The Hotel Majestic Barcelona

Probably one of the most famous and luxurious Barcelona hotels is the Hotel Majestic Barcelona. This 5 star hotel is located right in the heart of the city along the world famous Passeig de Gracia where guest are lucky enough to have a view of the beautiful architecture of this famous street.
From the Hotel Majestic Barcelona you are only a few minutes walk from the famous Gaudi buildings; Casa Mila and Casa Batllo and you have all of the best shops at your doorstep. If you want to travel further around the city then Passeig de Gracia metro is only a minutes walk where you can access the Green and Purple line. If you fancy being adventurous then you can also take the Renfe from there to places outside the city of Barcelona like Sitges or Badalona.
The hotel itself is brilliant. The Hotel Majestic was built in 1918, completely renovated in 1999 and modernised once again in 2005, the hotel has 9 floors with a total of 303 rooms of which 30 are singles and 271 are doubles. The hotel´s luxurious facilities include a 24-hour reception hall with a safe for valuables, a currency exchange desk, a cloakroom, a café, a newspaper stand and lifts. In addition, there is a TV room, a piano bar and 2 air-conditioned à la carte restaurants, which was awarded with a Michelin Star.
If you have the money then this hotel would be perfect for your stay in Barcelona.
For a more comprehensive Barcelona guide.

Hotel Catalonia Plaza Barcelona

The Hotel Catalonia Barcelona Plaza is one of the most recognised and prestigious Barcelona Hotels due to it's high quality service and prime location. The Catalonia Plaza is situated in the Sants district; just a few minutes walk from the exhibition centre and the congress palace. For those staying in the Catalonia Plaza will be able to look on to a beautiful view of the Plaza Espanya fountain and all the traffic whizzing past. There are a many places of interest just a short walk away from Catalonia Plaza such as the National Palace, Montjuic mountain which includes the castle, the Olimpic Stadium, swimming pools and not to mention the wonderful Poble Espanyol which is definitely worth a visit.
There are many other famous sights slightly further a field however there are bus stops and two metro lines (red and green line) rigth outside the Catalonia Plaza doorstep so you are never more than a few minutes from the city centre.

Hotel Catalonia Plaza
The hotel itself was renovated in 2004, this hotel offers a total of 347 rooms spread over 11 floors, of which 338 are double rooms and 9 are suites. Amongst the hotel´s modern facilities count a foyer with 24-hour reception, a safe, a currency exchange desk, lifts, a garage and a car park. There is also a cosy bar and air-conditioned à la carte restaurant.

For a more comprehensive Barcelona guide.

Flights from Scotland to Barcelona

For all Scottish people looking to fly to Barcelona for a holiday to stay in great Barcelona apartments then transport is relatively simple. As Scotland is such a small country, there aren't many flights between Barcelona and Scotland, however there really is no need for many. It is only really during the summer months, usually between Friday and Monday, when the flights are full so getting a seat is never a problem to reaching your Barcelona apartments.
For low cost airlines there are basically 2 companies which fly between Scotland and Barcelona, the first is Flyglobespan which is a Scottish company and second is the well known Ryanair.






Flyglobespan
Flyglobespan fly directly to El Prat International Airport of Barcelona which is only 20 minutes bus journey from the city.
They fly from 3 airports: from Glasgow (Daily) 9-12.40 and return 13.30-15.45 except from November during the winter season when they alternate return flights from the usual 13.30-15.45 to 20.30-22.30 every other day.

Edinburgh is the second largest airport and has daily flights which mirror the Glasgow flight times. Outward 9.00-12.40 and return, 13.30-15.15. However from November the flights are reduced between Thursday and Monday over the weekend and flight times change on the outward flight to 16.00-19.40
Aberdeen Sun 7.00am-10.55 or Thur 17.00- 21.00

Ryanair
Ryanair fly from Glasgow Prestwick which is on the Southwest coast of Scotland and go to secondary airports Reus which is in Tarragona and Girona. These are both roughly 1 hour 20 minutes from the city of Barcelona. During the winter there are no flights between Glasgow and Reus but the daily flight to Girona flies 14.00-17.35 and returns 18.00-19.45.
Flights may seem cheaper with Ryanair however you must add an extra £17 return bus ticket from the airport to the city onto your flight price as oppose to £5.50 from the main airport.

