Barcelona comm links

Communicating in Barcelona—telephones (calling to and from Barcelona), using cellphones, useful words and phrases

A quick note on the Catalán language

Basic Catalan

English = Anglès (un-GLAYS)	Catalan = Català (cah-tah-LA)
Thank you	Gràcies (GRAH-see-yuhs)
Please	Sisplau (sees-PLOW)
Yes	Sí (see)
No	No (no)
One	Un/una (oon / OO-bah)
Two	dos/dues (dohs / DOO-ways)
Do you speak English?	Parles anglès? (PAR-lus un-GLAYS)
I don't understand	No l'entenc (noh LEN-tenk)
I'm sorry	Em sap greu (em sahp GREH-you)
Good day	Bon dia (bohn DEE-yah)
Good afternoon	Bona tarda (BOHN-ah TAR-da)
Good night	Bona nit (BOHN-ah neet)
Goodbye	Adéu (ah-DAY-yo)
Excuse me (get attention)	Excuseu-me (ex-COO-zoo-mee) *[or]* Disculpi (dee-SKOOL-pee)
Excuse me (apologize)	Perdoni (pair-DOHN-ee)
Where is?	On és? (OHN ays)
...the bathroom	el lavabo (el la-VAH-boh)
How much is it?	Quant val? (kwahnt BAHL) *[or]* Quant costa (kwahnt KOH-sta)
That's too much	És massa car (es MAH-sah kar)

» more

You may notice that Spanish is spoken a little differently in Barcelona.

That's because it isn't Spanish. It is not even a dialect of Spanish. It is a wholly separate language called Catalan.

Yes, everybody in Barcleona also speaks Castillian Spanish (and most are pretty good at English, too), so if you feel more comfortable trying to get by on what you already know of Spanish, go ahead. They're used to it.

However, their first language is Catalan—and they definitely appreciate it when you actually try to speak their lingo. Therefore, I have drawn up a special cheatsheet of useful words and phrases in Catalan.

(Barcelona Tourism has also produced a handy phrase sheet in four languages: Catalan, Castillian, English, and French.)

As an autonomous region of Spain, Catalonia is slowly reasserting the native traditions that were squashed during Spain's Franco years, including reverting to their native language, a romance tongue related closely to that of France's Provençe.

Evidence of Catalan's comeback coup came during the 1992 Olympics, when all the signs and official news reports were printed in Catalan first and Castilian Spanish second—a habit of national pride that has stuck around ever since. Catalonia even has its own top-level country domain for urls; many local websites end ".cat" instead of Spain's usual ".es".

Tips & Links

How long should I spend in Barcelona?

If you're just passing through, I'd give Barcelona at least two full days.

It is a lovely place to relax, however, so you might be happier spending 3-4 days.

» Barcelona itineraries

Useful links & resources

SIGHTS

Barcelona tourist info: Barcelonaturisme.com (info office), Guiadelocio.com (events mag); Catalunya.com (regional info), Spain.info

Sightseeing passes: Barcelona Card (20+ sights; transport; discounts), Museum Pass (6 sights)

Tours & activities: Viator.com, ContextTravel.com, UrbanAdventures.com, City-Discovery.com, Intrepidtravel.com, Gadventures.com

LODGING

Hotels: Booking.com, Venere.com, Priceline.com, Hotels.com

B&Bs: Booking.com, Bedandbreakfast.com, Airbnb.com, Venere.com

Apartments: Rentalo.com, Vrbo.com, Booking.com, Airbnb.com, Interhomeusa.com, Homeaway.com

Hostels & campgrounds: Hostelbookers.com, Hostelworld.com, Hostelz.com, Booking.com

TRANSPORT

Airfares:

Airports: Aena.es

Trains: Raileurope.com (throughout Europe), Renfe.com (within Spain), Bahn.de (throughout Europe), Seat61.com

Public transport: Barcelona Card (free transport; sightseeing); Search all public transit: mou-te.gencat.cat; Metro/Bus: Tmb.cat; Tram: Trambcn.com; Light rail: Fgc.cat; Taxi: Taxibarcelona.cat

Car rentals: Autoeurope.com, RentalCars.com, Momondo.com, Orbitz.com, Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, Kayak.com

Get a sightseeing / transport pass

Barcelona has two types of sightseeing/transport passes:

Barcelona Card:
- Free entry to 20 sights
- Free, unlimited rides on all public transport
- Discounts (usually 20%) at numerous other sights, activites, shops, and shows
- A guidebook
- Comes in 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-day versions
- » $45–$80
Barcelona Museum Pass:
- Free entry to seven museums (one entry each)
- » $40

There's a full description of both passes here, but in brief: The only museum covered fully by the Museum Pass that is not also covered by the Barcelona Card is the Museu Picasso (where you get only a 20% discount with the Barcelona Card).

You can also get discounts (usually 10% to 20%) on a wide range of sights, activites, and shows if you have a hop-on/hop-off bus ticket.

Barcelona tours