For your information: here are the main telephone numbers that will help you in case of an emergency during your stay in Barcelona. You will also find telephone numbers for specific services or simply for information about the city.

- Emergency numbers

Ambulance, fire brigade, police...: 112

Barcelona Police Station: 93 290 30 00.

For emergencies (Centro de atención primaria):

-Sagrada Familia centre: Còrsega street, 643, 08025 Barcelona‎ 935 072 580

- Gothic area centre : Passatge Pau, 1, 08002 Barcelona   933 425 549‎

ComeToBarcelona : (34) 637 715 428

Medical emergencies 061

National police 091

Local Police 092

Emergencies and road accidents 088

Civil Guards´ Police Force 062

Veterinary (service 24/24-heures) 93 205 31 16

Night pharmacies: 93 481 00 60

Ambulances 93 300 20 20 - 93 329 97 01

Hospital 93 454 60 00 - 93 418 34 00

Dental emergencies  93 227 47 47

- Embassies :

General Consulate of Italia - Eixample

Calle Mallorca 270, 08037 Barcelona

+34 93 487 0002 

General consulate of Belgium - Eixample

Calle Diputacio 303, 08009 Barcelona

+34 93 487 7669

Consulate of Germany - Gràcia

Calle Gracia 111, 08012 Barcelona

+34 93 601 2150     

Consulate of Canada  

Calle Catalunya 9, 08002 Barcelona

+34 93 317 0541 

Consulate of Great Britain - Eixample

Avenue Diagonal 477, 08036 Barcelona

+34 93 366 6200

General consulate of France - Eixample

Ronda Universitat 22, 08007 Barcelona

+34 93 270 3000     

General consulate of Russia  - Les Corts

Avenue Pearson 34, 08034 Barcelona

General consulate of United States - Sarrià-Sant Gervasi

Paseo Reina Elisenda de Montcada 23, 08034 Barcelona

+34 93 280 2227   

- Tourist information:

Tourist information centres of Catalonia:  

Terminal 1: (0034) 93 478 4704
Terminal 2B: (0034) 93 478 0565

The following link will indicate the contact details of all of Barcelona’s tourist centres.

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/sp/general/oficina-de-turismo-barcelona.html

- Other information:  

Taxis for disabled persons : 93 420 80 88

National and international calls:

National calls begin with 9. (With the country code). For the national and international calls, you will have to dial 00 + the country code (0044 for Great Britain) + the telephone number.  

While traveling to another country is an exciting experience, there are many things a tourist needs to know before immersing themselves in the culture. Barcelona is a thrilling place to be year round, but like all major cities, one needs to know how to be safe, especially as a tourist. While there is very little violent crime in Barcelona, because it is a very touristy city pick pocketing is a common problem. However, preventing pick pocketing is easy; just follow these tips and you´ll be sure to enjoy your trip to Barcelona without having to deal with the annoyance of missing things. 

 Keep your belongings close.
Whether you´re taking a stroll down Las Ramblas or just a trip on the Metro, it´s extremely important to watch out for pickpockets. Keep your belongings, especially money and passports in a money belt or bag close to your body, and never walk around with a purse or bag wide open. When on the Metro, be ultra aware of your surroundings and keep an eye on your things, especially during rush hour. It is best to leave your most valuable things at your hotel or apartment and not to carry more money than you need in one day. Keep your camera in your bag rather than around your neck, and try not to carry a backpack unless you can keep it turned around so you are always aware of it.

Be a savy tourist, not an obvious one.
Nothing is a more obvious target to pickpockets than a tourist blindly walking around Barcelona looking at a map. While exploring the streets, try to be aware of your surroundings and duck into a café or restaurant when looking at a map. Also, be aware of pickpocket scams, and don´t let anyone distract you as they may be working in a group to take your money and belongings.  Even if you don´t know where you´re going, try to look like you do, bag snatchers love tourists that look completely distracted.

Conclusion
Don´t let our safety tips scare you away from coming to Barcelona, just by being aware of your surroundings you can avoid 99% of all petty theft. Barcelona is a great city to visit and knowing how to be a savvy tourist can make your trip that much more enjoyable.

Book your apartment today and come to Barcelona with a knowledge of how to explore the city safely!

Metro, that’s where most of the visitors are! We don´t suggest avoiding these lines, they lead to the best parts of the city, we just suggest being careful. Watch your belongings and be aware of any suspicious persons around you and don´t get distracted by a phone call, IPod or conversation on the train. While areas like the Ramblas, Parc Guell and Sagrada Familia are highly concentrated in most of the pick pocketing, there is little to no crime in the lesser known parts of the city but keep your guard up no matter what.

