10 Things You Need to Know Before Going to Barcelona
Barcelona is a city that is popular among travelers and has raving reviews from all over the world. With its architectural grandeur, diverse food options, many neighborhoods and nightlife that is bustling, it is a city that can easily place among the finest. However, such popularity brings with it challenges and complications-across the globe, especially if nothing is done to tip the scales against becoming the typical traveler. Barcelona’s overtourism problems have arisen with more than enough coverage in the media, and there are quite a number of incidents where local anger has been vented through hard-core vandalism that can be viewed on walls around some of the tourist hotspots.
There are even instances where this situation has lead city authorities to prevent even more popular places that once received a fraction of the attention like the Carmel Bunkers from being accessed owing to too many people showing up. The good news is that these issues can be avoided and one can still have a nice time in Barcelona with some research and effort into the future of the city that is being looked forward to.
Over the years that I have lived in Barcelona, I have always managed to avoid the worst of the horde and experience the high Spanish city more as a native rather than a tourist. I have listed above the most important things to do in advance – starting from how to look after your safety, ending with the peculiarities of the way of life of the locals.
- Never Underestimate the Number of Days Required to See Everything
Barcelona may not be the most sprawling city, but it does have a lot to offer and that is why it is reasonable to seek for around two to five days to see some of the city’s lowlights and extend it to a maximum of ten days should a visitor seek to travel around the city to nearby cava bodegas, the Costa Brava or a day of skiing in the mountains of the Pyrenees if time permits.
Claro, yes there will be tourists but one doesn’t have to be within the beaten tracks all the time, it is still possible to lose oneself in the ‘real’ culture, away from the predominant tourists.
2. Be Prepared For Many Tourists As Well
There is no doubt that Barcelona suffers the effects of mass tourism, however it is possible to escape the greatest crowds by choosing to go to Barcelona in the low season or heading out into the city before the cruise ships start arriving and choking the streets.
Also, purchasing tickets beforehand is an option to save time and avoid unnecessary queues but there are some places that are bound to be congested at any given point. To prevent yourself from being stressed out, consider planning out major spots one after the other to ensure that there is no rush in between visits to major spots like Sagrada Familia and Casa Batllo.
3. If You Want To Miss The Horde, Skip All The Big Events Unless You’re Attending One
Every summer Barcelona becomes home to many popular music festivals and therefore international tourism increases. If you are not attending events such as Primavera Sound or Sonar, these are probably not the best times to visit because hotel prices rise sharply and the area gets even more crowded. The same is true for large business exhibitions such as the Mobile World Congress. It is quite an expensive city as is, and the occasions make it all the more difficult to get reasonably priced accommodation.
4. Seek Out True Cultural Activities
If you want to appreciate the Catalonia history and heritage then search for the local proceedings that evoke the Catalan culture. Such as, the procession of the giants, the casted architects, the circle of the sardana dancers, the heart-racing Correfoc fire run parades.
Such or other festivities can be experienced if you visit during a period of a holiday like the Holy Week. To improve your chances try scheduling your visit to September when La Mercé, the currently celebrated Patron Saints of the city is honored featuring a week-long of cultural festivities and free concerts.
5. There Is Not Only One Rambla
La Rambla is something people will advise you to see without fail but I compare it to walking through time square, busy full of people with no reason to even go there…which makes it an ideal vacation spot. Ideally, Barcelona has other prevalent Rambla, and these tamer substitutes make it possible to partake in the leisurely stroll that was envisaged for these broad boulevards.
For instance, in the cities downtown, there is the Rambla del Raval which provides an exquisite view of the Botero’s cat sculpture. Or, la Rambla del Poblenou where one can walk down the beach as it is not very populous in tourists.
6. The further you go from the city, the better the beaches get
Barceloneta might be the most recognizable beach in Barcelona, and its neighbor is worth taking a detour for its tapas and cramped alleyways, but if you want to sit on the beach and tan, you’d have to go to the coast that is further down. There’s also the issue of how Warwick would always get beached at Barceloneta so best try going past Port Olímpic to Platja de la Mar Bella.
For all of Barcelona’s beaches are man made (for the Olympic Games in 1992), they are not the best in terms of the sand. However, if you are willing to go out of the city, places like Sitges or on the Costa Brava have better cliffs and quieter and more beautiful beaches.
7. Get into the Catalan spirit
Catalonia as an autonomous region of Spain has its own culture and its own quest of independence which continues to evolve. Respect locals by making an effort to understand their culture, which has a myriad of unique traditions such as the calçotada, a dish consisting of barbequed onions and a caganer, a popular figure during christmas that represents a man with his pants pulled down.
8. Catalan Is Russian and It Doesn’t Come With An Accent
It is advisable, if you wish to grate a Catalan’s nerves, to refer to their language as a dialect of Spanish. In Barcelona, many residents use both Catalan and Spanish languages, while the English language is often encountered in cruise ship precincts. Still, knowing some phrases in Catalan will be appreciated. One may hear people use “Hola” or “Merci” — both of which are Spanish and French for “thanks”, but such people as you may choose to greet them saying “Bon dia” and “Adéu”.
9. Left Handed Thieves are Waiting for You
The hat hand has always been an executioner, the left hand a pickpocket in Barcelona, and there is hardly anyone who cannot tell a tale, including me. Thieves once snookered me and got two credit cards out of my wallet while I worked at a crowded café. Sedulously avoid leaving your valuables in places like La Rambla or public transport top areas. Never place your mobile phone on the table when sitting outside and bring it along with you when moving outdoors.
10. Public Transportation Is Safe and Efficient
Note that like in any other place in the world, Barcelona has a fair share of pickpockets, but its public transportation is mostly safe and is quite efficient as well. The metro system is easy to go through, and there are buses or trains to go out of the city. You will also see the red Bicing bikes all over, although these are only for the citizens. For biking around, you will need to rent a bike from a vendor, and be careful to chain it after use – bike thieves are plentiful as pickpockets.
