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1. The Magic Fountains at Montjuic – The most romantic thing to do on Valentine’s day is watch the magic fountains show at montjuic. This display will take place at 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 on Valentine’s day and is a show that puts the movement of the fountains in perfect harmony with over 1000 lights and a variety of music, often strong ballads or opera.

2. A Show at the Palau de Musica Catalana – Art Nouveau Concert Hall, jem of Barcelona

3. Buy your loved one an edible ring! – Perfect for Valentine’s Day and for a bit of a laugh, these edible rings come in all forms. You can buy them in three places in Barcelona  Lets just hope the relationship outlasts the sweety!

4. A stroll along the beach – At Villa Olympica where the sand is particularly white, and there is the beautiful harbour with lots of yachts and boats as well as the famous Frank Gehry fish sculpture.

5. A meal at Sikkim Restaurant – This restaurant is said to be the most romantic restaurant in Barcelona. With over 250 lit candles, tapestries and lamps, the atmosphere is romantic, with a young and international atmosphere. Their dishes include: Argentinian sirloin veal, rack of lamb, home made gnocchi and Cuban chocolate coulant. Address: Plaza Comercial 1, 08003, Barcelona. Metro: Jaume I (L4) Valentine’s Menu is €45.

6. A stroll through El Borne district – Here you will find a wide variety of shops, restaurants, bars and cafes. The pretty church Santa Maria del Mar, the former Mercat del Born covered market and the “Fossar de les Moreres” monument to the Catalans who died in the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714.

7. The Cable Car from the Harbour – Obviously depending on whether you are scared of heights or not, this ride from the harbour at Barceloneta upto Montjuic has great views over Barcelona and is very romantic. The ride takes about 5mins and is open 10:00 to 18:00H, costing € 9.00 one way or € 12.50 return.

8. The Monastery of Montserrat - Located high up in the mountains, cut into the mountainside, this impressive church and its surrounding buildings and shops is very beautiful. There is a museum underground that is one of the best fine arts museums in Spain. Perhaps best of all after the beauty of the interior of the church and its courtyards outside are the views from this mountain.

9. Chocolate y Churros – Crunchy fried-dough pastry-based snacks covered in sugar and perfect for dipping in hot chocolate. Try them at La Pallaresa (Petrixol 11, Barcelona, 08002)

10. Parc de la Ciutadella – Barcelona’s most famous park, with lots of palm trees, and most importantly, its fountain (the Cascada), the parc de la ciutadella is where people come to walk their dogs, chat with friends and go for a jog. Delightful.

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The truth is that this was a new place for me, I had no idea it even existed. One evening, when I was sitting with my friends drinking a coffee in a cafe near my house, I asked them if they knew of a place I could meet up with a special friend that I had met a few days earlier, imagine the commotion that caused!

Just from this question, a thousand ideas came tumbling out their mouths, some of them truly crazy and stupid. However, other ideas seemed more appropriate, given that they were suggestions for new and different places, pretty places and perfect for my only objective: surprise and please the person I had met. I quickly became interested in the idea that had grabbed my attention: the Laberinth in Horta. For me, just the name sounded great: it is mysterious, romantic, unique and has a crazy twang… just what I needed to get achieve my goal, to get a long walk together with this man.

I found out how to get there, how much it was going to cost… I had everything under control. I was ready and everything looked good to go. I met up with the friend. I didn’t know how to explain where we were going, (the truth is that I didn’t even really know myself). On arrival, I paid the entrance fee, a symbolic €2 for the care of the plants and trees that make up the great garden. As soon as I entered, I realized something that I hadn’t envisaged earlier: what on earth the interior would be like! I had never imagined there would be such a garden so near to my house, I didn’t understand how I could not have known about this place. Great gardens, large open woods and in the middle of it all, the laberinth.

I honestly thought it would be bigger, like that of a horror movie, but I couldn’t have asked for more: I left a good impression on the guy from the first moment. Day by day I continue seeing him, and I think in part, it was due to the help that this great hidden garden.

Parque del Laberinto de Horta. Passeig dels Castanyers 1, parking available. Metro: Mundet L3. Bus: 27, 60, 76, B16, B19, N4. Timetable: 10:00 a 21:00. From Mon - Sat 2€, Sun free.

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Mr A.Z will be performing at Sala Razzmatazz here in Barcelona on 23^rd March 2009. Tickets have already sold out for his gig in Madrid and are expected to sell out here within the next few weeks, so grab your ticket ASAP!

With the release of his highly anticipated new album: “We Dance, We Sing, We Steal Things” on 20^th May 2008, Jason’s popularity went through the roof, not only due to the success of “I’m Yours”, which was used in a variety of television programs and was nominated for a Song of the Year Grammy award. In fact, Jason was nominated for three Grammy awards in total, including Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and Best Engineered Album. Mraz’s third studio release, has already sold over 110,000 copies and came in as the number 10 highest selling album of 2008.

Although the line up for the show is as yet unknown, Mraz is expected to draw on many songs from his new album, as well as performing the golden oldies, such as; “I Melt with You”, “You and I Both” and “Clockwatching”. Mraz has not rested on the success of his debut record “Waiting for My Rocket To Come” and the follow up release “Mr A-Z”, instead he has been continually touring and performing from people’s backyards to the opening spot on the Rolling Stones arena show. We can only wait with excitement for his 2009 tour to begin (12^th Feb) and his arrival in Barcelona!