BOOK YOUR APARTMENT CLOS TO RAMBLAS WITH COMETOBARCELONA!

With the sun shining and spring finally here, there´s no better way to get to know Barcelona than with a bike tour of the city. You´ll be able to see and experience parts of the city unseen by bus tours with a guide explaining the deeper insights of Barcelona and the secrets of the different neighborhoods and quarters. The bike tours are great for families and kids of all ages with plenty of stops at the city´s best restaurants and bars to grab a refreshment or snack on the way. The bike tour is a great way to see all the most famous sites in Barcelona, such as the Sagrada Familia and the sunny beaches as well as some lesser known attractions. There are a variety of tour options, varying in length and area, but each one gets you around faster than on foot and more in depth than on a tour bus.  Book your apartment in Barcelona today and sign up for a  tour to get to know the best of this amazing city!

Next time you´re planning a day trip; consider traveling up the coast line of Spain to the picturesque landscape of Costa Brava. Take a one day excursion to the beautiful and secluded beaches, rugged cliffs, and crystal clear water. With the weather warming up, the Mediterranean coast of Spain is a great place for a relaxing weekend to swim, snorkel or catch some sunny rays. When you´re nice and relaxed, explore the quaint villages and take the age-old trail that winds between them. You´ll be able to learn a little more about Catalonia´s history while seeing old monastery ruins, olive orchards, and terraced mountain sides, losing yourself in the charming peacefulness of the charming Costa Brava villages. At the end of the day, enjoy a delicious seafood lunch by the beach or at a local mountain restaurant, and take in the sea breeze and the sun a little more before heading back to Barcelona. Book your apartment today to enjoy Barcelona and day trips down the coast of Spain.

With the weather warming up in Barcelona and along the coast of Spain, it´s the perfect time to take a day trip and see the fantasy Dali-land in Figueres, a small town about two-hours from Barcelona. The museu Dali is filled with some of Dali´s most famous works of art, and the renovated theatre is personally decorated and designed by Salvador Dali himself.  The museum is a surrealistic portrayal of Dali´s life, everything with no logical order and without any sort of audio guide, a request by Dali himself. You´ll be able to look closely into Dali´s personal life, specifically the boat hanging above the tire tower representing his soul mate Gala and the tears representing her death. Look next at the homage Dali paid to Mae West, a room where her face can be seen in the furniture only from a certain vantage point. You can spend hours in the surrealistic museum, looking at how Dali portrayed famous works of art in the most peculiar ways. 

If you haven´t had enough of Salvador Dali yet, take a trip from Figueres to Cadaques, about a 45 minute drive, to see the Dali House, his home where he created most of his bizarre artwork. His home, which he shared with Gala, proves how a person´s creativity can be expressed through all types of medium. His front door, a work of abstract art, was created when he asked the local fishermen to wipe their brushes on it when they finished painting their boats. The house is left almost exactly as it was when Dali moved out in 1982, after the death of Gala.

Dali´s house and museum are both reflections of Dali´s personality, fun and a little bit provocative. Before you leave Barcelona make sure a trip to Figueres or Cadaques is on your list of things to do, and don´t forget to book your Barcelona apartment today!

Barcelona is a great city for walking. It's wide boulevards and narrow back for alleys offer countless hours of aimless wandering. However, Barcelona is also diverse geographically and many of the main sights and attractions are located quite far away from each other. This is where the efficient and expansive Barcelona public transportation system comes into help.

Featuring four main modes of transport: metro, bus, commuter trains, and trams; the Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) offers cheap and safe mass transportation 24 hours a day. This guide will give a brief overview of these transport systems and how to make the best use of them. Believe me; this guide will come in handy whether it's so hot outside you can't take another minute of walking without drowning in a pool of your own sweat, it's pouring rain, or you simply want to get from one part of the city to another quickly and easily.

Barcelona's quick and efficient metro system

General info

Opening hours for the metro, commuter trains, normal bus lines, and trams are Sunday to Thursday from 5:00 am until midnight; Friday from 5:00 am until 2:00 am; and Saturday the system is open 24 hours. There are night buses (called Nitbus) that run all night every night. All night buses begin or end in Pl. Catalunya. Always check inside the stations, as hours may be extended for special events and festivals happening in the city. All of the different modes of transport operate with an integrated ticket system, which means tickets may be purchased anywhere and used on any transportation within the city of Barcelona. Individual tickets for zone 1 (Barcelona metropolitan area) may be bought for 1.35€, but the best value for most visitors is to purchase a T-10 ticket, which is valid for 10 rides and may be shared for 7.70€. The day tickets are generally not worth the money. Your ticket entitles you to make transfers within 1 hour and 15 minutes of its initial validation, as long as you don't return the direction from which you came. If you are taking the commuter trains outside of the city, check the zone map to find out the type of ticket you need to purchase.

