Sports and Fitness Barcelona
In addition to the Anell Olimpic, built for the 1992 Summer Olympics (see Special Places), the city boasts many major sports facilities, including the 120,000-seat Estadi Camp Nou, Europe's largest sports stadium, and the Piscines Municipals B. Picomell (B. Picornell Municipal Pools) on Montjulc.
Catalans claim to abhor bullfighting and, in fact, most of the spectators in the arena are Spaniards who have moved to the area-or tourists. The gigantic neo-Mudejar Plaqa de Toros Monumental (743 Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes) has fights on Sundays from April to late September at 6:30 PM. Additional fights are held on Thursdays in August at 6:30 PM. Advance tickets are available (at 24 Muntaner, at the corner of Carrer d'Aribau;). The city's other bullring, Les Arenes, at the other end of the same avenue, is used for pop shows and exhibitions.
One recommended fitness centre is the Squash Diagonal (193 Carrer de Roger de Flor) which has a pool, sauna, and gym, in addition to squash courts.
Golf Barcelona
There are several go
lf courses around Barcelona. The Club de Golf EI Prat, southwest of town near the airport, is the area's best course, used on the European pro tour. Club de Golf Sant Cugat is 20 km away and hard to find in the hilly suburbs to the west, and Club de Golf Vallromanes is 24 km along the Masnou-Granollers road.
Football Barcelona and the Nou Camp Stadium
Football is the major passion of born and bred Barcelonans. The Futbol Club (F. C.) Barcelona embodies the spirit of Catalonia, especially when the opponent is long time arch rival Real Madrid. The world's greatest stars are signed up to play for the club, and infants are enrolled as club members at birth. More than 120,000 fans regularly attend home games, played at the Estadi Camp Nou. Espanyol, the other, less popular "major league" club in town, plays at Estadi de Sarria (2 Ricardo Villa;).
Swimming Barcelona
Take a dip in the
waters that hosted the 1992 Olympic swimming events at Piscines Municipals B. Picomell (B. Picomell Municipal Pools; on Montjulc, near the main stadium). There's an admission fee; Most people swim without hesitation at Platja Barcelona, the beach by the Villa Olimpica (Olympic Village), though some are wary of pollution and will not swim near the city.
Tennis Barcelona
Tennis courts are sometimes available at the Centre Municipal de Tenis del Vall d'Hebron (178 Passeig Vall d'Hebron). The nearby seaside town of Castelldefels, a few miles beyond the airport, is the site of many tennis clubs that rent courts to non-members. It's fun to play there, and then go to the beach. Also just outside the city, in Sant Just d'Esvern, is Club Canmalich which is easy to reach by hire car from Barcelona Airport.
Theatre Barcelona
The city has a strong theatrical tradition in Catalan, but it still embraces foreign playwrights such as Shakespeare and Chekhov. At the Teatre Lliure (Free Theater; 47 Carrer Montceny;), Fabia Puigserver's co-o
perative troupe is so dynamic that language is no barrier when the works are familiar. Another Catalan troupe is the Companyia Flotats, led by Josep Maria Flotats, whose repertoire tends to be lighter (115 Poliorama Rambla;). Experimental theatre can be seen in the impressive Mercat de les Flors (59 Carrer de Lleida), the old Flower Hall built on Montjulc for the 1929 International Exposition. Higher up the hill, the Teatre Grec (Greek Theatre; Passeig Santa Madrona, Montjuic; ), an open-air amphitheatre, hosts a festival every June and July, with classic Greek tragedies and other works. Many companies from around the world now make appearances. The city's main opera house (and one of the great opera houses of Europe), the Gran Teatre del Liceu, was destroyed in a fire in early 1994, and totally reconstructed.
Music Barcelona
Barcelona is a m
usic centre year-round. From November through May, opera and ballet dominate, but there is a festival of some sort every month, from medieval music in May to the Festa Internacional de Musica in October. The Palau de la Musica Catalana (just off Via Laietana, at the corner of Carrer de Sant Pere Mes Alt and Carrer d'Amadeu Vives) is a gem of Art Nouveau style (see Special Places). The Orquesta Ciutat de Barcelona (Barcelona City Orchestra), among other groups, can be heard here. There are two concert halls in the Plaqa de les Arts complex, located near Placa de les Glories Catalanes.
