A city experiencing the year 2002 from the Mediterranean. Welcoming, dynamic, innovative, pioneering, modernist, Gothic, recreational, Olympic, spectacular...with as many places to discover as stories to tell.
General Information:
Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, is located on the coast and bounded by the Collserola ridge and rivers Besós and Llobregat. The city is less than 150 kilometres fromthe Pyrenees. Barcelona's location on the shores of the Mediterranean means that it enjoys a warm, welcoming climate and pleasant temperatures all year round. Rainfall is occasionally heavy, with levels of around 1,000mm per year. This helps to maintain the many green areas around the city.
In Barcelona, as in the rest of Catalonia, the are two official language: Catalan, the language of th region, and Spanish, the official language of Spain.
As in most countries, the clocks are an hour ahead of solar time (GMT) in winter, and two hours ahead in summer. The clocks change twice during the year.
In Barcelona mealtimes are usually a little late than in the rest of Europe. Breakfast is between 9am and 11am and is similar to other countries on the continent. Lunch is served in restaurants between 1pm and 3pm and dinner form 9pm until midnight.
The working day usually begins between 8am and 9am and people break for lunch at 2pm. In the afternoon businesses open from 4pm to 8pm.
The Euro (€) is the currency of the European Union. The banknotes circulate in denominations of € 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500. Coins are minted in the following denominations: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cent or € 1 and € 2. You can change money at the city's banks and savings banks as well as at the exchange booths located in the city centre and at tourist sights.
Barcelona's location on the shores of the Mediterranean means that it enjoys a warm, welcoming climate and pleasant temperatures all year round. Between the Barceloneta district nad The River Besos, the city has over four kilometres of perfectly equipped beaches which are frequented by its residents during most of the years. Barcelona also has an olimpic harbour which provides excellent conditions for water sports.
In Barcelona, as in the rest of Catalonia, there are two official languages: Catalan, the language of the region, and Spanish, the official language of Spain.
Turist offices in Barcelona:
Pl. Catalunya
Tourist information about Barcelona, bureau de change, booking service for hotel rooms, BCN Original shop, Internet machine and and e-mail terminals available to the public.
Sants Railway Station
Tourist information about Barcelona.
Pl. Sant Jaume
Tourist information about Barcelona, booking service for hotel rooms and BCN Original shop.
Conference Centre
Tourist information about Barcelona. Open during main events. Times vary according to the event.
Airport
Tourist information about Barcelona and Catalunya and booking service for hotel rooms
Infopista Montseny
Tourist information about Barcelona and booking service for hotel rooms.
Barcelona's range of shops makes it a Shopping City of international standing. In Barcelona, traditional establishments, which date back hundreds of years and are housed in beautiful buildings in the Gothic Quarter of modernist Eixample, coexist with recently built shopping arcades, where you can buy the latest fashions; long-established department stores, which sell the most characteristic design products made in Barcelona; specialised shops; franchise chains; leading international names; and shopping centres. Wandering around Barcelona's streets and browsing in its shops is, without a doubt, an unforgettable experience. The wide pavements and pedestrianised areas are perfect for a quiet stroll. As you turn a corner you might come across a modernist chemis't shop or an innovative window display. There is always a surprise in store.
The city has plotted out a route for this wealth of shops: the remarkable, five-kilometre-long Shopping Line. The route makes it possible to visit Barcelona's main shops, which are a integral part of its urban fabric, and, at the same time, walk around places of reat interest ot tourists. The Shopping Line links up the city's different shopping areas which have evolved naturally during its history, and enables people to get from one to another on foot: the Port Vell, La Rambla, the historical centre, The Gothic Quarter, the Pl. de Catalunya, the Eixample (Rbla. de Catalunya and Pg. de Gràcia), the main thoroughfare of the Diagonal and the new business and shopping district of the Diagonal.
Turisme de Barcelona offers those people visiting the city for professional reasons -congresses, conventions, incentive trips- on cruises, for leisure and other special groups, a folder containing specific information about the participating outlets on the barcelona shopping line, together with a city map, information on vat refunds and a personalised special-customer card.
Visitors to Barcelona can also use the buses on the special Tombbus service, which can be identified by the sticker Barcelona Shopping Line. They operate along the Shopping Line from Pl. de Catalunya to El Corte Inglés -Diagonal and back again.
To sum up, we can say that Barcelona has a range of shops which can be gauged in terms of quantity and quality. They provide a high level of service and customer attention of very competitive prices, making Barcelona an extremely attractive shopping city which is ready to deal with the most stringent demands.
"Turisme de Barcelona places at your disposal the Barcelona Card and BCN Original which give you the best shopping deals".
Barcelona is known throughout the world as a cultural city, with an important heritage and a permanent and exciting range of activities on offer.
It is a city of renowned architectural interest, from its Roman walls to the new urban planning schemes of the eighties. Particular highlights are its modernista heritage and contemporary architecture. Over the next five years the city will step up its range of cultural facilities with pioneering initiatives which are open to all and invite participation. Each year will be dedicated to a particular theme -music, art, architecture, sport- in a programme which will culminate in 2004 with the Universal Forum of Cultures. The year 2002 is the year of music, and Barcelona has planned a very special series of events.
Barcelona affords countless possibilities for recreation. Over 40 museums: monographic art collections such as the Museu Picasso, the Fundació Joan Miró and the Fundacio Antoni Tàpies which hold permanent exhibitions of works by the artists As well as temporary shows; the world's finest collection of Romanesque art at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya; Temporary exhibitions of contemporary art at the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona - MACBA ; and numerous art galleries.
Theatre companies of international standing -Els Comediants, La Fura dels Baus, Els Joglars, El Tricicle- and spectacular Local festivals pulsating with life and colour such as the Mercè. Major events such as the Grec summer festival, one of the most important culturefests on the European calendar.
Barcelona is famed for the wide variety of its musical events. From classical music, opera and ballet, through jazz, flamenco, pop and rock, to the most innovative festivals. In 1999 the city regained its opera house, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, and opened the Auditori with a programme featuring the most diverse genres and musical styles. In addition to these musical events we find those of the Palau de la Música Catalana, a jewel of modernista architecture.
Design is a characteristic of Barcelona. You can find design in its streets, squares, bars and restaurants. In recent years, the city has become a permanent showroom for design.
The city also has a funfair on one of its emblematic mountains:Tibidabo. It has restaurants with their own distinctive style, which offer the full flavour of Catalan cuisine and a wide variety of international cooking.
Numerous recreational spaces, cinemas, theatres, flamenco performances, Europe's biggest aquarium, bullfights, art, music, dancind sardanas, popular festivals ... endless possibilities to help you experience the city to full.
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