B Spring Issue

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Your Spring Guide to Barcelona

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informations & booking

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Published by:

Ciutat 7 2-4, 08002 Barcelona Tel. 93 451 4486 Enquiries: info@barcelona-metropolitan.com Advertising: sales@barcelona-metropolitan.com 50,000 copies of B are distributed every quarter in Barcelona's four- and five-star hotels.

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com

Contents PDF.indd 3

Volumen!, p.36

contents 6 8 12 16 26

40 46 48 50

What’s new City season A day in the city Food & Drink Culture _Music _Festivals _Art _Festes & Traditions Maps Metro map Need to know Little Black Book

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what’s new Shopikon

Barcelona is in the palm of your hands, quite literally, with Shopikon’s new city shopping guide app, which shares the unique shops that define the city’s character. No category is left untouched in the broad selection available for your Smartphone. www.shopikon.com/barcelona/ stores

Pepa Croqueta

Everyone loves a traditional Spanish croqueta or two. Or three or four. These small, fried snacks are a regular in tapas bars, but three sisters have opened shop Pepa Croqueta to breathe new life into the humble croqueta.

There are 20 flavours to choose from, from classic cod or ham to special creations. Laforja 105. www.pepacroqueta.com 6

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3D Planetarium

CosmoCaixa, Barcelona’s uptown science museum, has just opened one of the most advanced planetariums in the world. It’s capable of bringing 100,000 stars into view, as well as satellites and maps of the world.

Teodor Roviralta 47-51. www.cosmocaixa.es

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Disset 17 Graus

This new wine bar aims to provide a comfortable, friendly and affordable space in the popular neighbourhood of Born. The menu boasts over 60 local and international wines. If that’s a little overwhelming, a sommelier is available to help you make your choice. And if you need some solid fare to go with your drinks, just feast your eyes on the snack menu. Antic de Sant Joan 3. www.facebook.com/disset17graus

Apolo Diner

Open late and perfectly located next to top Barcelona club Apolo, this diner is ideal for combining with a night out at the classic venue. Why not up the ante on your pregig beers or post-clubbing snacks? Vilà i Vilà 60-62. www.apolodiner.com

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Dónde? On? Where? Find the location of these places with our maps on pages 40-44.

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Park Güell

city season Barcelona’s parks are not as verdant as in some other cities but are a good place to enjoy the warmth of spring.

By Hannah Pennell.

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et’s be honest: the majority of Barcelona 68 parks and gardens are unlikely to win any awards.

They’re just too small and dusty. Understandable of course in a crowded city with a sunny, dry climate but some of us are used to city centre parks that are big and full of rich green grass, so Barcelona’s lack of such can cause disappointment, especially when you’re looking for a fresh spot to take a break.

There is Collserola, the so-called ‘lungs’ of Barcelona that is the huge expanse of park that covers the big hill behind the city (you know the one, with the jaunty church and big communication tower on top; you can’t miss it), and that is green enough. But it’s more of a place for a Sunday walk with the dog, a morning cycle ride or a serious all-day hike. It’s not somewhere you’d go to lie out for 20 minutes to look up at the

sky and think profound thoughts about clouds and planes.

However, if there is a time of the year when several of the city’s parks are worth visiting, that time is spring.

Flowers are bursting out, trees are fullleaved and the scorching summer sun has not yet done its damage.

Let’s start in one of the outer reaches of Barcelona, the Zona Universitaria, an area where few tourists ever dare to venture; not because it’s dangerous, I hasten to add, but just because they probably don’t realise there’s a valid reason to go there. It’s dominated by the eight-lane Avinguda Diagonal, uninteresting (by Barcelona standards) blocks of offices and flats, and very few shops. But there are also three marvellous parks. The first is that of the Palau Reial de Pedralbes.

Get off the metro at the Palau Reial

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city season stop and you’ll find yourself at the gates of this residence; once used by Franco for his visits to Barcelona, it is still the official (but not oft-used) place to stay for the Spanish royal family. There are touches created by Antoni Gaudí—a metal pergola and the ‘fountain of Hercules’, a virtually-hidden water spout in the shape of a dragon—and cool, treeshaded lawns where couples and friends lie out in the fine weather. While there, you can also visit the Ceramic Museum and Decorative Arts Museum, both housed inside the palace itself.

