Barcelona Insider

The Barcelona tourist board has opened a new itinerary that combines a coastal walk with a boat trip.

A new coastal itinerary has been opened in Barcelona.

People staying in Barcelona can follow the route to learn about the mixture of historical and modern features that are located along the city’s coastline.

The guided tour begins at the Mirador de Colom and passes landmarks including the Drassanes Reials, Barcelona’s medieval shipyard.

Walkers will also be shown a tower that housed the lights of a lighthouse until the end of the 18th century and buildings that now define the city’s skyline such as the World Trade Centre.

During the boat trip, tourists will learn about the evolution of the Barcelona coastline over the years.

The route links up with four other walks that pass through various other parts of the city. Visitors can buy tickets online from the Barcelona Turisme website or at information offices and travel agents in the city.

Visitors to Barcelona will have an opportunity to see one of the biggest matches in the opening weeks of the new La Liga season in September.

Barcelona will play Atletico Madrid at the Nou Camp stadium in September.

Reigning champions Barcelona will take on another of Spain’s leading sides, Atletico Madrid, at the Nou Camp stadium on the weekend of September 20th.

Barca won the league title with three games to spare last season, eventually finishing nine points ahead of Real Madrid, who were second.

Atletico Madrid had a strong season and finished fourth, beating the likes of Villarreal and Valencia to a place in the Champions League play-off round.

People visiting Barcelona over the coming months will also have chances to see Barca take on Almeria at the Nou Camp on the weekend of October 4th, with Real Zaragoza visiting the famous stadium three weeks later.

Other stand-out fixtures in the opening weeks of the 2009-10 La Liga campaign include a match between Villarreal and Real Madrid on September 23rd and the meeting of Valencia and Atletico Madrid on September 27th.

People planning to visit Barcelona this summer have been encouraged to take advantage of the city’s beaches.

Barcelona City Council are encouraging tourists to visit the local beaches

The city council said that there is plenty more to do in Barcelona’s seafront hotspots than relax on the beach and take a dip in the sea.

Two new fun areas have been opened this summer, one of which is based at Barceloneta beach and features a number of exercise facilities.

At Llevant beach, visitors with children can make use of a new play area that includes a 7.5-metre-high rope pyramid. The beach has also had new public toilets and other facilities installed.

Holidaymakers who like the idea of relaxing by the sea with a book can hire some reading material from two libraries, one on the Bac de Roda breakwater and another at the Centre de la Platja under the Barceloneta arcades.

The Barcelona city council has also launched some new awareness campaigns this year calling on beach visitors to behave responsibly and refrain from dropping litter.

Gadget enthusiasts in Barcelona will be able to use their laptops, internet-enabled mobile devices and PDAs to access a number of wireless internet hotspots that have been opened up across the city.

Free Wi-Fi coming to Barcelona

Mayor Jordi Hereu described the high-tech initiative as “Barcelona’s ambition applied to 21st-century systems”.

The network is up and running now and provides free internet access at 170 hotspots around the city, which are clearly marked by ‘W’ signs. The number of access points will increase to 300 before the end of the year and is hoped to reach 500 by the end of 2010.

Ramon Garcia-Bragado, Barcelona’s deputy mayor for urban planning, said: “This is not a commercial or professional service, but rather a public one.”

Visitors will be able to access the internet at a number of public facilities, including museums, markets, libraries and sports centres.

The service could prove particularly useful for tourists looking for information on events and attractions around the city.

The retail centres and shopping streets of Barcelona will be more popular than ever over the coming months as the city hosts its summer sales.

The summer sales get under way in Barcelona

Stores launched their summer discount season at the beginning of July and will continue to offer low prices until August 31st.

According to the Barcelona city council, shoppers will be offered price reductions of between 50 and 70 per cent at some outlets.

This summer, there is set to be a wide range of stock to choose from following the poor weather and economic difficulties that hampered the spring shopping season.

Clothing and footwear are expected to be among the most popular consumer items, as well as holiday equipment and furniture.

There are many areas in Barcelona where visitors can search for a bargain, such as the Passeig de Gracia, Avinguda Diagonal and the El Corte Ingles shopping centre.

