Barcelona Scams. The Walking Tour

An article in this week's Vanguardia draws attention to a new scam involving the many fantastic walking tours of places such as the Gothic Quarter and Park Güell. Apparently the easy targets are the cruise passengers, who routinely pull up in minibuses from the Old Port docking area to the area around Via Laietana and the Cathedral.


The scam involves men and women, although primarily women according to the two qualified tourist guides interviewed by the Vanguardia in the article. These scamsters dress exactly like tourists - complete with maps, bottled water and cameras, and follow the tour guides around their walking tours, blending in with the rest of the tourists! It is in this "camoflagued" state that they prey on their victims. The scam has even led to those regular tour guides recognising the thieves, and occasionally having to stop a tour to avoid a robbery - only to be confronted verbally by the thieves and onlooking "henchmen" there to protect the pickpockets.

As always, wallets, purses and anything else of value are "lifted" in the particularly narrow bottlenecks in the Gothic Quarter's streets, and rapidly passed off to avoid suspicion. While there have been occasions that the thieves have been caught, one guide claims to have wasted a whole morning then going to court to testify against the woman in order for them to be prosecuted.

This is a particularly clever way of robbing the tourists, and is extremely difficult to give advice against - how can I say "watch out for the ladies with maps, cameras, sunglasses and bottled water" ?! I suppose the best advice I can give is to always be aware of your surroundings and try you best to keep your belongings close to you at all times. If there is a particularly narrow stretch of pass, or a crowd gathers, ensure you hold on tightly to the bag you're carrying or the zipper.

Have you seen this scam happen, or has it happened to you? please let me know - or if you have any other tips or hints as to how to avoid something like this happening to you, again, please chip in with ideas!

Looking for accommodation in the old town of Barcelona ? Try Apartments for rent in Barcelona as a great altwernative to a hotel - or a cruise ship?!

Great things to do in Barcelona for FREE - Part 7

OK, it's been a while, but I thought I'd give you another great thing to do in Barcelona for free. Now this might not seem all that appealing at first but remember, it's free, so hear me out.



One of the best things about Sundays in Barcelona is that everyone hits the streets and the parks and gardens of the city are filled with couples, families and friends reflecting on the weekend's activities and getting ready for the coming week. The FIRST Sunday of each month is also a little special as a few of the city's Museums open their doors to the public for free. What better way to spend a Sunday morning than in an air-conditioned museum soaking up some culture, before you head down to Barceloneta for a Paella and the beach, right?!



Sitting halfway up Montjüic is Barcelona's Ethnological Museum. Originally formed by a group of intellectuals in the 1920's who wanted to gather their interests in Folklore and ethnology in one place, the museum has seen a few homes, but is now in the building you can see in these photos, and has been there since 1973.

The museum has a staggering amount of information, history, anthropology and exhibitions ranging from close to home (Catalonia, Salamanca) and spanning almost every culture across the globe - Japan, Nuristan, Ethiopia, Morocco, Australia, South America and Papa New Ginuea are all covered in over 70,000 individual pieces. It's not one of those museums where you need to take everything in - just wander around and look at those things that come out at you - it gives you a real sense of the diversity in the world and makes you wonder about just how people lived hundreds of years ago. Fascinating stuff.

Coming to Barcelona soon? Still haven't booked that hotel? No worries! Look into short-stay apartments for rent in Barcelona as a great alternative. Fancy some more museums? Here are the Top 10 Museums in Barcelona for you to mull over.

Local Festivals - Raval

Barcelona always seems to have a festival going on somewhere. Apart from the big music festivals like Summercase, Sonar, this weekend's Sonisphere Rock gig, the Greek Theatre festival, la Merçe in September, Sant Joan....the list could go on. Well, apart from all of these, each neighbourhood organises it's own festival during the year. Perhaps one of the best is the Gracia festival where the tiny streets of the neighbourhood are decorated to the maximum.

However, this weekend from the 16th to 19th July, it's the Raval's turn. Last year's festival was a melting pot of different cultures combining to offer both traditional and international games and exhibitions. This year's programme seems to be following suit. There are also guided tours available in the MACBA, Liceu opera House, Palau Güell and Sant Pau del Camp Monastery to be taken advantage of, too.

