La Feria de Abril 2011, in Barcelona

Updated April 28 2011

Let you immerse yourself in an Andalusian atmosphere for a week in Barcelona!

You are visiting Spain and you can not go to Andalusia? Do not panic!

From April 29 to May 8, 2011, Catalonia celebrates the 40th Feria de Abril. During this period, Barcelona will be in Seville’s colours at the Forum Park, where you can enjoy various typical activities from the south of Spain, as if you were really there!

For the occasion, the Forum Park, located in the district of Diagonal Mar on the seaside, will be transformed into a small Andalusian village with many stalls where you can find:

- Flamenco music with its guitarists, singers and dancers dressed in their prettiest costume;

- Traditional food such as tapas, fried anchovies and calamari, Spanish ham... without forgetting its famous wine;

- Craft products, accessories and souvenirs originally coming from Andalusia;

- Attractions for all ages specially installed for the occasion, and all kinds of games and entertainment.

This festival is really worth, since the entry is free as well as the stalls! By the way, it will be the opportunity for you to visit the famous Forum Park.

If you want to come and dance flamenco with us, book your apartment now by clicking on this following link : Top Barcelona Apartments.

Transportation:

Metro:

4: Station El Maresme - Forum

On Saturday, April 30 and May 7 subway runs all night.

Bus:

Line: 7, 36, 41.43, 141 (17h service strengthened to 22.30)

Special service: between Plaza de Catalunya and El Fòrum 10pm at dawn and until 3am on Sundays and 5:30am on Fridays. (Every 10 minutes)

Opening Times

Weekdays: 10am to 2am

Friday, April 29: 6pm at 4:15am

Saturday, April 31-Sunday, May 1: 10am to 4:15am

Friday, May 6: 10am to 22pm

Saturday, May 7: 10am to 4:15pm

Sunday, May 8: 10am to 18pm

Address:

Parc del Forúm

Avinguda Diagonal 1 - 08019 Barcelona

Metro : El Maresme Forúm (L4)

View larger map

Boqueria Market

It's the biggest market of Europe and, probably of the whole Occidental world. La Boqueria's market, located in the emblematic Ramblas of the city, is an obliged visit for the tourists and has been converted in one of the symbols of Barcelona today.

The market was constructed with the current metal framework in the year 1914, but the first documents of the market's existence date form back to the 13th century. It's the most famous of the 41 markets that exist in Barcelona. It has a whole of 6.000 m2 where there are located more than 300 booth (of vegetables, fruits, meats, fish, specializations ...) that are the real grace of the market. It's importance takes root in offering a great assortment of fresh products and a great explosion of colours, people and movement that makes it unique in the world. There is a popular expression that says: if you don't find something in La Boqueria, it can't be found in any other place.

The popular name is La Boqueria but it's official name is Sant Josep's Market because the Sant Josep's convent that was burnt in 1835 was placed there. This fact was very important for the reconstruction and consolidation of the market. It's architecture is harmonious, but remains hidden under its iron construction; it is necessary to emphasize that the window and the medallion of the entry are of modernist style.

The market has suffered some architectural changes. In april of this year the works of reconstructions have been finished, which have liberated the squared porch and have supposed the recovery of the perimetrical column. The most important is that the market has wan in lighting and it has been opened to the street.

The services that La Boqueria offers have been extended with small places where we can eat and drink. There are 10 establishments of two different classes; the newsstand - bars to take a coffee, a refreshment or an appetizer, and small bar - restaurants to sit down in stools and to savour the economic menus or the most typical plates, without leaving the market. Between all these mini bars we find the Universal newsstand to take a recommendable menu of the day, the Pinotxo bar with the amiability of Juanito, the owner's bar and key personage in La Boquería throughout the years, which tells us the market has gained with it's reconstruction. We prune to take some tapa's (snack) in Quim's bar or eating a good chocolate with fritters in the Sant Josep's bar. At the end of the market, in the Garduña's place, we find a restaurant that takes the same name, reformed with the last works in the market. This restaurant offers Mediterranean and Catalan food to different prices, and the day's menu costs 8,25 euros.

