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Barcelona - places to visit, things to see, photos, top tips and chat

Dont think ive ever contributed to this thread (although I cant see the last page as its blocked at work).

I know barcelona very very well, my recomendations would be:

Stay here:
http://www.eljardi-barcelona.com/

Eat here:
http://www.culleretes.com/ - Oldest restaurant in barcelona still open (1768), still original interior tiling, menu del dia is good and cheap, you cant book, you have to turn up at opening and queue.

Watchout for pickpockets, and the people trying to sell you things at cafe will knick stuff if they get an oppurunity. Only drink in the placa real at night in big groups, (personally I wouldnt at all). The clubs down the back alleys that try and entice you in, dont go in, they will lock you in until you've spent a certain amount of money (had to basically fight my way out out of one once, we won be sheer numbers of us).

Dont forget about the foundacio miro, it gets overlooked a lot because of the because of the picasso, dali and gaudi museums. Climbing up the towers in the sagrada familia can be sketchy as fuck when its busy.
 
I'm going to Barcelona on Thursday for a few days, will be at SONAR for one night which should be good. :cool:

Accom has been sorted, staying at a place some friends are renting, so that's not an issue.

I haven't been since 2010 so was just wondering about recent changes and things to be aware of, watch out for etc. Any really decent things opened recently? Anything I probably wouldn't have seen before (most of it, probs!).

For the club nights I reckon I need to look on resident advisor n work out what's happening, been a bit crap with getting that sorted!
 
Dont think ive ever contributed to this thread (although I cant see the last page as its blocked at work).

I know barcelona very very well, my recomendations would be:

Stay here:
http://www.eljardi-barcelona.com/

Eat here:
http://www.culleretes.com/ - Oldest restaurant in barcelona still open (1768), still original interior tiling, menu del dia is good and cheap, you cant book, you have to turn up at opening and queue.
I've been to Barcelona a lot over the years and on our last visit, about 4 years ago we stayed at El Jardi. We saw it on one of our early visits Barcelona but never managed to get in there until that last time. It was as good as I expected with a balcony overlooking the square.

I m going to try to check out Culleretes on our next visit in a couple of weeks :)
 
I've been to Barcelona a lot over the years and on our last visit, about 4 years ago we stayed at El Jardi. We saw it on one of our early visits Barcelona but never managed to get in there until that last time. It was as good as I expected with a balcony overlooking the square.

Basic, but nice clean and central. My mum learnt the hard way not to leave windows ajar there though, she woke up one morning and her handbag was gone :(
 
Basic, but nice clean and central. My mum learnt the hard way not to leave windows ajar there though, she woke up one morning and her handbag was gone :(

It's a pity about all the theft there but I guess it's the same in lots of cities. :( I like the little square, Sant Josep Oriol. We ended up staying in two different rooms on different nights. That was because my old man is rubbish at dates when it comes to bookings. I usually do it but trusted him that time, never again :D
 
It was booked out once, so I managed get a cheap deal in a 3* opposite the cathedral near the architectural college...... when i got there they'd overbooked so upgraded us free to a 5* just round the corner.... it was awesome :)
 
I'm in the airport and its gone very different from how it used to be. Nearly all the shops are empty. It's like everyone's shut up shop and moved out. There used to be a nice but stupidly expensive bar here too and thats gone as well. Anyone know what's happened here?
 
I'm in the airport and its gone very different from how it used to be. Nearly all the shops are empty. It's like everyone's shut up shop and moved out. There used to be a nice but stupidly expensive bar here too and thats gone as well. Anyone know what's happened here?

Just done a search now I'm back home and it seems it all happening in Terminal 1 now.
 
I'm in the airport and its gone very different from how it used to be. Nearly all the shops are empty. It's like everyone's shut up shop and moved out. There used to be a nice but stupidly expensive bar here too and thats gone as well. Anyone know what's happened here?

la crisis, innit.
 
Any urbanites currently living in barcelona at the minute?..
I`m thinking of moving there in two months (for about a year)..
and wanted to pick your brains over a few things....
 
Any urbanites currently living in barcelona at the minute?..
I`m thinking of moving there in two months (for about a year)..
and wanted to pick your brains over a few things....

