Barcelona City - Local Travel information and City Guide » City Info » Travel Tips

Barcelona, a city in motion, is a heady mix of Gothic monuments and contemporary skyscrapers. Like many other Mediterranean cities, it is festive; as a result, people visit it to celebrate and seek the blessing of good spirits.

Anyhow, take a few precautions always and do keep some things in mind that will help you on your first- trip to the beautiful tourist city of Barcelona.

1. Your contribution will be appreciated if you give tips to the waiters for the services rendered by them.
2. Local transport like Taxi, Fono Taxi and Trixis, which is the best and the cheapest mode of public transport is readily available and in plenty for few Euros. Taxi Amic, a particular taxi service for specially challenged people, is also available to be booked at least 24 hours in advance.
3. Bus & tram runs every few minutes and passes through many routes. Like any other tourist destination, one must be conscious of pickpockets and fake undercover police officers.
4. Buy a transport pass that covers all your transportation needs before you arrive in Barcelona, e.g. the Barcelona Card.
5. Taking out a travel insurance policy is always a safe measure.
6. Following the dress code of the Catalans certainly help as you look like a savoir-faire tourist and much less likely to stand out from the crowd. However, there are no hard and fast rules for wearing any particular kind of costume as such.
7. The official languages in Catalonia are Catalan and Castellano (Spanish), and as a result, very few people have a decent level of English. Thus, it is advisable to be polite and to wear a fresh smile each time you need any sort of assistance from the locals

Some useful words that might help you on your visit to the city of Barcelona:

English / Catalan / Spanish

1. Hello / Hola / Hola
2. Good morning / Bon dia / Buenos días
3. Good evening / Bona tarda / Buenas tardes
4. Good night / Bona nit / Buenas noches
5. Thank you / Gràcies / Gracias
6. Please / Sisplau / Por favor
7. Excuse me / Perdoni / Perdone
8. I'm sorry / Em sap greu / Lo siento
9. Goodbye / Adéu / Adios
10. See you later / Fins després / Hasta luego