Further up the Diagonal, heading away from the city, you’ll find the Parc de Cervantes, a sloped park that is a haven for rose lovers. Every year in May (in 2012, Friday 4th to Sunday 6th), it is the venue for an international competition of ‘new roses’; for three days or so, the park is filled to bursting with varieties modern and classic.

Finally, sitting in the shadow of the Camp Nou is the Maternitat park.

Once the home to the city’s Maternity hospital (the modern version is today on an adjoining plot), there are goodsized lawns and Modernista pavilions, which housed the wards and now serve as offices. Suitably enough, it’s a great place to take kids, with two play parks for different age groups.

Heading to another part of the city entirely, namely Horta, the Labyrinth Park is Barcelona’s oldest park (1791) with design elements drawn from a variety of styles, including Moorish, Neoclassical and Romantic. The main attraction is the maze (entry fee), which celebrates the Greek tradition of labyrinths, with a frieze at its entrance featuring Theseus arriving in Crete for his mission against the Minotaur.

If you prefer to stay nearer the centre of town, there is a lovely park to discover. Hidden inside the walls of the main Barcelona University building, but open to the public, you’ll find a small urban oasis. To get to it, walk in the main entrance from Plaça Universitat and head towards the back. You’ll see an exit outside, in the direction of the middle of the building, and from there the garden is northwards. Expect to see lecturers lounging and students sleeping on benches amongst the water features and exotic plants.

So while in the summer, some people may visit Barcelona for its beaches, at this time of year, it’s the city’s parks that come into their own.

Hannah Pennell is the senior editor of Barcelona Metropolitan, the city’s magazine in English

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Picasso Museum. Fons documental del Museu Picasso. Photographer Ronald Stallard

A DAY IN THE CITY AROUND THE OLD TOWN AREAS OF SANT PERE, SANTA CATERINA AND LA RIBERA 6

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Picasso Museum. Fons documental del Museu Picasso. Photographer Ronald Stallard

9:00 Start as you mean to go on with break-

fast at El Born, a tiny but very cool bar on the lovely Passeig del Born (left) on the corner with Calders street. Watch the neighbourhood wake up before you (1).

10:00 Head down Calders and get lost in the small streets of the area.

You’ll find quirky clothes boutiques and one-off emporiums for unusual gifts for you and your friends (2).

11:15 The Picasso Museum (main

image) is a must-see in Barcelona, featuring early works by the Spanish genius as well as temporary shows (3).

12:30 Take a break at Parc de la Ciutadella. As well as being one of the city’s biggest parks, you’ll find the zoo and Natural History museum (left) (4).

13:30 You’ll be spoilt for lunch

choices in this neighbourhood.

From burgers at Pim Pam to sushi at Nakashita via modern Catalan dishes at Cuines Santa-Caterina in the eponymous market, your best bet may be just to wander around and find somewhere that takes your fancy (5, 6, 7).

The numbers in pink refer to location points on the map on page 15.

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16:00 Visit one of Barcelona’s most

historic and beautiful churches, Santa Maria del Mar (left). Just next to it, you’ll find a memorial to Barcelona residents killed in a year-long siege of the city in 1713-14 (8, 9).

17:00 Cool down with a freshlymade Italian ice-cream at Bellamia Heladeria (10).

23:00 Finish off your day at La Fianna, a popular and atmospheric bar with extensive wine and cocktail menus to choose from (14).

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21:00 Treat yourself to supper at Espai Sucre (right), a ‘dessert’ restaurant.

If savoury is more your thing, try El Foro, just next door, where big hunks of meat are a speciality (12, 13).

19:00 Head to Plaça Sant Jaume, the heart of the city and location of the local council and regional government (11).

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food & drink

by Tara Stevens, the food expert for Barcelona Metropolitan. She reviews restaurants, writes on local gastronomy and blogs about all things gourmet.

