march-2013

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barcelona
spain
47,042,984 +34 11°C
Euro (EUR)
Three times daily
Sally Davies
March brings bright, warm days and fewer
tourists to Barcelona’s streets
BARRI GÒTIC
Grand buildings and medieval
alleyways give the Gothic quarter
an atmospheric feel.
SLEEP The curious eyeball sculptures
on the façade of the Ohla Hotel (Via
Laietana 49, 93 341 50 50, ohlahotel.
com, rooms from €211) hide a more
restrained, quietly luxurious interior.
The Bonic (Carrer Josep Anselm Clavé
9, 1º 4A, 626 053 434, bonic-barcelona.
com, rooms from €90) is a bright and
breezy eight-room B&B.
EAT Can Culleretes (Carrer Quintana
5, 93 317 30 22, culleretes.com) is
cheap, noisy and utterly unmissable;
mains might include wild boar stew
or cod with butterbeans.
CULTURE The neighbourhood sprawls
out from the Gothic Catedral de
Barcelona (Pla de la Seu), starting
point for the city’s Easter parades.
Palm Sunday is particularly lively.
SHOP La Boqueria (La Rambla 89)
is Europe’s biggest food market: a
cornucopia of weighty hams, fruit and
veg, nuts, shellfish and freshly-cooked
buñuelos de bacalao (salt-cod fritters).
LATER Harlem Jazz Club (Carrer de
Comtessa de Sobradiel 8) has been
INFO
El Prat Airport is
12km from the city.
Bus
Aerobuses, one
from each terminal,
depart every 10
minutes and stop
at Plaça Espanya,
Plaça Universitat
and Plaça
Catalunya. Tickets
bought on the bus
cost €5.75 and
the journey takes
30-40 minutes.
Train
A suburban
(Rodalies) train
calling at Sants and
Passeig de Gràcia
takes about 30
minutes. Tickets
cost €3.80, but it’s
best to buy a T10
train card for €9.80,
which comprises 10
train, bus or metro
journeys.
Taxi
A black and yellow
taxi to the centre
will cost around
€25, depending
on traffi c.
Tourist info
The main tourist
offi ce is at Plaça
Catalunya, 932 853
832, barcelona
turisme.com
bringing diverse acts to the city’s night
owls for a quarter of a century, from
flamenco to bossa nova.
TIP Ride the lift up to the roof of the
Hotel Duquesa de Cardona (Passeig
Colom 12) for a cocktail and an
unmatched view over the port.
SANT ANTONI
An up-and-coming barrio of the
Eixample, with a plethora of new
bars and cafés.
SLEEP You get a lot of design bang
for your buck at the Market Hotel
(Passatge Sant Antoni 10, 93 325 12 05,
markethotel.com.es, rooms from €69),
with its pared-down rooms and chic
communal areas.
EAT Carrer Parlament is the main
artery for Sant Antoni’s wealth
of hipster cafés, but Federal (Carrer
Parlament 39, 93 187 36 07) is still
the coolest of them all. Try Bar
Calders (Carrer Parlament 25,
93 329 93 49) for tapas and a
Sunday-morning vermouth.
LATER Gin bars are a hot trend right
now, and Xix (Carrer Rocafort 19) is
where it all started, with literally dozens
of gins to choose from.
Australian coffee
and stellar brunches,
courtesy of Federal
TIP Sant Antoni’s iconic market
building is being renovated, but its
Sunday book market still takes place
in muted form in the adjacent streets.
GRÀCIA
This quiet, low-rise neighbourhood,
beloved of families and students,
has an anarchic past.
SLEEP Casa Gràcia (Passeig de Gràcia
116, 93 187 44 97, casagraciabcn.com,
rooms from €55) can lay claim to being
the city’s first boutique hostel. Nearby
Casa Fuster (Passeig de Gràcia 132, 93
255 30 00, hotelcasafuster.com, rooms
from €160) is an altogether grander
affair, in a beautiful Modernista building.
EAT Café-cum-deli Les Tres a la
Cuina (Carrer Sant Lluis 35, 93 105
49 47) has one of the best lunch deals
in the city: two creative, delicious
courses for €7.
CULTURE Gaudí’s Park Güell contains
some of his most fantastical buildings
and sculptures, and has a spectacular
view across the city to the sea.
SHOP Lots of quirky boutiques
have sprung up in Gràcia lately,
many of which can be found
along Carrer Verdi.
READ OUR CITY GUIDES ONLINE
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