Feb 25, 2019

Weekend Getaway: Barcelona Top Tips

By

Hayley Powell

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Barcelona is a beautiful city in Spain that is perfect for both a weekend getaway and anything a little longer. The Spanish culture you will learn about in this city is sure to give you a great holiday experience, and you’ll find that Barcelona is a city that people always go back to. Whether you been here before or it’s your first time, here are some Barcelona top tips to help you make the most of your weekend getaway.


Skip a Few Queues

If you’re on a weekend break to Barcelona, then you’ll soon realise that there isn’t much time to try and see everything, so skipping a couple of the queues will help. Sagrada Familia is the famous cathedral that is still being built, it's a masterpiece with nothing around the world that can match its beauty. That being said, a lot of people go to visit this daily which means long queues are there. Booking your tickets online doesn’t cost you more, and it means you can skip to the front of the line without needing to wait around for long periods. This is one of Barcelona's top tips so, when you decide on the attractions you want to visit, have a quick look online to see if you can have all your tickets ready before you even arrive in the city.


Eat When the Locals Do

It always comes as a shock to travellers that in Spain, mealtimes are slightly off schedule. Most restaurants open their doors around 1pm until  4pm for lunch and the reopen in the evening around 8pm for dinner. It might mean having a hearty breakfast to tide you over, but eating at the same time as the locals is always highlighted as a Barcelona top tip to give you the full Catalonian experience. If you do find yourself peakish, some of the areas known more for tourists have restaurants that offer a selection of tapas and cold cuts for people wanting a light bite.


Speak Up in Resturants

While in the UK, staff are known to be very attentive to tables they are waiting on, check if they want drinks or anything else, this isn’t the same in Barcelona. Staff generally leave you to enjoy your meal and drinks without their hovering around you so, if you want to leave, fancy dessert or another drink, you’ll need to grab their attention, and they will get you anything you want.


Have Some Cash

Likely to be one of the most useful Barcelona top tips, as a lot of establishments don’t accept credit or debit card for smaller purchases, which includes some restaurants. It’s always good to carry cash in this beautiful city, especially if you plan on venturing down to La Rambla, which is a market street full of weird and wonderful, foods, trinkets and some of the best buskers you’ll ever see. It’s worth mentioning the ATM tends to charge between €3-€5 euros for a cash withdrawal so, don’t keep going back for more!


Keep Your Possessions Safe

Most people will tell you that a top tip in Barcelona is to keep your valuable possessions safe and locked away. While Barcelona isn’t a dangerous place to go on holiday, there is an issue with pickpockets. La Rambla and other busy areas are known for theft picking the pockets of tourist, and they are very good at it, so keep everything in a locked backpack or something safer than an open pocket!


Love the Metro

Barcelona offers a wonderful metro system to travel the city on, and it’s faster, cheaper and straightforward to understand. With a ten-ride pass being around €10, this is likely to be the most economical way for you to see everything in the city (especially if you’re there for the weekend)


All of these Barcelona top tips should come in handy at some point during your stay, we haven’t mentioned many of the tourist stops, but don’t worry you’ll soon find out that there is plenty to explore and you will probably need to come again in the future.