For a more comprehensive Barcelona guide.

The Month of La Mercè

The month of September is a great month for tourists staying in Barcelona Spain Accommodation as this month Barcelona celebrates its biggest annual festival; La Mercè, the Patron Saint of Barcelona.

The La Mercè festival officially takes place on September 24th 2007 however there are over 500 activities and events happening all over the city from the 22nd.

Amongst the hundreds of activities include:

-The Festival of Music: concerts and street performances all over Barcelona
-The Festival of Tradition: castellers (human towers), capgrossos (dwarves with big heads), gegants (giants )and an entire menagerie of festive animals, accompanied by guests from Mediterranean countries.

-The Festival in the Sky: acrobatic air show featuring jets, balloons and gliders and more
-The Festival of Fire: all types of sparks, from the pyrotechnical fireworks and music show to the correfoc (literally a fire-run)

For a more comprehensive Barcelona guide.

Visit Poble Espanyol at Montjuic

El Poble Espanyol is an open air museum located at Montjuic mountain, with 40 handicraft shops and a number of excellent restaurants and bars. It should be near the top of any list of things to do in Barcelona.

Built in 1929 it was made as the pavilion dedicated to art for the Barcelona International Exhibition and it was conceived as a real "village" from the beginning in the middle of a city, with a surface area of 49,000 m2.
The aim of the town was to act as an "ideal model" to give an idea of what a Spanish village might look like and contains the main characteristics and features of towns and villages in the peninsula. Therefore 117 buildings, streets and squares were reproduced to scale for this reason.

Poble Espanyol was built in just 13 months and actually had an expiry date which was the same time as the Universal Exhibition - just six months however its success as an open-air museum has kept it open until this day.

El Poble Espanyol combines history and art with more than forty art and craft workshops and shops working in the open-air museum. You can experience the wonder of historic handmade production techniques and qualities and appreciate how innovative elements of design and shape can enrich a traditional product.

The craft techniques that can currently be found here are: ceramics, engraving, decorative painting, glass fusing, puppet-making, jewellery, masks, sculpture, leather, embroidery, basket-weaving, musical instrument-making, espadrille-making and a long list of others.

Montjuic itself is a great day out for tourists renting apartments in Barcelona and during the summer months the central square of Poble Espanyol transforms into the open-air discoteca, La Terrazza which is very popular with tourists and locals alike.

Getting There
Take the metro (green or red line) to stop Plaza Espanya and from there take the escalators to Poble Espanyol. It is well signposted.

For a more comprehensive Barcelona guide.

Joan Gamper Trophy

The Joan Gamper Trophy is an annual pre-season football competition hosted by FC Barcelona. It is named in honour of Joan Gamper a founding member, player and later president of the club and was inaugurated by Enric Llaudet, one of Gamper’s successors as club president. It is one of several summer trophies played for in Spain and considered much more than a pre-season "friendly". This year's game takes place tonight, 29th August, and FC Barcelona will play Inter Milan and looks to being a great game. The home team with their fantastic record at the Nou Camp against last year's runaway Italian champions of Serie A. Although both teams have just started their respective league campaigns, each will produce a strong team as both teams will definitely want to win the Joan Gamper trophy. All the Barça stars will be there like Henry, Ronaldinho, Messi, Xavi and also Inter's stars like Ibrahimovic, Crespo, Viera and Materazzi
The game kicks off at 22.00 at the Nou Camp.

Getting There
If you are staying in a Barcelona hotel at the moment are thinking of going to the game then getting there is easy. Either you can take the metro (blue line) to Collblanc, or (green line) to Maria Christina. From there the stadium is well signposted and you will probably here the roar from a good distance.
Ticket prices range from €25 to €120

For a more comprehensive Barcelona guide.