For More information why not visit his official site; www.jasonmraz.com and for tickets, visit; http://www.encoremusictours.com/Tickets/tickets.html

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Are you spending a couple of days in Barcelona and want to see as much as possible? Then I have just the solution for you: The Barcelona bus Turistic! This bus stops at 44 sights throughout the city and at every stop, you have the chance to hope off the bus and look at everything more closely, then catch the bus again when you’re ready to leave. Thanks to the fact that these buses are roofless, you can even sit back and sunbathe on the roof! Don’t forget your sun cream though, in the height of summer it can be very hot on the open top bus. Depending on the time of year, the bus arrives between every six and twenty minutes, so you really don’t have to wait long to do your sightseeing.

There are two types of ticket; either one for 2 days which costs €20 for concessions or €26 for adults. In total there are 3 different routes to choose from and the buses start every morning at 9am. You get all the important nformation about the sights of Barcelona through the headphones you are provided with and there are six available languages.

The purchase of a ticket also entitles you to a small discount voucher. With this discount, you will see many tourist attractions for cheaper and will get money off at certain types of fast food restaurants. However long you’re in Barcelona for, it is definitely worth doing the Bus Touristic! You cannot see all the sights the city has to offer if you’re only here for a few days.

The bus gives you the opportunity to see La Sagrada Familia, ParcGüell, the Miró Museum and Port Olímpic, amongst other things, in a quick and easy way. Go to the tourist office in Plaza Catalunya (recognizable by the big “i” outside it and ask for a map. In this way, you can work out what you want to see before you get on the bus and can enjoy your day without having to stress or worry. For more information and a full list of where the buses stop, visit the Bus Turistic website. Enjoy!

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The Barcelona Card is a great discount card if you’re planning a long weekend in Barcelona. This card offers the possibility off 6 museums or exhibitions for a total of 20 euros, which given the prices of individual ticket entry is a serious saving. Of course, this doesn’t include all of Barcelona’s attractions but definitely worth it if you are here for two days or longer.

In addition, the cards benefits do not end here: you will also receive many additional discounts, such as Casa Batllo (20% Off) Gran Teatre del Liceu (20% Off) Palau de la Musica Catalana (20% Off) Mies van der Rohe Pavillion(20% Off) Olympic museum (50% Off).

You can choose from a range of cards depending on the duration of your stay in Barcelona, starting at: 2 days and going up to 5. Furthermore, the discount also entitles you to free public transport, perfect for exploring a city like Barcelona. This includes transport by metro, tram and bus, and the airport bus that goes directly to Prat de Llobregat.

If you intend to explore Parc Güell, Montjuïc and Tibidabo, the free transport is particularly useful as these attractions are slightly further away. The ability to use this card means you could easily spend the morning exploring, afternoon at the beach, Grácia for a meal and return to the centre to experience Barcelona’s nightlife, all this only minutes away by metro, instead of a long walk. However, there are lots of great ways to explore the city by foot, such as a walk through the Gothic or Borne districts and a visit to the Arc de Triomf and Parc de la Ciutadella. A single metro ticket costs €1.35 even for a one stop journey, so it’s easy to see how the Barcelona card is convenient.

Moreover, this card entitles you to a 12% off the souvenir shop in Plaza Catalunya and 10% off restaurants. With the purchase, you also receive a guide to the main tourist attractions and list of discounts, as well as the usual map of the metro and the city.

Click here to buy your Barcelona card or here if you want an extra guidebook included.

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Maybe you think us Barcelonans have always had money for eating out…maybe you think that we’ve always loved snacking, going for ‘tapas’ and trying new restaurants every weekend…well let me tell you – you’re wrong!!!

30 years ago it wasn’t as common to go and eat out; the most typical and traditional thing to do was to eat at home, always at home. The most common a thing to do was to see the whole family sharing the same pot, and eating out was frowned upon.

In order for the father not to eat at home, something rather unusual had to occur, such as a very important celebration or a very special act, and all this made him stay at home to eat, apart from on very rare occasions.

As mentioned at the start of the article, in those days the gastronomic culture that you see in the city today didn’t exist. The passage of time has made people change their habits and fully open up to a new world. The range of possibilities that we can find in Barcelona is very wide and it’s not all expensive, although of course it always depends on the kind of restaurant we’re looking for. From European, Asian and African restaurants…I think Barcelona gives us the chance, out of pleasure, to get to know nearby, far flung, visited and well known countries, which we’ll never visit due to our financial standing.

Yes, yes, it’s fashionable!!! Everyone says they know or tried fantastic, amazing and well priced restaurants etc. In these cases word of mouth, more than ever, goes round at the speed of light, people share experiences and tastes and above all they recommend eating the restaurant’s speciality.

So don’t wait any longer, any excuse is good to get together with friends and what better way to do it than eating a good meal.

Try 3 of Barcelona’s top restaurants:

http://www.canmajo.es/ - Michelin star restaurant at Barceloneta, seafood to die for

http://lachachabcn.com/ - Argentine restaurant in El Borne, try the mixed platter “parilladas”

http://www.carlosabellan.com/ - Fantastic tapas restaurant “tapaç 24“, in the centre of Barcelona

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