REVIEWED: Pez Vela

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t was the rice that was the showstopper. The large paellera (paella pan) filled with the thinnest layer of plump, bomba grains didn’t look like it could feed a hungry foursome, but as it turns out, therein is the secret to a great paella. For each yielding grain had fully absorbed the rich seafood stock so as to be bursting with flavour and the socarrat—the much-desired crunchy, caramelised underside of the paella—had formed in abundance. There was none of the stodgy clagginess that comes

from overcooking the rice— bomba needs 20 minutes tops— just deeply flavoured, nuttytextured rice liberally studded with the cuttlefish, prawns and clams that formed the basis of the stock. It didn’t just satisfy, it defeated us...

Read Tara’s full review at: barcelonametropolitan.com/pezvela The info: Paseo del Mare Nostrum 19-21 (W Hotel). Tel. 93 221 6317. www.grupotragaluz.com. Open: MonFri, 1-3.45pm; Sat-Sun, 1-4.30pm; Mon-Thur & Sat, 8-11.30pm; Fri & Sat, 8pm-12.30am. Fixed deal of salad, paella, dessert and glass of wine: €35 17

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Photo by Tashoma Lemard

Local tastes: cava

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There remains an extraordinary amount of snobbery around cava in wine-drinking circles. True there’s plenty of rubbish out there, but it’s come a long way in the last few years and there is lots of very good drinking to be had, especially if you start looking in the €10-plus mark and at the new wave of production.

Last year, for example, Bodegas Naveran in the Penedès launched a Magnum of their premium cava Perles Blanques, made of Pinot Blanc de Noir and Chardonnay. It’s the classic champagne combo, but priced just €36 (remember you’re getting two bottles in a magnum, and magnums by their nature gen-

erally pour better wines). What makes it a bit different from the rest of the crop is that the grapes are cooled at a very low temperature before the maceration and pressing process begins. The fermentation is also done at a very low temperature, which keeps the sugars in the fruit concentrated, the aromas bright and the structure tight in the finished wine, which develops over the next 24 months. The result is a quite beautiful cava with streaks of greenish gold, and a fine, elegant bubble. US wine critic Robert Parker gave it 91 points out of 100.

Read more about this at barcelonametropolitan.com/cava

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Review: El Sortidor

These days the lifestyle press is full of buzzwords like ‘hidden’ and ‘secret’ and ‘local’, which is the stuff of nonsense in Barcelona given how well-trodden most of its streets and plazas are. To find anything truly secret, you’d need to get out to somewhere really obscure like Sant Andreu or Zona Franca, but there are still plenty of tucked-away little places downtown that seem, if not 100 percent Catalan, at least very Barcelona.

The Plaça Sortidor in Poble Sec has several places to choose from, including the handsome El Sortidor restaurant. Its history dates back to 1908 when it supplied the ice for the rest of the neighbourhood. By the Forties, the Janiu family were serving vermut and anchovies, and as looks go, she’s still a cracker. The ice fridges are still there, right behind the bar, along with pretty stained glass windows, original Modernista wooden doors and marble tables lit by softly glowing lanterns.

After a bit of a revamp and a rethink in 2008, the menu is Spanish-CatalanItalian, now serving simple, honest food with a liberal sprinkling of amor.

Things like Montserrat tomatoes with ventresca tuna, parpadelle with confit rabbit and panzerotti—a savoury pastry stuffed with wild mushrooms and white truffle oil—appear à la carte. But if you go for lunch, the €10.50 menu is great value, usually featuring a good salad or a crema (soup) of whatever’s in season, a baked fish or pasta dish, and a crowd-pleasing dessert like lemon tart or chocolate mousse. Plaça del Sortidor 5, www.sortidor.com

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Getting out

Photo courtesy Fàbrica Moritz by Pierre Clémençon

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fter five years and countless thousands of euros in renovation, the long-awaited Fàbrica Moritz finally opened its doors in December after 30-odd years of near abandonment. The original brewery on the Ronda Sant Antoni was established by an Alsatian brewer in 1856 and the beer was made in Barcelona right up until the Seventies. Moritz started brewing again in Zaragoza in 2000, but finally, after a 21st-century facelift at the hands of acclaimed French architect Jean Nouvel, Moritz is back home in the motherland.

