Barthelona!

There are so many things to do here, there is never enough time. Basically, we used Barcelona as a base on three separate occasions – once to head west and loop through Spain and Portugal, another to head northbound to San Sebastian and Pamplona, and thirdly to head eastward along the French Riviera.

Stroll down the famous La Rambla. It stretches from the Plaça de Catalunya (at the top) to the Monument a Colom down at the waterfront. Take in the little stalls of cafes, artists, and street performers.

The influence of Gaudi is truly unique. His unfinished La Sagrada Familia (located on Carrer de Mallorca) is definitely something to see and you get a great view from the top. Also, his park (Parc Güell) has some amazing panoramic views over the city.

If you are into art, then the Picasso Museum is definitely worth seeing. Furthermore, the Salvador Dali Museum (Teatre-Museu Dalí) is located in the town of Figueres, about 145km away by rail. Well worth the €9 entry. Visit Dali- Estate

Quick Tips:

If you are travelling in summer, it's best to book in advance. We backpacked, so hostels were our preferred choice. Sea Point was a very good hostel – quite new and right on Saint Sebastian beach. It’s easy to get to and from the underground train and cost about €20 in a dorm. It's only 10 minutes walk from La Rambla. This is a much better (and cleaner) hostel than the Kabul Hostel, although Kabul does have some great cheap drinks (you don’t have to stay there to buy them).

A great place to eat is a restaurant called La Fonda, located just off La Rambla, next to Placa Reial. Prices are very reasonable and the paella is amazing (about €6). Red wine and Sangria is also well priced. Opens at 8:30, but be there early to avoid the lineup. For a traditional taste of Barcelona, visit Bari Gotic, the 500-year-old Gothic Quarter. Head towards the cathedral and the narrow streets surrounding it.

Another important tip = get to the beach. It’s only 10 minutes from La Rambla (and the centre of town). You can walk for yonks along the front or just relax on the sand.

Best Way To Get Around:

The easiest way to get around, regardless of budget, is the underground train system. Even if you can’t understand the place names, the whole network is illustrated in colours and the station names light up when you arrive at the station. If you have time on your hands, the best way to get to know your way around is to walk. You can mix with the locals, take in the architecture, and stop for a beer or coffee – however, unfortunately, the attractions aren’t located right beside each other. If you are only there for a day (and I pity you), get an open-top bus.

To get into Barcelona itself is quite easy. There are cheap flights all the time with Ryan Air (@10 pounds) and Easyjet from London. Ryan Air fly into Girona, which is about an hour away. The cheapest way to get into Barcelona is by bus, which will wait for you until the flight arrives. It’s very comfortable and costs €9 for a single and €16 for a return journey. Trains go as well, but they are more expensive. See Ryanair and go to "destinations".

Email: info@seapointhostel.com ---> Send them an email

As we were backpacking around Europe, hostels suited our budget and lifestyle more. Sea Point (Sea Point Hostel) was a very good hostel – quite new and right on Saint Sebastian Beach. It’s easy to get to and from the underground train and cost about €20 in a dorm. It's only 10 minutes' walk from La Rambla. Be sure to book ahead in summer because it’s very popular and travel groups such as Busabout use it regularly.

The dorm rooms are usually 4 or 8 beds. They all have individual lockers and power points for charging mobile phones, Discmans and digital cameras. Linen costs a bit extra, but if you are a true backpacker, you’ll probably have your sleeping bag and sleep sheet with you to avoid these costs. The price includes breakfast (croissant, juice and fruit) and free Internet access (although the line-up can be a while). The whole place is air-conditioned, which helps a great deal in summer. There is also a bar and restaurant here at the hostel with nice, cold Spanish beer! Fortunately, the beds have silver frames around them, so if you have too many Cervezas, you won’t fall out.

You can also hire bikes from here. They cost about 5 euro an hour. Plus, you can book other tours around the city from here, which is convenient. The open-top bus costs about 14 euro if you are stuck for time and want to try and see the main spots in a day. You can also get tickets to the aquarium and walking tours, amongst other things.

This is a much better (and cleaner) hostel than the Kabul Hostel, although Kabul does have some great cheap drinks (you don’t have to stay here to buy them). We did hear, though, that someone found a homeless person sleeping in their bed at Kabul – security and admission is a little lax there.

How to Get There:
Take the underground to Barceloneta (yellow line). It’s only about a 10-minute walk. Head towards the marina (Port Vell) and walk to the buildings at end on the left. This will lead to Plaza del Mar, and the hostel, which is opposite the Saint Sebastian beach.

The Kabul Hostel is more than just a place to rest your head. Well, that’s if you can get any sleep while you’re there. It's one of those hostels in Europe where you go more for the social scene than for the accommodation. It’s up there with the Circus Hostel in Berlin, Wombats in Vienna, Yoho in Salzburg, or the Pink Palace in Korfu.

