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What to do in Barcelona on a budget?

Sometimes we want to go to places we really love but we always think if we can afford, how expensive it is, and then we end up changing our mind and not going. The truth is you can make your dreams come true by visiting the place you love if you plan to do it on a budget.

Barcelona is one of my favorite cities located on the coast of northeastern Spain. Barcelona is one of the world’s leading tourists and culture centers. There are a lot of things to do in Barcelona from sightseeing to entertainment. Barcelona has a lot of unique architecture, city parks, museums, and churches. You can do all this and more on a budget and here are some tips to do it.

The best time to visit Barcelona

If you are on a budget the best time to visit Barcelona is between September-December. This time is good because the tourist season slows down and hotel rates are getting cheaper compared to June-August. You don’t have to worry about the temperature they will still be in the high to low 70s. You can still go to the beach in early fall, but mid-October temperatures can be in the low 50s. If you don’t mind wearing coats/jackets and not being at the beach January-April will be good for you. It’s a very low season due to weather of low 40s to 30s, everything is cheap from flight fare, etc. The temperature is rising up around March-April.

Accommodation

There is a lot of accommodation in Barcelona if you want to score some hotel deals you can search on the website like Hotwire, Priceline, etc. The good thing about hotwire if you know specific dates or estimates you can put an alert the will alert you if there is a price drop so you can book your hotel when you are ready for that price. Priceline also has good deals. They give you the option of express deals and bid your price you might be like and find amazing deals. Another option is Airbnb, this is a good option, on my trip to Barcelona I found out it was cheaper than hotels. I think it depends on the city, some cities are more expensive than hotels. For instance, when searching for accommodation in Rome, Airbnb was more expensive than hotels. In my opinion, Airbnb is good if you are not alone because you might book a house/room in an excluded neighborhood in a foreign country that can be scary.

Things to do in Barcelona

There’s a lot of things to do in this magnificent city of Barcelona. You can enjoy a lot of things such as sightseeing, museums, city parks, restaurants, wine tasting, cooking classes and many more. Since you are on a budget you can take advantage of free stuff. Yes in Barcelona there are some places where you can visit for free. But the best places you can do while you are in Barcelona are; first my favorite place La Sagrada Familia (Church of Sacred Family) this is the major attraction in Barcelona. A large unfinished Roman Catholic Basilica, construction started in 1882. If you like architecture you will enjoy the experience. The entrance fee for the basic tour is 20 euros or US$ 21.67. The basic tour does not include a tour guide. But there are different prices which are higher, for instance, you want a guided tour, going to the towers, going to the Gaudi Museum, etc. Another option you can take a quick peek from outside for free. The church usually enforces the dress code and some ground rules entering Sagrada Familia. You can check them here so you can get well prepared.

If you are a foodie or you just wondering where to eat in Barcelona you can go to Mercat de la Boqueria(Boqueria Market). The famous market in Barcelona you can get a variety of foods, drinks, desserts, fruits, etc at very good prices and you don’t have to break your wallet. You can check more about this famous market here and get some inside scoop and decide for yourself. The amazing part about the Boqueria market is connected to another tourist attraction Las Ramblas. La Ramblas is a famous street in central Barcelona. This is a tree-lined pedestrian street, it stretches for 1.2 km (0.75 mi). It’s also close to another tourist attraction Barri Gòtic ( Gothic Quarter). There is a lot of tourists attraction such as live performances, artists that will draw your portrait or caricature, whatever you want it.

There is also human statue art (street performance)if you don’t pay attention you will think you are posing with the statue of Galileo or Christopher Columbus, but there is Christopher Columbus monument nearby. There are a lot of museums, a restaurant, etc. One thing to notice about this place, since there’s a lot of tourists sometimes prices tend to be higher than in other places. You can go there for the experience and taking pictures but you can dine in some local places or non-tourists places where food is the same or better at cheaper prices. I found out when traveling in different places non-tourist places are the best when you are on a budget. You can get food, souvenir, etc for three times cheaper compared to tourist places. One thing I make for sure is to visit all these places and also hit the locals.

Getting around Barcelona.

Now you are in Barcelona, you’ll have to get around the city. There are several ways to get around the city of Barcelona by car, taxi, metro, and bus. The best I will recommend and it’s cheaper is Metro. You can buy a metro ticket for a single trip or depends on your duration of stay. There are several tickets, first is the T-Casual ticket, this will give you 10 trips on the metro, FGC. The T-Casual ticket costs 11.35 euros (US$12.29). It’s good for all the main city center routes and the airport. With a T-Casual ticket, you will save 12.35 euros (US$13.37) because if you buy a single metro ticket it costs 2.40 euros (US$2.60) per trip.

The second ticket option which I think has more benefit is the Barcelona Card. This is the official tourist pass of Barcelona. It can help you to save money because not only you can use it unlimited on the metro and other public transportation but also can be used to enter into Barcelona´s best museums. You can also get many deals and discounts on visits, tours, entertainment, shopping, dining, and nightlife. The Barcelona Card is available in different packages; there is a 72hrs package that costs 46 euros(US$49.81). A 96 hours package that costs 56 euros(US$60.64) and a 120 hours package that costs 61 euros (US$ 66.05). You can buy this package online. You can get more about the Barcelona card and its benefits here.

