GENERAL INFO
The Metro is awesome & really clean/efficient, so we ended up using it a lot more often than we had anticipated; just be sure you bring a debit card or cash with you to buy the ticket, as the machine requires a PIN number (so regular credit cards don’t usually work)
Cabify is their version of Uber/Lyft, so download that app! Cabs are honestly really easy to find & flag down the old-fashioned way, but this was clutch to have as a back-up in case there weren’t any cabs around
A voltage converter is not always the same as a plug converter; I learned this the hard way with my hair curler & ended up burning a huge chunk of my hair off - just be sure to double-check your converter to make sure that whatever you'd be plugging in won't get too hot
Menu del Dias (Menus of the Day) are everywhere around the city as lunch is their main meal of the day; this fixed price menu (usually between 10-12€) includes 2 courses, a drink (even alcoholic), and a dessert or coffee; restaurants will post their Menu del Dia outside each day so it's fun to wander around until you find one that looks good
Meal times are a lot later than in the US, and lunch is the main, multi-course meal of the day instead of dinner; we typically ate lunch around 2:30-4 & dinner around 9:30-10; pregames at the bars were usually like 11:30ish-1ish, and then we’d head to clubs after that
The Fork is like European OpenTable; if you use it to make reservations, there are a lot of opportunities to get big discounts (like up to 20%) off of the final bill at whatever restaurant you make the reservation at
No tipping, as like most of Europe the tip/service fee is automatically included in the price of food; this makes splitting bills so much easier so it's really convenient
The water culture in Barcelona (& honestly, most of Europe) isn’t it - they will try to charge you for it almost everywhere, so either make sure you’re ordering tap water or bring your own bottle (this more so applies to lunches); some places will be annoyed if you bring your own, so just be sure you’re leaving it on the floor & not up on the table
IF YOU'RE THERE FOR A WHILE: HELPFUL TIPS
Hair Stylist - I got my hair cut & colored once, and I went to Anthony Llobet in El Born & requested Stefano as my stylist since one of my friends had used him; he did SUCH a great job, and the entire salon was English-speaking stylists so they can understand exactly what you are asking for
Post Office / Mail -
Correos is the name of their post office; you can go inside to purchase stamps and send
mail, or there are big yellow mailboxes with the blue horn logo on them throughout the city for
mail with postage on it already
Receiving packages from the US is a really complex process, so try to avoid it the best that
you can; it's also worth keeping in mind that you as the recipient in Spain have to pay a tax on
the package in order to collect it (a certain percentage of the value of what's inside the
package); my parents were trying to send me my new laptop that had arrived in the US, & DHL
was trying to charge me over 200€ to collect the package on top of the shipping fees &
insurance we had already paid
Backpack for Traveling - This is something I really wish I had thought to bring abroad; Invest in a large backpack that can fit a weekend-worth of clothes/toiletries since a suitcase or crossbody bag (like I had) is difficult to lug around, & you often have to do a lot of walking with your luggage (ex: to & from Airbnbs/hotels on public transportation or walking)
Have a fun way to document your travel - I was inspired by one of my friends to get a postcard at each new city I visited, jot down some of the trip highlights, & then send one home to my family and one to my college roommates; each city has so many options for postcards, so it was a fun thing to shop for in each new place we went