Prat Airport
International and national Arrivals Hall Tel. 93 478 47 04.
Open: Daily: 9 to 21h.

Catalunya Tourist Information Centre
Palau Robert.
P.Gràcia, 107 Tel. 93 238 40 00

Palacio de Congresos (Conference Centre)
Av.Reina Ma. Cristina,s/n.
Tourist information of Barcelona Open during main events.
Open:10am.-8pm.

Barcelona Tourist Information
Barcelona City council.
Pl.Sant Jaume,1
Open: Monday-Saturdays, from 10.00 to 20.00 Sundays from 10.00 to 14h.

HOW TO FIND AN ADRESS

Addresses in Barcelona can sometimes cause confusion. For a start they're all written in Catalan, though a few maps haven't yet caught up and still use Castilian spellings. In this guide, the text and maps use Catalan names and addresses.
Addresses are written as: c/Picasso 2, 4° - which means Picasso street (carrer) number two, fourth floor. You may also see esquerra, meaning left-hand (apartment or office); dreta is right; centro centre. C/Picasso s/n means the building has no number (sense numero). In the gridded streets of the Eixample, building numbers run from south to north (ie lower numbers at the Plaça de Catalunya end) and from west to east (lower numbers at Plaça d'Espanya).
The main address abbreviations used in Barcelona (and this guide) are: Avda (for Avinguda, avenue); c/ (for carrer, street); Pg (for Passeig, more a boulevard than a street); Bxda (for Baixada, alley); Ptge (for Passatge, passage); and Pl (for Plaça, square).

ELECTRICAL POWER
As in most of western Europe, in Barcelona 220V 50hz is the standard power supply. For those of you coming from North America with 110v 60hz appliances be sure to use an appropriate transformer. You can find these easily in hotel shops and electrical supply stores, where you will also find plug adaptors to change from two flat pin to 2 round pin.

SMOKING
In Barcelona smoking is widespread, and although the Catalan government has implemented some measures to reduce smoking, this is still a smoker’s city. Most restaurants don’t offer a no smoking section and many shops allow smoking as well; the only smoke free places are the public transportation systems and some large supermarkets.

TIPS & TAXES
Tips are readily accepted in Barcelona. As a general guideline in restaurants and bars the usual tip is around 10% of the bill, depending on the size of the bill and the quality of service. Hotel and airport porters will take, depending on the luggage you have, 100 to 500 pesetas; in a taxi a 10% tip is sufficient. There is a variable (7-16%) value added tax (I.V.A.) applied to most items and services, but most prices you will see include it. When it is not included it should be clearly marked.

CURRENCY & EXCHANGE
Banks will exchange the major currencies. There are also "cambio" or "change" establishments mostly on or around the Ramblas that have very flexible opening hours and also offer a variety of additional services such as Western Union money transfers, travel arrangements and international phone calls. BCN World, on the Ramblas at the Plaça Reial, offers all these services right up to 2am. Bank hours are from 8:30am to 2pm, Monday to Friday. The best known bank in Barcelona is La Caixa, recognizable by their Miró inspired logo. The peseta is the unit of currency and there is a confusing variety of coinage, which we reproduce for your convenience. At the end of 1996 the Spanish government will withdraw all but one of each coin denomination, a decision greeted with enthusiasm by foreign visitors and vending machine manufacturers alike. Remember, as of January 1, 1997 the coins shown in the right hand side column will no longer be accepted as currency, so make sure you avoid them too. The Bank of Spain has announced a one month extension for commerce only. It might be a good time to hold on to some of the old coins if you are a collector or know someone who is.