Nightclubs and nightlife Barcelona
Barcelona has plenty of action, but be careful while roaming through the most popular after-dark centres, since the city also has its share of muggers and purse snatchers. Be wary of thieves on motorcycles and minibikes, who snatch purses from pedestrians and out of cars parked or stopped at traffic signals. The city's pubs, bars, and cafes begin to fill up between 10 and 11 PM, but these establishments merely serve as a warm-up for the clubs and discotheques, which open even later and on
ly kick into high gear at 1 or 2 AM. For flamenco, try El Cordobes (35 La Rambla;) and El Patio Andaluz (242 Carrer d' Aribau;). Shows are continuous from 10 PM to 3 AM, but really get going after midnight, when the performers and the audiences are both warmed up. Popular clubs include the Up and Down (179 Carrer de Numancia; ), with loud music downstairs and a restaurant and a more "sophisticated" club upstairs, and Studio 54 (64 Av. del ParalIel;), a weekends-only favourite, boasting lots of elbow room and the best light show in town. For sheer spectacle and good music (no dancing), Las Torres deAvila (Av. de Marques de Comillas, Poble Espanyol, Montjulc;) features an astral theme, with an electric moon circling the wall in sync with the music on one side and an electric sun setting slowly on the other. There's also a rooftop terrace.
Barcelona also boasts a number of what can only be called dance bars, trendy places with contemporary-style interiors by some of the city's best designers and architects, full of young people, with loud rock music although dancing is usually downplayed (these aren't discos per se)-and lots of drinking and flirting. If this sounds like your sort of thing, two worth visiting are Nick Havana (208 Carrer del Rossel), the original of the genre and much copied; and Velvet (161 Carrer de Balmes;), small, rather loony, and fun. Other possibilities in the same style: Otto Zutz (see above), 292, KGB (55 Carrer Alegre de Dalt;), Network (616 Av. Diagonal;), Rosebud (Carrer Adria Margarit; ), Universal Bar (Carrer Maria Cubi;), and Zeleste (122 Carrer Almogavers;). The Eixample area has a greater concentration of bars than other neighbourhoods.
Catalans claim to abhor bullfighting and, in fact, most of the spectators in the arena are Spaniards who have moved to the area-or tourists. The gigantic neo-Mudejar Plaqa de Toros Monumental (743 Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes) has fights on Sundays from April to late September at 6:30 PM. Additional fights are held on Thursdays in August at 6:30 PM. Advance tickets are available (at 24 Muntaner, at the corner of Carrer d'Aribau;). The city's other bullring, Les Arenes, at the other end of the same avenue, is used for pop shows and exhibitions.
One recommended fitness centre is the Squash Diagonal (193 Carrer de Roger de Flor) which has a pool, sauna, and gym, in addition to squash courts.
Golf Barcelona
There are several go
lf courses around Barcelona. The Club de Golf EI Prat, southwest of town near the airport, is the area's best course, used on the European pro tour. Club de Golf Sant Cugat is 20 km away and hard to find in the hilly suburbs to the west, and Club de Golf Vallromanes is 24 km along the Masnou-Granollers road.Football Barcelona and the Nou Camp Stadium
Football is the major passion of born and bred Barcelonans. The Futbol Club (F. C.) Barcelona embodies the spirit of Catalonia, especially when the opponent is long time arch rival Real Madrid. The world's greatest stars are signed up to play for the club, and infants are enrolled as club members at birth. More than 120,000 fans regularly attend home games, played at the Estadi Camp Nou. Espanyol, the other, less popular "major league" club in town, plays at Estadi de Sarria (2 Ricardo Villa;).
