For those visitors who come to Barcelona for the first time, you must know that you are likely to be considered and be called a "guiri". You might wonder what does this word mean…well, it refers to the typical tourist from northen Europe or from America, and normally blond and white with a very typical tourist attire (white socks, sandals, straw hat, etc.). That is something you can’t help, since you can’t change what you wear or how you behave; however, we can give you a couple tips that will be very useful if your intention is to go unnoticed as a "guiri".
One of the biggest mistakes newcomers to Barcelona commit is trying to grasp any of the red and white bikes available in any of the many stations or parks scattered around the city. For your information this service called Bicing is available only for local residents of Barcelona. Thus, it doesn’t matter how long you try to get the bike out of the bar, it will be impossible since for this you will need to be a service user and hold the card that allows you to remove the bicycle from the system. So, don’t look like a genuine tourist. Save you the embarrassment that causes these unsuccessful attempts to remove the red and white bicycle from the Bicing system and head directly to a company engaged in bike rentals if you want to tour the city on two wheels.
Another common mistake tourists commit during their holiday in Barcelona is to stand admiring the living statues that are spread over the Ramblas de Catalunya. Yes, they can be interesting, bizarre, entertaining, colourful … all the adjectives possible, but if you stay still there while looking at them you are prime target for pickpockets. And that is part of the daily routine in Barcelona. Furthermore, you must know that if you remain standing before them, not only will you be a very likely victim of a robbery, but you will block the normal pedestrian traffic of this artery of Barcelona. So, when you come to Barcelona please avoid stopping in large groups for a long time before these living statues and therefore, you will do a favour to your wallet and to the inhabitants of the city.
Barcelona is a very attractive city for its vibrant night life fuelled by its many bars, clubs, discos, etc. That is why many fiancés whose fate is bound to leave the bachelorhood choose to celebrate in Barcelona their last hours before giving up being single at the altar. In their particular euphoria, they forget that Barcelona is not just a tourist town, but a top international financial and economic centre. Thus, depending on the areas or neighbourhoods, it is not so welcome the visit of a group of men with significant ethyl levels, almost naked, who are eager to share with everyone around their fun moments, running naked along the streets of Barcelona, such as the financial area or the Barceloneta (full of families and locals totally alien to the party). Therefore, if you come to Barcelona to celebrate your stag party and anticipating the ethyl levels do yourself and the locals a favour and avoid running through the street totally naked and drunk.
These and many other tips will help you in your holiday journey through the streets of Barcelona. They will save you a few embarrassing moments and they will help the neighbours to consider tourists from a nicer perspective.
Claudia – Marketing Team
