Asics Music Festival

Step inside the Palau Sant Jordi on 12th and 13th October and you instantly be transported 9,980 miles to the heart of Tokyo. For the event of the Asics Music festival the city of Tokyo will be recreated down to the smallest detail, with Japanese gardens, Geisha houses...even the smell of the city will be reproduced in this 3000m2 area.

The lineup for this unusual festival includes big names such as the Pet Shop Boys and Chambao who will be performing on Friday night along with Dover and Cyan. On Saturday night the arena will welcome Paulina Rubio, Hombres G, Antonio Orozco, El Sueño de Morfeo and Mikel
Erentxun. Both concerts will begin at 18.30 leaving you plenty of time to enjoy this unique
opportunity to explore the unusual surroundings. So tuck into a plate of sushi, admire Japanese handicrafts and breathtaking martial arts displays and enjoy this exceptional event!

The Palau Sant Jordi is an indoor sporting arena built for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and located on the beautiful hilltop area of Montjuic. The arena is connected to the city centre by Bus number 50 which will take you right to the stadium. For further information about the city and accommodation close to this event please click here:

The Barcelona Cable Car to Montjuic

A great way to spend an afternoon sightseeing in Barcelona is by taking the Air Ferry Barcelona Cable Car across the Barcelona port. The Air Ferry Barcelona Cable Car connects the Tower of Sant Sebastià (Sant Sebastià beach) with the Jaume I Tower (World Trade Center) and Miramar (Montjuïc mountain) and is not to be confused with the Montjuïc Cable Car or the Montjuïc Funicular Railway.
It really depends on your preference but i believe the best way to take the Air Ferry Barcelona Cable Car journey is from the Tower of Sant Sebastià at Barceloneta and from there going to Miramar. A single ticket is €7.50 and return €9 however one journey should suffice.

You can catch the cable car at the halfway point at Jaume I Tower however the full journey is recommended.
To get to Sant Sebastià you take the metro to Barceloneta and from there you will be able to see the tower and just follow the way but if your renting apartments Barcelona in the area then even better..
The views are absolutely stunning as you can see the whole of the city and the port. Definitely bring your camera as it will make for some great photo opportunities. When you reach Miramar at Montjuic you can have something to eat of a quick drink in the restaurant meanwhile taking in the views of the city.
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.

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.

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.

A Night at The Movies

If your looking for something different to do one night in Barcelona on a limited budget then why not head to Montjuic castle to watch a film at the Outdoor Cinema. It sounds a bit crazy, right? But really though, from the 2nd of July this summer until the 3rd of August you can sit in the gardens at Montjuic and see a selection of films from all over the world. The majority of films are old classics and you won't see any of the current blockbusters in Yelmo Icaria for example, however they do have a few very recent ones showing, like Million Dollar Baby (2004). Due to its increasing popularity, now Montjuic has increased the amount of screenings from 2 to 3, so now you can view a film 3 times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The park opens at 8.30 so if you want to go for a picnic or Botellon before the screening at 22.00 or 22.15, then you can. It's a great way to spend a relaxing night whether it's with a group of friends, alone, or maybe even a great idea for going on a date. ;)
Also, it won't ruin your bank balance as it only costs 4 euros for a ticket and you can purchase your ticket on the night from 8.30, or probably more advisable, you can buy them from a Caixa in advanced. The capacity of the cinema is 2500 and it is becoming more and more well-known so maybe it's a good idea to book in advance, especially if you know there is a popular film showing.
The final screening will be the 3rd August and you can vote online as to what film you want to see from a choice of Madeinusa, Una Historia Verdadera and Oldboy.
So, if you have a night with nothing planned and fancy something a bit different then why not watch the onscreen stars under the real stars! Give it a try!
For more information look for a Barcelona guide online.