The building is now split into several areas over two floors that incorporate a concept shop selling Brompton bicycles, a bakery, cerveseria, wine bar and restaurant as well as the cellars and brewing rooms of Moritz. By sheer size alone, it could feel rather impersonal and disjointed, but in fact it’s one of the most architecturally exciting public interiors to open in the city in a long while. The food also promises a break from the norm with Jordi Vilà (who has one Michelin star for his restaurant Alkimia) heading the project’s gastronomic direction. Rather than opting for deconstructed foaming potatoes in Martini glasses and fussy new-wave tapas, he’s gone for something rather more down-home and pub-like for the cerveseria: his bravas feature a sloppy, cheesy tomato sauce, hunks of pâté and sausage adorn the excellent bread baked in house, and topnotch seafood comes simply grilled or boiled with perhaps a dollop of mayo on the side. Ronda de Sant Antoni 39-43. www.moritz.com 22

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WELL WORTH IT: LO DE FLOR

Photo by Richard Owens

One good thing about the recession is the emergence of more downto-earth eateries where the focus is on providing good food at reasonable prices. When you come across little places like Lo de Flor, which is so very homely and warm, and serves a fine supper and glass of wine to boot, you have to question the wisdom of spending upwards of €70 when you could have something just as tasty and satisfying for under €30.

Argentine Flor has been in the restaurant business in Barcelona for a while; this is her going it alone, opening at the worst time imaginable on the fairly obscure Carrer Carrettes in the Raval. But in fact she’s struck a chord with local residents by creating a hangout that is understatedly hip and irresistibly welcoming.

Tara ate: rillettes, duck pâté, sun-dried tomatoes and beef Milanesa. Read the full review at: www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/lodeflor The info: Carrettes 18 (Raval). Around €30 for three courses plus wine.

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culture music

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March 19th

March 27th

Tinariwen Sala Apolo. €25 The Saharan band who won the Award for Best World Music Album in 2011have gained worldwide recognition for their African rhythms.

Flying Pickets Luz de Gas. €24 The a capella group, renowned for their UK Christmas number one hit ‘Only You’, celebrate their 30th anniversary by going on tour.

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March 29th Miguel Poveda Palau de la Música Catalana.

From €21 Catalan singer Miguel Poveda (above) rounds off this year’s De Cajon! Flamenco Festival in style with songs from his forthcoming album.

April 21st

March 31st

April 26th

We Have Band Sala Apolo. €17 The London electro-pop trio have made a name for themselves with their atmospheric melodies and upbeat rhythms.

Il Divo Palau Sant Jordi. From €40 The multinational quartet are well known for their romantic mix of classical and pop music.

Laura Pausini Palau Sant Jordi. From €25 The Italian vocalist, who became the first non-Spanish artist to sell one million discs in Spain, returns with her latest album, Inédito.

March 24th James Morrison Razzmatazz. €25 The English soul singer arrives with a collection of ballads from his newest album The Awakening, which draws on events from his personal life.

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May 2nd Manic Street Preachers Razzmatazz. €25 The Welsh alternative rock band play their first European tour in 10 years, performing their recent singles collection National Treasures

May 10th Luis Miguel Palau Sant Jordi. From €40 The charismatic Mexican performs some of the hits that have made him a global landmark of Latin music.

May 16th Judas Priest Sant Jordi Club. €53 The ‘Metal Gods’ bring the curtain down on their illustrious career, in which they have sold over 50 million albums, with their Epitaph Tour.

May 17th + 18th Bruce Springsteen Estadi Olímpic. €65 ‘The Boss’ teams up once again with his pals in the E Street Band to bring you one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll shows on the planet, featuring all his hit classics along with his 2012 protest album Wrecking Ball.

June 3rd Lenny Kravitz Sant Jordi Club. €45 The retro American multi-instrumentalist is ready to rock Barcelona with his funky rock beats.

June 20th

Madonna Palau Sant Jordi. From €40 The American diva continues to attract sell-out crowds worldwide and her newest album MDNA looks likely to continue this trend.

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festivals March 9th to 23rd

Música Electronica a CaixaForum www.lacaixa.es/obrasocial

Barcelona cultural venue CaixaForum once more hosts a series of concerts featuring masters of the electronic music genre including Rustie, Andy Stott and Demdike Stare (above right).

