Weekend City Breaks: Barcelona

Weekend City Breaks:

• Amsterdam
• BARCELONA
• Berlin
• Copenhagen
• Istanbul
• Lisbon
• Madrid
• Paris
• Rome
• Venice

How to get there from Prague:
Flights: Vueling, Wizz Air, and SmartWings fly direct to Barcelona. Based on my search, Vueling will get two people there in October for 479 EUR (close to 12,000 CZK). If you leave on a Thursday you can save around 30 EUR. The price in November was 299 EUR. Leaving on a Thursday and returning on a Sunday, Wizz will get you there for 289 EUR (November flights were only Saturday – Tuesday). SmartWings was the most expensive at 542 EUR (there were no flights in November).

From Barcelona’s El Prat airport, the easiest way to get into the city is by the Aerobus (A1 or A2) from Terminals 1 and 2 (5.75 EURO one way, 9.95 EURO open return). You can also use the suburban train service, RENFE, which stops at the main train station and other major stops (prices are according to zones).

Where to stay:
Barcelona’s La Ribera- El Born district consistently receives praise. Located just east of the Gothic Quarter (the old center), a short walk west of La Rambla and quick walk to the beach, La Ribera is home to the Picasso Museum, Parc de Ciutadella, and numerous bars, galleries, and cafes. If you’re an architecture fan, stay in Eixample, which is close to the old center and home to the majority of the city’s works by Gaudí. According to Time Out Barcelona, a positive result of the economic downturn is “creativity [“quality at a fair price”] in the mid-range is starting to boom with rooms ranging between 80 to 150 EUR a night”.

Autumn Events:Artfutura (Nov), Festival de Tardor Ribermusica (music festival in Born, Oct 20-23), La Castanyada (Oct 31-Nov 1), Barcelona International Jazz Festival (Oct 30-Nov 30)

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