Barcelona Metro Yellow Line Open Again

Finally the metro is back in operation along L4 yellow line! It has been a long couple of months but now everything is back to normal especially for tourists renting Barcelona accommodation near the beach.
From 26 de June a stretch of Line 4, between Ciutadella / Vila Olímpica and La Pau stations, were closed while work on the track took place. An investment of 7.1 million euros was put into the project which involved renovating the track between Bogatell and Selva de Mar, in order to reduce the vibrations caused by passing trains and stop water seepage. Work will also took place to improve the stations on this stretch.
A temporary shuttle bus was introduced to replace the closed metro stops which would travel the same journey as the metro normally would. This however still was not enough for those staying in Barcelona apartments and wanted to go to the beach, due to the fact that it was peak season for thousands of tourists flocking to the beach.

Typical!
Another fantastic piece of Catalan common sense to undergo such a huge upheaval in the middle of their peak tourist season.
However this lasted till 27 August and the affected eight stations are now thankfully, again in operation.

For a more comprehensive Barcelona guide.

Loving Sitges Beaches

Sitges is reknowned for its beautiful beach and being a quaint little town which is popular for tourists from all over. Sitges beach is quite a small beach and reflects the beautiful little town which is well known as being a gay holiday haven for people from all across Europe. Loving Sitges is what it's all about, with lot's of sunbathing going in the summer along with lot's of partying at night in some of the finest night clubs in Europe which include L'Atlantida and the original club Pacha in Sitges. Although it is known for being a popular gay holiday hotspot, it welcomes people from all walks of life who just want to enjoy the great Sitges beaches.

You can rent a nice little villa in Sitges or also there are many popular hotels such as San Sebastian hotel Sitges, Hotel Platjador Sitges, La Nina Hotel Sitges or Hotel Dolce Sitges. These are some of the most popular in the town.

Getting There
It's not hard to get to Sitges travel by train from the city of Barcelona. If you are renting a Barcelona apartment then it's best to get the train from either Sants Estacio or Passeig de Gracia. Take the train to destinations Vilanova or Sitges and the journey should take about 35 minutes. There is usually a train every 20 minutes.

Partying at Club Pacha Barcelona

One of the places to go to dance all night is in Barcelona is club Pacha, which is part of the super club brand Pacha. The brand has many Pacha club all over the world from places like Pacha New York, Pacha London and Pacha Marrakech not to mention Ibiza!
When you think of a party holiday away you could be renting a hotel pacha ibiza just along the road if you were staying in Ibiza town. Now that is very expensive, so another place to visit a Pacha club is in Barcelona which is one of the best of the whole brand. If you are looking for a great Pacha experience then you should visit Barcelona as only this summer the club has had Djs like David Guetta, Eric Morillo, Deep Dish, Wally Lopez and Paul Oakenfold to name a few.
The music is typically electronic but ranges between whichever night you go to and whichever DJ is playing. So you can catch some house, electro, or techno, whatever your taste.
During the summer months "el pacha" is open 7 nights a week but will eventually reduce to only Friday and Saturday during the winter seasons.

Accommodation
In the area of Les Corts it's easy to find a Barcelona hotel pacha is close from there but also you might prefer to stay nearer the city centre.
A Barcelona hotel in Les Corts at a great price won't be hard to find online.

Getting There
Discoteca pacha, as the locals call it, is located in the south side of the city at Les Corts. The best way to get there is on the Metro (green line) to the very last stop at Zona Universitaria. From there club Pacha is very close and you shouldn't have any trouble reaching it.

Weekend Dance September Festival

I can't wait for the Weekend Dance festival to begin, is maybe what you are thinking, but if you don't know about it, then it is a September festival held in Barcelona. It is the first year of Weekend Dance so there is a lot of speculation as to whether it will be a success however at the festival you will be able to see a whole host of acts you would normally here from the nightclubs dance scene. At the festival this year artists headlining include; Massive Attack, Faithless, Deep Dish, Sven Vath, Vitalic(live) and Hernan Cattaneo to name a few. The dance weekend takes place on Saturday 15th September. The tickets are priced at €40 until the 26th August and then will probably go up by €5. The venue for the September festival is the Forum which is located at the north side of the city. To get there you can take L4 (yellow) line metro to Maresme de Forum.

