Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
services. To
callBarcelonafromabroad
, dial your international access number + 34 (Spain
country code) + nine-digit number.
Most European
mobile phones
will work in Barcelona, though it's worth checking with
yourproviderwhetheryouneedtogetinternationalaccessswitchedonandwhetherthereare
any extra charges involved. Even though prices are coming down, it's still expensive to use
your own mobile extensively while abroad, and you will pay for receiving incoming calls for
example.
Public telephones
in Barcelona have instructions in English, and accept coins, credit cards
andphonecards.Phonecards(
targetes
/
tarjetas
)withdiscountedratesforcallsareavailablein
tobacconists,newsagentsandpostoffices,issuedinvariousdenominationseitherbyTelefón-
ica (the dominant operator) or one of its rivals. Credit cards are not recommended for local
and national calls, since most have a minimum charge which is far more than a normal call is
likely to cost. It's also best to avoid making calls from the phone in your hotel room, as even
local calls will be slapped with a heavy surcharge.
You can make
international calls
from any public payphone, but it's cheaper to go to one
of the ubiquitous
phonecentres
, or
locutorios
, which specialize in discounted overseas con-
nections. If the rates to the country that you want to call are not posted, just ask. You'll then
be assigned a cabin to make your calls, and afterwards you pay in cash. For reverse-charge
calls, dial the
international operator
( 1008 Europe, 1005 rest of the world).
CALLING HOME FROM ABROAD
Note that the initial zero is omitted from the area code when dialing the UK, Ireland, Aus-
tralia and New Zealand from abroad.
Australia
international access code + 61
New Zealand
international access code + 64
UK
international access code + 44
US and Canada
international access code + 1
Ireland
international access code + 353
South Africa
international access code + 27
Ticket agencies
Youcanbuyconcert,sporting,exhibitionandtouristattractionticketswithacreditcardusing
the
Servi-Caixa
(
servicaixa.com
) automatic dispensing machines in branches of La Caixa
savings bank. You can also order tickets online through
Ticketmaster
(
ticketmaster.es
)
or
TelEntrada
(
telentrada.com
)
.Ticketmaster tickets can be collected at Servi-Caixa termin-
