FC Barcelona

Barcelona's football club - FC Barcelona or simply "El Barça" - is not only out of this world, but quite possibly the best soccer team in the world as of the 2005/2006 season. They took home the European Champions League cup in 2006.

If you're even remotely a football fan, you shouldn't miss the chance to see a game live a Camp Nou, the team's home stadium. With a 100,000 spectator capacity and amazing three level tiers, it provides fans and visitors alike an unforgettable experience.

FC Barcelona is currently lead by Ronaldinho, the incredibly agile and irresistably likeable Brazilian forward who truly plays in a league of his own. Other FC Barcelona stars include Samuel Eto'o, a Cameroon native who's been named African player of the year not once but twice, and 18 year-old Argentine sensation Lionel Messi, a veritable phenom.

It wouldn't be fair to leave out the fact that Barcelona has another football team, Espanyol de Barcelona. Though not as renowned or successful as FC Barcelona, they're still in Division I and participate in the European Champions League. Depending on the year, they can dish out a threat on the field. The Espanyol plays at the Olympic stadium in Montjüic.

FC Barcelona Football Museum

The FC Barcelona Football Museum (Museu del Futbol Club Barcelona), held within the Camp Nou complex, is one of Barcelona's most visited attractions. It provides a comprehensive history of the team and a great look at Spain's national sport. You can enter via Camp Nou's Gate 14.

Are you looking for an accommodation to attend a game in the Camp Nou? Click here.

Camp Nou

The Camp Nou Tour is the best way to experience Barça from within.

You can visit every corner of the stadium and get a first hand look at the places where day to day life takes place at the club and feel the magic of a five star venue. The Camp Nou Tour takes you through the past and present of an emblematic stadium for both Barça supporters and other football fans alike.

Follow in the footsteps of the players that have made history, such as Kubala, Cruyff, Maradona, Guardiola and Ronaldinho and feel the passion of FC Barcelona as you visit each of the fascinating zones: the presidents box, the press area, the changing room area and then down the tunnel and onto the pitch where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the stadium and really sense the dream of every Barcelona supporter, to feel for a moment just what it would be like to be a Barça player.

The Cam Nou Tour also includes a visit to the Club Museum, where you can spend as long as you like admiring all the different trophies, photographs and personal belongings of the legendary stars that have all helped make FC Barcelona what it is today.

Hours:

Mon-Sat, 10am-6:30pm, guided stadium tour at 5:30pm;

Sundays & Holidays, 10am-2:30pm, guided stadium tour at 1:30pm

Entrance fees:

Adults €6.50 (only museum), €10.50 (museum + Camp Nou tour);

Children, groups, retirees and students €5 (only museum), €8 (museum + Camp Nou tour)

How to get tickets for an FC Barcelona game

Football season runs from late August to May, and FC Barcelona games are usually played on Sundays. Tickets for Spanish league games can be purchased via the methods listed below. Prices for nosebleed seats start around €25, and it just goes up from there.

FC Barcelona ticket offices at Camp Nou are open: Monday to Thursday, 9am to 1:30pm and 3pm to 6pm; Friday, 9am to 2:30 pm; Saturday, 9am to 1.30pm

You can also buy tickets...
At ServiCaixa ATMs
By telephone: (+34) 902 18 99 00
By Internet - on the FC Barcelona website

Hostels

Terminology for budget sleep options can be a little confusing. From "hostal" to "albergue," "pension," "fonda," and "residencia," you'll find yourself asking, "what in the world is the difference?" Don't worry: these terms are largely interchangeable.

"Pensiones" and "hostales" tend to be small, family-run hotels. In other words, you'll find single and double rooms at these Barcelona hostels, but often will share a bathroom with other guests. You'll pay roughly between €30 and €60 a night per person.

A Barcelona youth hostel is usually called a "hostal" or "albergue." (So when you see "hostal" it could really be this or a family-run hotel, so don't forget to ask). Youth hostels tend to pack bunk beds into a large room and provide a number of shared bathrooms. If you don't mind possibly noisy conditions and a bunch of backpackers snoring around you, these Barcelona hostels are the cheapest option starting around €15 a night for a bed.

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Hotels

There are a variety of different accommodation options in Barcelona. On the whole, you'll get much better deals when traveling with others, as single rooms can be quite expensive. The good old days of the peseta have unfortunately come to an end, and prices are constantly rising.

Barcelona hotels are among the most expensive in Spain, just about on par with Madrid. Expect to pay a bare minimum of €50 for the cheapest single and up to €400 for luxury suites.

Many Barcelona hotels include breakfast, usually continental (pastries, coffee and juice). If breakfast is not included, however, you're probably better off discovering a nearby café.

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Gracia Festival - Festa Major de Gracia - August 15-21

The Neighborhood Festival of Gracia, celebrated during the last half of August, is an incredibly well-organized and artsy local fiesta. Gràcia's residents spend months planning parades, concerts, floats, arts & crafts activities and more.

During the day, events are held in the area's brightly decorated streets and squares. Acrobats build amazing human towers; performers dress up as giants and devils to express Catalan folklore.

