The 29th Barcelona International Comic Fair

Traveler friends and fans of comics, this article is for you!

The 29th International exhibition of comics in Barcelona will take place from the 14th to the 17th of April 2011, Avenida Reina M. Cristina, in Hall 8 of la Fira de Montjuïc.

For this event, many english artists are scheduled as Brent Anderson (portfolio), Charlie Adlard (portfolio), Eddie Campbell (blog), Garth Ennis (portfolio), Kurt Busiek (portfolio).

During the fair, several activities will be proposed:

trendy rock concerts :

• Thursday, April 14, 6:00 p.m. ANNA & THE BANANAS, 19:00 REMBRANDT42

• Friday, April 15, 7:00 p.m. MOTORZOMBIS

• Saturday, April 16, 7:30 p.m. LOS TIKI PHANTOMS

• Sunday, April 17, 6:00 p.m. MÜRFILA

Dedications: Find all the dedications and schedules on the official website;

video games testing;

debates and conferences.

Opening hours:

• Thursday, April 14 from 10am to 20pm

• Friday, April 15 from 10am to 21h

• Saturday, April 16 from 10am to 21h

• Sunday, April 17 from 10am to 20pm

Price:

Admission 6 €

Tip:

If you go on the FICOMIC stand, a free comic book will be offered (in a limited availability).

Address:

Metro station : Espanya (line 1 and 3 subway)

Hall 8

Avenida Reina M. Cristina

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If you need an apartment, you can go on our website Top Barcelona Apartments.

22nd Guitar Festival of Barcelona

Every year in spring, Barcelona promotes one of the most famous instruments in the world of music: the guitar.

This year, the Guitar Festival is coming back for its 22nd edition, with a series of special concerts: until the 21st of May, you could enjoy more than 30 bands and artists from Spain and abroad, come with their guitars for live performances.

With completely different styles of music, you could applause (by order of appearance):

Iván Ferreiro, Very Grapefruit, Lax'n'busto, Rulo y la Contrabanda Antonia Font, Christina Rosenvinge, Ariel Rot, Rafa Pons, Josemi Carmona, Owen Pallett, Manos de Topo, Tarantula, Jorge Drexler, Depedro, Rosendo, Espaldameceta, Popa Chubby, Toti Soler Sílvia Pérez Cruz, Punta Anna Roig IL'ombre your dog, Aaron Thomas, Julian Lage Group, Eric Vinaixa, Cass McCombs, Anímic The New Raemon, Russian Red, Sandra Rehder, Michel Camilo, Tomatito , Mazoni ...

For more information about the dates, locations and prices, click here.

If you want to come and see one of these concerts, do not waste time and book your apartment now!

Focus on: Lax'n'busto

Created in 1986, Lax'n'busto has become one of the most emblematic band of Catalonia. In constant evolution, the band has managed to mix different styles, between Rock and Pop. After 25 years of existence, they are coming back with a new album called Simfonic, and a new concept: integrating a classical orchestra in their compositions.

It's on the 15th of April, during the 22th Guitar Festival of Barcelona, that you could see them play songs of the album on the Gran Teatro del Liceu (Gran Teatre del Liceu).

Address :

Gran Teatre del Liceu

Carrer La Rambla 51-59 - 08002 Barcelone

Metro : Liceu (L3)

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The Museu Blau, new space of the Barcelona Museum of Natural Sciences

Here is a new thing to visit in Barcelona! The Barcelona Museum of Natural Sciences, which already includes the museums of Geology and Zoology, as well as the Botanic Garden, is still growing.

On the last 26th of March, in the Forum Park, a new space has been opened: baptized Museu Blau (Blue Museum), the building with modern design houses a collection of rocks, minerals, fossils, plants and animals, coming from the Catalonian lands and the Mediterranean.

This museum highlights the history of our planet, through a permanent exhibition called Planeta Vida. In the same time, other exhibitions spread on two floors will be temporary presented. Visitors could also benefit of a media library, a shop, a cafeteria-restaurant, and various workshops, whereas children from 0 to 6 years old could enjoy a playground.

