Barcelona Spain and TP

[aznmode]

Originally Posted by BenS

Im going to Barcelona (4th time) this May. It's one of the greatest cities. I'll be getting my son baptized in the cathedral in the gothic district. I had my daughter baptized there as well a bout 2 years ago. I have family that lives there so I love it, just look at my avatar FC Barca! On subject there is endless activities there and all of the spots mentioned in the earlier posts are excellent. Just wandering around and feeling the culture and the eye candy that the archetecture is makes this city a rewarding travel destination. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

Thank you..I do hope we enjoy it. Any other restaurants you recommend?

[Darkjedi]

Originally Posted by aznmode

Thank you. I will definitely try most of your suggestion and YES I'm planning to eat whatever looks like won't kill me..lol. I've seen some images on the web and the place looks gorgeous. Is there any decent pub/club to check out there? I heard night life is over at 4am. Do you recommend staying at Hostels? Kinda scary after I saw the movie..haha.

Sad to hear about the beaches. We were thinking about checking it out since were very close by. If not we can always chill at the pool. I believe ours is on the top level outdoor area and it over looks the city. Atleast thats what I saw in one of the images. Were probably gonna freeze out butts off since its kind of chilli there at the moment. But itll be fun..lol

I think I went around this time of year and it was pretty warm, pretty much summer As for the nightlife I don't remember anything particularly memorable. The friend I went with wasn't too into the night stuff so she didn't really want to go to the clubs. The downtown-y area definitely is pretty alive still late into the night, so you probably won't have trouble finding a good place to have fun.

I've mostly stayed at hostels when I went with a large group of friends, but hotels when going with only a couple. Hostels are actually pretty fun when you have a bunch of you that can take up a whole room full of bunkbeds and is dirt cheap (some cities are usually around 20€/night). I've never had a problem with hostels, just make sure you use the lockers they usually provide you to lock up anything valuable when you're not around or asleep. I've actually met some really interesting people at hostels that we randomly struck up conversations with, so it's always really cool to meet people from everywhere around the world.

How long are you staying?

[aznmode]

Originally Posted by darkjedi007

I think I went around this time of year and it was pretty warm, pretty much summer As for the nightlife I don't remember anything particularly memorable. The friend I went with wasn't too into the night stuff so she didn't really want to go to the clubs. The downtown-y area definitely is pretty alive still late into the night, so you probably won't have trouble finding a good place to have fun.

I've mostly stayed at hostels when I went with a large group of friends, but hotels when going with only a couple. Hostels are actually pretty fun when you have a bunch of you that can take up a whole room full of bunkbeds and is dirt cheap (some cities are usually around 20€/night). I've never had a problem with hostels, just make sure you use the lockers they usually provide you to lock up anything valuable when you're not around or asleep. I've actually met some really interesting people at hostels that we randomly struck up conversations with, so it's always really cool to meet people from everywhere around the world.

How long are you staying?

Good to know its not gonna be as cold as I expected. By the way how far is the airport from downtown?? All the ones I'm going with including me are probably gonna be going out every night. It's gonna be tiring but we have to make the most of it.

I think our last day we may end up staying at a hostel but I'm sure were going to have luggages. Are the lockers big enough? Were going for 7 days so its gonna be large luggages.

[aznmode]

Anyone know how much they charge if I use my BofA debit as credit card vs ATM withdrawals? I heard 3% if you use as a credit card. I'm worried about identity theft also. I work for an ATM company and I've seen some pretty tricky gadgets. Maybe get cash ahead of time? Just don't wanna have too much cash on me.

[Darkjedi]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_ATM_Alliance

I used my BofA ATM card in London at Barclays and was charged the bank foreign exchange rate (the best rate available to international banks and way better than the rates the money exchange places charge) If you can find a Barclays, try to use that. Deutschebank works as well. However from what I understand you'll still get charged the fee since there are no native Spanish banks in the network, but the rates still typically wind up better than the foreign exchange stores. Those shops, especially the ones near the touristy areas are typically a huge ripoff.

Use your debit card too.

To tell you the truth I don't remember at all how far the airport was from the downtown area. I think I took a bus to the old city, but I can't remember exactly. Either way it must've not been that difficult if I don't even remember how I got to and from the airport hahah.

I have no idea how the hostels in Spain are as each one can be very different. The size of lockers can range from the entire area under your bed, to just a highschool-sized locker.

[ZED_pt]

Originally Posted by aznmode

I heard night life is over at 4am.

I never went to Barcelona but i live in Lisbon,Portugal and went to a lot of places in Spain(Ibiza,Madrid,Palma de Maiorca,etc) and the night(discos,clubs and some Pub/Bar´s) never ends...

Normally discos close at 6/7am then you can go to the after-hours(normally small clubs) till 12am/2pm.