Barcelona, the Catalan capital and Spain’s second most important city is well connected to the rest of the world and particularly to the major European cities by various transport modes.

Traveling to Barcelona and planning your Barcelona itinerary will be a walk in the park for you if you look through the Viva Barcelona website to ensure a smooth and hassle free travel experience.

By Air

Flight services in and out of Barcelona are excellent with low cost carriers like Transavia, FlyGlobespan, Sterling Airlines, Blue Air, Ryanair, Easyjet, Wiz Air, Vueling, Click Air, Jet2.Com, Monarch Airlines, and Air Berlin giving a stopover at Barcelona.

El Prat is the Spanish name of Barcelona international airport and welcomes flights from various corners of the globe, especially Europe. Two other airports in the outskirts of Barcelona are Reus to the south and Girona to the north.

By Bus

There are shuttle bus services connecting Girona airport with Estacio Del Nord in Barcelona. Another bus acts as a link between Reus airport and the Barcelona Sants train station.

Barcelona Nord operates all the international and national bus services to and from Barcelona. Their contact number is 902303222.

From 6 in the morning to 12 in the night on 6 days of the week you can avail of the Aerobus that departs at a frequency of 12 minutes. It’s also available during weekends.

By Car

You can drive down to Barcelona in your car by taking one of the several main roads that link the city with the rest of Spain and with French cities. If you can avoid the rush hours, traffic volume on the high ways will be light. Free parking space will be available, perhaps not in the city centre, but certainly a few metro stops away.

By Train

Barcelona is connected to Paris, Zurich, Milan and Montpellier by train and the duration of the journey is 11 hours approximately, 13 hours, approximately 13 hours and 4 1/2 hours respectively.

There is also a very high speed rail service that has recently started operations and links Madrid with Barcelona within a 2 hours and 40 minutes journey.

Barcelona is connected to a host of French cities like Cerbere, Nice, Marseille, Narbonne, Beziers and Perpignan through several direct trains daily.

Barcelona is a potential tourists’ paradise with its predictable maritime temperate climate that remains largely pleasant and tourist friendly during the greater part of the year.

Thanks to the close proximity to the sea, the heat of the summer is offset by a cool balmy soothing breeze blowing in from the sea while winters are crisp and cool.

The dazzling Mediterranean sun shines down with all its strength on the landscape of Barcelona, thus pushing up the mercury in summers and the midsummer months often experience sweltering and scorching heat with humidity levels touching 70%.

Thus summers in Barcelona are warm and humid and ideal for acquiring a trendy back from the beach tan, but the cool gusts of sea breeze will chill your pills to the right degree.

The average annual temperature hovers around 16 degrees Celsius.
Almost all the months experience a bit of rainfall and the average annual rainfall is around 50 mm.

Winters are pretty mild, damp and extremely enjoyable with an average temperature of 12 degrees Celsius. However the mercury at times drops below 10 degrees Celsius and the winter season is punctuated with an occasional, very rare snowfall and frequent showers.

The coldest month of the year is January.

Spring happens to be the most thriving tourist season with the mercury hovering between 20 degree Celsius and 13 degree Celsius. The hottest months are August and July.

The perfect seasons/times to visit Barcelona are in the months of September and October and from March to June.

Golfing enthusiasts can tee off in a comfortable and pleasant weather even in February and November.

No wonder tourists are effusive in praise when they recommend the sunny Barcelona weather to their friends and family back at home.

Barcelona is a shopper’s paradise with a 3 mile or 5 km long strip dedicated only to an exclusive shopping district consisting of modern departmental stores, designer stores and boutiques and international shopping mart chains. You can shop till you drop in the areas around Avenida Diagonal, Gracia and Placa de Catalunya.

If you want to know more about the shopping scene and top shopping destinations in Barcelona, please browse the Viva Barcelona website.

Art Montfalcon

This the best place to hunt for souvenirs that you can take back for your friends and family and this one, which happens to be Barcelona’s biggest souvenir treasure house, is spread over 1000 Sq meters. This place is full of cheap and ordinary souvenir trivialities that dot the street shops.