For those looking for a last minute deal on Barcelona apartments, then this could be a great incentive to book up.

For a more comprehensive Barcelona guide.

Mas I Mas Jazz Festival

The San Miguel Mas i Mas Festival started in 2003 and has established itself as a popular music and jazz festival event during the hottest summer nights in Barcelona.

The 2007 festival 2007 kicked off with a special concert on 24th July by Catalan rumba star Peret showcasing 50 years of rumba hits.

So far the festival has gone with great success with other concerts which included the Buena Vista Social Club on 26th July, Cuban singer Lucrecia performed with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra on the 27th July and the Perico Sambeat Flamenco Big Band on 7th August. Many tourists staying in Barcelona hotels all round the city have given the festival positive reviews so far.

Great ideas for Barcelona hotels at any time of the year.

The Mas I Mas festival finishes with a flourish with performances by the Orchestre Arabe de Barcelona on 4th September and Alaska & Nacho Canut presenting Fangoria on the 5th September

The concerts take place at various Barcelona clubs and concert venues all over the city including the Auditorì, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatre Grec, Moog and Luz de Gaz, to name a few.

For a more comprehensive Barcelona guide.

Gracia Festival "Festa Major"

For those lucky enough to be renting Barcelona apartments in Gracia right now then they are in for a treat. The Gracia festival or Festa Major is the week long festival held in the Gracia neighbourhood of Barcelona and takes place between the 15th - 21st of August 2007.

Although tourists renting Barcelona apartments can experience festivals for each of it's districts this is by far the biggest of the neighbourhoods festivals in Barcelona and basically becomes one big street party. If you are looking out of your Barcelona apartments in Gracia Many streets in neighbourhood are decorated and there is live music everywhere. The Tabalada Infernal is one of the most popular and festive events of the Festa Major which is the drum parade, where drummers from the colles de foc, fireworks groups, parade round Gracia's streets. In addition to this people who enjoy fireworks will be impressed with the Correfoc as it is a popular light and fire event which draws hundreds of eager spectators, who will be chased by groups of people with fireworks. Another popular tradition in Catalonia is the human castles and Gracia fills up with colles castelleres building human castles that are amazing to see live. The final act of the festival is the Castell de Focs.
For more a more comprehensive Barcelona guide.

Swimming in The Clouds

Barcelona is well known for its beaches but some people would prefer going to a swimming pool. One of the nicest places to visit in Barcelona is Montjuic and it is there where you can find three different swimming pools to enjoy. With plenty of Barcelona accommodation near Montjuic, you're never too far from the swimming pools in Barcelona.

The first is the Bernat Picornell swimming pool which is the flagship of Barcelona’s pools. This gym and swimming pool was opened in 1970 for the European swimming championships and was remodelled and modernised for the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992.

Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc - Olympic swimming pool
When it comes to the view this is probably one of the best swimming pools in the world. It is the fabulous outdoor Olympic swimming pool that designed by Antoni de Moragas and built in 1992 for the diving events of the Barcelona Olympics. The swimming pool has a seating capacity of 4.100 spectators and the panoramic views of the city provide a unique backdrop for diving events, which is why this pool was chosen by Kylie Minogue for her video "Slow" in 2003.

Finally the third swimming pool is the Club Natació Montjuïc which is a members only sports club with fitness gym and outdoor swimming pool, which is covered in the winter. It has a fantastic location on Montjuic mountain. The membership fee for 2007 costs €160 membership fee and 48 euros a month.
More comprehensive Barcelona guide.

Fish and Chip Shop in Barcelona

The city had almost everything except a Fish and chip shop in Barcelona. Well just a couple of months ago in June that all changed and now there is officially a Fish and chip shop in Barcelona. The aptly titled "Fish and Chip Shop" opened June and is located in Ramblas de Raval amongst the many kebab shops in the area. The city has been crying out for a Fish and Chip shop in Barcelona due to the many ex pats who live there. So far the shop has received positive reviews and offers everything you would expect from a local chippy. From Fish and Chips to Sausage suppers and it even has the traditional scottish drink "Irn Bru" for those north of the border.
Apart from being a favourite with those living in the city. the Fish and Chip Shop in Barcelona is popular with those tourists renting Barcelona accommodation who happen to come across the shop.

