Barcelona
'Barna' not 'Barca'
Barcelona also known as Barna is the most diverse and coloured city you might visit in Europe. It's also famous for it's football team 'Barcelona' known as 'Barca'. So be careful while you hastag your posts, the one to use is #Barna.
If you're travelling from India, it is certain that you're visiting multiple cities/ countries in Europe together. It's only fair given the high flight costs. So I am aware of your tight schedule on the number of days you want to spend in Barna, but allow me to be biased and tell you that you require a minimum of 4 days to live and enjoy the city. I'm not saying this because it's my favorite city in Spain but because there is really so much to see. It has the mountains on one side, the beach on the other. In the middle are the tiny hidden passages/ quarters and then there is every piece of architecture to admire that is built by Antoni Gaudi.
For those who don’t know Gaudi, he was the famous architect from Catalonia, Spain best known for his distinctive styles and use of bright colours. His use of crafts, ceramics, carpentry, mirror detailing, roman but modern three-dimensional creations have been an attraction since forever. His master-piece, which is still incomplete, Sagrada Familia is a must-visit in Spain. Let’s discuss him and his work a little later.
I want to take a moment to run you through the history of this city, since a lot of what you’ll see , hear and experience is based on this. Spain is divided into 15+ autonomous regions/communities. Each of these follow the same Spanish regulation and form the nation. Catalonia is one of these regions and Barcelona forms the capital of this region. Catalan also is a language in itself which is independent of Spanish or French and used in multiple regions in Spain. Although, many believe Catalan sounds like a mix of both. Castillian Spanish is what many call the pure form of spoken Spanish, just like ‘Oxford English’. Castillian is a province in central spain from where is language originates.
The reason you need to know this is because people of Barcelona are split between catalan and Castillian and speak individual languages and there is an ongoing debate between the Catalonia and Spanish.
Anyway, coming back to tourism, I’m listing below some useful things to remember :
Barcelona has hop on hop off buses. Though I strongly suggest you visit the city by foot. And If you’re planning on using much public transport, invest in a T-10 (pronounced “tay-dayoo”) pass, €8.25 (£7.10) for 10 journeys which can be shared between two or more people. Validate your ticket at either the Metro barrier or on the machine on board buses or trams.
Barcelona shops are usually closed on a Sunday so walking tour on a Sunday may not be so much fun.
Typical Spanish food you must try:
1. Paella – It’s rice usually mixed with meat and vege’s.
2. Tapas (meaning small bite –starter) you can have with sangria de vi. (They also make sangria with champagne but I liked the vine one more)
3. Sea Food in the small café’s near the beach.
“Cituat Vella” which means the old city in the Catalan language, is the oldest district of Barcelona and has a lot of small streets and several neighbourhoods. The most famous one is “El Gotico” (Gothic quarter) which expanded around the original Roman city of Barcelona called “Barcino”.
If you join some ongoing walking tour – they’ll give you more details about the history and the Catalan culture.
1 day: Spend the day walking around the 3 neighbourhoods, namely the El Gotico, El born and end up at the beach – Barceloneta. The street that takes you to El gotico and El born is called as Las Ramblas which is a long famous touristic streets with a lot of souvenir vendors. At the start of this street there is a small fountain like thing and they say that if you have water from there , then you’re ought to visit the city again . This fountain is particularly famous because whenever the FC Barcelona football team wins, they come to this fountain and sit around there drinking beer and celebrating their victory.
La boqueria, is a typical Spanish food market, where you will find the most amazing chocolates ever. (Please don’t miss this one). La boqueria is also on the Ramblas Street itself.
Spend the next day doing some typical sightseeing.
1. Sagrada Familia (one of the most famous and artistic churches, also created by Gaudi)
2. Casa Batlo
3. Park Guell
Day 3 for things you missed earlier:
1. Mountjuic castle
2. Mount Tibidabo
3. Flamenco
Funny things no tourist guide will tell you:
1) Caganer : (A great souvenir to gift – The Catalans consider this as good luck) http://www.vox.com/2014/12/24/7417441/caganer-explained-nativity
2) The Spanish don’t believe in Santa Clause . They believe in something called as a “Caga tio” meaning the Poo Log.
http://www.babylon-idiomas.com/blog/spanish-culture/funny-christmas-traditions-in-spain/
3) Red underwear, 12 grapes on New Year’s Eve are a few others. Read the links (They are funnily interesting)
Some things I didn't see but might interest you:
1. George Orwell and the Spanish civil War tours. (His book Homage to Catalonia is a good read if you’re interested in Spanish history) .
2. A lot of scenes from Vicky Christina Barcelona were shot in parts of Barcelona mentioned above – especially Parc Guell and Le Gotico. Read links for further information
http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/v/Vicky_Cristina_Barcelona.html#.VR-NlvmUeFUCristina_Barcelona.html#.VR-NlvmUeFU
Overall costing :
Internal travel cost - 10-12 Euros
Hostels - 15 Euro per night approx (for two people)
Additional costs for sight-seeing
Food approximately 15 Euros per day
Barcelona also known as Barna is the most diverse and coloured city you might visit in Europe. It's also famous for it's football team 'Barcelona' known as 'Barca'. So be careful while you hastag your posts, the one to use is #Barna.
