Barcelona

Currency

No need to exchange if coming from the Eurozone. Avoid exchange offices on La Rambla — they charge 10-15% commission. Use your bank card instead.

ATMs & cards

Use ATMs from major banks (CaixaBank, BBVA, Sabadell). Always decline "conversion" at the ATM and choose to be charged in EUR. Avoid Euronet ATMs — high fees.

Euronet machines cluster in the Gothic Quarter and charge around €6 plus a poor conversion rate.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Violent crime is rare, but Barcelona has Europe’s worst pickpocketing and it is close to a certainty on La Rambla, the metro and the beach if you are careless. Bags zipped and in front of you, phone never on a restaurant table, nothing in a back pocket. Treat a stranger bumping into you as the distraction it usually is.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.

Worth having

• Routine vaccinations up to date (MMR, tetanus, polio)

Getting treated

EU/EEA and Swiss visitors are treated on the same terms as residents with an EHIC or GHIC card; UK visitors use a GHIC. Everyone else pays, and travel insurance is worth having for the repatriation cover rather than the treatment.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Eat where locals eat: avoid restaurants with photos on the menu. Try pintxos bars in El Born and vermuterías in Gràcia.

Getting around

• Metro — fastest way around, T-Casual card (10 trips) is the best deal
• Bus — covers areas metro doesn't, same ticket works
• Walking — most of central Barcelona is walkable
• Bike — Bicing (locals only) or rental shops everywhere
• Airport: Aerobus to Plaça Catalunya (35 min, €7.75)

Must-see

Things to do

• Visit Sagrada Familia and Park Guell
• Walk through the Gothic Quarter
• Eat tapas at La Boqueria Market
• Relax on Barceloneta Beach
• See Casa Batllo and La Pedrera
• Watch flamenco in El Born

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Spanish

• HelloHolaOH-la
• PleasePor favorpor fa-VOR
• Thank youGraciasGRA-thyas
• Yes / NoSí / Nosee / no
• Excuse mePerdónper-DON
• How much is it?¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-to KWES-ta
• The bill, pleaseLa cuenta, por favorla KWEN-ta
• Cheers!¡Salud!sa-LOOD

Religion

Catholic

Nominally Catholic and deeply secular in practice. Churches are working buildings as well as sights, and Semana Santa is taken seriously even by people who never attend Mass.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Eat late — lunch from 14:00, dinner rarely before 21:00
• Greet with two cheek kisses, right cheek first, between women or a man and a woman
• Stand at the bar to drink; it is cheaper than sitting and more sociable
• Say buenos días on entering a small shop, and adiós on leaving

Don't

• Do not expect anything to be open between 14:00 and 17:00 outside the big cities
• Do not order sangria in a serious restaurant — it is a tourist drink; ask for tinto de verano
• Do not tip heavily; rounding up or a euro or two is normal
• In Barcelona, do not assume Catalan and Spanish are interchangeable — the distinction matters to people