March 30th to 31st

Minifestival Música Independiente www.minifestival.net

This small music festival, which be-

gan in 1995, provides audiences with a select line-up of local and international independent artists, this year including Alasdair Roberts, Sarah Nixey and Dark Dark Dark (above).

April 4th to 9th

barSWINGona www.barswingona.org

Grab your dancing shoes and head to Barcelona’s swing festival at the Casino l’Aliança del Poblenou, which includes a series of workshops and performances by dance groups.

April 12th to 29th

Mecal International Short Film Festival

March 16th to 25th TOT Festival

www.poble-espanyol.com

This unique festival promises to be a barrel of laughs with the a feast of puppet, clown and dance sketches, suitable for all the family not just the kids.

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www.mecalbcn.org

Enjoy animations, short films, creative advertising, documentaries and cinematic innovation at one of the city’s most popular film festivals.

May 3rd to 6th

Salón del Comic www.ficomic.com

One of Europe’s biggest comic fes-

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tivals returns with over 150 exhibitors, workshops, conferences and acclaimed artists.

May 8th to 17th

Poetry Festival www.bcn.cat

Around a dozen celebrated Catalan and international poets perform at the emblematic Palau de la Música.

May 17th to 19th

OFFF Barcelona 2012 www.offf.ws This post-digital culture festival attracts a plethora of eccentric and innovative artists, film-makers and designers who bring with them their futuristic films, music and art.

Until May 3rd

23 Festival de Guitarra www.festivalguitarrabcn.com

The 23rd edition of Barcelona’s guitar festival again offers up an enviable and eclectic programme to appeal to lovers of the six-stringed instrument featuring The Waterboys (left), Jorge Drexler and Els Amics de les Arts.

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May 17th to 22nd

Festival de Cine y Derechos Humanos www.festivaldecineyderechoshumanos.com

A series of animations, stories and documentaries aim to open our eyes about, and make us respect, human rights.

May 30th to June 3rd Primavera Sound

www.primaverasound.com

With over 150 musical acts per-

forming at the Parc del Fòrum and the Arc del Triomf, including Björk, Franz Ferdinand and The xx, this is one event on the music calendar you shouldn’t miss!

July 1st to 31st

Grec Festival Barcelona www.grec.bcn.cat

Barcelona’s largest cultural festival brings together entertaining theatre, dance, music, circus and stage acts in Montjuïc’s open-air theatre and other venues around the city.

June 14th to 16th SÓNAR

www.sonar.es

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Last year’s edition saw 80,000 music lovers dance the days away and this year should prove just as popular as acts including Fatboy Slim, Lana Del Rey, Friendly Fires and Deadmau5 take to the stage along with a host of emerging artists and DJs.

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Delacroix (1798-1863); Young tiger playing with his mother, also called ‘Study of two tigers’

art

Delacroix (1798-1863) CaixaForum

www.laobrasocial.lacaixa.es

More than 100 works by French artist Eugene Delacroix, one of the leading figures of Romantisicm, are on display here, including some of his most well-known pieces. Until May 20th.

hosted in Barcelona. Subjects include the Arab Spring and Japanese tsunami. Until May 28th.

Més Fotoperiodisme

Together with the Fundació Suñol, this venue hosts an extensive show of photographs from the collection of Martin Z. Margulies. Until June 16th.

CCCB

www.cccb.org

Four photojournalism projects featured at last year’s Visa pour l’image event in Perpignan are

La morada del hombre Fundació Foto Colectania www.colectania.es

Pantalla Global CCCB

www.cccb.org

Discover the power of the screens that have taken over our lives: television sets, computers, security cameras, mobile phones... Until May 28th.

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Pantalla Història © CCCB Toni Curcó

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ni Curcó

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Delacroix (1798-1863); Young tiger playing with his mother, also called ‘Study of two tigers’

Centre Internacional de Fotografía Barcelona (1978-1983) MACBA www.macba.cat

The CIFB presents over 600 photos of moments in everyday Barcelona life during the transition from dictatorship to democracy. Until June 16th.