Getting There
The best way to get to the Fish and chip shop in Barcelona from Las Ramblas is to go to the bottom at Drassanes and take Calle Sant Pau. Or you can take the same street from the other side at Avenida Parallel. If you are further away from the centre then take the green line metro to either Drassanes or Parallel.

For a more extensive Barcelona guide.

Cheap Cava in Barcelona

When you think of Cava, Spain is the first place that springs to mind, better yet Barcelona, Catalonia. The birthplace of Cava, spain of course and is the Spanish version of sparkling wine like those from the famous French region of Champagne. For those looking for cheap cava but also good quality then Barcelona has it for you. Although Cava spain is made out in the Catalan countryside, there are many many Cava bars were you can taste the region's wonderful wine.If you fancy sampling cheap cava along with a great selection of sandwiches and tapas then the bar Can Paixano is the best place to go. Commonly known to tourists as the Champaneria or Cava Bar, Can Paixano is known for cheap cava where a copa is about 50 cents and the most expensive own-label bottle a little over 4€. However there are no seats and if you go at lunchtime, you'll be able to find some space to enjoy your drink but if you go at night, expect the place to be crammed full. It's a good way to get tipsy early, but any time after 7pm will start to get very, very full and is very popular with tourists. It's compulsory to order two mini sandwiches with the first bottle you buy. From then on, every few bottles you may be asked to buy a couple of more tapas or sandwiches and the staff are very trusting and will wait for you to finish eating and drinking until they ask you to pay for anything.
Also, if you decide you want to take some Cava with you, then there is a shop at the back of the bar where you can purchase bottles (in the case load if you prefer) at a reduced wholesale rate.
Open 10:30am to 10pm.

Getting There
The address of the bar is 7 Calle de la Reina Cristina located in the old fishermans area of Barceloneta. See map
If you are staying in Barceloneta accommodation then you can easily walk to the bar and if you have any trouble then simply ask someone as they will definitely know where it is.
If you are staying in central Barcelona accommodation then you should take the Metro to Barceloneta (on the yellow line) and you are only a few minutes away.
For a more comprehensive Barcelona guide.

Barcelona Apartment to Blanes

Barcelona is a great city destination, especially in the summer because of the great weather and it being on the coast. Although a Barcelona apartment is easily available near the beach, the beaches are not all that great in the city. There are four beaches in the city and finding a Barcelona apartment near them is quite easy if you find the right website, but generally the best beaches are either south towards the Costa Dorada or north towards the Costa Brava. One of the most popular beach destination in the Costa Brava is the town Blanes. So if you feel like travelling to a beautiful beach town one day from your Barcelona apartment then Blanes is highly recommended.

Getting There
At the moment there is a problem with the Renfe trains from the central city station Plaza Catalunya, but you can take the metro on the red line to train stop , Clot.
From Clot there is a train every 30 minutes to Blanes. A return ticket costs €7 and the journey lasts 1.15 minutes.
The train route travels along many stops, and every stop is actually a beach, so if you cannot be bothered travelling this far, then you can get off earlier at stop such as Canet, Badalona, Mas Nou etc..
However if you decide to got to Blanes, then from the train station you take the bus directly to the beach which costs €2 return.
Also there are many Blanes apartments available too if you would prefer to spend some time there.
Here you can enjoy a fantastic beach town but also are close enought to return to the hustle and bustle of the city and your Barcelona apartment.
Check for a more comprehensive Barcelona guide.

