Barcelona!!

Ex-RoNiN

Ex-RoNiN

Ex-RoNiN

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18 Oct 2002
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A few mates and I are going to Barcelona for 5 days over Easter :D Has anyone been before? Do you know any recommendable (and cheap!) hotels?

What would you suggest in terms of sightseeing? I know I wanna see the Nou Camp...but there's gotta be more, right?
 
Go see:

Sagrada Famalia - walk up the steps rather than being a girl and taking the lift - fastastic view from the top

Barcelona Cathedral and watch them do the dancing on a sunday

The Aquarium is cool as well

Gaudi's gardens are fantastic

Or alternatively go by car and thrash it around Circuit de Catalunya :D

Simon/~Flibster
 
Barcelona is one of my fave cities in Europe, if not the world.

If I am not staying with family/friends I use www.lovingbarcelona.com and rent an apartment. It is a lot cheaper than a hotel and gives you the flexibility to cook for yourselves if you want to.

As for things to do....theres loads! Id recommend grabbing a two day tourist bus pass and visiting most of the things that the bus stops at. As previously mentioned, the Sagrada Familia, Cathedral, Park Guell and Camp Nou are all 'must see' items. The Olympic stadium is excellent on the top of Montjuic and is where Espanyol play their home games. Poble Espanyol is also worth a visit, it is a recreation of an old traditional Spanish village.

In terms of nightlife there are loads of clubs and bars to check out. Avoid anything on the main Ramblas street as they charge over the odds for everything. You simply MUST visit El Bosc de la Fades, at the bottom of the Ramblas on the left. Fantastic bar complete with trees and waterfalls. For live music I go to the Harlem Jazz Cafe, it really is first rate.

The Barcelona tourist board do a fantastic 3 day itinery guide here:

http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/?go...G6N9WUZ+3ieG1IksQprmGO9rjQ5ex9TYKhcVIGfgQY5LN

Be on your guard around the main tourist spots, there are a lot of opportunist thieves about who will snatch your bag and be gone in a flash or pickpocket you while you are watching a puppet show on the ramblas. Just use common sense in these areas.

Most of all, HAVE FUN!!
 
Some great advice in here, thanks guys :D :D

What's their English like? Do they appreciate you trying to talk Spanish? Would they be offended if you approach them in Spanish, rather than Catalan?

That 2 days Tourist Bus pass, where do I get that from?

Finally, all these places that you told me about, they are all open over Easter, right?

@Nix - sorry mate, normally I would, but I tend to prefer company that knows which countries are landlocked and which ones arent ;) :p

@pyro - thanks re maga, I'll try to sneak some in of some preciosa senhoritas :cool:
 
Bellboy said:
Go to the zoo and look at their ultra camp gorillas :p
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^^ :D

I went to the Zoo, Nou Camp, Sagrada Famalia, had a look up and down the Rambles and also went somewhere quite high up which is next to the port and overlooks most of Barcelona. Not sure what it was called but it had some nice gardens and fountains.

Make sure you go and see the famous big fountain displays at night too, they are something to behold! :)
 
Ex-RoNiN said:
Some great advice in here, thanks guys :D :D

What's their English like? Do they appreciate you trying to talk Spanish? Would they be offended if you approach them in Spanish, rather than Catalan?
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You should be ok speaking spanish, most waiters, hotel staff are not catalan either way. Most people should be able to defend themselves in English.
 
I took her ladyship for a mucky, sorry I mean romantic, weekend and we had a great time. All the places mentioned are a must, we did the Nue Camp, Olympic Stadium, Sagrada Familia, Guell Park (Gaudi garden), La Ramblas etc.. So much to do. Great shopping for fancy frocks and shoes for the ladies and the bars and cubs don't get going until midnight, the lads won't have too much trouble enjoyning themsleves.

As for the language problems, I had a bash in Catalan but just got blank looks, tried a bit of the old Spanish and got a little more response so in the end I just used English and had no trouble at all. :)

The 2 day bus pass is really worth the effort, 20 Euro IIRC, and you can buy one on any tourist bus, each of which has a tour guide who will be able to advice you. :)
 
hola_adios said:
You should be ok speaking spanish, most waiters, hotel staff are not catalan either way. Most people should be able to defend themselves in English.
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My wife is from Barcelona and they all speak Catalan out there, if you speak Spanish to a Catalan person they might be offended and ignore you.

Remember Barcelona is part of Catalunya and a lot of the people in Catalyuna are nationalists and DO not like the Spanish language or Madrid!

Very few people speak english in Catalyuna, even the majority of the youngsters speak very poor levels of English and the funny bit is the English language is taught in the schools!

You can find hotels in Barcelona from 15 euros a night (will be really booked up, I advice you to book now), even cheaper are youth hostels and they cost approx 7 euros a night. (Booking advised)

Another problem you might face, Transport over easter is a reduced service and the majority of the shops/places will be closed from Easter Saturday until after easter. I advise you to check if the attractions are open for example the Barcelona Zoo could be closed over easter.

I do recommend you hire a car (booking strongly recommended) if you want to get around, parking will be free over easter (national holidays don't have restrictions) so you should not have any problems with tickets/fines.

Other than that have a great flight and a nice time in Barcelona, sorry to be a drowner but me and my wife have be caught out before.
 
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