Now you know what to do when you want to visit Barcelona, first the right time to visit, the time when accommodation and flights will be cheaper. Second is things to do when you are in the city, there are a lot of things to do even if you are on a tight budget. Third, the best way to get around in Barcelona is through public transportation. There are several ways you can save in Barcelona by using public transportation.

Lifestyle, Travel,

Travel tips to European Countries: Norway

by travzdlaDecember 14, 2019

Norway, a Nordic country lying on the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula is located in Northern Europe. It also borders Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Russia. Norway is an outstandingly beautiful country with a long coastline, snowy mountains, and breathtaking fjords. Oslo is the capital of Norway and also the largest city. The other largest cities are Bergen and Trondheim. Norway is bestowed with lots of natural beauty encompassing wild forests, historic towns, and beautiful fishing villages. The country is very hospitable to tourists and people are very friendly too. Many tourists are attracted by the famous midnight sun of the Arctic and northern lights in Northern Norway. All three big cities of Norway offer different experiences to visitors. Norway is a place to be for nature lovers and for cultural enthusiasts. Norway is truly one of the greatest tourist destinations in Europe.

Population & Languages

The population of Norway is only 4.6 million and the official languages being spoken are Bokmal Norwegian and Nynorsk Norwegian. Other languages that are also spoken in Norway include Sámi and Finnish. Electricity The voltage is 230 V and the frequency is 50 Hz. The types of plugs used are Round pin attachment plug and “Schuko” plug and receptacle with side grounding contacts.

Geographic Location

It is a Nordic country lying on the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula and located in Northern Europe. It also borders Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Russia. About two-third area of Norway is mountains, has around fifty thousand small islands along its coast. It also has one of the longest coastlines in the world.

Climate

The climate of Norway can be termed as Temperate with hot summers and cold overcast winters. The highlands of interior Norway have an arctic-like climate with snow, severe wind chill and frost. Most of the rain is along with the coastal areas and comes down in winter quite heavily and frequently. Winters are mild too along with the coastal areas.

Local Customs

Like any other country, Norway has its own customs too. It is customary not to drink until the host makes a toast. It is customary for guests to offer gifts to the host of a meal. Smoking is prohibited in most public areas. Casual dress is acceptable for everyday wear. Tipping taxi drivers is not customary. Tipping up to five percent is customary for service in restaurants. Porters at railway stations and airports charge per piece, while porters at hotels generally charge around NOK5-10 depending on the number of pieces of luggage. The Norwegian currency is Kroner, most stores and restaurants do not accept Euro.

Attractions

Oslo – Old medieval buildings, churches, modern architecture, museums. Oslo Opera House, the Norwegian Folk Museum, art galleries, Vigeland Park, and Akershus Fortress.

Bergen – Numerous museums, galleries, aquarium, medieval age buildings, cable car to the top of Bergen’s hills and boat trips to fjords.

Fjordland – Geirangerfjorden is known for tiny S-shaped fjord, Sognefjord – the longest and the deepest fjord, beautiful villages such as Balestrand and Flam, old stave churches, Nærøyfjord – Narrowest branch of the Sognefjord and Plateau of Jostedalsbreen glacier Tromsø – Arctic cathedral, Polaria, and Tromsø Museum

Travel

By Air – Many airlines operate to Norway like Braathens SAFE (BU) and SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SK), a Scandinavian airline, Air France, British Airways, Finnair, Iceland Air, KLM, Lufthansa, Northwest Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Ryan air, and Swiss Airlines. Oslo International Airport (OSL) (Gardermoen) (website: www.osl.no) is the biggest airport in Norway which is located 30 miles north of Oslo.

Sea –The important passenger ports are Bergen, Kristiansand, Larvik, Oslo, and Stavanger. The main sea routes from the UK, operated by Fjord Line and DFDS Seaways respectively, are from Newcastle to Bergen and to Kristiansand.

By Rail – The country is part of the extensive network of trains connecting the European cities. If you are coming from the UK, the connections are from London via Dover/Ostend (via Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, and Sweden) or Harwich/Hook of Holland, or from Newcastle to Bergen via Stavanger. It is also connected to Sweden through two routes, with daytime and overnight trains from Copenhagen, Malmö, and Stockholm.

Duty-Free Items

200 cigarettes or 250g of tobacco products and 200 leaves of cigarette paper for EU countries.
400 cigarettes or 500g of tobacco products and 200 leaves of cigarette paper for Non-EU countries.
1liter of spirits and 1liter of wine or 2liter of wine and 2liter of beer for EU countries. 4. 1liter of spirits and 1liter of wine or 2liter of wine and 2liter of beer for Non-EU countries.
50g perfume or 500 ml eau de toilette
Gifts, Food, fruits, medications and flowers for the personal use of value up to 3,500 kroner

Prohibited Items

Un-canned goods, meat or dairy products, Narcotics, firearms, ammunition, weapons, eggs, plants, endangered species, fireworks and alcoholic beverages that contain more than sixty percent alcohol.