SNTO offices abroad
The
Spanish
National Tourist
Office (SNTO)
produces and gives
away an impressive
variety of maps,
pamphlets and
special-interest
leaflets on Barcelona,
and is a good place to
contact before you
leave.
Australia and
New Zealand c/o
Spanish Tourism
Promotions, 178
Collins St, Melbourne
tel 03/9650 7377 or
toll-free tel
1-800/817 855, fax
9650 8177.
Britain and
Ireland 22-23
Manchester Square,
London W1M 5AP tel
020/7486 8077, fax
7486 8034.
Canada 2
Bloor St W, Toronto,
Ontario M4W 3E2 tel
416/961-3131, fax
961-1992.
USA 666 5th
Ave, New York, NY
10103 tel
212/265-8822, fax
265-8864; San Vicente
Plaza Building, 8383
Wilshire Blvd Beverly
Hills, CA 90211 tel
213/658-7188, fax
658-1061; 845 N
Michigan Ave, Chicago,
IL 60611 tel
312/642-1992, fax
642-9817; 1221
Brickell Ave, Miami,
FL 33131 tel
305/358-1992, fax
358-8223; .
Information offices
in Barcelona
It's a good idea to
visit a
tourist
office (see below)
as soon as possible
after arrival, where
you can pick up a free
large-scale
map
of the city and a very
useful public
transport map - as
well as more detailed
pamphlets and
brochures on aspects
of the city's
architecture, history
and culture. For
commercial maps, see
"Shopping",
for the addresses of
relevant book and map
stores. The tourist
office also sells the
Barcelona
Card which gives
reductions of up to
fifty percent on entry
into many museums and
between ten percent
and thirty percent in
some shops and
restaurants. Valid for
24 hours (?15.10), 48
hours (?18.10) or 72
hours (?21.10), the
card also permits free
public transport and
is worth considering
if you are going to be
in town for a short
time. Another option
is the
Articket
(info tel 902 101
212), which for a
single price of ?15,
includes entry into
six major museums and
exhibition sites: the
CCCB, Fundació Miró,
Fundació Tápies, the
MACBA, the MNAC and
"La Pedrera",
and is valid for three
months. Transport is
not included.
Outside the city,
in other Catalan towns
and villages, you'll
find SNTO offices in
virtually every place
you visit and from
these you can usually
get more specific
local information.
SNTO offices are often
supplemented by
separately
administered
provincial or
municipal Turisme
bureaux. These vary
enormously in quality
but, while they are
generally extremely
useful for regional
information, they
cannot be relied on to
know anything about
what goes on outside
their patch.
Airport
Terminal A: daily
9am-3pm; tel 934 784
704. Terminal B: daily
9am-3pm; tel 934 780
565.
Plaça de
Catalunya 17 Daily
9am-9pm; tel 906 301
282 if calling from
within Spain, tel 933
043 421 if calling
from abroad and tel
933 043 232, fax 933
043 326 for
accommodation
enquiries; . Bookings
are no longer done by
phone, but you can use
Barcelona Online (tel
932 473 131, ).
Sants Estació
Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat,
Sun & hols
10am-2pm; tel 934 914
431.
Plaça Sant
Jaume (inside the Ajuntament
building). Mon-Fri
10am-8pm, Sat, Sun
& hols 10am-2pm;
tel 932 702 429. In
summer there is a
temporary information
kiosk in front of the
Sagrada Família
(May-Oct), and in the
most touristy areas
such as along the
Ramblas, you will also
come across wandering
tourist information
officers, who can be
picked out by their
red jackets.
Generalitat
tourist office
Palau Robert, Pg de Gràcia
107. Mon-Sat 10am-7pm,
Sun & hols
11am-3pm; tel 932 384
000. For information
about travel in
Catalunya, the Generalitat
's tourist office is
extremely helpful,
providing maps,
details of how to get
around and lists of
places to stay.
Municipal
information office
Pl de Sant Miquel, in
the new Ajuntament
building. Mon-Fri
8.30am-6pm; tel 932
702 429. Not really
for tourists, but
invariably helpful.
City information
line Mon-Sat
8am-10pm tel 010.
Information service
(English-speaking) for
transport, public
services, etc.
Tourist consumer
rights Mon-Fri
9am-6pm tel 901 300
303. Telephone
helpline
(English-speaking) for
problems with hotels,
reclaiming money on
tickets, and the like.
Barcelona on the
Internet
Spain and Barcelona
are strongly
represented on the
internet in English,
Spanish and Catalan.
Ajuntament
. The website of the Ajuntament
in Catalan, Spanish
and English. Very
useful for opening
hours, bus routes,
all-night pharmacies
and other practical
information. Also
interesting for
finding out about new
developments in the
city.
Gaudi
. An English-language
page run by an
American aficionado of
the modernista
architect. Has
information on
buildings plus photos,
and links.
The Generalitat
. The official website
of the Cultural
Department of the Generalitat
has info in English
and links to cultural
information, local festes
, sports, theatres,
the Filmoteca
and much more.
Generalitat de
Catalunya
. The Generalitat
(Catalan government)
homepage has news as
well as weather and
tourist information,
much of which is
available in English.
Also, useful links.
The Guia del
Ocio .
Website of the weekly
Barcelona listings
magazine, in Spanish.
Red 2000
. General information
for visitors in
English, including
tips for going out at
night.
Top Tips
. The website of an
independent listings
magazine, packed with
information in Catalan
on what's on in
Barcelona.
Tourspain
. The Spanish tourist
board's website with
detailed information
in English.
La Vanguardia
. Website of the
Spanish daily
newspaper with
listings for
Barcelona.
Maps
Despite the number of
free maps available,
you'll be well served
by a reasonable street
plan of Barcelona
to help you get
around. The most
comprehensive are the
foldout Falkplan and
Michelin maps which
cover all the suburbs
and have a full street
index. Most maps
should have the street
names in Catalan but
some older editions
may not yet have
caught up with all the
rebuilding from the
harbour to the Port Olímpic,
although they will get
you round the Barri Gòtic
and Eixample safely.
These, as well as road
maps of Catalunya
or northern Spain by
Michelin, Firestone or
Rand McNally, are
usually available from
the map suppliers
we've listed. In
Barcelona, you'll find
a good selection in
most bookshops ( llibreries
) and at street kiosks
or petrol stations.
