Barcelona, Spain's sunny city by the sea

The dynamic capital of Catalonia, Barcelona is famous for its modern and ancient architectural beauty with its famous Sagrada Familia and Saint Eulalia Cathedral among others.

Best time for visiting

Barcelona is a fantastic city to visit all year round, but its peak season is spring and summer. To visit at holiday and festival times, the main Spanish Christmas day is 6th January, the Dia de los Reyes (Day of the Three Wise Men). There's the week-long Carnival in February. In August there's the Fiesta major de Gràcia (Gràcia district street party). The Catalonia independence day (La Diada de Catalunya) is held on 11th September.

Tips and facts before travelling

Foods typical of the region are the Pan Tomaca con Jamón Serrano (special bread and ham) and the Crema Catalana dessert (Catalan type of crème brûlée). You'll probably find prices cheaper in Barcelona than London, and eating out is very often much cheaper. A beer costs about 4 or 5EUR. Barcelona's official languages are Spanish and Catalan. The time zone is 1 hour ahead of Britain.

Local Info

The city centre is about 12 km away from El Prat Airport. There's a regular Aerobus A1 and A2 service going to Plaça de Catalunya, for about 6 EUR, or a train goes to the city. A taxi costs around 20 EUR.

The starting price for hotels is around 100 EUR per person per night. Hostels are vastly cheaper with the average price at around 15EUR per night per person.

Public transport in Barcelona - metro, trams, buses and trains - is reasonably priced at about 3 EUR for a one way ticket, or 12 EUR for a 10 way ticket. The Barcelona Card is valid for all public transport and reduced prices for some museums and attractions are included. Its price depends on the length of your visit.