambla, try one of the excellent pavement cafés or tapas bars along the route.
Barcelona map
If you are planning to travel to Barcelona or to one of the many resort towns of the Costa Brava, pick up a free tourist map of the city from one of the tourist information centres dotted around the city or from hotel reception. If you pick up your hire car from Barcelona Airport, you can also get a map from the car hire office, which will show you how to get around the city and also highlight the best attractions to visit in Barcelona and the Costa Brava. A map of Barcelona may also give you bus and rail routes, and show you the main roads out to the coastal resorts.
Places to visit in Barcelona
Some of the best places to go in Barcelona are close to La Rambla. The Barri Gotic, which is a concentration of medieval Gothic buildings close to the northeast of La Rambla, shows old town Barcelona at its best. Narrow streets link cobbled squares, and there are plenty of cafés and bars en route if you want refreshments along the way. The Barri Gotic also offers the cheapest accommodation in Barcelona, and you will find plenty of hostels and cheap guesthouses close to the centre. Many buildings here date back to the 14th and 15th Century, and visitors and locals gather in the spacious square - Placa de Sant Jaume at weekends, to dance the sardana. The Picasso Museum is the most visited museum in Barcelona, and it exhibits many of Picasso´s early works, plus the famous Portrait of Señora Canals which was painted in 1905. La Sagrada Familia is a stunning cathedral which represents the life´s work of Antonio Gaudi, who died in 1926 before the work was completed. Montjuic is the name of the hill overlooking the city centre of Barcelona from the southwest, and is home to some of the finest art galleries and fun attractions in the region. Tourist attractions sit beside art museums and parks, which keep visitors flocking to the area. Tibidabo is the highest hill behind Barcelona, and it offers stunning views of the city from high. A glass lift transports visitors up to an observation area.
Barcelona nightlife
Barcelona nightlife is as lively or as chilled as you want to make it, and there are a wide choice of clubs, bars, restaurants and casinos to thrill even the most discerning night owl. Take a stroll around the vicinity just south of Avenida Diagonal, between Calle Pau Claris and Calle Aribau for a diverse range of nightlife. High class night spots and expensive hotels and restaurants are situated in the Placa Francesc Maciá district of Barcelona, and music bars and dance clubs can be found all over the city. The Spanish Village, or Poble Español on Montjuic is a vibrant city area for nightlife, and the Gracia district also offers a wide range of bars, restaurants and live music venues. If you are looking for a quieter time in the evenings, you will find plenty of pavement cafés around the city centre, where you can sit and watch the world go by.
Barcelona restaurants
Whether you are looking for fine cuisine in Barcelona or a simple snack bar, you wil find it close to the city centre. Fine dining establishments sit beside street cafés selling churros and chocolate (hot crispy dough and thick hot chocolate), while pizza joints compete for trade with high class seafood restaurants and burger bars. Cuisine from every corner of the world can be found in Barcelona, including Thai, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Spanish and French, but if you want to try real Catalan cooking, go to one of the traditional restaurants in Barcelona. The essence of Catalan food lies in its sauces for meat and fish, and the main ingredients are onion, tomato, garlic, peppers, parsley and aubergines or courgettes, which create the base of most dishes. Wild mushroom are also a passion among Catalans, and they are picked from the surrounding forests in Autumn. If you are looking for tapas, Barcelona is one of the best places to eat. Tapas bars serve all day and night, and one of the best ways to enjoy Barcelona at night is to embark on a tapas tour of the local hostelries.
Barcelona Football Club
If you are a footie fan, no trip to Barcelona would be complete without a tour around the Camp Nou Stadium. Home to Barcelona Football Club, this incredible stadium holds 98,000 fans, and is one of the most famous clubs in the world. FC Barcelona was founded in 1899, and, along with Real Madrid, is the most successful club in Spanish history. If you want to have a look around the Camp Nou Stadium, tours are available, and can be booked online.
Barcelona is a diverse and fascinating city which attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world. Whether you come to see the sights or simply to stroll around this magical city and watch the world go by, you won´t be disappointed. Barcelona offers a wide choice of accommodation, cheap flights from most UK airports and a vast range of things to see and do. To make the most of Barcelona and the Costa Brava, pre-book cheap airport car hire before you fly.