We recommend to eat in the places that we have named above, but if in case of preferring to eat with carte, the Boqueria's market is surrounded by well-known restaurants where to choose plates of Mediterranean food. It's the case of the Turia restaurant, http://www.barcelona-on-line.es/elturia, in Petxina's street that offers renewed and varied plates, such as fish, seafood and an economic menu of 9,60 euros that is very good. We also outstand The Convent, in the Jerusalem street, specialist in Catalan gastronomy, and La Palmera restaurant that offers market food, located behind La Boqueria.

La Boqueria's market is located in the Ramblas number 101 and opens at 8:00 a.m. and closes at 8:30 p.m.

International Restaurants

International Restaurants in Barcelona

The international restaurant scene in Barcelona far surpasses any other city in Spain. With everything from sushi and kebabs to Cuban, Greek and Ethiopian food, you'll find plenty of options to stray from typical regional fare.

On the creative/ fusion end, Barcelona is a hub for experimental chefs. Native Ferran Adria is world famous for his crazy culinary experiments, and many of his protegès have their own restaurants in the city center at more affordable prices ... and with the possibility of actually getting a reservation in this century.

These "nueva cocina española" haunts are still quite pricey but a definite part of the Barcelona restaurant experience.

Below are some listings for some popular international Barcelona restaurants.

Fusion/ Creative Restaurants in Barcelona

Comerç 24

c/ del Comerç 24, La Ribera

Metro Barceloneta

Tel (+34) 93 319 21 02

Daily Tue-Fri, Sat dinner onlyMeal for one €35-45

Àbac

c/ del Rec 79-89, La Ribera

Metro Barceloneta

Tel (+34) 93 319 66 00

Open daily, Mondays dinner only, closed August

Meal for one €90-100

Cuban Restaurants in Barcelona

HBN BCN

c/ Escar 1, La Barceloneta

Metro Barceloneta

Tel (+34) 932 25 02 63

Daily 1-4pm & 9pm-midnight

Entrees under €15

Habana Vieja

c/ dels Banys Vells 2, la Ribera
Metro Jaume I

Tel (+34) 93 268 25 04

Meal for one about €20

Japanese Restaurants in Barcelona

Hello Sushi

c/ Junta de Comerç 14, El Raval

Metro Universitat

Tel (+34) 934 12 08 30

Daily 12:30-4:40pm & 8:30pm-12:30am, Sun 12:30-4:40pm, closed Mondays

Sushi Itto

c/ Londres 103, Gràcia

Tel (+34) 932 41 21 99

Daily 1:30-4:30pm & 8:30pm-midnight

French Restaurants in Barcelona

Krampus (Crepes)

c/ de Saragossa 89, Gràcia

Metro Lesseps

Tel (+34) 93 200 85 97

Daily for dinner, closed Mondays

La Carassa (Fondue)

c/ de Brosoli 1, La Ribera
Metro Jaume I

Tel (+34) 93 310 33 06

Thai Restaurants in Barcelona

Thai Gardens

c/ de la Diputació 273, Eixample

Metro Passeig de Gràcia
Tel (+34) 93 487 98 98

Closed SundaysMeal for one €25-30

Tapas & Catalan Cuisine

Catalan Cuisine
Catalan cuisine, like peninsular fare on the whole, is largely elaborated with one key ingredient: olive oil. Garlic and tomatoes are other staples, along with excellent seafood, mostly concentrated in the restaurants around the Barceloneta.

Tapas
Tapas culture is not particularly strong in Barcelona. Supposedly born in southern Spain, where waiters would cover ("tapar") a class of wine with a small ration of food, the tapa has never been a Catalan tradition.

Nevertheless, you will find a high concentration of tapas bars in Ciutat Vella, the old part of town. In accordance with Barcelona's "cool" reputation, many of these give tapas a creative twist in a chill-out atmosphere. Going "de tapeo" is a great way to get to know various locales and tastes at an affordable price.

Below we've listed the most traditional and popular Barcelona restaurants serving tapas, Catalan & Spanish cuisine, plus tapas bars for those who want to try this uniquely Spanish activity. Where price range is concerned, remember that the lunchtime "menú del día" will come to €7-13 for a 3 course meal. Our estimates are based on a full dinner meal.

