Situated on the busy crossroads of Traveserrra de Gràcia and Torrent de l’Olla Gràcia Public Library houses an excellent collection of books, magazines, CDs and DVDs to lend.

It’s worth calling in to find out what’s going on in the barrio and across the city – with leaflets, free community newspapers and what’s-on guides, with some in English, French, German and Italian.

Non-Catalan speaking residents and visitors are made welcome and you’ll find a good selection of fiction, poetry and language-learning materials in all major European languages. The study area, with free wi-fi access, is open until 01:00. So, you can take your laptop along, catch up with your e-mail, and when you feel like a coffee, or a beer, put your laptop in a secure locker and stroll across the narrow street to any one of several café-bars nearby.

A library card gets you a good range of discounts on admissions to concerts, dance events, exhibitions, talks, walks and workshops at venues across the city. The staff are all very helpful and very knowledgeable.

I really appreciate the library’s core philosophy of promoting the written and spoken word as a tool for better understanding – a philosophy which is symbolised by the heiroglyphic, cuneiform, runic and ancient Greek script used in the artwork which decorates the entrance and stairwell.

You’ll find the library just along the street from the local market (see the Mercat de la Abaceria Central article).

 

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Vila de Gràcia Library | Art & culture, Relaxing
C/Torrent de l’Olla 104 | Gracia | +34932847790
Mon & Thu 16:00 – 21:00, Tue & Fri 10:00 – 14:00 & 16:00 – 21:00, Wed 10:00 – 21:00, Sat 10:00 – 14:00, Closed Aug 1 – Aug 15

I love El Jardì not so much for what it is, but for where it is – right at the heart of the tourist maelstrom. Yes, just a few yards from the thick of the throb, you can enjoy a quiet, relaxing, reasonably priced, drink and snack in chiringuito (beach bar) like surroundings.

The affable owner, Artur, is an expert windsurfer, and you’ll see old windsurfing boards hanging on the walls.

The trees provide welcome shade. It’s a good cooling off point when running errands in the city centre – especially in the summer. And it’s a good spot to meet up with friends for a chinwag; unlike a lot of city centre bars you can hear yourself and your friends speak. It’s often so quiet you can hear birdsong. And it’s a good place to situate yourself with your laptop. Ask the friendly bar staff for the wi-fi key.

Sandwiches (€3) are available through the day, as well as light snacks such as olives and potato crisps. And they serve draft Moritz and Moritz Epidor (always a sign of a good bar) as well as a good selection of bottled beers. And they’ll mash you a reasonable mojito for €5.

To find this cool, tree-frocked oasis look for a white camel stood in the doorway to El Mercadillo – a clothes and accessories market. Head straight through the market to a set of steps which will take you up onto the terrace.

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El Jardí | Bars, Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Snacks | Draft beer € 2.40
Portaferrissa, 17 | El Barrio Gotico | +34934856923
Mon – Sat 09:30 – 21:00

This is a really good year-round spot to chill out.

Given its location at the junction of Passeig de Gracìa and Diagonal it’s surprisingly quiet and peaceful. 

In the cooler months it’s a good place to check out an exhibition.

Right now there’s an EXCELLENT exhibition about the world famous restaurant, El Bulli and its celebrated chef, Ferran Adrià. You must NOT miss this.

During the summer the garden is a great place to cool off, maybe have a packed lunch, pretend to read a book, or just hang for a while. In the evening the garden and pavilion may come alive with music, discussion and debate.

The exhibitions here, about aspects of life as is lived, or was lived, in Catalunya, are always interesting, and have included: the aborted People’s Olympics in 1936 (set up to counter the official Nazi Olympics); and a series of beautiful aerial photographs showing the rich diversity of the regional landscape. The most recent photo exhibition in the garden celebrated the castellers (human castle builders) of Catalunya.

The Information Centre here is very good with very knowledgeable and helpful staff who manage a comprehensive range of materials in all the main European languages. If you’re planning a trip out of the city, go along and get advice and information on walking routes, themed trails, museums, hostels and refugios, and local food and drink. A visit here will save you time lining up at the main, and very busy, tourist information centre in Plaza Catalunya.

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Palau Robert | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Passeig de Gràcia, 107 | Eixample | +34932388091
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 19:00, Sun 10:00 – 14:30

One of the first things to do when visiting Barcelona is buy a T-10 transport ticket. This magic card will give you access to all the city’s busses, metro trains, local trains, trams, night busses and funiculars (but not the cable-cars and privately run funicular to Tibidabo).

It’s a multi-person ticket which means up to 10 people can share the same ticket.

A single journey on the bus or metro is € 2.00 – a T-10 is € 9.25 – bargain.

Great, inexpensive tool for getting around. Use the bus – you’ll see more.

Also, importantly, you can use the ticket as many times as you need within a one and a quarter hour period and it counts as a single journey. Though be aware that once you leave the metro when you re-enter it will count as a new journey.

In practice what this means is you can catch a barrio bus (small, very local bus) to connect with a regular bus, travel across the city, jump on a tram, or train to a metro station and take a metro train to your final destination, and it all counts as a single journey.

Check out the transport authority’s app at the App Store. Or the very useful website (in English) with all the bus routes.

Bus routes worth getting to know include:

45 – will take you to and from the beaches.

24 – will take you from Passeig de Gràcia to Parc Güell and back again.

55 – a simple way of getting to and from Montjuich.

¡Bon viatge!

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Go by bus | Relaxing | T-10 ticket € 9.25
Citywide | Above diagonal
05:30 – 23:00 daily (NitBus 23:00 – 05:30 daily)

I’ve been visiting this place since 1987 and I still can’t decide whether I love it or hate it. Why would I hate it? Well, with its regimented rows of glass cases, broken pots and coins, and very little interpretation – it reminds me of compulsory school museum visits.

