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Your Summer Guide to Barcelona
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p.6
contents p.18
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What’s new
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City season
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A day in the city
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Food & Drink
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Culture
_Music
_Festivals
_Art
_Festes & Traditions
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Maps
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Metro map
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Need to know
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Little Black Book
p.36 Ciutat 7 2-4, 08002 Barcelona Tel. 93 451 4486 Enquiries: info@barcelona-metropolitan.com Advertising: sales@barcelona-metropolitan.com 50,000 copies of this guide are distributed every quarter in Barcelona's four- and five-star hotels.
www.barcelona-metropolitan.com
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new in town Goo Taxi
In just two clicks, and approximately 15 seconds, this downloadable smartphone app uses geolocation technology to book you the nearest cab from a huge network of taxis in Barcelona. www.gootaxi.com
2theloo
Spain’s one and only ‘toilet shop’ is not actually a toilet salesroom, rather a glorified public toilet. Enjoy the experience of well-kept, high-quality and environmentally-friendly toilets. The walls of the cubicles are covered, from floor to ceiling, in photographs of the city’s landscapes and highlights. Maremagnum. www.2theloo.com 6
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El P
You quai with the e loca worr stale 10. w
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Pudding
Bursting with unique personality, creativity and imagination, this café has all corners covered. The coffee shop’s tagline is ‘1st teen’s coffee place’ [sic], although they haven’t forgotten families with daily afternoon activities for children. But the most amazing thing is the decor—you really need to see this place to believe it. Pau Claris 90. www.wepudding.com
Dime
El Perro Blu
You would never believe that this quaint little café and WiFi lounge, with its little terrace, walls covered in the eponymous blue dog and other local artwork, used to be a pub (don’t worry, they’ve got rid of the stench of stale Estrella)! Plaça Sant Agusti Vell 10. www.facebook.com/elperroblu
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This luxurious restaurant has a touch of grandeur, but combines it with the personality of a ‘feels like home’ warmth. Self-taught chef David Reartes has a passion for flavours from a combination of cultures. Doctor Fleming 11. www.dime-restaurant.com Dónde? On? Where? Find the location of these places with our maps on pages 40-44.
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I
’m writing this at 10 o’clock at night but it’s 27 degrees outside. And summer hasn’t even officially started yet. In the hotel that my flat overlooks, I can see a woman lying on a sun-lounger on her room’s terrace—in her swimming-costume. I’m sure she must have noticed that the sun went down a while ago, but clearly she’s feeling the heat. Indeed, we’ll all be feeling it now for quite some time. Barcelona in June, July and August, even September in a good (bad) year, is baking, with humid-
ity levels that provoke close to 24-hour sweating. So, to help you cope with the more difficult aspects of non-stop, 30-degreeplus temperatures, here are some hints and tips that many locals swear by. First, grab a fan. They may seem like a tourist souvenir cliché, but many people in Barcelona still swear by them. Places where you’ll be particularly grateful to have one include metro stations, pedestrian crossings (invariably lacking
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city season
Keeping COOL Phew, it’s warm outside. The summer heat here can be difficult to deal with, so why not take a leaf out of the locals’ book? By Hannah Pennell.