If you’re thinking of heading over to grab yourself a few bargains, why not make the most of it and get yourself a hotel in Barlcelona for a few days.

Barcelona will be launching a bid to make itself the “world’s yellowest city” to celebrate its involvement in the Tour de France.

Tour de France comes to Barcelona

On July 9th, the sixth stage of the famous cycle race will arrive in Barcelona, departing the city the following day to head to Andorra.

The Barcelona city council said that it would be receiving the Tour de France with “the world’s largest yellow wave”, which will provide a bright route for the cyclists to follow as they approach the finishing line.

To create the wave, spectators will be given yellow sheets to raise in the air as the cyclists pass by.

The convoy that travels with the Tour de France is expected to arrive in Barcelona at around 15:00 on July 9th, with the competitors due to follow at 17:00.

After covering a distance of some 3,500km, the race will come to an end on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on July 26th.

The Barcelona city council has announced that the cliff of Montjuic will be turned into a nature reserve in 2011.

Montjuic cable cars

Montjuic is one of Barcelona’s richest areas with regards to biodiversity, providing a habitat for various species of flora and fauna.

It is also one of the most significant areas of prehistoric, open-cast mining in Catalonia.

In order to protect the area and maintain its natural state, the city council announced that, when its current term of office ends in 2011, the 400-metre-wide cliff would be classed as a nature reserve.

Montjuic is a particularly significant location for ornithologists owing to the fact that it provides a habitat for several species of birds of prey, including kestrels, owls and falcons.

There are many other parks and outdoor locations that holidaymakers can visit in Barcelona, such as Parc de la Ciutadella, which is home to several museums, sculptures and other attractions.

Music fans staying in Barcelona will be able to visit Poble Espanyol this summer to see a varied programme of gigs.

Jeff Beck - one of many acts due to perform at Poble Espanyol

Located in the Montjuic area of Barcelona, Poble Espanyol is regarded as one of the city’s leading venues for summer concerts.

The highlights of its 2009 season will include an appearance by Jeff Beck, who will perform at the venue on July 22nd.

Beck was one of three well-known guitarists to have played with the Yardbirds, the other two being Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.

Taking to the stage on July 24th will be Orishas, a hip-hop group originating from Havana, Cuba.

Other highlights of Poble Espanyol’s 2009 summer season will include gigs by jazz musician George Benson (July 5th) and pop rock group Amaral (July 10th).

Poble Espanyol is worth a visit at any time of the year. It serves as an open-air architectural museum that brings together the style and culture of various locations from across Spain.

The city of Barcelona is preparing for another busy summer by implementing a number of measures to make life easier for visitors and residents.

Barcelona prepares for summer

From June 15th, the city council will be running a number of schemes relating to public transport, cleaning, police services and other provisions over the months when greater use is made of public spaces.

Jordi Hereu, mayor of Barcelona, said the council is “getting ready to face the summer and the exceptional occasions [it brings] while maintaining the [city's] standard of life”.

People visiting Barcelona over the summer will be able to make use of a better public transport network as extra buses are deployed on busy routes and additional metro services are launched.

Beaches will be cleaned every day, while the presence of police officers will be increased in busy areas to ensure the safety of visitors and locals.

Barcelona will play host to several events over the summer that are sure to attract plenty of visitors, including the Red Bull Air Race and the Montjuic at Night festival.

A special exhibition has been launched in Barcelona paying tribute to the Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio.

Basilica Palladiana - One of many Palladian buildings

The showcase will be open at the CaixaForum in the city’s Sants-Montjuic district until September 6th.

Travellers staying in Barcelona will be able to visit the exhibition to learn all about the Venetian designer, who is thought to be one of the most influential figures in the history of western architecture.

Palladio was one of the most sought-after architects of his time, regularly commissioned by religious authorities and aristocrats.

Some of his most notable creations include the Teatro Olimpico and the Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza and the Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice.

The CaixaForum display has been put together to provide an extensive representation of Palladio’s career through more than 200 of his most significant works.

Visitors to Barcelona will find the CaixaForum, one of the city’s most popular cultural centres, on Avinguda Marques de Comillas.