And why do I love it? It has a fascinating, very extensive, collection of everyday bits and pieces and paper ephemera from the late 19th century – early 20th century.

Frederic Marès was a sculptor and an eccentric, avid collector of things – crucifixes, walking-sticks, fans, dolls, toy theatres, pipes, cigar-bands, cigarette papers, printers’ handbills, business cards, tram tickets, it goes on and on and on.

As you wander through the galleries you’ll build a fairly strong picture of the leisure preoccupations of the moneyed classes of early 20th century Barcelona.

Through the museum’s omission of any mention of working-class existence you’ll begin to understand the simmering resentments which fuelled the class struggle that climaxed with the Spanish Civil War.

I feature this spot as a location in my novel, After Goya.

Another good reason to visit this curious museum is the courtyard and café – a lovely spot to chill out with an iced-coffee and a good book.

On a budget? Go there on Wednesday after 14:00, or after 15:00 on Sunday, when it’s FREE admission, though one of the galleries will likely be closed.

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Frederic Marès museum | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Relaxing | Admission € 4.20
Plaça Sant Iu 5-6 | El Barrio Gotico | +34932563500
Tue – Sat 10:00 – 19:00, Sun 10:00 – 20:00

If you are staying at at 4+ star hotel at Barcelona most probably you have a pool there that you can enjoy. But if you’re not, there is a local secret that might come in handy. All around the city, there are partly-government-owned gyms where you can pay per visit. And of course, use their pools.

There are many to choose from. In the picture, you can see the recently opened gym at the Ciutadella park (check the Ciutadella park article). The wooden building blends beautifully with its environment and has a great open-air pool in the upper deck. it is open until 23:00 on weekdays, but the pool is closed half an hour before.

Also worth a visit is the Club Natació Atlètic, at the Barceloneta. It has more pools, one overlooking the sea and a special entrance to the beach, as well as a wellness area. It is located at the Plaça del Mar s/n.

The municipal pools are used for fitness swimming, but you can also chill out in the hot tubs and jacuzzis. Keep in mind that you can only buy a day-ticket if the gym is not over capacity at the moment. If so… just come back a little later.

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Municipal pools | Relaxing | Adult € 14
Pg Circumval.lació, 3 | El Borne
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 23:00, Sat – Sun 08:00 – 20:00

Ok, Barcelona is not Rome but still… why not take the “local” way and wander around with a bike – even better, a Vespa? Via Vespa offers the same service of the old car rental but focused on shiny red motorbikes.

Via Vespa has prices per hours or day and depending on the moment, you can even get something like a week special. If you decide to go around the city on bike remember: you have to wear a helmet (it is enforced by law), you should park correctly (“motos en vorera” means “motors on the sidewalk) and be very careful with the thousands of pedestrians around the city.

If you don’t want to go on your own, you can also chose for a guided tour to discover the places that are always in the spot light. Barcelona being the city with the largest number of motorcycles per inhabitant, you will definitely feel at home riding one of these red cuties.

Do remember you need a drivers license and a €300 deposit (card or cash) to rent them out. And if you’re looking for the cheapest possible deal, look on their website: you might find a surprise.

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Via Vespa | Relaxing | Per hour € 9
Princesa 56 | El Borne | +34933196754
09:30 – 20:30 daily

Before 1985 there were the ugly railways, as if the city was stabbed to death and was losing its bowels, but then an enlightened and visionary soul started turning it into a relaxing space.

This piece of Gaudian art was finished in 1991 by Beverly Pepper, who achieved the harmonic coexistence of nature and manly intervention to create a magic atmosphere that exerts a strange influence over people that go there for a picnic.

Be aware that there is something in the air in this park and sometimes picnics might turn into a roll in the hay.

It is also said though, that there is a dark mob that operates in this park stealing dogs in order to sell them to some labs that need living victims for their sinister tests and evil experiments with chemical products. At least they tried to steal the front tire of my bicycle almost in front of my nose :-/

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Parc de l’Estació del Nord | Relaxing | Free
Napols 42 | Eixample
07:00 – 23:00 daily

Feeling down and need something to raise your soul above the social mall? Or just need a break from fashion cocktails, top 40 lousy music, fancy high heels and naughty party ragers?

Whether in spring, summer, autumn or even in some good weathered winter days, at the end of Portal del Angel when going down towards the Gothic Cathedral there is a magic corner with the proper acoustic atmosphere for street musicians to perform outdoors on any season without the need of expensive sound amplifying gear.

Be ready for getting enraptured by the groove of an authentic blues singer or the captivating tunes of a world music quartet. Well, perhaps at this time you would find musicians with heavier clothing but still… it’s a magic spot.

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Portal del angel Street | Music, Relaxing
Corner Carrer dels arcs & Carrer cucurrulla | El Barrio Gotico
From morning to late night

If you happen to be around, take a minute to go to Carrer del Bisbe – one of those typical narrow streets of the Gothic quarter, starting at plaza nova in the cathedral avenue.

If you are lucky enough and the weather is good, you’ll find street artists at the two alleys that cross the backyard of the cathedral (Carrer de Sta Ilucia and Carrer de la Pietat).

The best time of the day to get teased by the enticing sounds of a bandoneon or a harp player, the melancholic mood of an opera or tango singer, or the infectious melodies of a flamenco guitar player is the end of the afternoon.

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Carrer del Bisbe | Music, Relaxing
Carrer del Bisbe | El Barrio Gotico
Daily