shade, the wait for the green man can feel like a wait at the gates of hell), and the smaller shops and bars that haven’t yet invested in air-conditioning. When you stop at a (preferably shady) outdoor terrace for a cool drink, a great and not-costly option is coffee with ice. Forget the expensive Starbucks Frappuccinos—and all the extremely similar imitations that have sprung up everywhere—and instead order what the locals favour. Either a small black coffee
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served with a glass of ice (café amb gel in Catalan and café con hielo in Castilian), or white coffee with ice (café amb llet amb gel / café con leche con hielo), which will be a bigger cup of coffee also served with a glass of ice. In both cases, you pour the hot drink yourself over the ice (which comes at no extra charge), et voilà! A refreshing summer drink for a lot less than €2. Of course, it should be quite obvious that the middle hours of the day 9
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city season are the worst time to do anything other than huddle down in a well air-conditioned dark room. In light of this, the number of evening cultural events in Barcelona has grown steadily over the past years, welcomed with open arms by residents and visitors alike. Many of the bigger museums open until around midnight one night a week; the former moat of the castle at the top of Montjuïc hosts thrice-weekly 10pm film screenings (in their original language); while the Grec festival includes various dance and theatrical performances in the Greek-style, open-air amphitheatre, also on Montjuïc. You can find details of all this and more on the website of the city council: www. bcn.cat. You might be surprised to hear that not too long ago, Barcelona was not a beach city. Rather the waterfront was taken up with fishing-boats and industrial ports, and what sand there was was never a major attraction. However, thanks in the main to the re-development carried out ahead of the 1992 Olympic Games, there are now various kilometres of beach in the city, gently lapped by the Mediterranean Sea. So why is it that the roads out of Barcelona to coastal towns both north and south are regularly jammed of a weekend? Well, there are various reasons—the first is that the local beaches get filled up very quickly. This is understandable; with millions of visitors to the city every year, it’s normal that some 10
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of them should want to go to the beach. Secondly, there are many beaches outside Barcelona that are, simply put, worth a visit. To the north is first the Maresme and then the Costa Brava, with many kilometres of small coves and beaches artfully decorated with pine trees and age-old rock formations in places such as Sant Pol de Mar, Tossa de Mar and Sant Feliu de Guixols (admittedly, there are also some towns it’s best to avoid, including Lloret de Mar and Blanes, mainly because of the crowds and excessive urbanisation of one-time tranquil fishing villages); to the south, long, seemingly endless stretches of sand in places like Castelldefels and El Vendrell, are interspersed with attractive, historic towns such as Sitges and Vilanova i la Geltrú. You’re spoilt for choice and will almost always find a place less crowded than Barcelona. So, why not follow the example of those in the know: forget the city beaches and jump on a train or coach to a strip of sand not too far, far away. Finally, no matter how hot it gets, don’t be tempted to wander the streets in your bikini or swimming-costume. Quite apart from the fact that you are likely to end up a painful shade of pink, municipal laws were changed last year to incorporate fines for public nudism and semi-nudism of up to €500. And that’s not cool. Hannah Pennell is the senior editor of Barcelona Metropolitan, the city’s magazine in English.
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Get off the Rambla to discover the gems of Barcelona’s Gothic neighbourhood.
Outside the Church of Santa Anna. All photos, except Carrer Palla, by Tashoma Lemard. Carrer Palla image by Natasha Young.
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Outside the Church of Santa Anna. All photos, except Carrer Palla, by Tashoma Lemard. Carrer Palla image by Natasha Young.
9:00 Get going with a café con leche (white coffee) or small shot of the black stuff (un café) with delicious pastry at Schilling, preferably at one of its window tables to see the city as it wakes up (1). 10:00 A short walk away, you’ll find Barcelona’s historic Jewish quarter (call). This was a thriving part of the city up to the 15th century, when its inhabitants were banished; today, various signs of their neighbourhood remain including stone markers in Hebrew and, on Carrer Marlet, what some believe to have been the site of the main synagogue (2). 11:15 Pass by Plaça Sant Felip Neri (left), said by many to be the prettiest square in Barcelona. It has a dark past, though—the marks on the church wall were made during the Civil War when two bombs fell here, killing many refugee children from Madrid, who were using the church as an orphanage (3).
12:30 In Carrer Palla, find an ec-
lectic mix of shops, including many antiques shops (left), ideal for a special souvenir or present (4).
13:30 Lunch at the restaurant of
the Ateneu, one of the oldest private cultural clubs in the city and the focus for many intellectual activities (5).
The numbers in pink refer to location points on the map on page 15.
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16:00 Avoid the heat of the afternoon at the 15th-century church of Santa Anna, with its beautiful cloister. They also host classical music concerts here on some evenings (6). 17:00 Wander down the back streets of the area, such as Petritxol, Bot and Bertrellans, enjoying the shops and sights of this old part of town (7).
21:00 For supper, try Magnolia restaurant (above), which serves Mediterranean dishes given a signature twist by chef Gianni Fusco. They have an evening set menu for €17.95 (SunThurs) or €25 (Fri and Sat) (9).
19:00 Stop for a drink in the Plaça Sant Josep Oriol at one of the outdoor terraces and watch the world go by (8).
23:00 End your day in Plaça Reial (right), which hosts a good choice of bars and clubs in which to while the night-time hours away—but make sure you keep an eye on your belongings in this square that is sometimes known for all the wrong reasons (10).
