¿Barcelona Info?

Question

I'm going to Barcelona next week, I'll be there for 9 days. Can anyone tell me where I should go (including metro stations), places where the locals hang out, beaches, shopping districts and malls, I don't really like doing the touristy thing, I would prefer to get to know the "real" Barcelona!

Also, how expensive is it in Barcelona for food? Give me some examples of the main (snack) food the locals eat, what do they normally eat for breakfast, luch and dinner? How do I ask for a coke? XD

Gracias!!

Answer 1

una coca cola por va vor, tapas is what the Spanish love and the bars are great you never get drunk as you eat whilst you drink Los Ramblas is where everyone hangs out busy tapas bars shops, go on the tourist bus takes you around the city and you can pop off and on ?and the guide is very help full ?I will just miss you as I am going the week you come back?you will have a great time and yes I like to hang out with the Spanish and enjoy having small conversations lovely people and from all over Spain hope this helps you??http://www.barcelonaconnect.com/showleve...

Answer 2

You will have a blast!  If you want to hang where the locals do, don't stay at the Ramblas, but you should check it out anyway.

Beaches?  I'm not a huge beach person, but there are a couple right on the coastal edge of town.  I've heard one is nude, you should figure that out, whether you want to participate or not, just so you know where it is.  I didn't see it.  But, of course, many people were topless where we went.  Kind of an education for my 8 year old son...(educating him NOT to stare!  :) )  

Food is about the same as anywhere, but be aware of these two things: tap water there tastes TERRIBLE!  It's one of the few places in Europe where I HAD to drink bottled water, and the food on the Ramblas is reasonable, but the drinks are OUTRAGEOUS!!  (obviously where they make their money).  And, of course, you need the drinks, because it's hot and you'll dehydrate, cause you can't drink the tap water...it's sort of a circle.  Main snacks?  What do you mean?  The typical thing that is Barcelonan is toast with tomate on it.  When you order toast it comes with this tomato sauce on it, sometimes called "Catalan Butter".  It's sort of tomatoes fried in olive oil with a good dose of garlic, and sometimes some onion, spread very thin.  Otherwise, the food is typically Spanish, with a heavy leaning towards the super-fresh seafood.   Paella, Tortillas, etc.  

And for coke, you just say "cocah?"  They'll get it.  If you need an intro to the food, the touristy places have photo menus.  You can usually see the names of the foods, but a lot of places have pictures, too, so you can get an idea.

Oh, and the ice cream there is TO DIE FOR!  really good, fresh, made in the stores.

Answer 3

I went to Barcelona for spring break -- it was so much fun.

Most of the locals stay away from the Ramblas. Walk over to Barceloneta (about 10 min from the bottom of Las Ramblas) and you will definitely find some friendly locals. I stayed in Poble Nou and found all the people to be very nice. Poble Nou also has a Rambla, but it is pretty small and there are hardly any tourists at all. You will find lots of locals, fruterias and gelaterias. Poble Nou also has a nice park and beach area. You can walk along the beach from Poble Nou all the way into the city. There is a nice boardwalk and several restaurants, but they can be a bit expensive.

Parc de Montjuic is a must see. The views are AWESOME and it is a great place to relax and look out at the city. My favorite part of the trip.

Have a great trip!!

Answer 4

Hi .I'm afraid that if you're coming next week for 9 days, then you'll be one of maaannnnny tourists here, and it'll be hard tro escape them! However, don't worry, there are still many places off the beaten track that you can find.

The Botanical gardens on Montjuic are very rarely visited, and are a great place to admire the views, take a picnic, etc. Also the cable car ride to the top of the castle (the one that goes over the water to the beach will be too busy). Cuitadella Park on sunday is also great - bongo players, international home made cuisine on sale, a very bohemian feel.

Despite you saying you don't like the touristy things you still have to see some of the big sights- Barcelona has 9 UNESCO world heratige sites - more than Paris or Venice, for example. Make sure you see:

Sagrada Familia (but don't go on a Monday, as most other museums are closed Mondays, so this gets very busy).

La Pedrera - there is also usually a free gallery on the 1st floor as you exit.