You can have a look at mugs, jewelry, plates, watches and other kinds of artistic and creative souvenirs, creative mechanical toys like spiders, various kinds of branded souvenir t shirts and other such things.

El Ingenio

You can get hold of beautiful miniature crafts of giants and dragons that are exact replicas of original fairy tale versions and the ones that are featured in Catalan fiestas and processions as well as rubber snakes, jokes, confetti and other amusing stuff in this lovely shop in Carrer Raurich. Even if you don’t feel like purchasing anything, you can simply take a look around.

El Corte Ingles

Anything and everything from bandanas to Balanciaga’s gowns, prêt to Prada, fine dining restaurants, food court, toy shops, high profile stores, medical equipment stores, grocery and all other modern amenities can be found in this swanky and glitzy shopping mall that spreads out to several buildings and spans several floors. It is the Barcelona wing of a national chain.

La Boqueria

The official name of this city market is Mercat de Sant Josep and it is one of the must visits of Barcelona, promising an unforgettable experience. It is located just off Rambla Sant Josep and is a great place to buy dairy products, vegetables, meat, and fresh fish. It remains open from 8 in the morning to 8 in the evening from Monday to Saturday.

Jean Pierre Bua

It is located on Avenida Diagonal 469 and is a hip and trendy address for urban chic designer dresses. It houses high street fashion labels like Issey Miyake, Gaultier, Prada, Versace, Gucci, Fendi, Calvin Klein, Armani etc and is patronized by the rich and famous of Barcelona.

Most of the restaurants in Barcelona offer popular world cuisines but your trip to the Catalonian capital won’t be complete without sampling Catalan delicacies available in Tapas restaurants consisting of a 3 course meal.

Also you must try out the lip smacking sea food, waffles – a streetfood specialty. The main eating out zones housing most of the restaurants, eateries, bars, cafés and Tapas bars are the Rambla de Catalunya, Passeig de Gracia, Avinguda del Parallel, Poble Sec, Eixample, Ciutat Vella and Gracia.

Set Portes

This restaurant is housed inside a national monument and boasts of a clientele that includes famous diners from the pages of history, politics and cinema like politicians, kings, Ava Gardner and Alexander Fleming. It is a traditionally Catalan fine dining haunt with a large dining room and smaller 80 to 2 seater private rooms. It is famous for spaghettini, sea food, fish stew and the legendary paella.

Cantina Machito

For a more affordable budget option that wont burn holes in your pocket I will recommend this Mexican eating joint which serves surprisingly good authentic Mexican food cooked in/with imported Mexican spices and ingredients by Mexican chefs. Try out the tequila and lime mousse, unusual puddings, guacamole, tacos and standard margaritas.

Jean Luc Figueras

This fine dining gourmet address shares floor space with Balanciaga’s. The décor is tasteful, classy, elegant and very Catalan. Equally outstanding is the food. The restaurant named after its French chef is well known for its original modern dishes like ginger pasta and fried prawn in mango and mustard sauce and sublime puddings and mousse and desserts prepared by master patiseros. The menu maintains a careful distance from trendy or egotistical food.

Ruccula

It is a favorite haunt of Barcelona’s movers and shakers and page 3 socialites. An ingenious Asiatic Italian twist to the largely Catalan cuisine coupled with reasonable prices and top class quality and a breath taking view over the sea make it a hands down winner. Don’t forget to sample chicken yakitori in teriyaki sauce, fresh pasta salad with pesto.

Sikkim

The décor, the ambience and the setting live up to the name of the Indian state and are distinctly Buddhist. But the menu is strictly provincial Mediterranean with accent on both veggie and non-veg dishes like homely cheesecakes, veggie risottos, roast shark, yukka and mangoes.

The Catalan capital of Barcelona, Spain, one of the older, stunningly mesmerizing and culturally inclined cities of southern Europe scores a massive hit with tourists and visitors because of its rich cultural heritage and magnificent architectural wonders that are a throwback to a glorious bygone era.