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Photo of Dos Palillos by Richard Owens
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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: Dos Palillos
T
he pace was careful and service from the several different chefs who host you through the evening, each with their own specialty, was bang on. Head chef and owner Albert Raurich was Ferran Adrià’s right-hand man at El Bulli for 11 years and it shows in much of the meticulous presentation. The Japanese angle comes from his Japanese wife, who personally guided him into the country’s regional cooking and encouraged him to fuse it with the heritage of his own. The result: Japanese tapas, I guess. We be-
wens
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gin with four barely-cooked Palamós prawns arranged on a slab of black slate and scattered with just a few grains of sea salt. “Snap off the head, suck the brains, then eat the body,” says the chef who serves us. Read Tara’s full review at: barcelona-metropolitan.com/dospalillos
The info: Carrer d’Elisabets 9 (Raval). Tel. 93 304 0513, www.dospalillos. com. Open Tue-Wed 7.30-11.30pm; Thu-Sat 1.30-3.30pm, 7.30-11.30pm. Closed Sun & Mon. Tasting menus €55 (short), €70 (long). Wine not included. 17
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Photo by Tashoma Lemard
Local tastes: Jamón—cured ham
W
hen I first started getting seriously into Spanish food, I was told that slicing jamón—that is Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, not the inferior Serrano—with an electric blade compromised the taste of it. Evidently the heat causes a minor chemical reaction in the fat and the flesh, which subtly but irrevocably changes the flavour. As such, aficionados will insist that the porcine delicacy should always be hand carved, a theory that is wholeheartedly embraced by Daniel and Angela at the newly-opened Little
Ibèric in the Barri Gòtic. Here they carve all their small, but carefully chosen, selection of jamóns by hand, the best in show being a four-year-old from the D.O. Dehesa de Extremadura. Fifty grams of this baby—just about enough for two—will cost you €12. But what a taste: nutty, sweet, fragrant with acorn forests and a firmyet-buttery texture that doesn’t so much melt on the tongue as caress it. Little Ibèric, Escudellers 56, info@littleiberic.com. For more places to buy jamón, see page 50
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Photo by Joan Rossell
New in town: Ocaña
O
n March 26th, one of the most talked-about projects in town—for which, in the interests of transparency, I should say I am the gastronomic consultant—finally opened its doors on the Plaça Reial, with any luck injecting new life into the old place. It is, after all, one of the city’s most handsome squares, and when it was finished in the 1860s was the height of fashion for Barcelona’s glitterati. Since then, of course, it has been beleaguered by a seedier side of life but hopefully Ocaña will go a long way to starting a new chapter in its history. The space— which will eventually incorporate a café, restaurant, cocktail bar and club—takes its name from
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the artist, actor and bon vivant, José Pérez Ocaña, who lived on the square in the Seventies and early Eighties and was a leading figure in Barcelona’s ‘la Movida’, the famously hedonistic cultural movement that spread across Spain after Franco died. Until everything opens, the café for now is the heart of the place, offering specialist teas and coffees, fresh juices, and contemporary aperitifs such as their signature Bloody Mary Infusion (made with bacon vodka). Food-wise, think modern Catalan bistro with a big focus on fresh, light and healthy ingredients and a sprinkling of influences from elsewhere.
Plaça Reial 13-15, www.ocana.cat
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Street life: Carrer Parlament
F
or many years, this leafy, triangular chunk of the Eixample to the bottom of the Sant Antoni neighbourhood was mainly residential, grown up around the wonderful Modernista Mercat Sant Antoni (currently in renovation), yet the area beyond never received much attention. But there are now a good few foodie reasons to visit: Federal Café—opened at the end of 2010. Owners Crick and Tommy spotted a gap for breakfast and brunch in Barcelona, and these days securing a seat either in the café or on the roof terrace on a Saturday or Sunday is nighon impossible. Parlament 39. www.federalcafe.es Vinito—little wine shop that’s been there considerably longer than Federal. Has barrels outside 22
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Photo of Zuckerhaus by Tashoma Lemard
where you can enjoy a glass of something. Parlament 27 Bar Calders—with a prime piece of terrace and a few pretty plants, hey presto, it’s the spot du jour for a Sunday morning vermouth or a craft beer in the evening with a couple of tapas. Parlament 25 Tarannà Bar & Café—opened in January, very similar to Federal. Their windows also open onto the street so you can sit in them, they have large communal tables, single-plate simple lunches like fresh pasta stuffed with botifarra and a solid wine list. Parlament 19 Zuckerhaus—inaugurated in February, it sells old-fashioned, homebaked cakes. Complete with park bench and pots of tea, this is perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up. Parlament 17
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Taste of Japan: Carlota Akaneya
mard
S
ushi has been big in Barcelona for several years. Given the Spanish penchant for spanking fresh fish, it’s no wonder it works well as a concept here, but the panoply of the rest of the Japanese kitchen has remained mysteriously elusive. There are a couple of Izakaya (the Japanese take on the pub), but where are the Soba and Ramen bars, the Yakitori and the Sukiyaki joints? Enter Carlota Akaneya, Barcelona’s first authentic Hibachi grill, which is fuelled by a
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Photo courtesy Carlota Akaneya
particular type of white charcoal called binchotan, giving anything grilled above it a distinctive sweet and smoky taste. Trust me, it is as good as it sounds, especially with buttery lozenges of pure Kobe beef thrown on top of it. It’s a wonderfully social style of barbecuing and Carlota Akaneya does it extremely well, offering several different-sized tables, round and oblong, each with a hibachi grill in its centre.
