TOP 5 Vermunt Places – Barcelona

enero 11, 2017 by staff

In our trip to Barcelona, we can´t miss to try the classic vermut in the city. The VERMUT is a drink on based in wine and some herbs that it´s used to preserve his flavor. Vermut is a tradition in Barcelona, since many years ago his habitant does it on Sunday´s or over week. They meet with friends in a bar to share this traditional drink.

From Amistat Beach Hostel Barcelona would likes to invite you to visit the best TOP 5 places to have and enjoy a Vermut with your friends

QUIMET – QUIMET

Don´t hesitate to visit Quimet – Quimet, Where offers the best vermut in Barcelona. They also have his own beer and offering a variety of wines and tapas. Located in Poble Sec, Barcelona

BALIUS

A specialized cocktail bar in good Vermut and cocktail, they also are serving delicious dishes to enjoy with a nice drink. Recommended to have a amazing night. Located in Ploblenou a few streets away from our BEACH HOSTAL in Barcelona

MINGUS BAR

Located in El gotico a zone in Barcelona with cultural variety , Hostels and different kind of bares around. You will find MINGUS BAR, where you will see an incredible atmosphere with music, where you will find tourist people to share experiences and a beer as barcelona´s bars could offer

TARANNA

Special place as his customers describe it. Recommended to ask for Beer and Vermut Menu and combinaded with ecologic snack of chicken and avocado. TARANNA is characterized by offering an excelent service and high attention for his costumers. It´s impossible not trying to visit TARANNA while you enjoy your accommodation in Barcelona. Located in Sant Antoni, Barcelona.

CALDERS BAR

It´s a backstreet what have the name famous writer in Barcelona. A place recommended to visit in Sant Antoni area, offering four different good Vermut in his menu, it has a beautiful terrace to enjoy Barcelona´s wheather. For those tourist who came to discover secret´s Barcelona

Amistat Beach Hostel Barcelona wish you the best experience in Barcelona, enjoying a Vermut in this TOP 5 PLACES

Christmas and Happy New Year Eve Celebration in Barcelona

diciembre 19, 2016 by staff

On Christmas time there is plenty of things to do and see in Barcelona as Christmas fairs, Christmas markets, concerts, circus, nativitiy scenes and fun-fairs for the children among the many festive things to do for families and children. Barcelona is also a perfect place for Christmas shopping, mostly of the shops are open 7 days per week.

In Spain, as in Barcelona, we celebrate Christmas Day on 25th of December (El dia de Nadal / El día de Navidad) with a big Christmas lunch, but also there are some more celebrations on the 5t of January, when the Three Kings (Tres Reis Mags) arrive with presents for the children.

Plaza Catalonia hosts a Christmas festival with many family activities and shows to celebrate Christmas from 17th December to 4th January 2017. The Plaza Catalunya fair also features a Responsible Consumption Market and a big mechanical ballet dancer to annouce activities.

Barcelona has many classical, gospel and ballet Christmas concerts in December including wonderful performances at the Basílica de Santa María del Mar. You can check also other concerts checking out the websites of the concert venues Palau de la Musica and Liceu Opera House.

From December 23rd to January 5th – from 11am to 6pm – in Poble Espanyol you will find a traditional Spanish Christmas atmosphere offering activities for the whole family. Find handmade gifts at the many handicraft workshops. An authentic local experience. You can get there walking from Plaza Espanya.

TheMontjuic Magic Fountain is part of the Barcelona Christmas lights with a special free Christmas water and music show in December between 19:00 and 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

There is a big tree on Plaça de Sant Jaume , where there is main nativity scene which is called “pessebre” in the Catalan language. Also there is a big Chritmas tree in Portal del Ángel near Plaça Catalunya.

Where to party in Barcelona!

noviembre 2, 2016 by staff

Nightlife in Barcelona is amazing. Rock, metal, disco, salsa, techno… you can find all the music styles in the city but not worries about your pocket! Barcelona night life is affordable!

First you should know where are the night hotspots:

Although at any point in the city you can find restaurants open until late at night, there are some areas that stand out above the rest:

Barceloneta and the Olympic Village: This is the most popular and attractive area of Barcelona for tourists visiting the city. Olympic Port nightclubs have terraces on the beach. The most famous clubs in this area are Shoko, Opium, Pacha and Bestial.
Aribau area: This area is located near Paseo de Gracia and starting in Aribau street. It is the most exclusive area of Barcelona for nightlife and also for living. Here you will find bars, discos and good restaurants and very popular with locals. Here the most famous clubs are Sutton, Costa Breve,..etc.
Eixample: This is the largest and most central district of Barcelona and here are the streets and squares of the city known as the Paseo de Gracia, the Rambla de Catalunya, Plaza Catalunya and the Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes. For its bars and restaurants, it is ideal for drinks and tapas. Here you can find CITY HALL club.
Borne Quarter: Between Gotic quarter and Barceloneta you can find small chic night bars and some sofisticated clubs as Mix.
Gotic Quarter: In this narrow streets you can find interesting and genuine bars that offer cheap drinks as bar Manchester, Nevermind.

But if you feel like you don’t want to hang out alone, I will recommend you to join our Night Tour. You will meet new friends, a couple of free shots and cheap entry ticket to the best clubs in Barcelona city.

TOP 10 attractions in Barcelona

septiembre 9, 2016 by staff

These are the TOP 10 attractions in Barcelona. Don’t miss any of them. Some are located very close to our hostel in Barcelona.

1. Las Ramblas 🙂
This is Barcelona’s most famous and probably the busiest street in the city. It starts at Plaza Catalunya and ends at the Monument of Columbus at the Port Vell harbour of Barcelona.