Swimming Barcelona
Take a dip in the
waters that hosted the 1992 Olympic swimming events at Piscines Municipals B. Picomell (B. Picomell Municipal Pools; on Montjulc, near the main stadium). There's an admission fee; Most people swim without hesitation at Platja Barcelona, the beach by the Villa Olimpica (Olympic Village), though some are wary of pollution and will not swim near the city.Tennis Barcelona
Tennis courts are sometimes available at the Centre Municipal de Tenis del Vall d'Hebron (178 Passeig Vall d'Hebron). The nearby seaside town of Castelldefels, a few miles beyond the airport, is the site of many tennis clubs that rent courts to non-members. It's fun to play there, and then go to the beach. Also just outside the city, in Sant Just d'Esvern, is Club Canmalich which is easy to reach by hire car from Barcelona Airport.
Theatre Barcelona
The city has a strong theatrical tradition in Catalan, but it still embraces foreign playwrights such as Shakespeare and Chekhov. At the Teatre Lliure (Free Theater; 47 Carrer Montceny;), Fabia Puigserver's co-o
perative troupe is so dynamic that language is no barrier when the works are familiar. Another Catalan troupe is the Companyia Flotats, led by Josep Maria Flotats, whose repertoire tends to be lighter (115 Poliorama Rambla;). Experimental theatre can be seen in the impressive Mercat de les Flors (59 Carrer de Lleida), the old Flower Hall built on Montjulc for the 1929 International Exposition. Higher up the hill, the Teatre Grec (Greek Theatre; Passeig Santa Madrona, Montjuic; ), an open-air amphitheatre, hosts a festival every June and July, with classic Greek tragedies and other works. Many companies from around the world now make appearances. The city's main opera house (and one of the great opera houses of Europe), the Gran Teatre del Liceu, was destroyed in a fire in early 1994, and totally reconstructed.Music Barcelona
Barcelona is a m
usic centre year-round. From November through May, opera and ballet dominate, but there is a festival of some sort every month, from medieval music in May to the Festa Internacional de Musica in October. The Palau de la Musica Catalana (just off Via Laietana, at the corner of Carrer de Sant Pere Mes Alt and Carrer d'Amadeu Vives) is a gem of Art Nouveau style (see Special Places). The Orquesta Ciutat de Barcelona (Barcelona City Orchestra), among other groups, can be heard here. There are two concert halls in the Plaqa de les Arts complex, located near Placa de les Glories Catalanes.Nightclubs and nightlife Barcelona
Barcelona has plenty of action, but be careful while roaming through the most popular after-dark centres, since the city also has its share of muggers and purse snatchers. Be wary of thieves on motorcycles and minibikes, who snatch purses from pedestrians and out of cars parked or stopped at traffic signals. The city's pubs, bars, and cafes begin to fill up between 10 and 11 PM, but these establishments merely serve as a warm-up for the clubs and discotheques, which open even later and on
ly kick into high gear at 1 or 2 AM. For flamenco, try El Cordobes (35 La Rambla;) and El Patio Andaluz (242 Carrer d' Aribau;). Shows are continuous from 10 PM to 3 AM, but really get going after midnight, when the performers and the audiences are both warmed up. Popular clubs include the Up and Down (179 Carrer de Numancia; ), with loud music downstairs and a restaurant and a more "sophisticated" club upstairs, and Studio 54 (64 Av. del ParalIel;), a weekends-only favourite, boasting lots of elbow room and the best light show in town. For sheer spectacle and good music (no dancing), Las Torres deAvila (Av. de Marques de Comillas, Poble Espanyol, Montjulc;) features an astral theme, with an electric moon circling the wall in sync with the music on one side and an electric sun setting slowly on the other. There's also a rooftop terrace.Barcelona also boasts a number of what can only be called dance bars, trendy places with contemporary-style interiors by some of the city's best designers and architects, full of young people, with loud rock music although dancing is usually downplayed (these aren't discos per se)-and lots of drinking and flirting. If this sounds like your sort of thing, two worth visiting are Nick Havana (208 Carrer del Rossel), the original of the genre and much copied; and Velvet (161 Carrer de Balmes;), small, rather loony, and fun. Other possibilities in the same style: Otto Zutz (see above), 292, KGB (55 Carrer Alegre de Dalt;), Network (616 Av. Diagonal;), Rosebud (Carrer Adria Margarit; ), Universal Bar (Carrer Maria Cubi;), and Zeleste (122 Carrer Almogavers;). The Eixample area has a greater concentration of bars than other neighbourhoods.
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