The hostel is located just off La Ramblas in a square called Placa Reial. In terms of social atmosphere, it’s pretty awesome. It's great mixing with so many internationals, but there tends to always be a few too many arrogant American college kids who think their poo doesn’t stink and consider themselves model material. Kabul has cheap drink specials there on beer and sangria almost every night in summer. Beers cost about 5 euros for a litre jug and about 4.50 euros for a litre of sangria. Along with the bar, they have a pool table, vending machines selling water and cans of beer for 1 euro, music, free internet, a common room and a holding room for your baggage.

There is no curfew and no lockout which is both good and bad. Because they only give one key per room the room is usually left open most of the day. Security is lax. When we were there in 2002, someone came home to find a homeless person sleeping in their bed. Kabul issues credit card-like devices to access lockers in each room. However, these don’t always work and one girl had her whole backpack stolen as a result. You will be kept awake by people trying to get into their locker at various times as the cards are very finicky.

Room prices are pretty standard for a European summer. There are about 200 beds. A small selection of these are bookable over the net, but most are based on a first in first served basis. A dorm costs about 20 euro a night with a 15-euro deposit (this is returned if you check out before 11am the next day). If you have a big night, which happens pretty regularly here, and you don’t check out before 11, it is assumed you will be staying another night. The price includes breakfast, but it’s not much (generally a croissant and juice). There are communal bathrooms with hardly any privacy. There are no fans or air-conditioning, which makes it really uncomfortable during summer. Basically, if you like sleep, don’t stay here.

Getting there is easy. Get the subway (Line 3 - Green) in the direction of Montbau to metro stop Liceu. This will come out at La Rambla and it’s just a short walk down and the square is on your left (near McDonalds). Inside the square turn right and you can’t miss it. La Fonda restaurant is just around the corner and is definitely a must.

Other details:
Email: info@kabul-hostel.com
Web: www.kabul-hostel.com

This is my favourite restaurant in Spain. And many other people’s favourite, judging by the size of the line that waits to be fed. It is actually quite large inside (seating 400), but it’s impossible to book ahead. If you go with a group you will have greater "seating power" and probably get seating priority. Doors open at 8:30pm, so make sure you are lined up by 9 if you wish to graze here.

La Fonda is very easy to find. It’s located just off La Rambla, next to Placa Reial. It has great décor and the service is excellent. Dress is casual – it's quite hot here in summer.

The food is amazing and very well priced. Their specialties are rice, pasta, carpaccios, and meats... while the desserts are the clincher. My favourite dish would have to be the seafood paella (traditional rice dish). They bring out the dish still in the cooking pan and you dig out plate-size portions. The seafood in the paella is quite chunky and very fresh. They also have a great meat paella. Dinner for two with entrees, mains and a bottle of red came to less than 30 euros.

There is so much to do around Barcelona its best to spend a few days walking around the sights. We did a few good walking tours around Barcelona on our own. Here are the main highlights:

It seems (from a tourist perspective anyway) that all activity stems from La Ramblas. This street runs from the centre of the city (Placa de Catalunya) down to the waterfront and the Monument a Colom. There are street performers, people selling souvenirs, people selling birds, hustlers with card games and pickpockets! The street is also lined with cafes which is a good way to grab a cold beer and watch the world go by.

At the bottom end of La Rambla is the waterfront (Port Vell). Turning left and walking for 10 minutes (on the water side) you come to the marina and little craft stalls. There is a boat moored on the corner that is converted into a floating bar. This is also a top place for cold beer (about 7.50 euro for half a litre) and a great view at the same time. Continuing on from here you can reach the beach in another 10 minutes. The beaches along the front are all packed in summer and good for sunbathing and watersports. You can walk along the esplanade, past the huge metal gold fish and stopping at the little ice cream stalls or bars along the way.

The beaches and pedestrian walk stretch all the way to Port Olímpic which is a little harbour built for the 1992 Olympics. There are some great little bars and restaurants in there now. Walking around the old Olympic site you can see the athletics track and the famous pool and diving tower with the awesome panoramic view of Barcelona. Just above this Olympic quarter is the Military Museum on top of the mountain at Montjuic. You can get a chairlift up to it and has terrific views.

The architecture around the city is mind-blowing. The work by Gaudi is awe-inspiring stuff with his avoidance of straight lines. Parc Güell is set out on a hill (easy to get to via the metro) and has spectacular views of the city. There are amazing mosaics on seats, walls and even a giant lizard together with some fantastic stone columns. His other "masterpiece" is the unfinished La Sagrada Familia which was started in 1884. It’s definitely worthwhile paying the 9 euros approx. to climb to the top and walk around the spires. When you get close to this structure you are immediately impressed by the magnitude of the operation to complete it.

One final recommendation is the Barri Gothic quarter. This is the ancient part of town with cool little alleys, cafes and bars set amongst some medieval buildings from around the 15th century. The Barri Gothic’s Cathedral is a pretty awesome spectacle. You can get lost for hours in amongst all this history. Time is never enough in this city.