Barcelona

The City
Things to do
Weather
Food and Drink
Visas, Work Permits and Insurance
Getting to Barcelona
Our School in Barcelona

The City

"If you only visit one city in Spain, it probably should be Barcelona. It is sophisticated, elegant and romantic, but has the energy and raffishness of a port city."
...Lonely Planet.

Barcelona has everything you would want from a city. It's a buzzing city with four beaches, world-renowned architecture and Gaudí's distinctive buildings, an endless variety of bars and restaurants, and good weather.

It is in Catalunya, a fiercely independent region on the east coast of Spain. The Pyrenees are only three hours away by car, Madrid is six, and Valencia four.

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Things to do

If you arrive just before the course starts and leave almost immediately after, most of your time in Barcelona will be spent working hard and preparing lessons. However, depending on how effectively you manage your work, there may be some time to play. Oxford Tefl is a sociable place that wants you to spend time getting to know your colleagues and relaxing from the pressures of the course.

There are several bars and cafés in close vicinity to the college where you can go during the breaks and for a drink at the end of a long day.

One of the most famous buildings in the world is a 15-minute walk from Oxford Tefl - La Sagrada Familia. It's an impressive Gaudí building that has taken over 100 years to build and it is still only half finished! It's one of those buildings that you either love or hate and it looks best at night when it is lit up on the east side.

Opposite La Sagrada Familia is the "Michael Collins" Irish pub, a favourite haunt for both the tutors and teachers at Oxford Tefl.

Plaça del Sol is a small square in Gracia, in the north of the city about a 20 minute walk from Oxford Tefl where many an evening is spent sitting outside one of the many bars discussing the merits of EFL teaching!

La Font Magica, the Magic Fountain in Plaça Espanya, is a great atmospheric place to go to unwind after a busy week. From Thursday to Monday evenings it is lit up with coloured lights and appears to dance in time to classical music. It's free to watch and is normally crowded with tourists sitting on the nearby steps or grass verges gazing in wonder.

The locals are football crazy and soccer is huge here. Last League champions in 1999, FC Barcelona is one of the most successful football teams in Spain. Barça´s stadium is the impressive Camp Nou, which now seats 98,000 in the north west of the city and is well worth a visit.

Oxford Tefl normally organises an end of course celebration after the moderations have finished to give everyone the chance to let their hair down and party the night away!

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Weather

Winters are mild and mostly sunny, but with jacket and gloves. However some December days are t-shirt days! Spring comes early and leads gently enough into summer to acclimatize to the high temperatures of July and August, which at times can reach over 30 degrees Centigrade. Humidity is high in Barcelona, but not so much in Madrid. High summer temperatures usually end by September, which can be quite wet. Autumn is generally warm time of year and jacket free.

Food and Drink

You should reset your clock when living in Barcelona. Lunch is the main meal of the day, and is eaten between 1.30 and 4 pm. The evening meal is lighter and is served between 9 and 11 pm. Lunch can be eaten in one of the many tapas bars around the college and city. Almost all bars offer a three course "menú del día" for around 9 euros . This usually also includes a drink. Paella is a Catalan dish and can be found in the majority of the restaurants in Barcelona. Calamares a la Romana (calamari rings) is also very popular, as is tortilla de patatas (spanish omelette with potato). Menu prices include service charges and it's up to you if you leave a tip. Most people leave some small change if they're satisfied and 5% is usually plenty. It's common to leave small change at bar and café tables. Una caña (small beer) costs between 1.5 - 2.5 depending on whether you're drinking it in the bar or outside on the terraza. Una jara (500ml of beer) will cost approximately 3 . Spirits are more expensive, although the measures are large. You should expect to pay up to 5 , especially in a late night bar. Sangría is served in 1.5l jugs and costs around 3

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Visas/Work permits/Health insurance

Visas/Work Permits:
EU citizens are not required to have a visa or work permit. Non EU citizens can stay up to 3 months as tourists. We can provide advice and information for those wishing to secure work and residence permits after course completion. EU citizens seeking work in Spain will not require a working visa. Non EU citizens can apply for a working visa once a job is secured, but this is a lengthy process and most work for cash in hand ( technically illegal, but common practice)

Health insurance
EU citizens are covered and do not need separate medical insurance for up to three months. US citizens will need to be insured. You have several options. First, check with any insurance policy you already have and see if they have an overseas provision, or rider that you can purchase. Your family might also have a general policy that provides this. There are also companies that specialize in overseas policies, for both short-term and longer stays. The rates are reasonable and the service might actually be better than an add-on to an existing policy. You can find these on the web under "overseas insurance" or "travelers insurance." We are told that Patriot is a popular company to use.

Citizens of other countries may need a visa to enter the country. Please consult your local Spanish consulate.

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Getting to Barcelona

By plane try:

EasyJet.com - cheap flights from London Luton and Liverpool to Barcelona
British Midland - scheduled flights from London Heathrow to Barcelona
Iberia - Spain's scheduled airline
ebookers.com - flight search service for flights in Europe
Yahoo! travel - roundtrip flight search
Discount airfare.com - specialising in discounted travel between North America and Europe
Budgettravel.com - budget travel to Europe
www.ryanair.com - Lowfares airline in the UK

By rail or road:

RENFE - Rail travel in Spain
Eurotrip.com - budget travelling in Europe, including Spain
Mappy.co.uk - calculation of road itineraries and travels in Europe

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