Metro

The easiest public transport option to use, the underground train network is made up of 5 major lines each indicated with a number and a color (L1, red; L2, purple; L3, green; L4, yellow; L5, blue). All lines connect with each other line at at least one station, making transfers easy. Stops are located near all major attractions, and in general you are never more than 15 minutes walking away from a metro stop anywhere in the city. During peak hours, trains run every 2-3 minutes; but on weekends and off hours waits may be longer- between 5 and 10 minutes. A map of the subway system is available here.

Commuter trains
Run by two companies; Renfe (the Spanish national rail company) and Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), which is the Catalan government's train network; offer both urban and suburban service- connecting the urban center with the small cities outside of Barcelona, as well as the more remote districts of the city itself. Renfe's Rodalies commuter train service can take you to the airport (from Sants station, and other city center stations) and to some great beaches outside the city (Sitges, Platja de Castelldefells, Montgat, amongst others). The FGC serves the quiet, Parte Alta (uptown) of Barcelona, as well as the cities in the interior of Barcelona province. FGC can also take you to Montserrat, Vic and other sights mentioned on this blog.

Buses
The bus network is vast and extensive. For all intensive purposes it is much simpler to use the metro system. However, if you do have the urge to take the bus, simply ask for a map on the bus or in any metro station with an attendant, and you can rather easily plan your routes. The waiting times for buses varies from 5-30 minutes depending on the line and time of day. We do, however, recommend the Nitbus (night bus) service which offers all night service every day of the year. All night buses start or end in Plaza Catalunya, so it is simple to take a bus to your Barcelona apartment from the city center.

Trams
There are two tram networks, though the one you are most likely to use as a visitor are the two lines which serve the beach area of the city. From the metro stop Glories or Marina (L1) you can catch trams that will drop you off near Poblenou, the Forum, the Diagonal Mar shopping center, and many of the city's beaches. The tram is a convenient way to get around this part of the city where metro stops are more scarce.

Barcelona is a beautiful city, with people and places that remain in your heart and memory long after you’ve departed. Barcelona is also a major metropolis and one of the most heavily touristed cities in Europe. As such, there are always some parasites and other unsavory elements that are attracted to the good living and crowds of people for their own immoral, and illegal personal gain. Of course, we are referring to theft. Luckily, violent crime is rare in Barcelona; so you don’t need to worry about being hurt;  but not so lucky is the fact that petty theft is commonplace- especially in the touristic areas of the city.

Us here at Come2BCN decided to write this short guide as a way to help you stay secure in your person and belongings while you’re in Barcelona. Hopefully this will make you more aware of the techniques thieves use and allow you to enjoy your time in the city without undue worry or paranoia. After all, nobody wants to spend their time in Barcelona dealing with credit card companies and cops!

The old city is a favorite hangout of petty thieves, especially at night

Rule # 1 – Stay in control

Just because you are on vacation and having a good time doesn’t mean you can let your guard down and be oblivious to the world around you. If you are blatantly out of it, falling down drunk, or otherwise unaware or unable to be aware of your surroundings your risk for being a target of theft increases dramatically. The easiest targets for the (sober) thieves are the beligerently drunk people that think Barcelona is some type of all-inclusive resort. By all means, drink as much as you want. Just don’t lose control. By simply paying attention and listening to your gut instinct, most problems can be avoided. 

Rule # 2 – Know where you are

The vast majority of robberies take place in and around Las Ramblas and the old city, at the beach, around Parc Guell, and in the areas immediate to La Sagrada Familia. On the Metro, 90% of robberies occur on the blue (L5) and green (L3) lines, especially in the stations Diagonal and Sants Estacó. Why? Simple. It’s where the visitors are. We’re not saying avoid these areas- they’re some of our favorite parts of the city! Rather, be aware that you are in areas frequented by thieves and adjust your level of caution accordingly. And be especially aware at night in these areas. In all other neighborhoods of the city you really don't have to worry as crime is disproportionately concentrated in the touristic zones and old city. 

