As we all know when it comes to cities like Barcelona they rely heavily on the tourist trade. However often some people prefer that they don’t get singled out as such because they feel that they are then being put upon. Yet there are certain benefits to be had when visiting this city and being a tourist.
Okay you may not always have the opportunity to be able to experience some of the things that the locals enjoy, but being a tourist still has its advantages.
When visiting Barcelona as a tourist you can…
1) If you make any kind of mistake that causes eyebrows to be raised by the locals then you can put this down to your lack of knowledge about what is customary in the city. If you want to avoid such then I would highly recommend that you watch what the locals do when you are out and about. For example if shopping and purchasing fresh food items you notice that there are plastic gloves available then wear them before picking up any food and placing it in your basket.
2) The great thing about being a tourist is that you can be quite curious without feeling that you are being too intrusive. Remember the whole point of spending time in Barcelona is to find out more about it and this can only be done through asking questions.
3) As you won’t have a real understanding of how certain things work, you can then ask people who actually reside in the city to help you. You may even find yourself making a whole load of new friends and in turn this may result in your coming back to this wonderful city time after time.
4) As a tourist you’ll often find that the hotel where you are staying can provide you with particular tickets that allow you a discount to visit some of the city’s more popular attractions. Plus of course you can also as a tourist book visits to certain attractions before you actually arrive. For example it is possible to book tickets to see inside Sagrada Familia. As this is one of Barcelona’s most popular attractions having pre-booked your tickets means that as soon as you arrive you show them to the staff on the door and enter immediately.
5) Finally don’t forget that when visiting as a tourist there is the opportunity to get any duty paid on items you purchased returned. You’ll find that most shops will detail if duty can be reclaimed and often it is a case of simply going to a particular counter in the store and the tax charged on items purchased will then be refunded. However be aware that you won’t be able to claim the tax back on any food purchases made.
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