Tipping and local customs
More expensive restaurants add a 7% tax to the bill and cheaper ones incorporate it into their prices. However, a tip of 5% to 10% is still expected on top of this. For smaller expenses, most people just round up to the nearest euro. Taxis do not expect tips.
Spain introduced a ban on smoking in public places on 1 January 2006. Fines imposed for breach of the regulation could range from €30 to a maximum of €600. In Spain, possession of even a small quantity of drugs can result in such as arrest and detention. Being found in possession of large quantities will result in prosecution and a custodial sentence upon conviction. Hotels have a legal obligation to register the passport details of tourists on check-in. You are advised to wait until the hotel staff have registered your passport details or taken a photocopy of your passport, rather than leaving the passport in reception and collecting it later. It may help to take your own photocopy.
Getting around
Our recommended method for getting around Barcelona is the city’s efficient and comprehensive Metro system. Metro stations are recognisable by the red diamond-shaped sign with an M in the middle. Barcelona has five colour-coded and numbered lines which radiate out from the city centre.
The Metro runs from 5am to midnight during the week; the system is totally non-smoking, and the penalty for travel without a valid ticket is €40.Single tickets on the Metro cost€1.20 each, but better value can be gained from either a T-10 ticket offering 10 journeys (which can be shared among a group) for €6.65,or a Day ticket for unlimited 24-travel in central Barcelona for €5.Travel cards for 2, 3, 4 and 5days are also available for €9.20,€13.20, €16.80 and €20 respectively.
All the above tickets are valid for buses as well as the Metro system, and are available from tobacconists’ shops and kiosks as well as main Metro stations. The shops will usually have them on display somewhere so you can buy them by pointing and grunting. Note that these travel cards aren’t valid on the night buses which run after the Metro has finished; a single fare on a night bus is €1.60.
Taxis are reasonable, and can be taken from taxi ranks or hailed in the street – look out for the green light which when lit indicates availability. Check the meter’s reset before your journey starts; a more expensive night rate applies after 8 at night.
At home he's a tourist
If you’re here for any length of time, you may want to do a bit of the tourist thing and take in some of the sights of this fabulous city. You’ll spot the distinctive architecture of the city’s famous son Antonio Gaudi all over the city, and at the risk of sounding all Saga holidays, we’d recommend the tourist bus or Bus Turistic which covers all the major sites in the city while letting you hop on and off on the way round. Gaudi’s famous Sagrada Familia church is worth getting off to have a look at, and if it pushes your culture levels to overload, you can always retire to the Michael Collins pub opposite.
One sight definitely worth a visit if you’ve never done it before is of course the Nou Camp, which is not only a spectacular football stadium but along with its football museum and shops is also Barcelona’s most popular tourist site. The Bus Turistic stops there; nearest Metro stopsare Maria Cristina on Line 3, andCollblanc on Line 5.