Rule # 3 --  Know your enemy

On public transport: Thieves on the metro/trains usually look for people with backpacks or large handbags that they are not paying attention to. They generally work during rush hours, when the trains are packed. Their modus operando generally involves reaching into a backpack or bag slung  behind the shoulder and then leaving the train at the next stop. Avoid this by holding your bags in front of you while on the Metro. Also, please note that the turnstile area of Sants Estació metro station is a notorious hangout for thieves who rob people while they are buying or swiping their tickets. 

On the street: Be wary of anyone who approaches you in an overly animated and friendly manner. Normal people, if they want to talk to you, will maintain their distance and speak to you in a respectable, calm manner. Thieves like to act like “best pals” with their victims and put their arms around their targets as they walk and talk. The most common robbery technique involves a guy putting his arm around you and starting to dance. Next, he will hook his leg around yours and simultaneously reach in your pockets. At this point, it’s generally too late and your stuff is gone. If this begins to happen, get the person away from you by any means necessary, make a lot of noise and cause as large of a scene as you can. Draw attention to you and to him. Next, make sure you have all your stuff before you let him out of your sight. The scum that operates like this usually try and play their failed robbery off as an innocent mistake and fade into the shadows in shame.

Conclusions

Violent crime is not something to be worried about while in Barcelona, but being vigilant about your personal belongings is vital to having a safe and enjoyable holiday. By maintaining awareness about where you are and the people around, you the vast majority of undesirable situations can be avoided. Now that you’re savvy about the streets of Barcelona, get out there and experience everything this dynamic and impressive metropolis has to offer. 

 Apartments on line!

One of the most common inquiries we receive at ComeToBarcelona is about how to arrive to the city from El Prat (BCN) Airport. The transfer from the airport to the city center is confusing for many visitors because the airport is not actually located in the city of Barcelona itself, but rather in the neighboring city of El Prat de Llobregat.

Landing in Barcelona's El Prat (BCN) Airport

However, that doesn't mean you should be worried about finding your way to the city upon arrival. Thankfully, there are a wide variety of options available for transportation to and from the airport. This article will provide you with the inside scoop on how to get in to the city, and back to your plane, in the manner most convenient for you.

ComeToBarcelona recommends the following modes of transport for travelling between the city and the airport: 

Train

Renfe, the Spanish national rail system, offers twice hourly service to and from the airport with stops at the stations Clot-Arago, Passeig de Gracia, and Sants Estació (the city's main train station); all of which are located in or near the city center. The trip takes approximately 30 minutes and tickets may be purchased at the machines located inside each station. Trains generally run from 5 A.M. until midnight, though be sure to check the schedule as timetables may vary on holidays or during special events. Also, beware that this is a very popular service and during peak times the trains may be extremely crowded. 

Aerobus

The Aerobus is an express shuttle which serves as the main bus connection between BCN airport and the center of Barcelona. Running every 15 minutes, the bus makes stops at Plaça Espanya, Gran Via, and Plaça Catalunya (the heart of the city). Tickets are 4.25 € per person each way, and may be purchased on board the bus. However, be sure to check the schedule as the bus does not run early in the morning or late at night, and there are two different routes (one serving Terminal 2 and the other serving the new Terminal 1). 

Taxi

Taxis are an extremely common, if more expensive, way to get to and from the airport. There is a taxi stand at the exit of the airport if you wish to take a taxi upon arrival. Within the city, look for a taxi stand on the street or simply hail any passing cab that has it's green light turned on. One should note that there are supplemental charges for entering or leaving the airport, as well as for each piece of luggage brought on board. With a cab the transfer should take about 20 minutes, though travel times may vary depending on the time of day and the corresponding amount of traffic! 

Private Transfer

For those who wish to avoid the hassle of standing in line for a taxi, or hauling their suitcases to and from the bus or train stops, we recommend arranging a private airport transfer prior to your arrival. Private transportation will provide you with door to door service and make your trip as simple as possible. Simply arrive, pick up your bags, and get in the car that's waiting for you.

If you are looking for private transport at a low price, you can make your booking directly with us here. This service is provided by our affiliate, Viator, and comes highly recommended both by us, and by our clients who have used it.

For the most discerning traveller, there is always the option of arranging a private car with chauffeur for all of your transportation needs, including going to and from the airport. Our affiliate, Cars Deluxe, is the best and most experienced high-end private transport company in Barcelona. Their fleet is entirely comprised of brand new Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Make your reservation here to experience the ultimate in luxury transport when you come to BCN.

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