Happy Monday!
How was the father’s day weekend?
As much as I miss my father, he and my mother are coming to Spain this Friday!

They will be here in Spain for 1 week. This is their first time in Europe so we are planning on the perfect schedule to cover all the tourism places. After they leave, I will write a blog post on Barcelona Travel Tip (Tourism places, where to eat). But for now, I would like to give a little tip on what you should know about Barcelona before coming.

Summer is very long here in Barcelona. It started to get hot from the end of May and from the beginning of June, the temperatures have gotten so much higher. These days, every day is about 30 ~ 35 °C highest, and 20 ~ 17 °C lowest. It is humid too! You should avoid June ~ September because that is the peak season for tourists.

Book In Advance
Hotels, flight tickets, tourism places, and even restaurants. Book in advance! My parents’ visit was a sudden decision at the end of May. Having only a month in advance to book things were very hard. Flight tickets were very limited, but if you are already inside of Europe, it might be easier for you to find. Tourism places were easy to book but if you are planning on getting deals, such as Free Visit on Museums on Sunday Afternoon, you need to book in way advance. Also, some restaurants offer a discount if you reserve in advance. The amount of discount can be different depending on the restaurants, but I saw some places offering even 30% off. Hotels have to be booked at least a few months in advance. When I looked on Airbnb over 90% were already booked from a month away from the visit.

 

Ask for Discount
If you are shopping at a small souvenir shop, ask for a discount. There are tons of souvenir shops in Barcelona, which is owned by individuals. Those stores are so competitive as they are all lined up on the same street. If one is more expensive than the other, just leave and go for the other one or simply ask for a discount. When they see you wanting the product, but leaving after asking the price, they will start negotiating with you. Forget about getting a discount at the official shops at the tourism places! They are very expensive, but many of stuff you can find are exclusive. If you really want to buy “The official” souvenir, pay the price. Don’t get tricked by fake football uniform! They will tell you it’s real but only trust official store.

 

Holidays & Sundays
One thing I don’t like about being in Spain is that there are so many holidays! On Sundays, everyone takes a rest so most of the stores are closed. If you are planning on going to outlet shopping or shopping center, avoid Sundays! If your stay will include Sunday or other holidays, I recommend you to check that day to see if there are any tourism places open. If there are, book them on that day so you have things to do on Sundays or holidays. Or you can spend a nice relaxing day at the beach. There are local holidays in Spain, so check before planning.

 

I hope this was helpful!
I will come back with more helpful tips on traveling in Spain after my parents leave. Also, because they are visiting from this Friday until next Friday, I will take a rest on the blog. I want to spend as much time as possible and I will come back with so many exciting contents. My next blog will be on July 3rd on Monday.

Have a good week!

 

–  Nozomi