Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Takeanoteofyourbank'semergencycontactnumberincasethemachineswallowsthecard.
Some European debit cards can also be used directly in shops to pay for purchases; you'll
need to check first with your bank.
All major
credit cards
are accepted in hotels, restaurants and shops, and for tours, tickets
andtransport,thoughdon'tcountonbeingabletousethemineverysmallhotelorbackstreet
café. You can also use your credit card in an ATM to withdraw cash.
Spanish
banks
(
bancos
) and savings banks (
caixas
) have branches throughout Barcelona,
with concentrations down the Ramblas and around Plaça de Catalunya. Normal banking
hours are Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 2pm, although from October until May most
institutions also open Thursday 4pm to 6.30pm (savings banks) or Saturday 9am to 1pm
(banks).
For out-of-hours banking you can use bureaux de change or a
foreign-exchange office
(
canvi, cambio
), found down the Ramblas (often open until midnight); at Barcelona Sants
(daily 8am-8pm); or the El Corte Inglés department store, Pl. de Catalunya (Mon-Sat
9.30am-9.30pm). Exchange offices don't always charge commission, though their rates
aren't usually as good as the banks.
Opening hours and public holidays
Basic
workinghours
areMondaytoSaturday9.30or10amto1.30pmand4.30to8or9pm,
though many offices and shops don't open on Saturday afternoons. Local cafés, bars and
markets open from around 7am, while shopping centres, major stores and large supermarkets
tend to remain open all day from 10am to 9pm, with some even open on Sunday. In the lazy
days of summer everything becomes a bit more relaxed, with offices working until around
3pm and many shops and restaurants closing for part or the whole of August.
Most of the showpiece
museums and galleries
in Barcelona open all day, from 10am to
8pm, though some of the smaller collections and attractions close over lunchtime between
1 and 4pm. On Sundays most open in the morning only and on Mondays most are closed
all day. On public holidays, most museums and galleries have Sunday opening hours, while
pretty much everything is closed on Christmas Day, New Year's Day and January 6.
Apart from the cathedral (La Seu) and the Sagrada Família - the two churches you're most
likely to visit, which have tourist-friendly opening hours - most other
churches
are often
onlyopenforworshipintheearlymorning(around7-9am)andtheevening(around6-9pm).
Not all
public and bank holidays
in Spain are observed in Catalunya, and vice versa. On
thedayslistedhere,andduringthemanylocalfestivals,you'llfindmostshopsclosed,though
bars and restaurants tend to stay open.