Barcelona Tapas Restaurants

Bodega

c/ del Regomir 11, Barri Gótic

Metro Jaume I

No phone

Daily 1pm-2am, closed Mondays & first half of August

Quimet i Quimet

c/ Poeta Cabanyes 25, Poble Sec

Metro Paral.lel

Tel (+34) 93 442 31 42

Closed Mondays, Sundays lunch only

Txapel (Euskal Taberna)

Pg. de Gràcia 8-10, Eixample

Metro Catalunya

Tel (+34) 93 412 02 89

Open Mon-Thu 8am-1:30, Fri-Sun 10am-2am

Picture taken from "La Tartine Gourmande" http://www.latartinegourmande.com/

Catalan & Spanish Restaurants in Barcelona

Agut

c/ d'En Gignàs 16, Barri Gótic

Metro Jaume I

Tel (+34) 93 315 17 09

Open Tues-Sat, Sunday lunch only €20-30 per person

Cafè de l'Acadèmia

c/ de Ledo 1, Barri Gótic

Metro Jaume I

Tel (+34) 93 319 82 53

Open Mon-Fri€20-30 per person

Los Caracoles

c/ dels Escudellers 14, Las Ramblas

Metro Drassanes or Liceu

Tel (+34) 93 302 31 85 Open daily 1pm-midnight€20-30 per person

Can Culleretes

c/ Quintana 5, Las Ramblas

Metro Liceu

Tel (+34) 93 317 30 22

Closed Mondays, Sundays lunch only €20-30 per person

Set Portes

Pg. d'Isabel II 14, La Ribera

Metro Barceloneta

Tel (+34) 93 319 29 50 Daily 1pm-1am€20-30 per person

Orígens 99.9%

c/ de la Vidriera 6-8, La Ribera

Metro Jaume I

Tel (+34) 93 310 75 31 Daily 12:30pm-1:30am€15-20 per person

Els 4 Gats (Picasso's first exhibit opened here!)

c/ Montsió 3, Barri Gótic

Metro Catalunya

Tel (+34) 93 302 41 40

Daily 1pm-1am€10-30 per person

Casa Leopoldo

c/ de Sant Rafael 24, El Raval

Metro Liceu

Tel (+34) 93 441 30 14

Closed Mondays, Sundays lunch only €30-50 per person

Budget Restaurants

While Barcelona boasts some extremely fine and pricey restaurants, there's no reason to burn a whole in your pocket when you can head to the places listed below, and there are many more to discover. Most budget Barcelona restaurants are located in the old part of townand Gràcia, as Barcelona restaurants in the Eixample logically reflect the neighborhood's more upscale character.

At lunch time, the biggest meal of the day, you'll find cheap "menú" deals for €7 and up - even when the restaurant's a la carte dishes are expensive. A typical menú includes 3 courses and a beverage, so filling up mid-day is the best way to eat well without spending an arm and a leg.
If you're sticking to a tight budget, you can avoid Barcelona restaurants entirely and head to the markets. The Mercat de la Boquería, right on Las Ramblas, is a backpacker favorite.

Les Quinze Nits

If you walk through the Plaça Reial at lunch or dinner time, you'll immediately recognize Les Quinze Nits by the huge line of patrons snaking through the plaza. This popular budget restaurant doesn't take reservations, but your patience will pay off. The food is stupefyingly cheap and delicious, with mostly regional dishes, but it's one of the few Barcelona restaurants concerned about turnover, so don't expect as relaxed a pace as most digs. If you're traveling on a budget and want to feel like you're going posh without spending more than €13 for an entree, then this is the place to go.

Plaça Reial 6, Barri Gòtic

Metro Liceu

Tel (+34 933 17 30 75)

Daily 1pm-3:35pm and 8:30pm-11:30pm

Xampanerias (Champagne Bars)
One thing you'll learn quickly while traveling in Spain: the best affordable spots are often claustrophobically packed. Don't fret, though - that's a sure sign that you're in for a good meal. These two Xampanerias (Champagne bars) in the hip Born area are worth elbowing your way through hordes of locals and tourists to order a bottle of cava, Spanish sparking white wine, for €2-€7, accompanied by delicious tapas like pa amb tomàquet, chorizo, cheese, pork, burgers... whatever suits your fancy.

Xampanyetc/ de Montacada 22, La Ribera

Metro Jaume I

Tues-Sat noon-4pm and 7-11:30pm, Sun noon-4pm

Can Paixano c/ Reina Cristina 7, La Ribera

Metro Jaume I or Barceloneta

Buenas Migas
Grab a large tosted focaccia topped with cheese, meat or veggies at this indoor/ outdoor café and you'll be hard pressed to spend more than €5. It's a great place to fill up quick and hop over to the nearby MACBA or CCCB for some contemporary Barcelona culture.

