Live & Study Abroad in Barcelona

Study Abroad, Learn Spanish & Explore Spain at the Teenagers Abroad Spanish Summer Camp in Barcelona!

Live & Study Abroad - Learn Spanish in Barcelona - Spanish Courses - Summer Camp in Barcelona

The exciting city of Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in all of Europe!
To read more about what you'll encounter while you live and study abroad in Barcelona, Spain, browse this page or navagate with the folling links: Weather, Dining Out, Going Out, Shopping, Money & Finances, Safety, and Language.

Weather in Barcelona:
The weather in Barcelona is typically pleasant year round. From May until the end of July, the weather is absolutely perfect. It becomes a bit warm in August with some days reaching 34°C (95F)!
In October and November, the weather becomes a bit cooler with temperatures dipping as low as 15°C, but the average is around 21°C. During this time of the year, the sunshine isn’t a guarantee - as it is during the summer months. You should be prepared to deal with periods of rain and cold breezes.
From November through February, it gets even cooler with temperatures averaging around 12°C (53F). Fortunately though, in the winter time Barcelona doesn’t have much precipitation. So even though temperatures are low, at least it’s dry with a pair of sunny days here and there!

Dining Out in Barcelona - Spanish courses in Spain - Learn Spanish in Barcelona - Study Abroad

Dining Out in Barcelona:
Barcelona is jammed-packed with all sorts of restaurants, cafes, and other eateries. Many of the restaurants serve typical Spanish foods, while others showcase a wide range of international cuisines, such as Latin American, Italian, Indian, Pakistani, Japanese, Middle Eastern, Chinese and Thai dishes. Though for the locals these international restaurants are exciting, travelers are recommended to dine at authentic local Spanish restaurants.
Barcelona’s excellent Mediterranean Sea port location allows for some of the finest Catalonian cuisine in the world! The fresh seafood and fish, together with the fresh Spanish fruits and vegetables, guarantees delicious and flavorful dishes! A typical Catalonian meal consists of a piece of solid meat or fish, accompanied by fresh vegetables and/or salad. There’s nothing bland about the vegetables in Catalonian cooking either, because Spaniards are prone to use lots of garlic and olive oil to season their foods.

The food in Barcelona is so special and widely diverse that, in 2002, Barcelona was voted Europe’s eating capital by 'Le Guide des Gourmands'.

Going Out in Barcelona:
What’s there to do in Barcelona at night? More like, what isn’t there to do in Barcelona at night?! The city has so much to offer, it’s hard to commit to just one activity. Perhaps it’s a good idea to go out to a local restaurant or a café to discuss evening plans with friends.
Depending on energy levels, older students can spend their evenings in a countless amount of ways. Barcelona is full of discos and nightclubs that stay opened until the early hours of the morning. If dancing isn’t for you, a more relaxing way to spend you evening could be at an excellent theater show or at a movie in one of the city’s modern movie theaters. Though both options could be fun, Barcelona is really known for its live music scene. Wondering the streets, you’ll find a wide range of live music clubs, playing everything and anything from jazz to flamenco music!
Though clubs and bars can be found all around the city, the different districts offer different ‘atmospheres’. Bars in the Barri Gótic have an old, romantic charm with an overtone of new & creative designs and decorations. These bars and clubs aren’t popular for partying, but they’re ideal for meeting friends for hanging out over drinks. The real parties happen in the Maremagno, Montjuïc and Port Olimpic areas. During the summer the waterfront is crowded with students and tourists who are looking to have a good time. When dancing/clubbing, Barcelona natives usually stick around the Eixample area. What would a city be without an alternative rock scene? Barcelona’s can be found in restored abandoned warehouses in the Poble Nou district.

Shopping in Barcelona - Spanish Courses in Barcelona - Learn Spainsh

Shopping in Barcelona:
Shopping in Barcelona is an absolute must! The latest fashion trends can be found in shops and boutiques in the Eixample district along the Passeig de Graciathe Grand Avenue.
If you’re looking for something, it can surely be found in Barcelona! The city offers shops, boutiques and malls that are full of artwork, books, jewelry, furniture, antiques, leather goods, clothing and anything else you could ever imagine. Some of the most popular department stores in Barcelona include El Corte Ingles, FNAC, Centre Comercial de les Glories, Heron City, Pedralbes Shopping Centre, Maremagnum Shopping Centre and El Triangle. The streets of Barri Gotic always have numerous markets for arts and crafts, antiques, coin & stamp collectors and much more.
Some of the most popular streets in central Barcelona to find great shopping opportunities include: Carrer de la Portaferrissa, Carrer del Call, Carrer de la Boqueria, Carrer de la Llibreteria and Carrer de Ferran, and Placa de Sant Josep Oriol. Go just a bit north of Carrer d'Arago to the Bulevard Rosa arcade for more great possibilities.
It is important for visitors of Barcelona to note that just about everything shuts down at midday for at least two hours, usually from 2pm until 4pm. Large supermarkets and a few department stores (El Corte Inglés) make exceptions to this rule. For a full day of shopping, shops typically open around 9am and close around 9 or 10pm.
The best time to find bargains in Barcelona is January, July and August. This is when the stores are getting rid of their just passed season stock. Words to keeps an eye out for are: rebajas (Spanish) or rebaixes (Catalan). When you see them, you’ll know it’s time to take advantage of a big sale!

Money & Finances:
Although you’ve paid tuition for Spanish courses, accommodations and other services, you will still need to bring additional money with you to Barcelona. The local currency of Spain is the Euro. It is recommended that you travel with US dollars and/or US dollar denominated traveler’s checks. The cheapest and quickest way to get Euros is through Automated Teller Machines (ATM) that are connected to the Cirrus and PLUS systems. For this you’ll need your bank card and your PIN number. Visa, MasterCard and some other credit cards are accepted at some restaurants, stores and the larger hotels. If you need cash, often banks will allow you to take a cash advance using your credit card. Also, your traveler’s checks can be exchanged for cash at banks and some retail establishments.
In Spain, there is a Value-Added Tax (IVA) of 7% added to all purchases made. Non-European Union citizens, if staying less than 180 days, can be reimbursed for this tax at the airport. All you have to do is when making a purchase, ask the store merchant for a tax return form. The tax paid for accommodations and certain other services is not refundable.

Tipping: restaurants, taxis, hotels and guides typically expect a 5-10% tip. Oftentimes, there will be a service charge added to your bill; in which case, you only should tip if the service was particularly outstanding.

Safety in Barcelona:
As with most big cities in the world, Barcelona has a petty theft problem. There is an abundance of pickpockets in crowed places, such as the buses, trains, bus stops or train stations. It is recommended that you don’t carry all of your valuables on your person, but rather to leave them in the safe at your hotel or in a locked suitcase.
One should take the same precautions here as they would in any large European city. Women should be accompanied after dark and should be weary of wearing expensive jewelry and should be careful with their handbags. Official taxis or radio taxis are the only taxis that should be used while in Barcelona.

Language in Barcelona:
Spain has four official languages. The main business language and language of the government is Castilian. Catalan, Galician and Euskera (Basque) are also spoken in the city.

Click here for further details about the fabulous city of Barcelona.

Return to the 'After Class "Activities & Excursions"' section of 'Spanish Courses in Barcelona'

Learn Spanish, Make International Friends & Explore Spain this Summer at the Teenagers Abroad Spanish Summer Camp in Barcelona!