I lived there for 18 months in 2006 and 2007. I live in Madrid now but I can still help you I reckon.
 
:D go somewhere else, Barcelona's shite

It's not shite but it is giantly overrated isn't it? When I used to tell people I lived in Barcelona, people back home would say "Oh, that's so cool". Now I live in Madrid, I never get that reaction but it's loads more fun here! The beach in Barcelona is shite and the city is such a theme park that it gets ruined for you sometimes. For example, The Ramblas is a horrible place to be anytime from March to September because it's full of puking Brits acting like wankers. Lovely on the rare occasions when it's just residents though.

I'm happier here. At least I get a free tapita with my drink!

Barna is better if you want to go to gigs actually. Lots of bands head there and don't make it to the capital. Some areas of the city are nice too. Gracia is a nice place to live because you can get to town quickly, there's loads to do, it's pretty and it's not overrun with tourists. Living around Fontana, Lesseps or Vallcarca stations would be good.

Anyway, ask specific questions and I can help more.
 
Barcelona is ace if you'e into music and late nights.

Public transport is ace too.
 
Looking for organic foodshops you said? Why, try beOrganic in Calle Flor de Lliri 4.


... owned by my friend
 
My mate lived there for a few years; found some of the Catalans to be a bit racist. I enjoyed it when I visited. Loved the frequency of decent delis.
 
It's not shite but it is giantly overrated isn't it? When I used to tell people I lived in Barcelona, people back home would say "Oh, that's so cool". Now I live in Madrid, I never get that reaction but it's loads more fun here! The beach in Barcelona is shite and the city is such a theme park that it gets ruined for you sometimes. For example, The Ramblas is a horrible place to be anytime from March to September because it's full of puking Brits acting like wankers. Lovely on the rare occasions when it's just residents though.

I'm happier here. At least I get a free tapita with my drink!

Barna is better if you want to go to gigs actually. Lots of bands head there and don't make it to the capital. Some areas of the city are nice too. Gracia is a nice place to live because you can get to town quickly, there's loads to do, it's pretty and it's not overrun with tourists. Living around Fontana, Lesseps or Vallcarca stations would be good.

Anyway, ask specific questions and I can help more.

Met a few nice ones, but I generally found Catalan culture very unwelcoming to outsiders. Oh, and yeah, no tapa with your drinks the fucking tacaños... it's alright when you visit, because the city's got plenty to visit and the nightlife is pretty spectacular if you're into that sort of thing, but living there? Fuck that.
 
I can tolerate Barcelona for a couple of days. Good friends living there and close by is my only good reason to visit. For much of the reasons already stated, but mostly because it is so up its own arse you wouldn't believe it.

The city operates for tourists only. You have to live in the suburbs to find any reality, or take a cheap train to an outlying town. Vilanova is a nice little town with good public transport at good prices for example.

The police are twats. The worst in all of Spain IME. But, above all, the biggest spoil are the thieves a city like Barcelona attracts. They are allowed to operate with virtually no comeback whilst the police concentrate on killing the once vibrant spirit of the city.

I can't think of a worse place to live in Spain.

Madrid is fabulous and still very affordable. Leon is a very special city, but cold in winter. Granada (as most here will know) is a city I love - nowhere else I would sooner be.
 
Met a few nice ones, but I generally found Catalan culture very unwelcoming to outsiders. Oh, and yeah, no tapa with your drinks the fucking tacaños... it's alright when you visit, because the city's got plenty to visit and the nightlife is pretty spectacular if you're into that sort of thing, but living there? Fuck that.

Live foreign music and festivals are better in Barcelona but for being out and about drinking with friends it's trounced by Madrid. Everything closes so early on weeknights in Barcelona. It's worth re-iterating the following though. Despite the fact we don't like it (and we all believe we're right) most Brits love spending a bit of time there and have a great experience. August is a good month in Barcelona too. Madrid evacuates to the coasts and the city becomes semi-deserted. Barcelona has the festival in Gracia and more of an upbeat feel.

Catalans are generally less friendly than other places but to be honest it's only some parts of Andalusia where people are really reliably "open" with you in Spain. Madrid is warmer than Barcelona but it's not Rio either.

