Mobile phones Rent-a-Phone (Tel: 280 2131, Email: rentaphone@rphone.es) has mobile phones to hire. The minimum charge per day is €7.20, or €60 per month. The phone comes ready to use.

Car and limo hire Ride around in style with Barcelona Limousine Service (Tel: 247 0699, www.spain-bcnlimo.com). A chauffeured Mercedes will cost upwards of €300 for eight hours. If you’d rather cruise around town in a full-blown stretch limo, expect to pay €300 to €500 for three hours. See 'Getting around’ for car hire. Office rental The International Business Centre (Tel: 902 332 902, www.ibcnet.es) rents offices in three Barcelona locations, one ideally located on the stately Passeig de Gràcia in a beautiful Modernist building. Rental time is flexible, and it also offers secretarial services and 'virtual office’ services. Alternatively, the Centro de Negocios (www.centro-negocios.com) offers similar services.

Equipment rental If you need computer equipment, contact Microrent (Tel: 363 3250, www.microrent.es), a local company offering laptop and desktop PCs and Macs, printers, flat-screen TVs and various types of projectors. For sound systems, audio-visual equipment, videoconfrencing capabilities and internet broadcasting services, get in touch with Ditec (Tel: 265 6517, www.ditec.es). Prices vary depending on your needs.

LOCAL PRESS

The monthly English-language magazine Barcelona Metropolitan, available at original-version movie theatres and other expat hang-outs, is a great source for information on concerts, theatre, art exhibitions and other events going on around the city. You can also pick up a copy of the weekly Guía del Ocio (www. guiadelociobcn.es)—the last page of this entertainment know-it-all is in English. Barcelona’s major daily newspaper La Vanguardia (www.lavanguardia.es) has film, theatre and concert listings, and the Friday supplement Què Fem?, published in the regional language Catalan, has tons of insights on cool restaurants, bars and events. Helpful internet sites include www.lanetro.com, www.barcelona.com and the city hall site www.bcn.es.

INTERNET

Most business hotels, business centres and major transportation hubs in and around Barcelona now offer wireless internet access. That includes the Barcelona Convention Centre, the airport and the Sants train station (head to the ARS café for the best signal). A few restaurants offer wi-fi, including The Hard Rock Café, some Pans & Company fast-food restaurants, and tourist-friendly restaurants like Restaurant El Pintor on Carrer Sant Honorat 7.

A few old-fashioned Internet cafés are still to be found as well, especially around Plaça Catalunya and near Las Ramblas. Cafés like Easy Internet Café (Las Ramblas 31) and Cybermundo (Carrer Bergara 3) are large, loud and cheap. They’re also known as thieves’ hunting grounds, so be careful with your belongings.

MONEY

Although many locals still talk about large numbers in terms of pesetas (the old Spanish currency), the Euro is here to stay. Major credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard and American Express, are widely accepted. But most small businesses will prefer—or even require— that you pay cash. Banks are open Monday-Friday 8am-2pm. Many banks stay open Thursday afternoons (5pm-8pm) as well. Spain has one of the highest ATMper-inhabitant ratios on the planet, so finding one isn’t usually a problem.

TIPPING ETIQUETTE

Tips are never required, but they’re always appreciated. In a taxi, round up to the nearest Euro if service has been satisfactory. In a bar, leave a few coins if you have them. In a fine restaurant, tip up to 10%, depending on how much you enjoyed the experience. In a nice hotel, tip €1 per large bag.

VISA/VACCINATION

EU nationals do not need a visa to enter Spain. Nationals of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and Japan can stay for up to 90 days without a visa. Citizens of other countries should ask at a Spanish consulate whether or not they need a visa. No vaccinations are required.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

1st January—New Year’s Day
6th January—Three King’s Day
Late March/early April—Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday
1st May—Labour Day May/June—Second Easter Monday
24th July—Saint John’s Day
15th August—Feast of the Assumption
11th September—National Day of Catalonia
24th September—Festival of La Mercé
12th October—National Day of Spain
8th December—Feast of the Immaculate Conception
25th December—Christmas Day
26th December—Saint Stephen’s Day

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Barcelona enjoys a mild climate all year round, although it does have marked seasons. Summers are warm and sunny, with daylight lasting until well past 9pm. Autumn is pleasant, with clear sunny days and chilly nights. Winter is colder and wetter but snow rarely falls. Spring often comes late (it may stay cold until mid-April), but it’s an ideal time for sightseeing.

SUGGESTED READING

For entertaining historical background on Barcelona, particularly about its Modernist architecture, pick up Robert Hughes’

Barcelona, a thick tome with lots of cultural insight. George Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia is a thoughtful look at the Spanish Civil War, especially Barcelona’s role in the conflict. Good novels about the city include Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s Shadow of the Wind, a recent best-seller set in post-civil war Barcelona, and Eduardo Mendoza’s A City of Marvels, about turn-of-the-century Barcelona.

GETTING INTO TOWN

Airport Barcelona’s Aeroport del Prat, just 12kms south of the city, is serviced by a long list of international carriers, including all the major airlines (Iberia, Spanair, British Airways, Monarch, Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, etc) and many budget airlines (Easyjet, Air Europa, Jet2, Vueling, Germanwings, etc). Find more information at www.aena.es. It takes just 20 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic, to reach the city centre from the airport.

Car hire Nearly a dozen car hire companies are set up at the airport, among them Avis, Europcar, Hertz and National/Atesa. You should reserve a car through the companies’ individual website, because waiting to do so at the airport means that you’ll probably run into limited availability and high prices.

Taxis are readily available and will charge you upwards of €18 to get into Barcelona. Train You can take a train from the airport to either the Barcelona Sants or Barcelona Plaça Catalunya stations (www.renfe. es). The 17-minute trip costs €2.30 and a service leaves every half hour.

Bus The Aerobús, a large blue coach, stops just outside the terminals. It costs €3.60 for a 20 to 30-minute ride into town (www.emt-amb.com).

Other forms of transport If you’re coming from elsewhere in Spain or from France, you may decide to travel to Barcelona by train. The city’s main train station is Sants Estació. Get information about train times and prices at www.renfe.es or, from the UK, www.spanish-rail.co.uk. For information about long-distance bus travel, contact coach companies like Alsa (www.alsa.es) or Eurolines (www. eurolines.com), which offers UK-Spain coach services.