Guide to accommodation and tourist info for your Barcelona vacation

Barcelona is long established as a favorite city-break destination for travelers world-wide. There are some very obvious reasons why this is the case.

Ever since the Romans founded the city on a small hill in Barri Gótic and subsequently moved their regional capital from Tarraco (Tarragona) in the south to this perfectly situated town of Barcelo the three rules of real-estate have applied: location, location, location!2500 hours of sun per year on average, and a perfect, temperate Mediterranean climate force no one away. Miles of inviting city-beaches makes it easy to take advantage of this fact. Still, it is not a city that invites you to while away your hard-earned vacation exclusively on the beach. Barcelona simply has too much to offer! You'll find a wide range of cultural institutions and a collection of signature buildings of the modernisme era - the Catalan version of Art Nouveau. This is also possibly the city where you'll find one of the larger number of people wearing heavy metal t-shirts! This love-affair between kitch and high-culture is a very Catalan phenomenon and one you'll encounter on every level of Barcelona urban culture. This includes the nightlife which numbers stylish design bars as well as hole-in-the-wall dives with a loose relationship with the phrase "closing time" and an even looser dresscode. If you are planning to go and have not made room in your budget for pricey hotel-rooms, this guide is for you. Your alternatives fall basically into two categories; hostels or self-catering apartments. To make that choice even easier, I’d say that if you are traveling alone or with a friend, go for a hostel whereas if you are traveling as a couple or in a group the self-catering alternative is the answer. If you have some flexibility regarding dates you can make steal in off-season months like February, May, November etc.

From personal experience (which also includes friends and family) I recommend www.acomodis.com This is a family-run business with a good selection of quality apartments in central Barcelona. The service has always been friendly and attentive. An added bonus is that even the most centrally located (Old City) apartments are situated in the quieter areas. When looking for self-catering apartments in Barcelona you'll want a centrally located accommodation that is in perfect condition. And, if you're a food buff like me, you'll want a well-equipped kitchen and a location not too far from one of the city's excellent markets. Another benefit with a location close to the markets is the possibility to book private cooking classes in selected apartments!

This site has a listing according to customer reviews and presents a practical overview of what’s available: www.hostelbookers.com. For a very central alternative, Hostal Rembrandt in Barri Gotic is a good option I have personally checked out. Besides the obvious budget issues, other matters to consider are; how sensitive are you concerning noise? If you have a low tolerance, you might want to choose accommodation outside of the intensitivity of the Old City nightlife (esp. in Barri Gotic). Where are you planning to spend most of the time, Eixample (stylish bars, gay friendly, high class shopping), in the Old City or around the beaches?

Ok, so accommodation is taken care of, what to do then? Go sight-seeing, see the markets, visit the beaches, see Sagrada Familia, Parc Güell and other Gaudí highlights. Visit the great museums, the MACBA, the Picasso Museum, The Museu Nacional etc. But, don't forget to take time out to get lost in little backstreets, and discover hidden plazas, and if you are the adventurous kind visit some weird little bars in El Raval (that is a different kind of guide!). Every single barrio in the central part of the city merits a visit: from the small-town flavor of alternative Grácia, to stylish Eixample, the medieval Old City and "the outskirts" of Poble Sec (south) and Poble Nou (north). They all have their own distinctive color. A typical night-out should at least take you to a couple of different barrios. Start bar-hopping in El Born and move on to the clubs in Barri Gótic or El Raval if you like to hang around in the Old Town. If you prefer a more "elevated" setting, begin a night out in Grácia, for instance having a drink and a snack at the Plaza del Sol and then move on to the large clubs in Eixample or if you want to rub shoulders with the rich and famous head further up into the Zona Alta.

Here's a Barcelona weekend guide to keep you in the know.  More info about your Barcelona city break. Another city guide to the best of Barcelona.

FC.Barcelona, few names in sport has a more "regal" ring to it than this. Last season's "tripple" (La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey) didn't exactly do anything to diminish it. Their success was so resounding that their eternal rivals Real Madrid got their shorts completely in a twist and went on a shopping-spree (for new players) that is unprecedented in the world of sports - all bankrolled by huge loans from Spanish banks in a time of financial crisis! Still, there is no doubt who the reigning champions are, and catching a game at the mighty Camp Nou will educate you to why the slogan of the club is; més que un club - more than a club!

Official site: www.fcbarcelona.com

He may look like Keith Moon, but certainly displays far superior balance and some other-wordly football skills to boot! The tiny Argentinian Lionel Messi was widely regarded as the best footballer on the planet last season and is a key factor to Barça's success. You might be mistaken for believing you are watching a video-game when he is flying past opponents, but the impact he has on games is a very real one!

The name most associated with Catalan Cooking is that of El Bulli in Roses with master-chef Ferran Adriá at the helm leading his crew constantly into unchartered culinary waters. Just don’t expect to secure a reservation any time soon! Still, no reason to despair. Although El Bulli is unique there is no need to venture out of the city to experience world-class dining. There are Catalan, Basque, and French influenced restaurants of the highest order within Barcelona city limits as well as cuisine from all over the world. But, to go into details on the dining-out options in Barcelona is another guide on to itself! This guide ranks mainly the top Catalan alternatives, but is a good place to start if you have a hunger for new palate tingling experiences.

NEWS! The latest concerning El Bulli is that the restaurant will shut down next year, to reemerge as a non-profit organization in 2014! Two years without what many consider the best restaurant on the planet. Fortunately there are a number of El Bulli alumni "foaming up" kitchens around Barcelona! More on the El Bulli closing.

Considering climate, the best time of year for a Barcelona trip is between May-July and September-November. Though, another element to let influence your timing is the city's rich cultural agenda.Summer music festivals like the Sonar Festival and the Grec are great fun and usually offer some amazing musical happenings. In late September the La Mercé is the great party of the season, possibly of the whole year. A good online guide to what's on culturally in the city on a weekly basis is the "Guía del ocio."

Barcelona transportation is a fairly easy matter. Taxi's have relatively low fares (22-25 euros from the El Prat Airport to the city centre), buses are plentiful, the Barcelona metro is efficient and runs frequently, and the spanking new tramway is a very pleasant way to travel through the city.

Music based on sounds from the subway and the streets of Barcelona can be found here.

From Roman remains to Futuristic statements, Barcelona architecture is a unique mix of historical influences and tied to certain names - particularly Antoni Gaudí and Ildefons Cerda. The former the "mad mastermind" behind the unfinished temple, La Sagrada Familia, and the latter responsible for the extension of the city now known as Eixample.This is the most informative page on Barcelona architecture I have come across to date: http://arquicatalana.blogspot.com/.They cover Catalan architecture from the first stones and bricks were laid down until today’s and tomorrow’s strange "flights of fancy".

Take a Virtual City Tour here. And, follow the Ruta del Modernisme to see the weird and wonderful world that Gaudi and his colleagues built.