Plaça Bonsuccès 6, El Raval

Metro Catalunya

Tel (+34) 933 18 37 08

Mon-Wed & Sun 10am-11pm, Thurs-Sat til midnight

Maoz Vegetarian
Maoz offers one option - falafel - with a varied salad bar. Here's how it works: you get a couple of falafel in a pita, with or without hummus, and are free to pile on toppings at your heart's desire. It's healthy, vegetarian, and cheap. Even with all the fixings and a beverage, you won't exceed €4.50.

3 locations:

c/ Ferran 13, La Rambla 95, c/ Jaume I 7, Barri Gòtic

Metro Liceu, Drassanes, Jaume I

Daily 11am-1:30am, Fri & Sat til 2:30am, closed Mondays.

The Bagel Shop
Ok, ok, so you didn't come to Barcelona for a taste of New York. Nevertheless, for a quick, filling bite right by Las Ramblas, the Bagel Shop is the way to go. They offer a wide selection of bagels from under €1; slap on a spread or build a sandwich for €3-6.

c/ Canuda 25, Barri Gòti

Metro Catalunya

Mon-Sat 9:30am-9:30pm; Sept-June open Sundays 11am-4pm

Nou Candanchu
With summer tables set up on the plaza under Gracia's emblematic clock tower, Nous Candanchu serves Cataln dishes for €6-€11.

Plaça Rius i Taulet 9, Gràcia

Metro Fontana

Tel (+34) 932 377 362

Daily 7am-1am, Fri & Sat til 3am, closed Tuesdays.

Gavina
This legendary Gracia pizzeria is quirky and fun, but expect substantial waits for a table after 8pm.

c/Ros de Olano 17, Gràcia

Metro Diagonal

Tues-Sun, noon-1am

Olympic Port

Port Olímpic was built up for the 1992 Olympic Games, so it now contains a fancy marina with some nice public sculptures, along with a number of posh bars and restaurants. Its dominant twin towers, visible from nearly any point on the beach, house the luxe Hotel Arts Barcelona.

The Port Olimpic tourism area offers little in the way of sightseeing, and is mostly worth visiting for its beaches: Platja de Nova Icaria, right in front of the Olympic Port, and Platja de Bogatell and Platja de Mar Bella futher north.

Port Olímpic is dominated by two towers - the Torre Mapfre and Hotel Arts Barcelona - and a large, shimmering sculture by Frank Gehry called the "Copper Fish" Gehry, a North American architect, also designed Bilbao's silvery Guggenheim museum. The marina holds beachside restaurants and bars pumping music into the early hours.

How to get to Barcelona Olympic Port

The nearest Metro stop is Ciutadella Vila Olimpica (Yellow Line, L4). You then have a 10 minute walk to the Barcelona Olympic Port and the beach areas.

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.

Born

El Born - or just "Born" as it's known in Barcelona is an up-and-coming trendy area with stylish bars, cafés and restaurants that has an atmosphere uniquely its own. El Born is definitely old town architecture but with a "new town" feel and it's this combination that gives this area of Barcelona an irresistible appeal.

Despite humble beginnings as a settlement built on top of a medieval area of jousts and celebrations El Born has grown into being one of the most fashionable places in the city.

Every day the cafes are packed and at night people move along to Passeig de Born, which according to locals was the site of the jousts, to sample the many bars, all of which serve up a mean mojito. Also on Passeig de Born there is claimed to be the best pizza place in Barcelona, and at 1.50 Euros a slice you can’t complain.

Nevertheless El Born isn’t just about the nightlife, there is plenty of culture to be had as well. It can be seen that Calle Montcada was also a medieval street, which is now home to the Picasso museum and the Textile Museum which has a great little café with a terrace attached to it. The textile museum is located here because in Born´s early days it was home to the textile guilds of Barcelona. There is also a beautiful cathedral which you can wander around in, sometimes even when there is a wedding going on!

Nowadays people are attracted to Born for the shopping which consists of some beautiful but pricey boutiques and shoe shops which are great to find that one-off piece. Some of the trendiest shops around such as Brazilian company Colcci have chosen Born as their home.