The info: Pintor Fortuny 32 (Raval). Open daily, 1-4pm, 7.30-11.30pm 23
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ADVERTISING FEATURE
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culture music June 20th + 21st Madonna Palau Sant Jordi. From €40 The American diva continues to attract sell-out crowds worldwide and her 2012 MDNA album tour looks set to be another grand spectacle.
June 20th Lamb of God Razzmatazz. €22 One of the leading bands of the new wave of the US heavy metal movement are in Barcelona to perform their latest album Resolution.
June 20th St. Vincent Sala Apolo. €22 American singer-songwriter Annie Erin Clark (above) continues to impress on the indie-pop scene following her 2008 PLUG Female Artist of the Year Award.
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June 22nd + 23rd Portishead Poble Espanyol/Razzmatazz. €58 The experimental English group has been a popular part of the triphop industry since its formation in the Nineties.
July 13th The Human League Fira de Barcelona. €25 The Sheffield electronic band were a big hit in the Eighties and will be performing their greatest hits as part of The Brandery fashion event.
July 19th Blink 182 Sant Jordi Club. €35 Having sold over 28 million albums worldwide, US band Blink 182 come to Barcelona to perform their rock-pop classics. 27
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July 23rd The Beach Boys Poble Espanyol. €50 One of the most influential bands in US history are ready to rock ‘n’ roll back the years with their surf sounds, as part of their 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour (pictured above).
July 27th Bon Iver Poble Espanyol. €35 The indie folk band perform from their breakthrough album For Emma, Forever Ago.
July 30th Rancid Sant Jordi Club. €26 In the year of their 20th anniversary, one of the most successful independent punk groups of all time visits Barcelona.
September 13th Joan Manuel Serrat & Joaquín Sabina Palau Sant Jordi. From €33 Two of Spain’s most renowned singer-songwriters perform pieces from their collaborative album Dos Pájaros de un Tiro.
September 20th Norah Jones L’Auditori. €40 A decade after exploding onto the jazz scene with her album Come Away With Me, Norah Jones visits Barcelona to perform her 2012 disc, Little Broken Hearts.
If you’re coming back soon: October 6th—Lady Gaga Palau Sant Jordi. From €55 Lady Gaga, one of the world’s most renowned female artists, comes to Barcelona to perform her Born This Way Tour. 28
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festivals June 25th to 30th
Festival de Música Gospel www.festivaldemusicagospel.com
The world’s finest Gospel voices are coming to the Palau Sant Jordi for six big concerts. Renowned singers Jaci Velasquez, Ingrid Rosario and Emmanuel Djob (above) plus a 1000-person choir are on the agenda.
June 28th to July 1st
Faraday Festival 2012 www.faraday.tv
This three-day festival, dedicated to independent artists and indie music, is situated on the idyllic Lighthouse
Beach in Vilanova i la Geltrú, about half an hour down the coast from Barcelona.
June 28th to July 7th
Barcelona Festival of Song www.barcelonafestivalofsong.com
In this year’s edition, a series of eight concerts will be staged, dedicated to the classical music repertoire of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American composers.
June 29th to August 8th Sala Montjuïc 2012
www.salamontjuic.org
Film lovers need to head up to Montjuïc Castle, which celebrates the
July 6th and 7th
Festival Cruïlla www.cruillabcn.com
Photo by Dean Chalkley
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With 40 bands including Iggy & The Stooges, The Specials (left) and Cypress Hill featuring in this music festival at Parc del Fòrum, prepare for plenty of summer dancing.
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10th edition of its open-air film festival with an appetising collection of live music, new and classic films (such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, above) and amazing city views.
