5 Things to Know Before Visiting Barcelona

1. Plan your stay!



And no, I don't mean: Plan every single step of the way. Get lost, by any means! There's nothing comparable to the sensation of finding hidden spots, departing from the beaten track. But if you are not the type of person who has no regrets of missing the chance to do or see x, y, or z in the possibly short time of your stay, then I would recommend outlining your priorities so that you're not disappointed once your trip comes to an end. This is a city with a million and one things to do and see! When I went, I knew that I wanted to incorporate seeing the unique architecture (modernism/Gaudí, Gothic Quarter, Eixample, etc), doing some basic sightseeing, going to the beach, doing a free walking tour to get an insight into the city's history and hear some interesting insider information about Barcelona, exploring on my own AND spending time with my friends who live there. That's a lot of things, considering I only stayed for five full days, so I had to split up my time wisely. Obviously, there are still tons of activities that I didn't manage to tick off my extremely long list of MUST DO's in Barcelona but fortunately my first time didn't have to be my last (and definitely won't have been!).

2. Consider your mode of transport

Since Barcelona is a fairly big city, comparable to most metropolises, there are several ways of transport and also several tickets for public transport regarding the length of your stay, your plans and your budget. Before I visited Barcelona, I read a whole lot of blog posts about visiting the city via Bloglovin' and I came across some really helpful tips and overviews that influenced my decision. It would be a little extensive and unnecessary would I just list every option here since I found these helpful posts, so I will link one here for you.

Regarding the transit to and from the airport, I'd recommend taking the 'normal' bus instead of those which take about 15 minutes or the metro if you have the time (about 25 minutes from El Prat to Placa Espanya) because it's the cheapest option (around 2,60 €). You'd just have to learn the words for 'One ticket to Plaça Espanya, please.' as in 'Una billeta a Plaça Espanya, por favor.' (Castellano) or 'Un bitllet a Plaça Espanya, si us plau.' (Catalán) - or wherever you need to get off the bus.

3. Some basic Catalán to prove your politeness (or show off)

Catalonia is an autonomous province of Spain, where people speak not only 'Spanish' as in Castellano but also another Romanic language, Catalán. FYI: It's not just a dialect of Castellano but its own language, which is actually more similar to French than Castellano. Thus, if you're able to speak Castellano to a certain degree (or English obvs, but as my Barcelonese friend told me - no guarantee that everyone will understand you, i.e. bus drivers, random people in the street), you're fine in Barcelona, but, if you want to make an effort and show that you know the basics, here are some basic phrases in Catalán that are easy to remember:


Bon dia / Hola - Buenos días / Hola - Good morning (can be used the whole day or till the afternoon) / Hello
Bona tarda - Buenas tardes - Good afternoon
Bona nit - Buenas noches - Good night
Gràcies / Merci (like French but actually derived from Mercès) - Gracias - Thank you
Si us plau - Por favor (more similar to French! - S'il vous plaît) - Please
Perdó - Perdón - Sorry
Dispensi / Perdoni - Disculpe - Excuse me
Adéu - Adiós (again, similar to the French 'Adieu') - Goodbye

4. How not to become the type of tourist Barcelonese hate

Turn down the volume of your chats in the lanes of the old town. Talking very loudly is not only disrespectful but also very annoying when you empathise with the inhabitants that are constantly facing this problem in the neighbourhoods. This was also referred to by my free walking tour guide. 
He also made us aware that the tour attendees should always come as close to him as possible, while he was giving his little talks at the tour stops, to avoid him having to scream and thus causing the same problem. 
It's also respectful to not form chains while walking as groups through narrow lanes or streets with huge amounts of people. Inhabitants and people on bikes or motorbikes/scooters are blocked from passing the group or, in the case of Las Ramblas, you could lose your group as you weave through the crowds. Also, keep an eye on your and your friends' belongings since pickpockets are waiting for their chance, especially in crowded areas.
Another thing, normally a no-brainer for most people - but I'll mention it anyway -: Don't leave your trash. Imagine living in a city that is visited by millions of tourists a year and noone cares about the environment (not only nature but also the streets of the neighbourhoods). There are loads of possibilities of getting rid of packaging or all sorts of rubbish everywhere, so let's leave the place as tidy as you'd want to find it. #bethechange

5. Tips for first time visitors

If you plan to visit Sagrada Família, which you totally should although it's the most touristy thing of all to do, or other sights which are tourist magnets and require tickets: Book the tickets on their official websites and bring the electronic or printed prove of the booking. There is nothing worse than wasting your precious holiday time in long queues if they are avoidable, right? Also, maybe come in the morning (I was there at 10 a.m.) before the masses arrive.
Budget Tip: On Sundays, certain museums can be visited for free, but be aware of stampede and long queues so better be early and prioritise! For details about which museums are doing this and at what time they are free to enter, check out this site! I was lucky enough to get free entrance to the Castell de Montjuïc and save some money!
If you are a solo traveller or a small group who'd like to learn about historical, geographical, or cultural facts, receive tips, or pelt someone competent with questions about the city life whilst walking around for about 2-3 hours and pay what you consider the worth of your experience, then definitely look out for free walking tour companies online and sign up. I have participated in two of those before, one in Barcelona in September and the other one in Prague last year, and I could not recommend doing this more. Even if I wasn't a tourist but have newly moved to a city that offers these tours, I would use this opportunity as often as possible. Sometimes, there are multiple different tours availabe, different languages are covered and the company usually also offers tours for specialised themes that cost a relatively small fee, so look out for those too if you are interested.

My last piece of advice - maybe it's just me being old-fashioned but it served me well every time - would be to have a physical map on hand. Before I go on trips, especially alone or in small groups, I prepare my maps with markings of places I want to visit so that I get an early understanding of where places are and what is near. This way I never got lost unwanted and found it easy to find out what building or square I was standing next to or in the middle of. I always print a map of public transportation and a street map with sights especially marked, including public transport stops. I like to know where I am and I also enjoy being in charge of how to get where. Is it just me?


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