Barcelona Facts

Let's get to know some of the interesting Barcelona facts. Some of these may be really helpful if you are considering travelling to this beautiful country.

The Basics

The national languages of the country are Spanish and Catalan. Don’t worry though if you don't speak either of these languages. You should be able to get around pretty well in the city by speaking English.

If you venture out into the suburbs, which you probably will, you will notice it becomes slightly more difficult to find English speaking people.

The time zone in Barcelona is GMT +1 hour. The clock below shows the current time in the city.

Barcelona is the capitol of Catalunya and is a seaside town. These co-ordinates 41°18'07"N, 2°05'31"E should bring you right over Barcelona International Airport.

As with some other Barcelona facts, it's quite difficult to get an accurate estimate of the population. Barcelona city itself has a population of roughly 1.7 million people. This number rises up to an estimated 4 million if the outlying suburbs are included.

The current mayor of Barcelona is Jordi Hereu. Click on his name to go to his website and find out more about him. Jordi Hereu is a true representative of the country and has been mayor since 2006.

Tourist Facts

Some of the Barcelona facts that follow will be of particular interest to tourists and will give you a small idea of what to expect in the country.

The first thing everybody asks about any country is the weather. Obviously the summer months have the warmer weather, but with the lovely Mediterranean climate, even the winter months are quite pleasant.

Summer falls in June, July and August and you can expect an average temperature of around 25°C (77°F).

Winter falls in December, January and February. You can expect a pretty mild average of around 10°C (50°F).

The area tends to have heavy showers which are very short lived, this happens around 90 days per year. Even with this you can expect around 2600 hours of sunshine per year. That sounds brilliant in anyone’s book!

This warm weather goes well with the country's 2.5miles of stunning beaches.

Let's move on now to one of the most important Barcelona facts for holiday makers; Currency. The Euro (€) is the only currency you will need in Barcelona. A few of the facts that follow will help you see what you can buy with your Euros.

Unleaded petrol will cost you around €1.10 per litre. Have you ever heard of the "Big Mac Index"? If you have then knowing that a McDonalds Big Mac Burger costs €3.40 may be of interest to you.

Smokers can expect to pay around €35.00 for a pack of 200 Marlboro cigarettes.

Football fans may want to catch a live match while they are in the city. The home team is Barcelona F.C and their stadium of choice is Camp Nou. At capacity you can expected ±98800 to be filling the stadium seats.

Helpful hints

The younger age group of visitors should take note that the legal drinking age in the country is 18. It is also important to know that it is law in Spain that photo identification is carried at all times. A copy of your passport will do if you don’t like carrying originals around.

The water in Barcelona is safe to drink, but trust me, it doesn't taste very good! I would definitely recommend buying bottled water instead.

Should you find yourself in an emergency situation, you can call 112 from your mobile phone to access the Police, Fire Department or Ambulance Services.

If you want to call the country, the international dialling code is 34. So you would dial 0034 followed by the number you wish to call. Remember to drop the first zero of the number you are calling.

Now all these Barcelona facts are brilliant to read on your pc or laptop before your vacation, but while you are on the streets a hand book can't be beaten. Frommer's Barcelona Day by Day guide is a top seller for good reason.

The Day by Day guide is compact, has colour maps and photo's and you will be surprised how much is crammed into the 192 pages. You will find it to be the perfect companion on your tours around Beautiful Barcelona City.

*Information correct at Feb 2010

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