Barcelona Introduction

Spain's second city plays constant one-upmanship with the Iberian capital in Madrid and often wins. This world famous Mediterranean city came to true international acclaim following the huge influx of money and visitors to the 1992 Olympic games and is blessed with great weather, a stunning seaside location, giant urban renovation schemes and an architectural heritage going back over 2000 years that reflects a unique mix of styles and a strong civic pride and identity.

Barcelona has long been a Mecca for artists, designers, architects and urban planners for here is a real city of transformations, from Roman outpost, merchant capital, bourgeois paradise and heartland of revolution to the self-consciousness of the modern (modernista) style.

Sandy beaches, verdant mountain ranges, the culinary delights of fresh food markets such as the Boqueria, the many sunny outdoor terraces; summer time in the Catalan capital offers an authentic taste of Mediterranean life, visually inspiring sights and a vibrant array of colours that you will employ to craft your own new creative style.

Arrivals

Barcelona's El Prat Airport lies 12km (7 miles) south of the city and is composed of 2 terminals. The new terminal 1 serves the British Airways and Iberia flights from London and the original terminal 2 is for Easyjet and other low cost carriers. Taxis to the centre will cost 25-35 Eur depending on the final destination. The public "Aerobus" service heads downtown to Plaza Catalunya (stopping at 3 intermediate stops on the way) for the price of Eur 5.00 (terminal 1) or Eur 4.25 (terminal 2).

RENFE (Spanish railways) operates from Terminal 1 (there is a shuttle bus between the terminals) to Barcelona Sants (the main railway station) for Eur 2.80.

School Location

Located in one of the city's most emblematic and central streets "La Rambla", ELISAVA's new school benefits from being in one of Barcelona's main cultural downtown areas, near to the port and close to the beaches.

The central location also offers excellent public transport connections with the rest of the city and nearby Metro (L1, L3, L4), FGC trains to Plaza Catalunya. Local buses 14 and 59 pass in front of the school.

Elisava

La Rambla 30-32 (entrance on the right hand side at Placa Joaquim Xirau)

08002 Barcelona, Spain.

Tel.: + (34) 93 317 47 15 Fax: + (34) 93 317 83 53

E-mail: barcelona@london-barcelona-courses.com

To easily locate our schools, check the "Maps" section of this website.

Travelling around

Barcelona has a highly efficient and integrated transport system of buses, trams, metro and local trains. Single ride tickets cost Eur 1.30 but the best buy is a T10 (ten ride) ticket that costs Eur 7.70 (for the central zone 1) and can be shared between people travelling together. T10 Tickets are valid for up to 4 changes and 75 minutes from the moment of first validation.

There are two different train companies RENFE (Spanish National Railways) and FCGC (Catalan Regional Railways) but tickets for local city trips are valid on both check out the link for the city transportation company here: http://www.tmb.net/en_US/home.jsp

There is also a city bike hire scheme called "Bicing" that is currently only available to longer stay visitors but may introduce a weekly pass in the near future, see here for more information (in Spanish) http://www.bicing.com

Bike rentals by the hour or day can be found here: http://www.bicicletabarcelona.com/alquiler/bicycles

Useful links about Barcelona

There is a lot to see and do in Summer in the Catalan capital, so start planning early to make the most of your stay. The official city tourism site is at http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/

Try also these two reputable online city guides:

http://www.timeout.com/barcelona/

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/barcelona

Check out

Much of the city is an outdoor museum and the Barcelona Design Centre has put together a very useful map of the main sights (plus restaurants, bars and retail outlets of interest) at: http://www.bcd.es/en/map.asp

Especially worth noting are:

The Textile and Costume Museum and the Decorative Arts Museums also incorporating the Graphic Arts Gallery in the Palace of Pedralbes located in the uptown district of Pedralbes (until 2011) http://www.dhub-bcn.cat/en/museus

The Fundacio' Miro' on Montjuic http://fundaciomiro-bcn.org/?idioma=2

The Picasso Museum in the Barrio Gotico http://www.museupicasso.bcn.es/en/

and last but not least, the magnificent Mies Van Der Rohe Pavilion below Montjuic http://www.miesbcn.com/en/foundation.html

Days, nights and weekends out

A veritable 24 hour city, your balmy Barcelona nights offer many temptations for outdoor dining and socialising, but save some energy for weekend outings to picturesque seaside resorts such as Sitges and Cadaques or a weekend in the Balearic Islands (Menorca, Mallorca and Ibiza can be reached by night ferry or a short flight). The capital Madrid is now only 2hours 40 minutes away by the sleek AVE express trains and the French border town of Cerbere to the north can be reached in about the same time.

Insurance

We strongly advise you to take out your own comprehensive personal travel insurance policy before you leave home to ensure peace of mind during your stay in Europe.

Further Travelling

When your course finishes in Barcelona you have the opportunity to further explore Spain's other historic towns, cities and beaches, or choose one of the other nearby European countries to visit such as France or Portugal.

Try these links for planning and inspiration:

Rail travel http://www.renfe.es/horarios/english/index.html

Air travel: search engine http://www.skyscanner.es/ or the local low cost carrier Vueling: http://www.vueling.com/?language=EN

Long distance bus travel: http://www.alsa.es/portal/site/Alsa

Leaving Barcelona by sea - to the Balearic Islands, Italy and North Africa:

http://www.aferry.com/barcelona-ferry.htm

Catalan region tourist information: http://www.gencat.cat/temes/eng/turisme.htm

Spanish Tourism: http://www.spain.info/

French Tourism (south-east France): http://www.cdt-66.com/en

Portuguese Tourism: http://www.visitportugal.com/Cultures/en-US/default.html