Finally booked Barcelona. Anything we 'must see' or do?

timan914

Me and a friend have booked our holiday to Barcelona for 2 weeks time. We jus wanted a short break so going for 5 days. Neither of us are overly into art galleries but we do like markets as opposed to shopping centres and we love tapas.
Last year we went to Madrid and I managed to get away with my pigeon Spanish but I heard that in Barcelona that a lot of people won't even speak to you if you speak Spanish to them as they are so fiercely proud of the Catalan language. Is this true?
Any tips for this trip would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

jimmy_81

Oh, enjoy, Barcelona is absolutely gorgeous! Went there for our 1st anniversary back in April, it was lovely.

A few random thoughts...

- If you like markets then La Boqueria just off Las Ramblas is an essential visit; but there are a few other good markets too.

- Parc Guell - amazing Gaudi architecture and beautiful views if you walk right up to the top (Lots of people don't bother!)

- It's such a touristy thing to do BUT if you can bear it then the open top bus tours are actually a pretty good way to see the city

- Just wander the streets.... You can just come across some lovely little places, especially once you get away from the really busy tourist areas.

- Not sure if you're into nightlife, but there are some lush cocktail bars with overall a very relaxed vibe... We didn't really make it to any proper clubs!

- Get a 10-journey pass to get around if you need the Metro - it's the most economical way to do it.

I tried to make sure I used a few Catalan words with my terrible Spanish and didn't have any problems at all (Except one particular situation - see below!). As per most major European cities most people seem to speak English, lettings us get away with it...

There are some v tasty tapas places - tapas isn't "authentically" Catalan though, it's from Andalusia, so do try to seek out some traditional Catalan food for a meal or two.

We heard a lot about pickpockets before we went but took basic precautions - same as I would in London - and never had any problems at all. Just use common sense...

My one warning - and talking of common sense, this was a severe lack of it I guess! - if you do use the Metro; make sure you always hold onto your pass/ticket!!

We "used up" the last of our travelcard on the last evening coming back from dinner, having had a few glasses of wine, and like a complete muppet after we'd gone through the barriers I chucked the card in a a bin.

Needless to say, that was the one & only time they were checking everybody's ticket getting onto the Metro platform...

A very unpleasant half hour ensued as none of the ticket inspectors spoke English. Eventually we worked out they were insisting we pay E50 fine each right there & then, or E100 each at the ticket office the following day! :eek:

This was the only bad point of the trip really, whilst it was obviously our own silly fault & we can't expect everyone to speak English, I've got to admit I felt pretty intimidated.

It ended up working out OK - when we went into the travel guidance office the next day the assistant gave us a really funny look and said "But... they didn't take any of your details!" - apparently this renders the fine slips invalid so she advised us not to pay! :rotfl:

Long & the short of it - don't be an idiot like me, and keep your ticket!

Hope you have a great time!

andygb

The Olympic park at Montjuic is worth a visit, as is the Barri Gottica (the old part of Barcelona). If anyone is interested in football, then the Nou Camp is good.
As Jimmy81 has said, the market off Las Ramblas is superb, but then I found everywhere in Barcelona to be interesting.

Moto2

Most big touristy cities suffer but Barcelona particularly suffers with pick-pockets. Be particularly aware as you try to get on buses etc.
Try not to carry too much cash around and if possible keep it in a front pocket and not in a bag etc.

timan914

Oh wow! Thanks to everyone who has replied and given great ideas but a special huge thanks to jimmy_81! Your list will defo keep us going and has some fab ideas.
I am so excited. Ive been once before but that was over 10 years ago and I totally loved it then. Didnt really see any of the sights so hoping to put that right this time!

daveyjp

With a 5 day break a day from the city is worth it. There are regular trains to Sitges which is about 30 minutes away. A small seaside town with good beach.

joerugby

Not sure when you are going but if you fancy a day out it's Cava Week in Sant Sadurni d'Anoia from October 7-15th. Sant Sadurni is the centre for Cava production in Spain and the home of wineries such as Freixenet. It is an easy train trip from Barcelona.

On one of the days (I think it's the 12th) there is a special cava-train from Barcelona with a full Fiesta atmosphere all the way including Gigantes and Cabezudos (giants and bigheads).

I've never done it but it sounds like a great day out

theGrinch

I was there earlier this year and loved it. Parc Guell, Tour bus through Olympic area, the Sea....so much to do and see.

Coraline

I was there earlier this year with the family. If you want a spectacular day trip I can't recommend visiting Montserrat enough. The "Tran Monserrat" pass that you can buy online and pick up at the Plaça de Catalunya tourist booth is a ridiculously good value.

Definitely pick the cable-car (Aero) option!

Dress warm as at that elevation it can get nippy and bring some lunch and a lot of water for a picnic on the top of the peaks.

It's really an amazing place.

timan914

How far is this Monserrat place? Is it definitely an all day thing or can it be done in half a day?
Can you guys that have been to Barcelona before speak any Catalan or could you get away with speaking Spanish?
I think we would like to do some less touristy areas but with our lack of language skills maybe it wouldn't be the best or safest idea.
Any tapas places you could recommend? We love tapas but don't want to get the bog standard 'tourist tapas' that we could jus get over here in places like La Tasca etc.

Thanks again everyone. Some wonderful ideas being mentioned here.:beer:

Coraline

Hi Tinman,

It's about an hour's train ride from central Barcelona. It's a Monastery built a very long time ago (almost 800 years if memory serves?) in a mountain about 500 metres high up. You have to take a cable car or a funicalar (mountain train) or in some cases bus to get there, but I would avoid the latter--trust me on this the cable car is amazing (if you can stomach heights!)

To really get the best out of the experience, yes I definitely recommend a full day, but you can make it half a day. If you get the "Trans Montserrat" ticket I mentioned, it gives you the train ticket out there, the cable car ride to the Monestary, and then travel on two Funicalars further up the mountain until you are actually as high as the clouds, about 1,300 metres high.

It takes some time, depending on how much you like hiking to explore the higher peaks.

You don't need to know Catalan at all, as they speak both Spanish and Catalan in Catalonia. So some simple Spanish phrases are good enough. But I can speak practically zero of either language and got by just fine anywhere I've been in Spain.

Get started on checking this place on (where else? ) but wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montserrat_%28mountain%29

And the pictures tell it all!

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=montserrat+pictures&client=firefox-a&hs=WQH&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=cXZEUva5OM307AbaroCIBg&ved=0CDIQsAQ&biw=1441&bih=714&dpr=1.2

(ETA: Disregard the pictures of volcanoes and the island--different place altogether!)