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.

Booking Nou Camp Tickets

The new La Liga season begins the 26th August and there will be many people booking Nou Camp Tickets to see the world famous FC Barcelona play and show off their many new signings including:Thierry Henry, Yaya Toure, and Eric Abidal. Along with these new faces, they will have a chance to marvel at it's current stars: Ronaldinho, Eto'o Messi, Xavi to name a few.
FC Barcelona will be looking to win back La Liga from their arch rivals Real Madrid who they threw away their title to towards the end of last season.
The first home game is 2nd September and for the many tourists looking to book Nou Camp tickets, it is important to know where to buy them.

There are many online sites where you can book Nou Camp tickets like the FC Barcelona website. These are handy for big games and guaranteeing good seats as you have the option of choosing your seat however sometimes they can be slightly overpriced due to the many tourists who visit the sites.
Another option is to purchase your tickets from the various ticket offices in the city. Just search online for the nearest one to you. There are various ones along Las Ramblas.
You can also go to the Nou Camp stadium to purchase tickets also and the office is open Monday to Thursday, from 9.00 to 13.30 and 15.30 to 18.00 / Friday, from 9.00 to 14.30 / Saturday from 9.00 to 13.30 on weekends of matches played at the Camp Nou. Getting to the Nou Camp is very easy using public transport.
A very popular hotel near the Nou Camp is Hotel Atenea and is highly recommended for those who want easy access to the stadium.
The final option is very handy, where you can buy Nou Camp tickets using the Caixa cash machines which are located on almost every street of the city. You just use your card at the machine and follow the simple instructions to book your preferred seat and your ticket is printed for you right at the machine.
Tickets are priced according to their opponents and are rated from A(big opponent) to C(lower opponent or friendly), with the exception of Real Madrid which is A+ and is almost impossible to get a ticket for. I would advise you look at a guide of Barcelona for more information on the city.

Nou Camp Tours

One of the most popular thing for tourists is to go on the Nou Camp tour as FC Barcelona are one of the most famous teams in the world. Nou camp tours can be done all year round even when the team aren't playing, so during the summer it is still a star attraction in the city.
The Nou Camp tour ticket price is €11 per person. This includes a guided tour of the stadium where you see the players dressing rooms, medical area, press area where they have all interviews. It is covered by red tape barrier but many tourists sneak across to grab a quick picture in Frank Rijkaard's famous position. Along the walls there are famous pictures of stars past and present and as you take the stairs up to the pitch, you pass by the famous chapel which Ronaldinho prays in before every game, along with some other players.
As you enter the stadium up to the touchline, you are amazed at the sheer size of this, the biggest stadium in Europe. A great photo opportunity. From there you take the stairs up to the President's box where Laporta sits and then you can take the elevator up to the very top of the stadium to the press box to get a full view over the whole stadium. Also the ticket tour price includes a current exhibiton about the history of world football being held in the stadium's trophy room which is very impressive along with the countless trophies and memorabilia in the room.
From then on you can leave the stadium and head over to the club shop to pick up any FC Barcelona souvenirs you may want.

Opening Hours
The stadium is open Monday to Saturday 10-18.30 except match days and on Sundays and bank holidays from 10-14.00.

Quick Tip
If you are coming to Barcelona from late August onwards, then the season will have started, so if you try to do the Nou Camp tour in the morning, then there is a good chance you can see the players as they train across the street in the Mini Nou Camp and are often seen wandering about the stadium or arrivng/leaving in their cars.

Accommodation
There are quite a few hotels near the stadium and one of the most popular for tourists and football fans alike is the Bonanova Park Hotel near metro station Maria Cristina along the top end of Avenida Diagonal. It's cheap yet good quality too. A favourite with many toursists.

Getting There
Getting from your Barcelona accommodation to the Nou Camp is easy.
You can take the metro to Collblanc (blue line) or Maria Cristina (green line) and from there the stadium is well signposted.

For a more in depth Barcelona guide then look online.

A British Guide to Las Ramblas

Ok, i'm sorry to say it, but us Brits are the most dense people when it comes to tourism. In Europe for example, Britain is an island race which is shut off from the rest of the continent and for this reason, we have become more ignorant to other places in Europe. We don't make any effort to speak anyone elses language, we're happy with our culture yet we choose to force it on other cultures when we go abroad!
When it comes to the city of Barcelona for example, we always think of two things.

Number 1: FC Barcelona and all the things that go along with it, like Ronaldinho (and now Henry) and the Nou Camp.

Number 2: Las Ramblas! Or "La Rambla, Las Rambla, La Ramblas or simply put by our oh so wonderful drunk football fans THE RAMBLES!!

First things first, it is called.....LAS RAMBLAS, so when your looking for Barcelona accommodation online near the famous street, then type in "Las Ramblas". However this isn't too important thanks to google's wonderful phrase correction tool.

Anyway, if you want to stay there then make sure you shop around because there are plenty of sites which prey on ignorant tourists who just go for the first hotel they see. Heres a tip, try searching for an apartment near Las Ramblas, as there are many sites which offer really nice, cheap apartments a stones throw away from it.

Look after yourself if your out partying, because British people are the easiest people for the many pickpockets to spot along this street usually due to the lobster suntan we tend to sport.

So try and keep your wits about you, or theres a good chance you'll get robbed whether it be on the metro, in the street or later at night while your drunk. Also if your out a bit drunk on the street and you fancy having a laugh with the local police like you might do at home, think again.
These are not the loveable PC plods from back home, who really don't want to arrest people and prefer to keep the peace.
Over there, the police are basically pumped up full of steriods and have developed a complex through years of being picked on at school. They would like nothing better to batter some drunk British tourist about for being to drunk or loud, and then maybe they'll arrest you for good measure.

Anyway, don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom. Las Ramblas is great for tourists who want to have a good time as it has many bars and clubs at night and entertainment and shops during the day. However sometimes ignorance can bring problems. So why not even learn a couple of basic phrases in Spanish, because people will be so much more friendly and helpful to you if they notice you making the effort.
For a more comprehensive Barcelona guide, look online.