Magic Fountains at Plaza Espanya

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Barcelona are the Magic Fountains of Montjuic at Plaza Espanya.
Built in 1929 the magic fountain is a spectacular display of colour, light, motion, music and water acrobatics - if you mix all these elements together in just the right combinations, you end up with pure magic! The magic fountains are a "must see" when you come to Barcelona and highly recommended.
Although Barcelona is very famous for having many tourist attractions, a lot of the most famous ones like Casa Mila, Casa Batllo or Sagrada Familia charge an expensive entrance fee. However the Magic Fountains along with other sights like Parc Guell are free, so you can sit back relax and just admire the spectacle in front of you.
During the summer months from May to September the Magic Fountains are on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday night from 20.00 until midnight. In the winter the are on Friday and Saturday beginning at 19.00 until 21.00. There is a wide range of Barcelona accommodation available around the Monjuic and Poble Sec area near the fountains. For example the Hotel Catalonia Plaza has overlooks Plaza Espanya where you can see some of the fountain shows. However if you are staying further away then getting there is easy.
Metro: Plaza Espanya (Red line or Green line)
For more information on Barcelona search online.

Barcelona Shops Close in August

Unfortunately it is true that Barcelona shops close in August but not to worry, it's not as bad as it sounds.
However it is not just Barcelona shops that close. For many local, family run businesses like cafes and restaurants, the month of August is the time where they leave the city to take their annual holidays. It seems a strange time to go on holiday, during the busiest time of the year but you have to understand that they want to enjoy their summer too.
For tourists staying in Barcelona accommodation, then you shouldn't worry too much as all of the big shopping areas like Passeig de Gracia, Las Ramblas and Marseme del Forum are still open and are not affected by the holidays. So you can still enjoy Barcelona's wonderful array of shops and attractions around central areas in the city.
The only problem may lie with those renting Barcelona apartments and prefer to go to the supermarket to prepare their own meals. Supermarkets will have reduced opening hours and are more than likely to be closed between 1 pm and 5pm and also small cafes, bars and restaurants may be closed completely or have reduced hours.
In general, however, tourists should not be affected too much by the holidays in August and should be able to enjoy everything this wonderful city offers during the rest of the year.
If you need anymore information on Barcelona then look for a Barcelona guide online.

Finding a Ramblas Apartment

Finding a Ramblas apartment might sound difficult as would finding any good accommodation could seem like a struggle in most big cities, but this isn't true.
When you think of the city of Barcelona, one of the first things that springs to mind is Las Ramblas so that is why many people are looking for Ramblas apartment. This famous street is well known for being filled with shops bars and street performers, very popular with tourists. It is the busiest part of the city and that is why people think it is so difficult to find a Ramblas Apartment. There are literaly hundreds of hotels in the surrounding area of Las Ramblas and are usually very busy, however nowaadays the apartments are becoming more popular and right now there are many Ramblas apartments available for rent in the areas like Raval and Barrio Gotico.
There are many examples of popular Ramblas apartments which are beautifully furnished inside and if there are enough people renting, then they can work out cheaper than the many below par hostels surrounding the area.
To find a more comprehensive Barcelona guide, just search online.

From your Barcelona apartment to Castelldefels

You can find a great Barcelona apartment if you like going to the beach as the city is located along the coast. However getting a Barcelona apartment near the beach in the city could be difficult due to it being peak season right now. Having said that, the beaches in the city can be overcrowded at Barceloneta and Vila Olimpica so it would be recommended to catch a train to somewhere like Castelledefels. It is a beautiful beach town located south of Barcelona about 30 minutes by train.
Instead of staying near the beach then maybe you could rent a Barcelona apartment near Sants or Passeig de Gracia train station.

Getting There
Depending on where you are staying, you can reach Sants Estacio by metro on the green line or blue line and Passeig de Gracia from the yellow, green or purple line.
Passeig de Gracia is a small station and is easy to find your direction however Sants is very big and a lot more complicated. From there, you head to platform (Via) 9 or 10 for all the trains heading south towards Tarragona.
You can either take the train heading for Vilanova, which stops at Castelldefels beach or take the St Vincent train which will only stop at Castelldefels town, where you will have to wait another 5/10 minutes for a train heading to the next stop which is the beach.
The price is 2.70 return and you can purchase a ticket from the many machines at the train station. Otherwise you can use your T10 ticket you would use on the metro in the city, as Castelldefels is within zone 1.
When you arrive at the stop, you are a mere 2 minutes walk from the beach, so instead of dirty, overcrowded beaches where you cannot relax, you can instead go to this beach where you have beautiful golden sand and clear blue sea. You should look for a Barcelona guide for more information.