Information about barcelona for tourists and locals
Archive for November, 2011
Dine out in Barcelona and enjoy it
0168 days
by admin
in Barcelona articles
November is not of the months that people usually love. It is cold, the Christmas is not there yet and everything that awaits you is work. Yet, if you happen to travel to Barcelona in November and want to enjoy yourself, there are plenty of things you can do. This cosmopolitan city has a great cultural program with various concerts, opera and theatrical performances, the museums have different art exhibitions and so do the art galleries near your Barcelona apartment. The night dance clubs are there for you, lively and full of happy people. Before that, however, you need a good place to dine. Thus, i will present here three very different options, which will give you an idea. These places will enchant you for sure, especially if you like to try different tastes and cuisines.
The first place to be presented is Casa Albert, which is set on Place de les Olles, a small square, which is far from the tourist crowds and which serves some typical Spanish and Catalan meals. Visitors should know that the place is open Monday to Friday from 8 o’clock in the morning until 15.30 o’clock in the afternoon. And has a palatable lunch menu with bread, water and table wine at a very good price. Casa Albert is located very close to the Santa Maria church and is a great place to try local and cheap local meals. Usually, the choice is of five soups, five or six second courses and a great selection of desserts, for those with a sweet tooth like me. Reservations are not necessary.
Now that you have tried something from the local cuisine, the other two options will bring you to other places on this earth. The first restaurant is called Kathmandu and it is a Nepalese restaurant, placed in the Eixample district. The place works every day except Sundays and is open for lunch time and for dinner. It offers daily menus, which are below 10 Euros per person. The Nepalese Kathmandu restaurant is reputed to serve the finest curry in the city of Barcelona, as well as a great variety of vegetarian meals. The restaurant has a simple decoration, but the meals are excellent and the Indian beer should be tried.
The other place that provoked my interest and is now to be presented is the Wok Yutaka II place, which is a great Japanese restaurant. It is located in the Eixample district and is open every day for lunch and for dinner. There is also a lunch menu for under 10 Euros per person. The food served is very delicious and fresh including the oysters, the mussels, the clams, the prawns and the octopus, the dining zone is spacious and the choice of beverages is excellent. The place is good for those who want to try sushis and makis, rice dishes and sashimis, noodles, etc. Wok Yutaka II Japanese restaurant is located close to Sagrada Familia and could be a good starting point for some sightseeing for those coming from their Madrid apartment rental.
Clubbing in Barcelona this November
0174 days
by admin
in Barcelona articles
The city of Barcelona is a great place to party and go clubbing. There are so many music venues and clubs here and the concert places are just amazing. There are however, a few places that one will not find in the tourist guide books and brochures on Barcelona. These places are usually visited by the locals and they are really great.
Those who love black music and groove melodies should check the Marula Café, which is rather a club despite its name. The music played there also includes soul, funk and disco, but also house and hip hop. The atmosphere is intimate and pleasant, the dance floor is always full and there is even a free entrance every Sunday. The Marula Café club is placed in the Gothic Quarter, on Escudellers Street.
For those who love jazz music, there is one very nice place in Barcelona that should not be missed and this is the Harlem Jazz Club in the Gothic District. The jam sessions are great on Tuesdays and on Wednesdays, since the musicians are real professionals. There are many concerts being organized here and when there is no live music, there is a DJ party.
Now, those who love to party not only during the weekends, could try the Apolo club, where play some very good DJ’s. The place is in between the underground indie clubs and the mainstream clubs. The only thing to watch out are the prices, that could be quite high. Thus, better try the happy hours on the bars in the Gothic Quarter and then go to Apolo for some good music and dance. The place opens at 21 o’clock and is better to be entered before midnight, as the queue can become quite long.
Yet, there are people who love the classic disco clubs and they should try the Magic Club. The place is not one of these modern, new and extravagant clubs. But it is a great place for those who love rock music. The place is set in El Borne area, on Paseo Picaso and it stays open until the morning. The selection of drinks is impressive; there is a great choice of both spirits and beers. The place is not large though, so if you are not into rock and not into small clubs better find another place.
A place which is very popular among the locals that love indie music is Fantastico club. The place is a gathering point where one can have a few beers while enjoying the music with friends and then go to a dance club. The place has been recently renovated and welcomes many popular DJs and local bands of pop, rock, folk and psychedelic music. Usually on Thursday nights are organized acoustic concerts and sometimes there are even some poetry nights. The Fantastico club is located in the Gothic District and is open from Wednesday till Saturday at 22.30h in the evening.