At night, the Festa Major de Gracia inspires live music, dancing, fireworks and general partying outdoors. Best of all, it's not just for those who live there: the whole city heads to Gràcia to join in the fun!

The Festa Major de Gracia is a good occasion to come to Barcelona with your friends to enjoy this amazing event and discover this beautiful city. You don't know where to find a budget accommodation? Easy...Click here!

Gracia

Gracia was originally its own village set apart from the rest of the city. However, when the Eixample was built in the late 19th century, it served to connect old Barcelona and Gracia. Thus Gracia ceased to be a town and become a neighborhood in the larger metropolis that we now know and love as Barcelona.

Gracia is immediately recognizable for its narrow streets, a stark contrast to the wide, modern boulevards of L’Eixample. It's known as a hip area with an active and politically-conscious community. Here you'll find a number of lively plazas, bars and restaurants, but it's a little more subdued other cultural hubs like the Born or El Raval, with a slightly more mature crowd.

Barcelona's Gracia neighborhood is worth exploring for its unique personality and Park Güell, Antoni Gaudí's awesome modernista playground.

Gràcia is not a touristy section of Barcelona. Nevertheless, it's certainly worth the visit if you enjoy strolling around quaint strees and want to escape the "big city" feel for a small town, alternative vibe.

The Plaça del Sol, Plaça de Rius i Taulet and Plaça de la Virreina are vibrant centers of activity and good places to look for outdoor food and drink.

Just west of Plaça del Sol you'll find the Mercat de la Libertat, a beautiful modernista market designed by Antoni Gaudí's assistant.

Most visitors only head up towards Gràcia to see Parc Güell, which is well worth the visit. Designed by Antoni Gaudí as a wealthy living community, the project failed and was converted into a public park. It's located at about a 10-15 minute walk north from the center of Gràcia.

Gracia has a formed an important part of Barcelona Culture since officially joining the city bounds in the 19th century. A republican/ liberal stalwart during Spain's 1st and 2nd Republics and Civil War (1936-1939), Gràcia went bohemian again in the 1960's and 70's. It's still common to see anarchist flags hanging from apartment buildings and other signs of political radicalism on the streets and in plazas, restaurants and bars. While undoubtedly more gentrified and subdued than during its rebellious past, Gràcia remains a one-of-a-kind, funky neighborhood. Its mixed population of students, intellectuals, artists and families join together to organize the Festa Major de Gracia , the best and most creative community festival of the year.

Do you plan to attend this awesome event with your friends? Find an accommodation next to the festival.

Barceloneta & Port Vell

The area around Port Vell has been a hub of Barcelona's maritime activity since Roman times. Its formerly decrepit docks were renovated and revitalized in recent years to form a modern commercial complex. Besides the plethora of yachts and sailboats anchored at Port Vell you'll find Maremàgnum, a multilevel complex of restaurants and shops.

There's also an IMAX theater, a great Aquarium, and a some touristy clubs for nighttime partying. On a nice day, there’s nothing more pleasant than swinging your bare feet off the docks and drinking in the scenery around you.

The Barceloneta is Barcelona's main city beach. Surrounded by a ton of seafood restaurants and beachside “chiringuitos” ( little huts with tables that sell drinks and food) the Barceloneta may not be the cleanest beach in the world, but it's surely one of the most enjoyable!



There's no mistaking Port Vell once you get there. Marked by the Colom Monument at the end of Las Ramblas, the harbor is made up of a large series of docks perfect for strolling around and exploring. You can check out the yachts, see an IMAX movie, shop and eat in the Maremagnum mall, discover Barcelona's Aquarium, or enjoy an cool treat from a outdoor venders.

Follow the Passeig de Colom, a wide avenue running northeast of Port Vell, turn towards the sea and you'll hit a boardwalk of sorts - the Passeig Maritim - signaling the beaches of the Barceloneta.

Formerly uninhabitable, a series of clean-up projects since th 1980s have made the Barceloneta a popular meeting place during summer months. Whether swimming, sunbathing or sipping on a drink at a beachside hut ( "Chiringuito"), you'll revel in the fact that in front of you lies the warm Mediterranean and behind, one of the coolest cities in the world!

Head inland from the beach and you'll find the gridded streets of the Barceloneta neighborhood. Barcelona's best Seafood Restaurants are scattered throughout here.

The area around La Barceloneta does not have a particularly high concentration of cultural venues. Nevertheles, if you're interested in Barcelona's history as an important Mediterranean shipyard, the Museu Marítim offers a very nice selection of boats, models, maps and paintings, plus a tour of one of the old ships.

The Harlem Jazz Club, near Port Vell, is a small dive presenting all kinds of interesting music: jazz, flamenco, rock, african, latin, fusion, experimental... along with Game-B it's a great example of Barcelona's diverse music scene. For a totally different vibe, the Irish Winds pub in the Maremàgnum complex offers live Celtic folk music.

A really nice location to rent an apartment for your holidays in Barcelona.