Highlights this year include clowning activities for the kids; Friday's concert involving Mumba, Celtic music, Rock and Merengue all presented by a drag queen; Saturday's evening concert in the Rambla del Raval; Abbey Road Beatles tribute band and the Giants processions at 12noon on Sunday, too.

Looking for accommodation for this coming weekend? Try apartments for rent in Barcelona as a great way to save money. And for a quick review of the city's sights, see this great Barcelona Guide.

Great Barcelona Bars Part 5 - The Black Sheep

One of the best bars in Barcelona to meet people is L'Ovella Negra - the Black Sheep. This bar is located just off the top end of Las Ramblas near Boadas Bar on Carrer Sitges, which is a little alleyway, typical of Barcelona's Old Town.


The reason why it's such a great place to meet people is because of the size. Most of the bars in the old town are small and narrow, but - depsite the appearance from the door outside (you almost have to stoop to get in) - The Black Sheep is big. The website calls it a Tavern, and I suppose you could say that's right, with the old stone walls and huge trestle tables and benches. The waiters will only serve you at a table (or a barrel) and serve big jugs of beer or Sangria. You can also get spirits at other drinks at the bar but mostly the big jugs go down well. It's inevitable that you sit down next to a group of people, or newcomers will ask if they can squeeze on your table, so exchanging stories and meeting both locals and international travellers is really easy! There's a table football area towards the front and a pool table in front of the bar, too. Many of my best nights out when I first arrived here started at the Black Sheep. Check it out.

For your accommodation needs in the city, try apartments for rent in Barcelona as a great alternative to hotels. And for more city information, check out this great Barcelona Guide.

Tour de Barcelona?!!

Costing a reported 1 million Euros, Le Tour de France cycling race hits Barcelona this coming week. Yes, you heard it right. That famous, arduous sporting event usually confined to the French borders is stepping out of the country this year to a few different spots including Italy, Switzerland, Andorra and Spain, namely Barcelona. Those in search of the hallowed yellow jersey will be hitting the Catalan Capital this coming Thursday, 9th July.

And Barcelona City Council are planning something unique for the arrival of the third most popular world sporting event after the World Cup and Olympic Games - a kind of yellow Mexican wave throughout the route in Barcelona. Huh?! Let me explain.



The spectators following the route will be armed with a yellow sheet which will be unfolded and as the first cyclists pass, raised above their heads until the moment the last cyclist pass, thus creating a "wave" as the tour passes through the city. I can see the gimmick, and the website is even planning on making this the "biggest yellow wave in the world" (not sure how many the Guinness Book of World Records will already have in there, so this may be a foregone conclusion!?).


But they're not stopping at that! Oh, no! On the same day as the real cyclists arrive, the city is touting for another world record. The record for the most static bicycles at the same time in the Barcelona Spinning World Record attempt. Yes, those who are usually confined to mirrored gym rooms, will hit the town in the Arc de Triomf, and attempt the record as 500 static bikes will brave the Spanish sunshine and go for the first record of the day! With activities starting from as early as 9am, there's still time to register and sign up for the record-breaking day!


Looking for accommodation for this coming week? Try apartments for rent Barcelona for a great alternative to your usual hotel room, and for a heads up on the rest of the city sights, see this great Barcelona Guide.

Brazilian Samba hits Barcelona!

Stuck for ideas this weekend? Well, if you're in the mood for some great Samba and modern DJ sessions all the way from Bahia, head on down to the Parc del Forum, where Carnacelona 2009 is set to kick off! Now, those of you who speak or understand a little Spanish may be forgiven for believing that this has something to do with meat (?!) but no, it's Carnaval and Barcelona all rolled into one!


Yes, on Friday and Saturday, the Forum turns into the Brazilian coast with the Bahia Carnaval in Barcelona. Asa de Águia, Banda Eva, DJ Miss Cady, DJ Wally Lopez and Groove Armada's Andy Cato (Who can forget the song "I see you baby...shaking that ass" ?!) will be pulling the crowds in for the caipirinhas, sun and grooves in what looks set to be a great inauguration in the Catalan Capital. Ticket prices are 30 € for 1 day or 55 € for the two days - with a VIP ticket also on sale, offering better views, massages (yes, massages) Lounge and International Cuisine - that sounds great!

If you're looking for accommodation in the city, try apartments for rent in Barcelona as a great chill out place before the festival. Also, for a heads up on the rest of the city, see this great Barcelona Guide.