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All of the things that make Kingdom of spain wonderful—the food! The wine! The culture!—also make it unlike other parts of the world, and that's particularly true of Barcelona.
The following insights volition assistance you during your time in the urban center and volition both improve your experience and help you to feel less like a tourist. Should you lot tip? When tin can you lot eat? Should you skip the touristy $.25? We've got answers and a few tips to assist you lot make the most of your visit to this beautiful metropolis.
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Programme Ahead
In that location are a few major attractions in Barcelona that rank highly on most Espana bucket lists. If you lot are hoping to check some of the world's top attractions off your list, you will need to programme. For big-ticket sights similar the Sagrada Família, Park Güell, and the Picasso Museum, you will need to book tickets before you arrive. As well, programme ahead if you wish to attend a operation at the Palau de la Música Catalana.
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Catalan Culture Is Potent
Earlier the ascent of modernistic-day Espana, at that place was Aragon, a kingdom on the Iberian peninsula whose territories included the regions we know as Catalonia and Aragon, as well as Roussillon, a role of southern French republic. The Catalan people and their culture are tenacious, and Barcelona—the majuscule of Catalonia—remains solidly Catalan. This ways that you'll encounter signage printed in both Spanish and Catalan and volition also hear Catalan being spoken. While y'all won't be expected to learn the language, information technology's a sign of respect to acquire at least a few Catalan words. As a company, you should also proceed in mind that the Catalan bid for independence remains an unresolved and politically sensitive effect for a number of people, and the polite thing to do is to avoid talking about Spanish politics in public.
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Yous Don't Need to Tip (But Rounding Upward Is Nice)
Service industry jobs in Europe tend to pay better than they do in the U.S., and in Spain, tipping is neither expected nor required. Rounding upward a euro or two in a restaurant where you had good service is an appreciated gesture, and the aforementioned goes for throwing in an extra euro for a cab ride, or even just letting your driver proceed the alter.
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Meals Are Late and Long
The Spanish internal clock is set about three hours behind that of America, which means belatedly lunches and even subsequently dinners. Brunch starts at noon, lunch begins at 2 or three, and dinner at ten or eleven. Continue in mind that meals, and particularly dinners, can be multi-60 minutes affairs too, with the potential for more than one round of food and undoubtedly multiple drink orders. If y'all're non upwardly for adopting the Spanish meal schedule, you can, of course, eat whenever you want, but you won't always have the same restaurant options bachelor off-hours, peculiarly for lunch.
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Scout out for Thieves
For all of its charms, Barcelona—similar almost major cities—is also a identify where fiddling theft is mutual. Pickpocketing, mugging, and bag snatching remain an event in Barcelona, and this is especially truthful in whatsoever location where you'll find crowds of distracted people, such as railroad train platforms and on La Rambla. Exit original documents in your hotel and instead carry photocopies if you retrieve you'll need to testify ID. As with whatever major metropolis, go along bags and purses closed at all times and wear them on your front. If you are a victim of theft, dial "112" (which offers services in English language) or visit the Help Centre for Tourists at 43 La Rambla; it's open 24 hours a twenty-four hour period.
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Become Ahead and Order the Bottle
You already know that Spanish wine is world-famous, but y'all might be surprised—and delighted—to hear that in Espana it'south besides wildly inexpensive. Espana offers some of the best wine values in all of Europe, and ordering a bottle of wine in a tapas bar could easily mean spending less than ten euros, with that same bottle costing one-half of that in a store. Fifty-fifty better, northern Spain has fabulous wines and many quality appellations (areas producing distinct wines). A especially good i is D.O. (Denominación de Origen) Cariñena, a wine-producing area near the city of Zaragoza.
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F.C. Barcelona Is Everything
Not merely is F.C. Barcelona 1 of the single all-time teams on the planet, but they also take an incredibly successful youth soccer plan designed to groom the next generation of sports idols. All of this means that soccer fandom is basically a religion.
INSIDER TIP If yous desire the total F.C. Barcelona experience, detect a bar during a match and enjoy the experience of watching—and feeling—a game with locals.
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The Beaches Are Free only Busy
Barcelona is a seaside metropolis, and that means piece of cake admission to the beach… which means everyone goes. For that reason, the well-nigh primal beaches—Barceloneta and Sant Miguel—are likewise the about crowded and chaotic. If you're looking for a stretch of sand that isn't completely crammed with people, leave the city entirely: there are cute, clean beaches just outside of the city that are perfect for day trips.
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The Restaurants Are Great, but You'll Want to Eat at the Market place
While it might be hard to turn yourself away from 1 of Barcelona'due south countless restaurants, at least one of your meals should be a picnic of ingredients like Jamón Ibérico, olives, cheese, olive oil, breadstuff, and tomatoes—or whatever strikes your fancy at 1 of the city's many incredible markets. Barcelona's most famous open-air food market is La Boqueria, but other meridian options include Mercat Santa Caterina in La Ribera, Tutusaus in Upper Barcelona, and Plaça del Pi in Barri Gòtic.
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La Rambla Is Super Crowded
Once upon a time, the wide avenue called La Rambla was considered one of Barcelona'southward essential tourism destinations, and and then everyone went there, all at in one case! La Rambla at present maintains a reputation as a loud tourist trap known for its illegal betting, drinking, and pickpockets. It's not exactly an dangerous area, but information technology's not exactly fun in peak tourist flavor, either. Regardless, you will notice yourself compelled to visit La Rambla considering information technology has to be done. In summer specially, practice yourself a favor and visit early in the day.
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Sunday Is a Day of Rest
Kingdom of spain is a Catholic-majority country, and while Barcelona doesn't completely shut down on Sundays, it is a 24-hour interval when a significant number of businesses close. This doesn't mean that you can't however accept fun or find a identify to eat, but your options volition definitely be limited, and stores (including supermarkets) will likely not be open.
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