Montjuïc’s open-air theatre and other venues around the city.
July 1st to 31st
More than 300,000 people attended last year’s festival and Harley Davidson’s biggest European event returns this year with a collection of special designs, biking activities and concerts.
Grec Festival Barcelona www.grec.bcn.cat
Barcelona’s largest cultural festival brings together entertaining theatre, dance, music, circus and stage acts in
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July 6th to 8th
Barcelona Harley Day 2012 www.barcelonaharleydays.com
July 17th to August 22nd
Festival Castell de Peralada www.festivalperalada.es
Opera, classical music, theatre and dance make up the performance roster at the iconic Peralada castle on the Costa Brava.
July 14th to August 18th Festival de Cap Roig
www.caproigfestival.com
More than 20 artists appear at the botanical gardens of Cap Roig along the Costa Brava for a series of evening summer concerts. Big names this year include Bob Dylan, Alejandro Sanz and James Morrison. 31
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July 20th to 27th
Salsa and Latin Jazz Festival www.salsaylatinjazzfestival.com
After last year’s success, Barcelona once again welcomes the biggest international and local salsa and latin jazz acts, including legendary Puerto Rican pianist Eddie Palmieri (above).
August
Mas i Mas www.masimas.com
Returning for its 10th edition, Mas i
Mas brings together a variety of different musical acts from jazz, techno, dance, flamenco and classical genres, to be performed at Barcelona’s top venues. (At the time of going to press, dates were to be confirmed.)
August 2nd to 12th Circuit Festival
www.circuitfestival.net
Europe’s largest gay and lesbian clubbing event this year heads down the coast to Sitges, with over 60 DJs performing.
September 22nd to 25th La Mercè
www.bcn.cat/merce
It’s that time of year again, as Barcelona celebrates the feast day of its patron saint, Mercè. From fireworks to human towers, concerts to parades, light shows and fairs, there really is something for everyone to enjoy. 32
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T
his fantastic restaurant and lounge is located at the top of the Rambla de Raval just a short walk from the MACBA art gallery. Whether you’re looking for lunch or dinner, they provide a wide range of Spanish dishes and tapas that are made with traditional Mediterranean recipes, using fresh and exciting ingredients.
Thre emen course u of the day a incr t an edi €10 ble .50
If you prefer to eat ‘al fresco’, they have a great terrace situated on the Rambla de Raval so you can relax and watch the world go by. Inside they have a fresh new vibe making it a great place to meet up with friends for cocktails. It also has private rooms available for groups and couples. The friendly and attentive service is what really makes this restaurant stand out. It is open every day, with the kitchen open till midnight and the cocktail lounge until 3am. www.facebook.com/restaurantebarraval 104 Carrer Hospital 08001 Barcelona Tel. 93 329 8277
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art
Pilarín, 50 anys dibuixant per a tots Palau Robert
www.gencat.cat
Fifty years of work by the Catalan children’s illustrator who was committed to the recovery of Catalan language and culture following the Franco dictatorship. Until September 11th
Souvenir. Martin Parr, fotografía y coleccionismo CCCB
www.cccb.org
The works of Martin Parr and
Greece. Athens. Acropolis. 1991. Taken from ‘Souvenir. Martin Parr, fotografía y coleccionismo’
Juanjo Fuentes explore the role of photography as part of the tourist experience (above). Until October 21st.
Escultura/Objecte Fundació Suñol www.fundaciosunol.org
Can sculptures and objects be both synonyms and antonyms? This exhibition tries to resolve the matter. Until September 1st.