If you're travelling from India, it is certain that you're visiting multiple cities/ countries in Europe together. It's only fair given the high flight costs. So I am aware of your tight schedule on the number of days you want to spend in Barna, but allow me to be biased and tell you that you require a minimum of 4 days to live and enjoy the city. I'm not saying this because it's my favorite city in Spain but because there is really so much to see. It has the mountains on one side, the beach on the other. In the middle are the tiny hidden passages/ quarters and then there is every piece of architecture to admire that is built by Antoni Gaudi.
For those who don’t know Gaudi, he was the famous architect from Catalonia, Spain best known for his distinctive styles and use of bright colours. His use of crafts, ceramics, carpentry, mirror detailing, roman but modern three-dimensional creations have been an attraction since forever. His master-piece, which is still incomplete, Sagrada Familia is a must-visit in Spain. Let’s discuss him and his work a little later.
I want to take a moment to run you through the history of this city, since a lot of what you’ll see , hear and experience is based on this. Spain is divided into 15+ autonomous regions/communities. Each of these follow the same Spanish regulation and form the nation. Catalonia is one of these regions and Barcelona forms the capital of this region. Catalan also is a language in itself which is independent of Spanish or French and used in multiple regions in Spain. Although, many believe Catalan sounds like a mix of both. Castillian Spanish is what many call the pure form of spoken Spanish, just like ‘Oxford English’. Castillian is a province in central spain from where is language originates.
The reason you need to know this is because people of Barcelona are split between catalan and Castillian and speak individual languages and there is an ongoing debate between the Catalonia and Spanish.
Anyway, coming back to tourism, I’m listing below some useful things to remember :
Barcelona has hop on hop off buses. Though I strongly suggest you visit the city by foot. And If you’re planning on using much public transport, invest in a T-10 (pronounced “tay-dayoo”) pass, €8.25 (£7.10) for 10 journeys which can be shared between two or more people. Validate your ticket at either the Metro barrier or on the machine on board buses or trams.
Barcelona shops are usually closed on a Sunday so walking tour on a Sunday may not be so much fun.
Typical Spanish food you must try:
1. Paella – It’s rice usually mixed with meat and vege’s.
2. Tapas (meaning small bite –starter) you can have with sangria de vi. (They also make sangria with champagne but I liked the vine one more)
3. Sea Food in the small café’s near the beach.
“Cituat Vella” which means the old city in the Catalan language, is the oldest district of Barcelona and has a lot of small streets and several neighbourhoods. The most famous one is “El Gotico” (Gothic quarter) which expanded around the original Roman city of Barcelona called “Barcino”.
If you join some ongoing walking tour – they’ll give you more details about the history and the Catalan culture.
1 day: Spend the day walking around the 3 neighbourhoods, namely the El Gotico, El born and end up at the beach – Barceloneta. The street that takes you to El gotico and El born is called as Las Ramblas which is a long famous touristic streets with a lot of souvenir vendors. At the start of this street there is a small fountain like thing and they say that if you have water from there , then you’re ought to visit the city again . This fountain is particularly famous because whenever the FC Barcelona football team wins, they come to this fountain and sit around there drinking beer and celebrating their victory.
La boqueria, is a typical Spanish food market, where you will find the most amazing chocolates ever. (Please don’t miss this one). La boqueria is also on the Ramblas Street itself.
Spend the next day doing some typical sightseeing.
1. Sagrada Familia (one of the most famous and artistic churches, also created by Gaudi)
2. Casa Batlo
3. Park Guell
Day 3 for things you missed earlier:
1. Mountjuic castle
2. Mount Tibidabo
3. Flamenco
Funny things no tourist guide will tell you:
1) Caganer : (A great souvenir to gift – The Catalans consider this as good luck) http://www.vox.com/2014/12/24/7417441/caganer-explained-nativity
2) The Spanish don’t believe in Santa Clause . They believe in something called as a “Caga tio” meaning the Poo Log.
http://www.babylon-idiomas.com/blog/spanish-culture/funny-christmas-traditions-in-spain/
3) Red underwear, 12 grapes on New Year’s Eve are a few others. Read the links (They are funnily interesting)
Some things I didn't see but might interest you:
1. George Orwell and the Spanish civil War tours. (His book Homage to Catalonia is a good read if you’re interested in Spanish history) .
2. A lot of scenes from Vicky Christina Barcelona were shot in parts of Barcelona mentioned above – especially Parc Guell and Le Gotico. Read links for further information
http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/v/Vicky_Cristina_Barcelona.html#.VR-NlvmUeFUCristina_Barcelona.html#.VR-NlvmUeFU
Overall costing :
Internal travel cost - 10-12 Euros
Hostels - 15 Euro per night approx (for two people)
Additional costs for sight-seeing
Food approximately 15 Euros per day
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