Catalunya 1400. El gòtic internacional MNAC 34 www.mnac.es

Exhibition resulting from extensive research that reinterprets one of the most creative periods of

Catalan art. Until July 15th.

Escultura / Objecte Fundació Suñol

www.fundaciosunol.org

Part of the fifth anniversary celebrations being put on by this venue, this exhibition is dedicated to 3-D works. Until September 1st.

Goya. Luces y sombras CaixaForum www.obrasocial.lacaixa.es

Take a chronological tour through the works of the Spanish master, produced in association with Madrid’s Prado Museum. March 16th to June 24th

Volumen!

MACBA

www.macba.cat

Not I (1987), Samuel Beckett. Col·lecció MACBA. Consorci Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona

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Art isn’t just visual. With a combination of pictures, engravings, sounds, sculptures and videos, this exhibition emphasises the consolidation of voice and sound as materials for artistic production in the 21st century. Until April 23rd.

Catalunya 1400. Lluís Borrassà: Taula del Retaule de sant Pere. Vocació de sant Pere. 1411-1414. Tremp sobre fusta. Parròquia de Sant Pere de Terrassa. Barcelona, col·lecció Armengol-Junyent © Foto Teresa Llordés. MdT

Escultura / Objecte. Pan tostado (1974), Claudio Bravo

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Catalunya 1400. Lluís Borrassà: Taula del Retaule de sant Pere. Vocació de sant Pere. 1411-1414. Tremp sobre fusta. Parròquia de Sant Pere de Terrassa. Barcelona, col·lecció Armengol-Junyent © Foto Teresa Llordés. MdT

festes & traditions Love is in the air, Catalan style If you’re in Barcelona on April 23rd, you will wake up to find the city transformed into a haven for roses and books. This is the day of Sant Jordi (AKA Saint George), the patron saint of Catalunya, as well as England, Georgia and a host of other places. However, the Catalans have a quite unique way of celebrating the famed dragon-slayer, by making this their day of romance (Saint Valentine’s Day is making increasing in-roads here, but many Catalans are fiercely proud of their original ‘love day’). It is marked by the exchange of deceptively simple gifts: women receive a rose and men a book. As such, cities and towns across the region are filled with stalls selling both and many people spend a good chunk

of the day wandering the (hopefully) sunny streets to check out the wares and take in the happy atmosphere.

Easter chocolate creations Catalunya doesn’t like to do things by halves and this is more than clear during Easter when the fabulous chocolate mones (pron. ‘mo-nas) are on display in every cake shop in town.

Traditionally given by godparents to their godchildren on Easter Monday (a public holiday here although not in many other parts of Spain), they were also once simple round cakes with boiled eggs baked in them. Not so now! Today you’ll find elaborate (and pricey) chocolate creations such as houses, planes and even football stadiums peopled by popular characters including Mickey Mouse, Hello Kitty and FC Barcelona stars.

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D - Fàbrica Moritz (p. 22)

B - Lo de Flor (p. 24)

E - Pez Vela (p. 16)

C - Apolo Diner (p. 7)

F - Guàrdia Urbana station (p. 48)

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0-45. maps.indd 2

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I

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G - El Celler de la Boqueria (p. 50)

J - Canadian Consulate (p. 48)

H - Boadas (p. 50)

K - Lost Property Office (p. 48)

I - Milano (p. 50)

L - Disset 17 graus (p. 7)

0-45. maps.indd 3

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EIXAMPLE + GRÀCIA A - Pepa Croqueta (p. 6)

A

B - UK Consulate (p. 48)

LAFORJA

CARRER DE SAGUES

C - Slow (p. 50) D - New Zealand Consulate (p. 48) E - Australian Consulate (p. 48) F - Colmado Quilez (p. 50)

TRAVESSERA DE GRÀCIA

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0-45. maps.indd 4

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Vila de Gracia

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0-45. maps.indd 5

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GRAN VIA DE LES CORTS CATALANES

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3/7/12 12:33:48 PM

S

SARRIÀ + LES CORTS A - US Consulate (p. 48) ER

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Need to Know BARCELONA: the practical info

