9 Tourist Mistakes to Avoid in Barcelona

If you've read my latest blog post, you'll know that my friends and I spent a week in Barcelona in July. I'm still upset that I had to leave this breathtaking, bustling city behind to fly home - compared to my hometown, which isn't that small at all, Barcelona seems so full of life and endless possibilities.

I've got to admit that we went into our trip without all too much preparation. We thought of a few places we wanted to go and things we wanted to do, but we didn't go as far as purchasing a travel guide or read up too much on tips on travelling around Barcelona.

So, as quite a few of you commented on my photo diary how you also want to visit Barcelona, I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the typical tourist mistakes you shouldn't make in Barcelona in order to have a smooth trip!

1. Underestimating the climate

I suppose that when you think of Spain, you think of warm weather. It was the same for me, I figured that yeah, it would definitely be hot in Barcelona, but I had travelled to warm countries before and it would feel more pleasant than anything.

It wasn't pleasant. In terms of heat, it was a lot more extreme than what people here in Germany would be used to, but in terms of humidity, it was the seventh circle of hell. Our AirBnb didn't have air conditioning, only two medium sized fans, neither of which were in my bedroom, so I had trouble sleeping and woke up bathed in sweat every morning.

Long story short - please make sure that your accomodation has air conditioning. Fans help a little, but they only work when you're standing in front of them. Also, drink a lot of water in order to keep hydrated and to prevent a heatstroke!


2. Not purchasing tickets in advance

So this is something we didn't know at all - you can only purchase tickets for the famous Sagrada Família online, and you need to book them at least one day in advance. Can you imagine our faces when one of the ladies working there told us that? If you want to avoiding flying back home without having seen the Sagrada Família from the inside, you should definitely remember this!

Same goes for Park Güell - we purchased our tickets upon our arriving there, only to be told that the next entrance time into the restricted area would be 8.30pm - even though it was only around 1pm.
In order to avoid such an inconvenience, it's best to purchase your tickets online - I've used tiqets and getyourguide before and had good experiences with both, so you might want to have a look there.


3. Not consider neighborhood when booking

When looking for an accomodation, considering its location is important for two reasons.
For one, it's best to book your hotel or apartment somewhere central so that you're either in close walking distance to a lot of places or at least near a metro station. Accomodations outside Barcelona might be cheaper, but the connections into the city aren't very good and staying there means that it'll take you a lot longer to get around.

Besides that, some neighborhoods are just hotter than others. We stayed in El Raval, and I kid you not, as soon as we crossed an invisble boarder while walking back to our apartment, the air grew 200% more humid and hotter. I have no idea how that worked, but my friends noticed right away as well - our neighborhood was what seemed the hottest part of the town. Neighborhoods like Barri Gòtic and Barceloneta seemed like they belonged to a different city entirely when it came to temperatures.


4. Going to the disco too late

No one likes to show up to the disco early, right? Well, when in Barcelona, its actually better to be as early as possible. The city's clubs, many of which are located near the Olympic port, open up around midnight - if you arrive around that time, there will be a lot of people providing you with flyers that allow you to enter the clubs for free. There is, however, a catch: entrance is only free until 1.30am at the latest.

That might seem like enough time, but the queues that started forming outside the discos were insane and, as we only started queueing at around 1am, we ended up still standing ages away from the entrance by the time the clock struck 1.30, which meant that we ended up paying for entrance, which was pretty annoying because we could've saved those 15 euros.
Moral of the story: it's better to show up early and wait for the party to come into full swing than having to pay in order to even enter!

5. Going to the first beach you see

As I mentioned in my photo diary, we went to two very different beaches while we were staying in Barcelona. Barceloneta is the typical beach tourists will go to - it's the closest to the city centre and thus means less time spent travelling there.

But, because so many tourists from all over the world end up at Barceloneta beach, it's super crowded and there are a lot of street vendors trying to sell you anything from massages to mojitos  to cloths.
If you are looking for a quiet day to relax in the sun, you should refrain from going here. Take a stroll further down the boardwalk - after 10-15 minutes of walking you will end up at Platja de Nova Icária, a beach that is much more quiet, mostly frequented by locals and thus, a lot more empty!


6. Buying single tickets for public transport

If you buy a single ticket every time you use public transportation in Barcelona, you're just shooting yourself in the foot. A single, one-way ticket is 2.15€ - there is, however, a ticket you can use for ten rides that is merely 9.95€. This means that you can save around 10€ by purchasing the so called T-10 ticket.


7. Not haggling for souvenirs

Who doesn't like to bring home a nice postcard, magnet, fan, or similar knick-knack from holiday? In Barcelona, the prices for these souvenirs aren't set in stone at all, especially if you're purchasing them at Las Ramblas or some of its many side-streets. You can definitely get those items for up to half of the price you can find on the price tag.

Same technically goes for items such a bags, wallets and sunglasses - however, you should be carefull when buying knock-offs of designer brands, as you might have´to pay huge custom fines upon returning home.


8. Taking a taxi

Taking a taxi in Barcelona is cheaper than it is in my hometown - the start price is 2€, then going up by roughly 1€/km, however, if you take a taxi instead of purchasing a T-10 card for public transportation, you're most definitely going to end up spending a lot more money than you would have to.

The only time you should get a taxi is when you need to get around the city at night, for example after a night of partying, as the metro only runs until midnight Sunday-Thursday and until 2am on Fridays. It does run all night on Saturdays though!


9. Being an obvious tourist

... and by obvious tourist I mean the likes of walking around shirtless, wearing sandals with socks, camcorder around the neck, speaking very loudly in their native language or carrying a guidebook.

People who look like tourists automatically look like people who don't know the ways of scammers, thus becomming their targets. Not only will pickpockets know that you're an easy target compared to locals, people trying to sell you all kinds of things, being more likely to rip you off.



I hope some of the things I shared today will come in handy for any of you who are planning on visiting wonderful Barcelona in the future! Also, if you happen to have any more tips to share, please leave them in the comments!