After a makeover lasting more than two decades, Barcelona has transformed itself into one of the most dynamic and stylish cities in the world. Summer is serious party time, but year-round the city sizzles - it's always on the biting edge of architecture, food, fashion, style, music and good times.
The buildings, especially the work of the eccentric genius Gaudí, will blow you away. The art, with significant collections by Picasso and Miró, will make you clammy all over. The people, with their exuberance, their creative spirit, their persistent egalitarianism, will fascinate you
Population
1,593,000
Currency
Name: Euro
Code: EUR
Symbol: €
Electrical Plugs
220V 50 Hz
Languages Spoken
Official: Spanish
Time Zones
GMT/UTC +1 (Central European Time)
Country Dialing Code
+34
Weights & Measures
Metric
Money and Costs
Plastic will save you the most hassles. ATMs are abundant and accessible if you need cash, but so are the places that take major credit cards. Two or more cards is handy and a few travellers cheques as a backup are also not a bad idea.
Currency, Changing Your Money, Money Tips, Price Guide, Tipping
Currency
Name Euro
Symbol € Euro notes come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500. It is often difficult to get change for a €500.00 note.
One euro is divided into 100 cents or centimes. Coins of 1, 2 and 5 centimes are copper-coloured; coins of 10, 20 and 50 centimes are gold-coloured; 1 and 2 euro coins are gold-and-silver coloured. It's a good idea to keep a supply of various coins for parking meters, laundrettes, tolls etc.
Changing Your Money
Travellers cheques can be cashed at banks and exchange offices, and usually attract a slightly higher exchange rate than cash. These days, even small towns have a cajero automático (ATM) where you can withdraw euros from credit and debit accounts at what is usually the best rate for non-euro zone visitors.
Money Tips
Spain is one of Europe's more affordable countries. If you are particularly frugal it's just about possible to scrape by for around €20.00 a day. This would involve staying in the cheapest possible accommodation, avoiding eating in restaurants or going to museums or bars, and not moving around too much. A more comfortable budget would be €40.00 a day, allowing for a basic hotel room, set meals, public transport and entry to museums. With €120.00 a day you can stay in excellent accommodation, rent a car and eat some of the best food Spain has to offer.
Credit and debit cards are widely accepted at hotels and restaurants, especially from the mid-range up, and also for long-distance train tickets.
Be careful carrying your money, whether it's jingling or plastic, as tourists are a major target of theft - hundreds of thousands of credit cards go missing in Spain every year.
Sample Price Guide
movie ticket € 6.50 souvenir t-shirt € 10.00-24.00 national newspaper € 1.00 good mid-range meal € 20.00-35.00 entrance to La Sagrada Família € 8.00 litre of mineral water from supermarket € 0.35 330ml bottle of Estrella Voll Damm beer € 2.00 litre of petrol € 0.95 letter within Europe € 0.57 cocktail € 7.00 Average Room Prices
Low Mid High Deluxe
€35-50 €50-180 €180-400 €400+
Average Meal Prices
Low Mid High Deluxe
€7-20 €20-35 €35-55 €55+
Tipping
You are not expected to tip on top of restaurant service charges, but it is common to leave a small amount, say €1.00 per person. If there is no service charge, you might consider leaving a 10% tip, but this is by no means obligatory. In bars, Spaniards often leave any small change as a tip, often €1.00 . Tipping taxi drivers is not required, but you should tip the porter at higher-class hotels.
No comments:
Post a Comment