h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi everyone... I am contemplating a holiday in Barcelone next year. ANyone have useful tips? Like an affordable place to stay, what sights to see etc? And language. CAn one get by on English alone?

Short description of what do to in Barcelona found here: A765957

And here is an article from about one researcher's experience of a weekend in Barcelona: A667406

Another article from : A458633

Azahar lives in Seville and might have some useful advice - I'll ask her to post here.

You could join the Hospitality Club, which i have done. It's an exchange thing, you get put up in somebodys home, (pay for own food etc) & in return offer space in your own place if somebody wants to visit.

http://www.hospitalityclub.org/

There are lots of security checks in place & you don't need to offer (or expect to recieve) more than basic floor space & friendly company. A great way to meet people from other cultures.

zdt

My Brother at the edn of his gap year (most of which was spent working and getting togehter some cash ) before he went to University, did a mini tour of Spain, and visited several differnt places including the larger citys like Madrid and Barcelona and also some smaller places/towns too he got a couple of Spanish language books before he went and gemmed up a bit on the lingo and lurnt a lot more whilst he was there (again aided by the books)... I think you'd want a basic smattering of Spanish.... Not tryign to put you off but he ran in trubble near the end of his trip and was mugged, but managed to sort it all out even with his limited Language by visiting the right people when there... so He got by on a pretty limited language ability... probably mid grade GCSE level or less I recon he had a great time by all accounts though; mainly staying in youth hostels and whatever other really cheap accomidation he could find He was doing it on a shoe string budget so to speak so he could spend as much time ther eas possible before heading off to his studies at Uni

We got by on English. We offered French, but everyone prefered English. (They speak Catalan in Barcelona, not Castilian.)

We stayed in the Hostel Sants, very near the main train station, also called Sants. Cheap enough.

Walking the Ramblas in the evening was fairly impressive.

Be aware that public transport closes down very early compared to Paris.

Go to the church of the Sacred Family (Sagrada Familia, I think), by Gaudi. Gaudi was special. There's lots of his buildings in the city. There's also a park (called Parc Gueil, I think). We were there after dark. We arrived in the evening, and simply ignored the people who told everyone to leave because they were shutting the gates. We sat in a dark corner and no one noticed us. A couple of lads turned up later smoking something (we didn't ask what), but mostly we had the place to ourselves. There's something magical about being in a quiet oasis in the middle of a city. You can hear life going on around you, but you're isolated from it. This park, too, is Gaudi's work. Gaudi, as I may have mentioned, was special.

(Experiences of three lads on InterRail.)

Have fun.

TRiG.