El Born is sandwiched between Via Laietana and Barceloneta and is served by the metro stops Barceloneta and Jaume 1 which are on the same line. Las Ramblas and the very centre of the city are a pleasant 10 minute walk away.


The beach is also just a 10 minute walk away so you can have both a beach holiday and a city break in one. Plus you are quite close to the Parc Ciutadella which is a relaxing place to sit in the afternoon and watch the hippies play their bongos. The Barcelona zoo is also located in Parc Ciutadella.

As you can see El Born is perfect for families as well as tourists. Renting an apartment can even be cheaper than hotels, and you get all the modern conveniences of home. Noise could sometimes be a problem depending on where you are but it’s not as bad as in the very centre of town. It is a picturesque and cultural part of the city with a vibrant café culture and bar scene.

Raval

Barcelona's Raval was historically the red-light zone and a slum of Old Barcelona. However, it’s quickly becoming the city’s new “in” area. Numerous bars and clubs frequented by young artists and bohemian types now fill formerly sketchy alleyways. If you’re into an alternative scene, the Barcelona Raval is where it’s at… but it’s still a good idea to keep a close watch on your wallet and pocketbook at night.

A good gateway to Raval tourism from Las Ramblas is the Mercat de la Boqueria. This vibrant modernista market holds all kinds of food stands and tapas bars, and is a great place to simply wander around or stock up.

Just behind the market you'll find the Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu, medieval Barcelona's central hospital, now home to the National Library of Catalunya.

One of the streets that meets the hospital is Carrer dels Angels. It's a straight shoot northwest up to the Plaça dels Angels, home of the neighboring CCCB and MACBA, Barcelona's two main contemporary art and culture centers.

All the way at the southern end of el Raval, about a block west of Las Ramblas, is Palau Güell. Commissioned in the 1880s by Eusebi Guell, this is one of Antoni Gaudí's more subdued works. It's also among the few examples of Catalonia's Art Nouveau style, "modernisme" in the Old City, or "Ciutat Vella."

Young, artsy types and a significant immigrant population have moved in over the past two decades, inaugurating El Raval as the new hip center of Barcelona culture. The plaza in front of the MACBA serves as a makeshift skate park, while vegetarian restaurants, small bars housing art exhibits and intimate concerts and a handful of second-hand stores define El Raval's fomerly seedy landscape.

El Raval is alive all through the day and night so you will never be without an eaterie to entice you in the early hours of the morning!

El Raval offers a central location within walking distance of many of the other popular areas such as the Gothic Quarter and Eixample. The nearest metro stops are on Las Ramblas, Barcelona’s most famous street which runs up one side of El Raval.

Would you like to stay in this area during your holidays in Barcelona? Stay in an apartment overlooking the "Rambla del Raval ". Click here: stay in the Raval

** The International Music Festival, SONAR takes place in the Raval area. Many concerts are held in the "MACBA" and outdoors at the "Rambla del Raval".

Looking for accommodation for the next SONAR Festival in Barcelona?

Ciutadella Park

The Parc de la Ciutadella is right next to the area called "El Born", a very popular suburb of the "Citutat Vella" (Old City) in Barcelona . In 1888, the World Exhibition in Barcelona partly took place here and numerous Modernism architects contributed to the design of the park. Nowadays, it is a space for Barcelonans to enjoy nature, culture and their free time in the centre of Barcelona. On Sundays the park is full of young people who play drums, sell food and clothes.

The Ciutadella Park is the perfect place to relax and do some jogging. The Park houses the Barcelona Zoo and the Zoology Museum. It has a peaceful, welcoming atmosphere and pleasant attributes such as the spectacular waterfall, the pond, gardens and abundance of trees will give you the feeling of being far from the city. You can sip a beer, and the kids can have an ice cream at the no-frills cafe opposite. Stroll over to the lake and rent a rowboat. A leisurely, purposeless float around the small lake is a great restorative after a hard day.

A picnic in the Ciutadella Park with your couple or friends can be a good break to rest from a tiring day.


If you are travelling with children, the "Parc de la Ciutadella" is a great place to spend a sunny day with your children. Usually on Sundays, there are plenty of activities for children such as clowns shows.



Rent an apartment to spend a family holiday in Barcelona.