On its opening day, the Museu Blau attracted 6300 visitors! Come also enjoy the museum’s inauguration: indeed, its visit is free until the 30th of June! Then the price of one entry per adult will be 7euros.

To book an apartment, check our website: Top Barcelona Apartments

Adresse :

Museu Blau

Leonardo da Vinci Square, 4-5

Fòrum Park - 08019 Barcelona

Metro : El Maresme – Forùm (L4)

Tel.: +34 93 256 22 00

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Casa Batlló

Casa Batlló is one of the achievements of the architect Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona. Its achievement (more precisely the transformation of an existing building) lasted from 1904 to1906. The current Casa Batllo (Maison Batlló in Catalan) is the result of the total reform of an old conventional house built in the year 1877.

Gaudi was commissioned to complete renewal of the owner's building, Josep Batlló I Casanovas, a textile industrial. On this basis, Gaudí built this amazing house, one of the most fantastic and special in Barcelona. The project designed by Antoni Gaudí i Cornet made in 1904, was disputed by the municipal authorities, due to a series of design features of Gaudí, which far exceeded the limits of bylaws.

Despite the mentioned problems, the building was selected as one of the best works of 1906 by Barcelona City Council. The changes made by Gaudí in building were completely and radically altered. In fact, the Gaudí's building is pratically a new one.

Some details of the Casa Batlló:

The facade covered with splendid mosaics of shapes and colors, is perhaps the most imaginative and attractive of the city.

The balconies look like skulls with fragments of eyes and nose. The columns of the gallery's first floor look like humans bones. The shape of the roof is the most characteristic Gaudí's for urban buildings, culminated by an undulating reminiscent form which reminds of a dragon's arched back; it is covered with ceramic tiles that look like scales.

Useful information:

Address: Passeig de Gracia, 43 Barcelona

Metro: L2, L3, L4 Passeig de Gracia

Bus: 22, 24, 28, 7.16, 17

Opening hours: Visits: Monday to Sunday from 9 to 20 h. (The schedule of visits can be modified according to room availability).

Price: Visits included an audio guide

• Individual ticket: 16,50 €

Save 20% or € 13.20 for anyone who:

• A student card,
• Barcelona Card Bus turístic there for more info click here
• Ruta del Modernismo for more info click here
• Barcelona Walking Tours for more info click here

Handicapped Accessibility: The ground floor which level is the same that the street. You can visit the 1st. floor, an elevator provides access for wheelchairs and people with other difficulties. The attic is also accessible by lift, but the upper terrace and its other dependencies are not.

For visiting Barcelona in the best conditions look at our apartments! To see them click here!

Free entrance museums in Barcelona on the first sunday of each month

Barcelona is one of the most attractive cities in Europe thanks to its cultural richness and its buildings designed by Gaudi. Among its large number of museums, it is so difficult to make a choice! Fortunately, there are special days that could help you to reduce your choice. For example, you could enjoy free admission in some museums every first Sunday of each month! So why don’t you come to Barcelona this weekend? And then on Sunday you could visit the following museums for free:

- The Museum of Geology

Opened in 1882, this is the first museum of Barcelona’s city. The museum presents a wide collection of rocks, very old European fossils and fascinating minerals such as the biggest diamond in the world. Visitors can also enjoy a hall with luminous effects produced by special minerals.

Museu de la Geologia

Parc de la Ciutadella, Metro: Arc de Triomf (L1)

Tel: +34 933 196 895

Tuesday to Sunday - 10:00 to 14:00, Thursday - 10:00 to 18:30

- The Zoological Museum

Children will love this place since it has various animals to see such as mammals, birds and insects. There are also activities.

Museu de la Zoología

Parc de la Ciutadella, Metro: Arc de Triompf (L1)

Tel: +34 933 196 912

Tuesday to Sunday - 10:00 to 14:00, Thursday - 10:00 to 18:30

- The Textile Museum

This museum shows the importance of textile in Catalonian history through an exhibition of clothes, costumes, accessories from the Baroque period until today.

