If you arrive from France to Barcelona you may travel by car or fly from airports in your country. However, you do it there is some prior knowledge about the city you have to know, like how to move around, what to eat, what to visit and what is the personality of its inhabitants, among other things. ShBarcelona wants to make your life easier by giving you some data on these aspects of the city, so if you travel from anywhere in France to Barcelona, you can make the most of your stay.
–The Catalan people, though generalizing is a bad idea in these cases, there are similarities between the Catalan and the French people by their geographical proximity. When traveling to Barcelona you will be surprised by the few Catalans that speak French, unless they have studied it voluntarily they don’t speak French at all, but somewhat they are a little “Frenchified”. The Catalans are very correct and polite with strangers, but don’t like a lot to get involved with them because of issues of language. If you ask them they will respond or try to help you, but is not easy to make Catalan friends in a bar or a nightclub. Try to practice your Spanish with them and maybe they are more open and friendly, but you should respect that they are like that and love to feel the confidence given by their own group of friends.
–The Prices: as in France, Spain’s currency is the euro, you won’t find any difference about that, but depending on the area you live in France, comparing the price of some items will be something to consider. If you are coming from Paris, you will notice that the price of food and clothing is cheaper, but if you’re in southern France you won’t probably notice too much change in this. Yes, you should be careful in some restaurants or, for example, to get into a taxi, so they don’t take advantage of you being a foreigner.
–Moving around the city: we suggest you find the metro station that is closer to your accommodation and go everywhere you need by this public transport. Even for some local residents get around by bus is difficult because you need to know your stop and request it before the driver passes ahead if you want him or her to stop. You should also try to move around by Ferrocarriles of the Generalitat if you stay in the upper area of the city (Sarria, Gràcia, Tibidabo …), but there are connections between metro and Ferrocarrils, you must know what is best for you and get used to it. It’s not that difficult.
–What do I HAVE to see?: there are some monuments that are on your “MUST” list when visiting Barcelona: La Pedrera, Park Güell, Casa Batllo, Sagrada Familia, Barcelona’s Ramblas, Plaza Catalunya, etc. But once you’ve visited them all, we suggest you walk through the Borne streets and take some tapas in one of its many squares, to visit and walk around the Gràcia neighbourhood on a Sunday, to know the Sant Antoni area and its Sunday’s antique book fair, to walk around the promenade and eat some seafood in Barceloneta (the Jaica bar is the best of all), and discover the viewpoints of Montjuïc.
–The Gastronomy: This blog has a food & drinks section with dozens of tips and lists of the best restaurants, bars and Catalan & Spanish dishes.
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