Smooth Sailing in Barcelona: 5 Must-Know Tips for Newcomers

Barcelona for me is one of the best cities in the world, the combination of sun, sea and relatively affordable prices (compared to most big cities in Europe) make it a great combination and hard to beat anywhere in the world. When I think about it, there are not many (if any) other cities I would rather live in.

The (mostly) always-on sunshine, makes you want to be outdoors more and do things to make the most of that, whether it is playing volleyball at the beach or playing padel in one of the many courts across the city - the fact you rarely have to worry about rain is something I never try to take for granted.

But no city is perfect, and there are areas where Barcelona could improve (bureaucracy here is legendarily bad) when I compare it to the UK. So, having been here for almost 10 years now I wanted to share 5 things I wish I had known when I moved to the city.

Get a Cl@ve Digital Certificate

Get a Cl@ve. As mentioned before, the long list of procedures you will need to do when living in the city, from “padrons” to NIE/TIE and other things is a pain. Trying to find appointments with the various establishments is sadly a task in itself, and then you have to travel there, hope your basic Spanish will get you through the appointment and if you are really lucky - you will get it done. Well, there is another way - the stupidly named “Cl@ve” (I mean, adding an “@” instead of an “a’ makes it digital doesn’t it…).

The Cl@ve is a form of digital identification that will allow you to perform several activities online, which can save you a lot of time. Being in Spain, there is not one Cl@ve to rule them all, there are Cl@ve mobiles, Cl@ve firmas, Cl@ve digital firmas (signatures), Cl@ve electronic certificates - I could go on. Save yourself the hassle and get the digital certificate. Sure, it’s a bit of a process, you need to follow this process, and then get an appointment to show that the numerous forms of identification you have are not forged, but when you have this magical little certificate, everything online seems so much easier. It only took me 9 years to get this.

Sign Up for Bicing - the Cities Bike Sharing App

Sign up for Bicing. Barcelona is one of the best cities to get around - the public transportation system is superb, clean, (mostly) air-conditioned and affordable. On top of this, there is Bicing. Bicing is like your transportation superpower, and electric Bicing is a total game changer. Sure, it’s not perfect - if you are very lucky both brakes will work, and if a single break does work, it will probably sound like a screaming banshee when you try to slow/stop (it does a good job of scaring pedestrians) and you do take your life into your own hands if it has rained as it gets slippery as ice on the streets, but aside from these small setbacks - it unlocks the fastest way of getting around the city.

You get 30 minutes of usage per session for the mechanical bikes (extra minutes are charged at a nominal rate) and costs 0.35c for an electric Bicing (which is both the fastest and cheapest way of getting around the city in my humble opinion). Sign up for the €50 annual tariff “Tarifa Plana” and pair this with Citymapper, and congratulations, you have completed Barcelona. Check out our “Bicing Tips” post for more information.

Skiing is closer than you think

Skiing is only 90 minutes away from the city. Well, I guess this is something you either know, or you do not - but I had no idea when I moved here that the snow was so close. The amount of people I tell this to and who are amazed is quite impressive. Barcelona is seen as a beach location, but get to Placa Espanya and give the ticket machine €53 (I suggest booking online to avoid queues and disappointment plus checking the snow report before heading off) and you have a return ticket to the snow and a ski pass for the day (plus insurance).

La Molina is not the best resort, you need to go a little further than that (we have an article about skiing in Andorra), but hey - if the snow is good then this is hard to beat. There is also a Ski Bus for €63 on a Wednesday and Friday which costs €67 on a Saturday and Sunday.

Prepare for Warm Summers and Colder Winters

Winter is cold, summer is hot. Seems like the most stupid thing to state, but if you know you know. Most apartments are quite old here, and therefore have an efficiency rating of Z (I made this up, but if there was a Z I have seen apartments here that would get this accolade).

During the summer it gets hot, and most people will struggle to sleep without air conditioning, so when you are hunting for an apartment, do the right thing and make sure it has AC (not all do). This will also serve you well in the wintertime when this magical device will double up as a heater, as, despite being much warmer than most European cities in the winter months, the apartments here are generally as well insulated as a tennis racket.

The humidity here means that the hot feels hotter and the cold feels colder, and you will be surprised quite how cold a Barcelona apartment can get, despite it being 10 degrees outside. If you do not have a modern apartment, take the time to order some insulation from AliExpress or find a chino bazaar that has it and save yourself a good few euros in electricity prices.

Things Happen Later Here

The timings here are different. Things happen late, very late. Being British means that your average establishment will open around 11 am and close around 11 pm, with a few exceptions. Most lunch restaurants will not open until 1 pm, and for dinner time they can open at 8 pm, no sooner. I have Catalan friends who will quite happily book a dinner on a weekend for 11 pm and will eat lunch at around 2:30 pm. This takes some getting used to. Especially if you are used to going out early and finishing up relatively early. Here you will start later, and finish later still - most clubs will start opening their doors at 00:30 and start getting busy at 1:30 am.

The siesta culture is still kind of a thing (especially as more are working from home these days) and some shops and restaurants will close from 2:00 - 4:30 pm, which tends to usually be the time I plan to visit them. Sundays are still very much a day of rest, most of the bigger shops and supermarkets do not open on Sundays. There are some exceptions, such as the Maremagnum shopping centre which is open an impressive 365 days a year, and smaller shops and supermarkets will open. In the last 6 months, I have seen more supermarkets opening on a Sunday, which I think is a good thing, but expect most stores to be closed on Sundays, with the exception which is the run-up to Christmas.

Summary - 5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Moved To Barcelona

There you have it, 5 things I wish I knew when I was new to the city. For a bonus point, there is the Barcelona English Speakers WhatsApp community (the link will open in WhatsApp). This is a group founded in 2020 and is open to anyone, the community there can help you with any questions you might have about moving to the city or being new in town. We organise a monthly meetup to help build your social circles and there are several other interest groups. 

If the community is full (it is regularly at capacity, you can try another time, or join the waitlist to get a priority invite when we free up spaces). Also, you can join our Meetup community where we share all of our big meetups.

We are in the process of creating a Barcelona locals substack where we will share a curated list of interesting things with people living in the city, if you want to sign up for this you can do so here. You can find my Instagram here if you want to follow me, I post about life in Barcelona regularly.

Finally, what are the things that you wish that you knew when you moved here? Share with us your thoughts in the WhatsApp community.