Barcelona

In Barcelona the public holidays are a bit different than in other parts of Spain. The reason for that is the fact, that Barcelona is the capital of Catalunya - the region which is emphasizing the autonomy as strong as it is possible. That is why in Barcelona we have three different types of holiday:

- national holidays
- regional holidays
- holidays of Barcelona city

According to Spanish laws the number of "fiestas" is limited: maximum 14 a year. 2 of them can be regional.

Barcelona is full of bars and restaurants that are full all day long. One of the most charming things about the culture in Spain is the relaxed and nocturnal nature of the place. Unlike England, most restaurants shut around one, bars around three and clubs around six. There is a very slow pace of life so that you never really feel you are running late. All the streets are lined with tables and chairs with people having something to eat or simply a beer and there is a very relaxed feel  about the city.

If you are visiting Barcelona, like any other European city you need to give a little bit of thought about your finances. Obviously you will need to change your money into Euros and as aresult you may find yourself carrying large sums of cash on you at any one time. Depending on how long you are going for you can look into buying travellers cheques. Similarly make sure you have a number of bank cards with your fall back being a credit card in case you have a problem with withdrawing money, you do not want to be left with no means of getting cash.

You will be able to pay with your card if it is a vaguely well recognised one like visa, maestro or amex. You do not get charged to pay on card but you will still be subjected to the exchange rate which is not great.

Barcelona metro
The best way to travel in Barcelona is taking the subway. This is the quickest way to avoid trafic and get from one place to another. It has been opened in 1924 and till now is used every day by tousands of barcelona’s habitants. The public transportation area spreads over 6 zones. In half an hour you can reach also the costa/brava cities, where the perfect beaches are. To see the most important atractions in Barcelona city centre is enough to buy tickets for the 1 zone. A single ticket is valid for 1 hour and 15 minutes for every public transport (including trains)