Ferran Adrià i elBulli. Risc, llibertat i creativitat Palau Robert
www.gencat.cat/probert
Influential culinary icon and his team explore food as a platform for art and technology. Until February 3rd, 2013. 34
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Pantalla Història © CCCB Toni Curcó
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Martin
i Curc贸
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Sense titol. Sèrie La muela de oro (1991). ‘Luis Claramunt, El viaje vertical’
El arte eres tú
CaixaForum www.laobrasocial.lacaixa.es
Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, the CaixaForum revives 10 exhibitions from the last decade, inviting visitors to paint a portrait inspired by their chosen artist’s work. Until September 2nd 34
Rita McBride. Oferta pública/ Public tender MACBA www.macba.cat
Sculptures and installations of
everyday objects that encourage us to reflect on minimalism and the blurred relationship between sculpture and architecture. Until September 24th
Luis Claramunt. El viaje vertical MACBA www.macba.cat
A display of works, including paintings, drawings and photographs, by the late Barcelona artist, which both identify the artistic journey and explore the passage of time, distances and relationships. July 13th to November 4th
Vilató 1921-2000 Barcelona-Paris. Un camí de llibertat Museo Picasso + others www.museopicasso.bcn.es
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Varied works of Javier Vilató, internationally recognised artist (and Picasso’s nephew), are returned to his hometown of Barcelona. His art is showcased at five city different sites. Until September 30th Le Gros point rouge (November 1975). Col·lecció Simone Sandoz, Neuchâtel
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hâtel
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Sense titol. Sèrie La muela de oro (1991). ‘Luis Claramunt, El viaje vertical’
Neighbourhood festivals
Barcelona, Catalunya and, indeed, all of Spain are great fans of the local festa (Catalan) or fiesta (Castilian). These celebrations take place in neighbourhoods, villages, towns and even cities (see page 32 for details of Barcelona’s event), usually coinciding with the feast day of the relevant patron saint, and see residents let their hair down in style. And in August, it is the turn of not one, not two, but three Barcelona neighbourhoods to hold their festa major—if you’re in town, you really should check them out. To the north of the city, Gràcia is particulary famed for the decorations hung up to adorn many of its streets (see above). It is no small matter, with fierce competition between local associations for the coveted prize of ‘best street’. Go along between the 15th and 21st and choose your own
Photo by Andrea Moreno
festes & traditions
favourite. Slightly more low-key, but still worth a look are the festes of Sants. This is another historic city area, with a tight-knit local community and is not often visited by tourists. Join in the fun at the Parc de la Espanya Industrial, where you can catch various Catalan traditions, such as human towers and caps grossos (‘big heads’). The dates were to be confirmed at the time of writing, but it is usually the penultimate week of August (www.festamajordesants.cat). Finally, for more unusual festivities, go to the Gothic quarter around August 16th, for the Festes de Sant Roc. Some of the activities that take place date back to the 16th century; these include la cucanya, where participants have to try and cross a greased-down tree-trunk; and glops amb el porró llarg, efforts to drink wine from a huge, long-spouted glass container.
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Photo by Andrea Moreno
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CIUTAT VELLA: RAVAL + BARRI GÒTIC G Ra
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6/6/12 2:17:00 PM
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42
0-45. maps.indd 4
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43
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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. 93 270 3614 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
ROOFTOP TERRACES Doubtless the hot summer weather is one of the reasons you chose to come to Barcelona now. Make the most of the high temperatures by enjoying a drink or bite to eat on one of the city’s rooftop terraces. GRAND HOTEL CENTRAL: Via Laietana 30, tel. 93 295 7900. www. grandhotelcentral.com Relax by the rooftop pool and enjoy great city views. CASA FUSTER: Passeig de Gràcia 132, tel. 93 255 3000. www.hotelescenter.es. Splendidly luxurious, this is the ideal spot for a special evening. BARCELÓ RAVAL: Rambla del Raval 17-21, tel. 93 320 1490. www. barcelo.com. One of the city’s most modern hotels also boasts one of its most stunning bars, with an 11th-floor 360º terrace.
where to get ICE CREAM SIRVENT: Parlament 56 and Balmes 130. www.turronessirvent.com. Known in the colder months for its traditional turrones (nougat), in the summer it turns its attention to ice cream as well as popular local drinks orxata and granizat (flavoured crushed ice). 50
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VIOKO: Passeig Joan de Borbó 55. www.vioko.es. Only open a couple of years or so but already popular thanks to its stylish design, unusual flavours and special extras. A short walk from Sant Sebastià beach and the W Hotel. BELGIOUS: Avinyó 50. www.belgious.com. They serve up the very 21stcentury-sounding ‘High Definition’ ice cream, featuring 50 different flavours, as well as savoury crepes, Belgian waffles and exotic fruit juices.
OTHER PLACES TO BUY HAM (SEE P. 18) ENRIQUE TOMÁS. Various venues, including Ferran 55. www.enriquetomas.com. Boasting ‘the world’s best ham sandwich’, this is a slick local jamón enterprise. PERNIL 181. Passeig de Sant Joan 181: www.pernil181.com. The company was founded in the Fifties by Antonio Ferrer with stalls in various local markets; this shop was opened in 1988. MANTEQUERIA LA SIERRA. Rosselló 160. One of a breed of traditional delis in Barcelona, this one is set amongst the tree-lined streets of the Eixample.
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