Breakfast in Barcelona in the chilly November mornings
0174 days
by admin
in Barcelona articles
There are a few places in the city of Barcelona, which are ideal for enjoying your breakfast in the cold November morning. They are all cozy, with relaxed atmosphere, fresh cakes and hot coffee which is a guarantee for the perfect start of the day. The first place to be mentioned here is the café Lilipep, which is all about coffee, tea, homemade cakes and books. The café is located in the area of El Borne, on the street Pou de la Cadena. The place is very cozy and is good to be visited in the morning, as well as in the afternoon. Two tips to be given here: the cheery cheese cake should be definitely tried, and in case you like a certain book, you can buy it.
Another place, which is ideal for breakfast in the city of Barcelona is Forn Mistral, where are offered the best croissants with chocolate in the city. The shop is located in El Raval district, on Ronda Sant Antoni Street and works every day except on Sundays. It sells small croissants, which are sold by their weight. There are also regular size croissants, as well as other delights and various kinds of bread. The shop also sells birthday cakes, which are delicious. Besides the shop, nearby there is a cafeteria where one can have the breakfast there, along with a cup of hot coffee or tea. The website of the place is here – http://www.fornmistral.com/
Those who love hot chocolate with cake will also appreciate the café La Pallaresa, which is placed in one of the narrow streets in the neighborhood El Barrio Gotico or the Gothic Quarter. The place works since 1940’s, serving croissants, toasts and sandwiches, and cups of rich and thick chocolate with a lot of cream. The place is ideal for a breakfast, but is also visited in the afternoons by those who are tired of sightseeing and shopping. It is closed on Sundays. To check the website of the place, just follow this link – http://www.lapallaresa.com/La_Pallaresa/Home.html
In case that you do not have enough time to sit and have a slow breakfast, then a good option is to try the snacks shop El Cocinero de Damasco, where you can see on a window display various delicious things you can point at and order. The atmosphere is warm and family-like and the food is very tasty. A must-try here are the humus wrap and the falafel. The place is situated in the Gothic district as well, and is some ten minutes away from the impressive Gothic Cathedral and less than that to the city hall. Note, however that the place is opening at 11h and that it does not work on Sundays.
The last nice place to be presented here is the Tossa place, which serves great tapas on its terrace, but also has a great inside area. The café serves fresh tapas like hams, salads, cheese, omelets, homemade croquetas filled with cheese, mushrooms, vegetables, etc. It is quiet place, away from the tourist crowds and has a very pleasant staff. The place is not open on Sundays.
Upcoming exhibitions in Barcelona
0180 days
by admin
in Barcelona articles
Barcelona is such a popular tourist destination that it is needless to explain where it is or to say how beautiful the city is. If you have decided to head towards that wonderful city in Spain, most probably you have researched the historical landmarks and the cultural sites that you should visit and maybe you have checked which are the nice places are to dine and which to avoid. You should also know that you can stay in apartment Barcelona. Here, I will try to give some information of interest to those who want to visit Barcelona in the next weeks or so and who are more interested in the upcoming city events.
Among the upcoming events that need to be mentioned is the Barcelona International Boat Show, which starts on 5th November and will last until 13th November. Since this will be the 50th edition of the boat show there will be many conferences and activities going on, directed at the industry dealing with the production of nautical materials and manufacture of boats. The Barcelona International Boat Show will take place in Fira Barcelona, which is among the oldest venues for exhibitions in the city. The venue has two exhibition centres – Montjuic and Gran Via, which is the bigger of the two with its 200 000 sq.m that will soon be made even larger. There, at Gran Via hall of Fira Barcelona will be arranged the Salo Nautico exhibition, which is directed at professionals and amateurs.
Another upcoming event that will take place in the city of Barcelona on 12th November is the Monster Jam 2011, which is a live motor sport tour. The event will be organised at Estadi Olimpic in Barcelona and will present various racing competitions and free style competitions with monster trucks. Estadi Olimpic is a venue for many sport activities and events in Barcelona, including the Monster Jam 2011 event. It has capacity for 70 000 people. The other sports event that will take place in Barcelona in November is the Jean Bouin Memorial Running Competition, which is held on 20th November. This sports event is a tribute to the famous French athlete Jean Bouin and is among the oldest running competitions in Spain, since it was held for the first time back in year 1920.
The last event that shall take place in Barcelona at the end of November is the EIBTM Barcelona exhibition for global meetings and incentives. The meetings industry works in the field of bringing people from their vacation rentals Madrid together and meeting professionals. Here shall be presented the companies working in the spheres of networking, professional education, etc. That last event for November shall also take place at the Gran Via exhibition hall of Fira Barcelona, mentioned above. All the events that shall take place in Barcelona this month are just some of the venues one could attend here, in this wonderful and cosmopolitan city in Spain.