If you want to know more about sightseeing trips in and around Barcelona, you have a look through the Viva Barcelona website.

Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia or Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family

Antoni Gaudi’s incomplete masterpiece dominates the city’s skyline and forms the most recognized outlandish landmark of the city. The cathedral radiates a quirky beauty and the Gaudian rebellion against architectural rules is evident in each and every building block and design that is extraordinaire to say the least. It remains as the city’s chief attraction and is thronged by wonder struck or astonished visitors every year.

Museu Picasso or Picasso Museum

In close proximity to the Parc de la Ciutadella, two fifteenth century palaces house the Picasso museum that has an impressive collection of the artist’s early creations like cubist works, ceramics, and exhibition posters, paintings from the Pink Period and Blue Period and childhood sketches.

Guell Park or Parc Guell

This is another of the eccentric artist Gaudi’s masterpieces that offers a splendid aerial view of Barcelona from the hill top. It is basically a fantasy land incorporating a seamless blend of the man made and the natural. Gaudi had at first envisaged it as a garden city and the gardens are interjected by an organic plaza, columned halls, stairways and fantastic pavilions. Josep Maria Jujol decorated the plaza with his trencadis or broken mosaic work that looks stunning to say the least.

Santa Maria Del Mar

It is a standing testimony of Mediterranean gothic architecture and is one of the most visually stunning churches of the city. The columned interiors create a sense of balance and harmony that is enlivened with the color lent by the fifteenth century rose window. It is situated in the heart of the upscale trendy district of La Ribera in the north east corner of Barri Gotic.

Block of Discord or Mancana de la Discordia

Puig I Cadafalch, Gaudi and Montaner created this series of extraordinary houses that are visually arresting because of their absurd architectural designs. Gaudi’s creation resembles an underwater grotto replete with a reptilian roof, frog faced balconies and a multicolored tiled façade hued in green and blue.

Barcelona is one of the most beautiful and exotic cities of southern Europe that is thronged by tourists and busy business executives alike for its humming and thriving commercial hub and for its beauty. Naturally it is home to some of the best hotels and places of accommodation in Spain.

For a list of some luxury hotels, affordable hotels, budget hotels as well as apartments and guest houses, please check out Viva Barcelona.

Vincci Arena

The USP of this new boutique hotel is its strategic location – a stone’s throw from the commercial and tourist’s hub, the fairground, Plaza de Espana and situated at the core of the Ciudad Condal. This hotel boasts of all kinds of luxury amenities including a sauna, fitness centre, steam or Turkish bath, restaurants and first class quality service. It has 84 rooms.

The Royal Ramblas

This one is located right beside the Las Ramblas tree lined boulevard offering a great view of the pedestrian avenue and situated in close proximity to Catalunya Square – which forms the city’s cultural, entertainment and business core. There are 108 sound proof rooms with central heating, world class restaurants, prompt service, wireless internet facility and other modern amenities.

Acevi Villarroel

This hotel is located close to all the transport exit points like the train station of Sants, bus stop and subway as well as close to Catalunya, Gracia, Plaza Espana and the fair ground all of which are housed in the throbbing heart of the city. Many of the tourist must visits are a 5 minutes walk from this hotel. The décor is minimalist with wooden accents and there are 84 rooms with attached elegant bathrooms. You can pamper yourself in the Hammam, steam bath, Jacuzzi, spa, sauna. There is also a well equipped gym, swimming pool and bridal suite.

Hotel Princesa Sofia

This 5 star business hotel is equipped with a health club, luxurious indoor swimming pool, terrace restaurant, 28 conference halls, banquet rooms, business centre, spacious bedrooms with Mediterranean interior designs. It is located very close to Barcelona’s excellent shopping centres.

Hotel Peninsular

Its USP is its heritage and historic background being situated on the site of a former convent and boasts of unusual and interesting architectural details. Being one of the oldest hotels in business here, it is redolent of an oriental charm and a quaint interior balcony is its piece de resistance. The architecture is Moorish inspired.