Park Guell - take the metro to Vallcarca and see the park backwards - it's all downhill this way, and you'll avoid the crowds.

Plau de la Musica Catalana - even if you don0t take a guided tour, go and see the building, and then the nearby Mercade de Santa Catarina - recently re-opened.

Go into La Boqueria market on Las Ramblas to marvel at the food - you will see anythng and everything (they eve sell bugs to eat!)

Shopping has been covered by others, but also bear in mind there is a free bus (it's blue and has "shopping line) written in yellow on it, which goes up and down Diagonal and Paseo de Gacia all day. Also check out duty free shopping (pick u a leaflet) if you're coming from outside the EU - you can get good savings.

Beaches - depends on how far you can be bothered to walk. Both Barceloneta and the Olympic village beaches are nice enough for city beaches. If you want to go out of town try Sitges or Casteldefels.

Regarding food, it completely depends on where you eat. All spanish restaurants are required by law to have a reasonably priced "menu del dia" or menu of the day, which is a simple 3 course menu with bread/drink included. This can vary from around 7 - 15 Euros depending on the quality/location of the restaurant. When I first cam ehere, I couldn't eat so much midday, so going for other people's tips like tapas or sandwiches on the go is a good idea. There are also some good all you can eat buffets in Barcelona (Fresco, la Vaca Paca, Lactuca etc.) and asking for a coke is easy "Una coca cola por favor" or if it's Diet "Una coca cola light"

Enjoy!!!

Answer 5

Beaches.... I think most tourists go to Barceloneta beach, but it´s nicer to go a bit further up to Ciutadella Villa Olympica and then walk along till you get past pizza hut, and there´s lots of cafes and things around.. still lots of people, but to be honest, i´ve been up to the very end of the beaches, where the nude beaches are (I didn´t go there myself, i went to the one next door :p) that the person above just described, and they were just as packed, and no real difference. The sea was a bit cleaner i guess. The name of the beach was Marbella, but i went on the bus. There´s directions on the link i sent you to get there from Poble nou metro (these are all on the yellow line).

Shopping districts... you can go to malls, there´s one near Les Corts metro  and there´s one near El Maresme Forum. To be honest though, the experience is way nicer if you just hang around near the shops off Placa Catalunya  (metro Catlunya, red line)  and Portal De l' Angel , and work your way down through the shops around there.

Where the locals hang out... well, for drinks and things at night, there are quite a few locals around Barri Gothic, if you go to the right places. That´s to the right of La Rambla if you´re looking away from the sea. To be honest there´s no really obvious place the locals will be... I have a Catalan boyfriend and he takes me for cokes and things just in local cafes to our flats, and if we go out for the night we´ll go maybe to Barri Gothic or something, or to just a bar near Placa Universitat (place universitat) and then we go to a club where you can find tourists and locals alike. I guess there´s obvious places to avoid... e.g the Maremagnum... a little shopping mall at the end of the Ramblas across the bridge, and its packed with tourists day and night... avoid it!!! Gracia is probably a nice area to go out in at night time, you will find lots of locals and the bars and things are quite cool... that´s north of the Diagonal , near metro station Fontana (green line).

Food isn´t bad in Barcelona.. depends where you´re from. I´m from England so obvious it´s a lot cheaper. Drinks seem expensive, but actually they´re not that bad if you think of the prices in England, but if you go out to a club, it´s best to drink some beers somewhere else first cos in the club they´ll cost maybe 12 euros each.

For breakfast.. well i don´t usually eat it, but it can be anything.. cereal, toast, bread, croissants... even just like this type of toasted sandwich called a bikini.  

Lunch.... well a sandwich or tapas. A snack you have to try that´s really great is patatas bravas.. these potatoes in spicy sauce... theyre awesome.   Dinner... well, whatever. My boyfriend cooks pizza or pasta or salad or whatever, but it´s a bit different for us cos we live here full time... just try some paella or spanish omelette, and some other tapa dishes.

And yea, just say ´una coca cola por favor´´  and you´ll be fine. :-)    Hope i helped...