Barcelona by night

For those in search of an enjoyable night out on the town, the problem might be choosing what would be most to your liking from among all that Barcelona has to offer. To start off, you could drop into one of the city's many champagne or cocktail bars. The night, however, might also begin at a good restaurant, choosing from among a wide and varied range that includes authentic food from around the world, in addition to the traditional Mediterranean cuisine of the city.

For dancers, everywhere around the city are found discotheques, clubs and dance halls. For those who prefer to enjoy their music without having to move their bodies, the best thing to do is head off to one of the city's many live music clubs, offering almost daily shows in every style, from jazz and blues to African music, classical and flamenco. Visitors who feel the need to express their own musical talents can try out a karaoke club. Nor should we forget about other attractions of Barcelona by night: the theatre, the cinema.

Barcelona, a tapas town?

Historically speaking, Barcelona, we must recall, was never a tapas town. And now? I don’t think so, or rather it isn’t in the way that the rest of Spain understands tapas. The city has changed radically in recent years and that undoubtedly has forced most people to adapt their traditional ways to the new times. But the Barcelonan, as a good Catalan, has always been a man (or woman, lest I should offend anyone) for having a full meal at the table. Only for the customary Sunday vermouth and olives would some dispense with the seat, required for breakfast, which at home or at the fonda was always a hearty sit-down meal. And it goes without saying, lunch and dinner, simple and round the family table. People went out to eat only on extraordinary occasions or for the local festivities: the well-heeled, in the plush chairs of the Restaurant Martin or the bar-cafè-brasserie Maison Dorée; workers and artisans on the ground, in the shade of a tree, or on excursion to Montjuïc, Vallvidrera or Les Planes. But everyone sat. The Catalan has always eaten sitting down.

Barcelonans were gobsmacked, I’m sure, when they saw their first strangers eat standing at the bar. The flowing throngs of the so-called “wine zones” (for the tapa, in its origins, is no more than a complement to wine), which are common to just about every Spanish town, in Barcelona had no more than a pale imitation – and after the Civil War, at that – centred on Carrer de la Mercè, which in the 1950s and 60s became the favoured hangout for university students, drawn by the earthy ambience and cheap drink and eats. Of course, scattered around the city there were a few establishments where people would tapear, but no one said: "Let’s go out for tapas", but rather "Let’s go out for a beer" or " Let’s go out for a vermouth".

 Museums: heritage to treasure and enjoy

The museums of Barcelona house a very valuable heritage, and the conservation and popularizing of that heritage, encouraging different sections of the public to get to know it by means of exhibitions and hands-on activities, is their primary function.This is the context that underpins exhibition ventures such as the cycle Mediterraneum at the Museu d'Història de la Ciutat, which presents the Mediterranean as a space of cultural interchange, and the exhibition París-Barcelona, produced in collaboration with the Musée Picasso in Paris.

In addition to displaying their own collections and hosting a wide range of temporary exhibitions, the museums also run a huge variety of activities: itineraries and evening visits, workshops for schools, courses and cycles of lectures and live music are coming more and more to configure the idea of the museum as a driving force of the city's cultural dynamic. The museums work to define differentiated types of provision oriented at specific audiences, and organize programmes such as Summer in the Museums and Christmas in the Museums.

The level of public response is one of the keys to success in the ongoing task of improving the city's museums. The number of people who visit Barcelona's fifty or so public and private museums each year is currently running at 7 million. Of particular note in terms of number of visits are the Museo Picasso (with its important collection of the painter's work, in addition to temporary exhibitions), and the Fundación Joan Miró.

TRANSPORTATION

Black-and-yellow taxis (with a green roof-light on when available for hire) are inexpensive, plentiful and well worth using, especially late at night. There's a minimum charge of ¬1.80 (¬2 evenings, weekends and holidays) and after that it's around ¬0.70 per kilometre. But taxis won't take more than four people and charge extra for baggage and on public holidays, for picking up from Sants and for a multitude of other things. Asking for a receipt ( rebut in Catalan, recibo in Castilian) should ensure that the price is fair. Cabs can be called on the following numbers: tel 934 902 222; tel 934 331 020; tel 933 003 811; tel 933 577 755; tel 933 199 268; and tel 933 215 700

VEHICLE RENTAL

You're not going to need a car to get around Barcelona, but you may want to rent one if you plan to see anything else of the region - though note that the coastal roads in summer are a nightmare; stick to buses and trains if that's as far as you're going. Major roads are generally good, and traffic, while a little hectic in the towns, is generally well behaved - though Spain does have one of the highest incidences of traffic accidents in Europe. Driving, even with a full car, will work out expensive: fuel prices are only marginally lower than in Britain and almost double US prices, and in Barcelona at least you'll probably want to pay extra for a hotel with parking (which is notoriously difficult in the city centre), or be forced to stay on the outskirts. Vehicle crime is rampant - never leave any thing visible in the car.

Most foreign driving licences are honoured in Spain - including all EU, US and Canadian ones - but an International Driver's Licence (available from recognized driving organizations) is an easy way to set your mind at rest. If you're bringing your own car, you must have a green card from your insurers, and a bail bond or extra coverage for legal costs is also worth having, since if you do have an accident it'll be seen as your fault as a foreigner, regardless of the circumstances. Without a bail bond both you and the car could be locked up pending investigation.

Away from main roads you yield to vehicles approaching from the right, but rules are not too strictly observed anywhere. Remember that you drive on the right in Spain. Speed limits are posted - maximum on urban roads is 60kph, other roads 90kph, motorways 120kph. If you're stopped for any violation, the Spanish police can and usually will levy a stiff on-the-spot fine before letting you go on your way, especially since as a foreigner you're unlikely to want, or be able, to appear in court.

In the event of car trouble, the Reial Automòbil Club de Catalunya has links with its European equivalents, and there's a 24-hour telephone line for emergency help and information : tel 900 307 307. Its office address in Barcelona is Avda Diagonal 687 (tel 934 955 000).

DINING

There are two ways to eat in Barcelona: you can go to a restaurant ( restaurante in Castilian) or cafetería and have a full meal, or you can have a succession of tapas (small snacks; sometimes tapes in Catalan) or raciones (larger ones; racions in Catalan) at one or more bars. This last option can be a lot more interesting, allowing you to do the rounds and sample local specialities. 

Travellers on an extremely limited budget can do well for themselves by using the excellent markets, bakeries and delis and filling up on sandwiches and snacks.

Good restaurants and cafés are easily found all over the city, though you'll probably do most of your eating where you do most of your sightseeing, in the old town, particularly around the Ramblas and in the Barri Gòtic. Don't be afraid to venture into the Barrio Chino which hides some excellent restaurants, some surprisingly expensive, others little more than hole-in-the-wall cafés. In the Eixample prices tend to be higher, though you'll find plenty of lunchtime bargains around. Gràcia , further out, is a nice place to spend the evening, with plenty of good mid-range restaurants. For the food which Barcelona is really proud of - elaborate sarsuelas (fish stews) and all kinds of fish and seafood - you're best off in the Barceloneta district (Metro Barceloneta, or bus #64 or #17, final stop), down by the harbour, or in the Port Olímpic (Metro Ciutadella, or bus #41 or #59). Nor should you necessarily eschew local chain or franchise outfits, which can be surprisingly good and sometimes score quite well on ambience and decor.

Note that the Barri Gòtic can be a dangerous place late at night. The tapas bars themselves are all right (watch your possessions; bag-snatchers operate in crowded bars), but take care if you're on a bar crawl - stick to the main streets, don't let anyone lure you up a side street, and only take out the money you're going to spend that night.