Museu Textil i d'Indumentaria

Carrer de Montcada 12 – 14, Metro: Jaume I (L4)

Tel: +34 932 562 300

Tuesday to Saturday – 10:00 to 18:00, Sunday 10:00 to 14:30

- The Ethnological Museum

This museum displays an interesting collection of objects and artefacts from different cultures of the world. The main exhibit is permanent and is called “Ethnic, from traditional cultures to inter-culturality”.

Museu Etnològic

Passeig Santa Madrona 16, Metro: Plaza España (L1 and L3)

Tel: +34 934 246 807

Tuesday to Saturday - 12:00 to 20:00, Sundays 11:00 to 15:00

- The Picasso Museum

In the museum of the famous Spanish painter, you could see some of his artwork and sculptures from his early days when he lived in Barcelona. The Picasso Museum is one of the most visited attractions in Barcelona, you cannot skip this!

Museu Picasso

Carrer Montcada 15-23, Metro: Jaume I (L4)

Tel : +34 933 196 310

Tuesday to Sunday – 10:00 to 20:00

- The National Art Museum of Catalonia

Located on the foot of the Montjuïc Mountain, this museum presents the biggest collection of Catalan art in the world, from the Romanesque and Gothic periods. This important art gallery gathers together frescos, paintings, sculptures, wood carvings,etc.

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC)

Palau Nacional, Parc de Montjuïc, Metro: Plaza España (L1 and L3)

Tel: +34 936 220 360

Tuesday to Saturday – 10:00 to 19:00, Sunday: 10:00 – 14:30

If you need an apartment, you can go on our website.

Barcelona Primera Sound Music Festival 2011

Spring is coming, which means Primavera Sound Music Festival 2011 also! This event is becoming one of the biggest music festivals in the world, gathering together more and more music lovers from all the continents each year. If you are fond of independent music, this festival is for you!

For its 11th edition, Barcelona will host at the end of May for 5 crazy days, a lot of bands and Djs which will play alternative music from rock to electronic, passing through grunge and pop. More than 100 bands - as Pulp, Echo & The Bunnymen, Sonny & The Sunsets, The Black Angels, PJ Harvey, Grinderman - have already confirmed their coming.

Also called San Miguel Primavera Sound, this festival will be split on two venues: on the 25th and the 29th of May, you could enjoy concerts at Poble Espanyol on Montjuïc, whereas from the 26th until the 28th, others concerts will take place at Forum Parc, in Diagonal Mar district. The place will be especially arranged so that the 40 000 visitors could ideally partying with sea views.

Of course, you also might discover a lot of little underground artists which will perform in the streets and different public spaces of the city during all the week.

For more information about this event, you can check the program on the official website: http://www.primaverasound.com/

If you still don't have accommodation in Barcelona, check Top Barcelona Apartments, they still have apartments available.

Kylie Minogue's concert in Barcelona

On the 12th of March, Kylie Minogue is coming to Barcelona for her only concert in Spain and one of her last dates in Europe! Take this opportunity to see her!

On Saturday, the Australian pop music singer will be at Palau Sant Jordi Arena for an incredible live performance called Aphrodite – Les Folies Tour 2011.
With ten albums and 60 million of sold records, Kylie Minogue has one of the longest successful career in pop music : indeed, since the beginning of her career in 1987, she has managed to reach new audiences thanks to pop/dance-oriented productions, becoming a real pop icon in the whole world.

This year, Kylie Minogue is back on stage - more popular than never - with tracks from her brand new album Aphrodite. For this occasion, the pop star will perform during more than one hour and half, for a big show in somptuous decors and dazzling costumes.

Of course, she will not forget to make you also dance on her biggest hits as: Spinning Around, Can’t Get You Out Of My Head, In My Arms, Love At First Sight…

If you want to see your idol, come to Barcelona, it is now or never ! We will help you to find an apartment to stay for these few days :)