If the poster just needs a list of trendy bars and nice restaurants I can cut and paste the one my Catalana friend sent to me last year. It's served a lot of my mates well and is molt authentic.
 
come to andalucia instead ;)

cheaper. better weather. more gramatically correct spanish (once you get the hang of the accent). no sulky catalans. great food and history... plenty to visit most parts.

I do like Barcelona though, and it really is a cool city with lots going on and plenty of good stuff about the place, but def visit properly before you decide.
 
come to andalucia instead ;)

cheaper. better weather. more gramatically correct spanish (once you get the hang of the accent). no sulky catalans. great food and history... plenty to visit most parts.

I do like Barcelona though, and it really is a cool city with lots going on and plenty of good stuff about the place, but def visit properly before you decide.

No big cities in Andalucía though. What are you on about in terms of grammatically correct Spanish as well? Catalans in Barcelona speak Spanish in an accent you can understand and with no grammatical problems. Obviously, Catalan itself is a different thing.
 
No big cities in Andalucía though. What are you on about in terms of grammatically correct Spanish as well? Catalans in Barcelona speak Spanish in an accent you can understand and with no grammatical problems. Obviously, Catalan itself is a different thing.

ok no leísmo, i'm sure you're right, but (not knocking catalan) you may get chucked into the linguistical muddle of 2 languages going on side by side and the confusions with that. ...or would you rate barcelona as a great place to learn spanish?

the big cities thing is definitely true. i am already a bit bored of the biggest one! hmmm...
 
ok no leísmo, i'm sure you're right, but (not knocking catalan) you may get chucked into the linguistical muddle of 2 languages going on side by side and the confusions with that. ...or would you rate barcelona as a great place to learn spanish?

the big cities thing is definitely true. i am already a bit bored of the biggest one! hmmm...

Leísmo is worse here in Madrid than anywhere I think. Your Spanish will come out fine if you live in Barcelona - you won't end up speaking a jumble of Catalan and Spanish. it's not the best place to learn for other reasons. It's not as satisfying learning it there because often people are speaking Catalan around you so you're not getting the full benefit of the effort you're putting in. It can be confusing when you have flatmates who are constantly switching between the two languages, or one speaks in Spanish and the other replies in Catalan etc. Again, that won't affect the way you talk it too much, it's just frustrating and could slow your learning down. There's a fairly even 50%/50% split between Catalan and Spanish in Barcelona. Once you get out to places like Manresa it's about 90%/10% in favour of Catalan.

The only confusion living in Barcelona caused me when I moved to Madrid was pretty low-level. Peluquería is perruqueria in Catalan and I didn't know which was which. I didn't know that a smallish bottle of beer was called a tercio in Madrid instead of a mediana and every time I left a shop or bar I habitually said "Adeu!" instead of "´¡Hasta Luego!" for the first couple of months, which made the staff wonder why the fuck the guiri was speaking to them in Catalan in the heart of Castilla.
 
Oh! Also a good one for you because of where you live.

A ham and cheese toastie, un mixto, is called "un bikini" in Barcelona. So imagine if you're an unwitting Brit who lives in Barcelona but goes for a quick holiday to Malaga.

I walked into a beachfront bar and said "Un bikini por favor". Obviously, in Malaga they didn't know I was ordering a toastie and thought I was genuinely trying to order a women's swimsuit.
 
I bet there's Spanish people reading this thread, rolling their eyes and thinking, 'fuck off, brit' :D
 
I can tolerate Barcelona for a couple of days. Good friends living there and close by is my only good reason to visit. For much of the reasons already stated, but mostly because it is so up its own arse you wouldn't believe it.

The city operates for tourists only. You have to live in the suburbs to find any reality, or take a cheap train to an outlying town. Vilanova is a nice little town with good public transport at good prices for example.

The police are twats. The worst in all of Spain IME. But, above all, the biggest spoil are the thieves a city like Barcelona attracts. They are allowed to operate with virtually no comeback whilst the police concentrate on killing the once vibrant spirit of the city.

I can't think of a worse place to live in Spain.

Madrid is fabulous and still very affordable. Leon is a very special city, but cold in winter. Granada (as most here will know) is a city I love - nowhere else I would sooner be.

This is a bit of a derail, but I've always wanted to visit Valencia: have you been there, and what's it like?
 
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