Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Barcelonaiswellplacedforaccesstotheseaandmountains,whichisoneofthereasons
it was picked for the 1992 Olympics - the event that really put the modern city on the
map. A spin-off from the games was an increased provision of top-quality sports and
leisure facilities throughout Catalunya, which have attracted an increasing number of
major games events - half a million spectators watched the European Athletics Cham-
pionshipswhentheywereheldherein2010,theIAAFWorldJuniorChampionshipshit
the city in 2012, and the World Swimming Championships arrived in 2013. However,
while there are scores of sports centres and swimming pools in Barcelona, there aren't
actuallythatmanythatwillappealtotouristsorcasualvisitors.Mostpeoplearecontent
to relax on the city beaches or take off for a hike or jog in the surrounding hills of the
Parc del Collserola.
BYE-BYE BULLS
Bullfights are an integral part of many southern Spanish festivals, and while Catalunya too
has had a long, if less renowned bullfighting tradition, the more progressive city of Bar-
celona has always stood somewhat apart. The one surviving bullring, the
Plaza de Toros
Monumental
,GranViadelesCortsCatalanes 749( Monumental)-site,incidentally,of
the Beatles' only ever concert in Barcelona, in 1965 - kept going for many years with the
dwindling support of local aficionados and tourists from the Costa Brava, but the writing
had been on the wall since Barcelona roundly declared itself an anti-bullfight city in 2004.
In July 2010 the Catalan parliament followed suit, with an historic vote to ban bullfighting
in Catalunya, the second autonomous community to do so (after the Canary Islands). The
2011 bullfight season was the last in Barcelona, with the future of the Monumental bull-
ringstillundecided-thoughwhateverhappenstoit,theimpressive,circularMoorish-style
facade is likely to be retained as an historic part of the city patrimony.
ESSENTIALS
Information
Servei d'informació Esportiva ( 010,
bcn.cat/esports
)
, the city council's
sportsinformationservice,isthemainsourceofinformationaboutmunicipalsportsfacilities.
It also has a drop-in office (Direcció d'Esports) on Montjuïc at Av. de l'Estadi 30 ( Espan-
ya), at the side of the Picornell swimming pool.
Tickets
Tickets for all major sporting events can be bought from the agencies, certain Ser-
viCaixa ATMs, TelEntrada ( 902 101 212,
telentrada.com
)
or Ticketmaster ( 902 150
025,
ticketmaster.es
).