EMERGENCY NUMBERS General emergencies Ambulance service (Ambulancia) Catalan Police (Mossos d’Esquadra) Local Police (Guàrdia Urbana) Fire Service (Bomberos)

112

061 088 092 080

OTHER USEFUL NUMBERS Barcelona general information: 010 National directory enquiries: 11818

IN THE EVENT OF A CRIME

The most central place to report a crime is the Guàrdia Urbana station at Ramblas 43. Tel. 93 256 2430 (24 hr; English spoken). www.bcn.es/guardiaurbana To get a police report for your insurance you can go to the Mossos d’Esquadra station at Nou de la Rambla 76-80, Raval. Tel. 93 306 2300. You can also fill in a report online: go to the website www. gencat.net/mossos and select ‘Serveis’ then ‘Denúncies por internet’ (English option available). You will still have to take the form to the station to be signed within 72 hours.

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LOST PROPERTY

Anything left on public transport or found by police is sent either to the TMB office at Diagonal metro station (top of Passeig de Gràcia) or to the Oficina de Troballes (municipal lost property office) at Pl. Carles Pi i Sunyer 8-10, Mon-Fri 9am-2pm. Most items are kept for three months.

IF YOU LOSE YOUR CREDIT CARDS

Visa & Mastercard - 902 192 100 Amex - 902 375 637 Diner’s Club - 93 467 0145

CONSULATES

AUSTRALIA: Avgda. Diagonal 458, 3rd floor. Tel. 93 490 9013 www.spain.embassy.gov.au CANADA: Plaça de Catalunya 9, 1º, 2ª.

Tel. 93 412 7236 www.canadainternational.gc.ca NEW ZEALAND: Travessera de Gràcia 64. Tel. 93 209 0399 www.nzembassy.com REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Gran Via Carles III 94. Tel. 93 491 5021. www.irlanda.es UK: Avgda. Diagonal 477. Tel. 902 109 356. www.ukinspain.fco.gov.uk USA: Pg Reina Elisenda 23. Tel. 93 280 2227. www.madrid.usembassy.gov

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Little Black Book ESSENTIAL ADDRESSES FOR YOUR BARCELONA STAY

PLACES TO BUY CAVA (P.18) COLMADO QUILEZ: Rambla Catalunya 63, tel. 93 215 87 85 and 93 215 23 56. www.lafuente.es EL CELLER DE LA BOQUERIA: Plaça Sant Josep 15, tel. 902 889 263. www.cellerboqueria.com VINUS I BRINDIS: Various branches including Torrent de l’Olla 147 (Gràcia) and L’illa Commercial Centre, Avinguda Diagonal 557 (Les Corts). www.vinus.com

barcelona cocktails BOADAS: Tallers 1. Tel. 93 318 9592.

The classic choice. A popular spot for the famous of times past and present, it looks deceptively unassuming from the outside. They don’t have a menu, so ask for your favourite tipple or seek out the special of the day.

SLOW: Paris 186. Tel. 93 368 1455.

Not long open, this classy space has already established itself on the Barcelona night scene. Gin and tonics are a speciality, but the selection of original drinks is wide. Club nights and a (practically) all-night kitchen make this the place to stay for more than one drink.

MILANO: Ronda Universitat 35. Tel. 93 481 3327. Mix your cocktails with jazz at this club located just a few minutes from Plaça Catalunya. Each night, you’ll find live music performed in this basement bar, where Campari is the star alcohol attraction.

CAFÉS with terraces As the weather warms up, and before it gets skin-blisteringly hot, it’s the perfect time of year to enjoy café life at its best with a drink in the open air.

RAB BAR. Plaça de la Concòrdia 9.

Set in a pedestrianised square in the residential area of Les Corts, not too far from the Camp Nou, this is the ideal place for an afternoon stop.

SANTA EULALIA. Passeig de Gràcia 93: www.santaeulalia.com. On the top floor of this luxury clothing store, you’ll find a quiet café with a tranquil outdoor space. You’ll forget in an instant that you are minutes from one of Barcelona’s busiest streets.

PLAÇA DE LA VIRREINA. Not one café but a whole bunch of them in this leafy Gràcia square where people watching and taking things easier are all but unavoidable.

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