2. Sagrada Familia
La Sagrada Familia designed by Antoni Gaudi is the most famous attraction of Barcelona. The interior of Sagrada Familia is amazing, the most original and colorful church.

3. FC Barcelona museum & Camp Nou stadium
If you are a football fun or not we recommend to visit The Camp Nou stadium and the FCB museum. There are among the most popular attractions in Barcelona

4. Magic Fountain show
The Magic fountain was built in 1929 as one of the main attractions for the Barcelona World Fair and the Font Magica is still one of the most famous spots in Barcelona with an estimated 2.5 million visitors annually. The shows take place Friday and Saturday from 7pm to 9pm in winter and in summer thursday to Sunday (show every 30 mins from 9pm to 11.30pm).

5. Park Guell by Gaudi
Parc Guell is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered to one of Gaudi’s most artistic works. Tickets are: €7 You can make some amazing picture of Barcelona.

6. Montjuic and Poble Espanyol
Montjuic has many parks and attractions including an old fort at the very top called Montjuic Castle, which has a rich and dark history and fantastic views of BarcelonA. Poble Espanyol de Barcelona located in Montjuic is a representation of Spanish Village of Barcelona.

7. Tibidabo
A visit to Tibadabo is a fun thing to do in Barcelona and great for kids. The views of Barcelona are fantastic and there is a small and fun vintage amusement park at the top, which is open in the summer from March to September.

8. Visiting the Barrio Gotico
The Gothic quarter is the medieval city of Barcelona from the middle ages. Plenty of narrow and interesting streets.

9. Picasso Museum
The Picasso Museum is in the Born area of Barcelona and it is probably Barcelona’s most famous museum. You can delighted with Picasso paintings.

10. Beaches of Barcelona
From our hostel in Barcelona you can access all the beaches of Barcelona and most closest ones are Bogatell beach and Marbella beach.

Discover Catalonia

agosto 25, 2016 by staff

Barcelona is an amazing and vibrant city but you don’t need to spend all your holiday days in, why not discover the countryside and places nearby? Catalonia is an amazing land that you need to know. You can use Barcelona as a camp base and move around using train, bus or renting a car.

Astonishing landscapes, beautiful paths and sacred places amongst others attractions will surprise you. Here there is a short list of some places that you must go:

Montserrat Mountains:

50 kilometres from Barcelona, Montserrat is much more than a place of pilgrimage to pray to the Black Madonna. In addition to his monastery habited by Benedictine monks there are some granite massifs that make this place a beautiful natural park. A cool placer for trekking.

Bagà and Pedraforca:

Bagá is a perfect medieval village, but also is the gateway to the natural park of Cadi-Moixeró, the starting point to get into this protected space where you will find the emblematic mountain of Pedraforca, a paradise for those who are looking for high mountain routes.*

Maresme Coast:

You can take a train (R1 from Sants Estació) and stop in any of these villages for a beach day: Caldes d’Estrac, San Pol de Mar, Calella, Malgrat de Mar…etc. All of them are perfect! Clear and blue water to spend a beautiful day. You can have a picnic there or enjoy some tapas in some bars that you will find on the beach (chiringuitos).

Figueres:

If you would like to enjoy some art, it is a must to visit Dalí’s museum in Figueres. You can get there by train also departing from Barcelona Sants Estació. Highly recommend it if you want to have an authentic experience.

Colonia Güell:

Is located in Santa Coloma de Cervelló, an old textile town. It’s a place where you can find several modernism buildings, including the most unknown Gaudí’s work, named Gaudí’s Crypt. In 1.898 Eusebio Güell (a business man) commissioned the architect Gaudí the project of a church for this

Free activities in Amistat Beach Hostel

agosto 15, 2016 by staff

Hi there!

Sometimes when we don’t travel or explore much destinations sometimes because we don’t want to get out of our comfort zone and sometimes because we think we are going to spend lot of money. But let me tell you this will not happen if you stay in Amistat Beach Hostel. Our hostel in Barcelona is located just two steps from the beach offers lots of free activities. And why? because we want our guests to be happy! We understand that our guests prefer to invest their money and time in exciting, local and vibrant experiences.

Since you step in our hostel in Barcelona, you will find a friendly and cool atmosphere. Our staff will introduce you our hostel and they will make you feel as at home. Amazing, isn’t? You will find in our common areas nice guest to meet. People from everywhere in the world visits this great city, Barcelona. But you can also join free walking tours and meet people from other hostels in Barcelona. These free walking tours departs in different hours starting at 10 am, you can find the meeting point information at our reception desk. Attending these free tours, you will have a general idea of Barcelona and information about the main attractions basically located in Gotic and Eixample.

After your walking tour you can always hang out on the beach and get a sunbath! This is free too! Or a cheap way to enjoy yourself is to grab some drinks and food from a store and have your picnic at the beach or in a park. Bogatell beach, located 3 min away from our hostel in Barcelona is a very good option!

Full moon nights, from June to August, we organize a FULL MOON PICNIC night also for free! Our guests can enjoy some sandwiches and sangria at the beach. The perfect scenario for meeting nice people and have fun.

But our best seller, is our community dinners in our hostel in Barcelona. Every day, we cook a special and traditional spanish dish, very cheap. For 6 euros you get a starter + main dish + soft drink. Twice per week as main dish we offer a tasty paella! Cool right!! For special events, we offer FREE DINNERS to our guests.

Don’t forget to learn salsa with us every Tuesday! FREE salsa lessons. Wilfredo, our cuban teacher, will teach you how to move your hips!

So, after all this, still hesitating to come over? Just book your flight! We are waiting for you!

Beaches in Barcelona

julio 20, 2016 by staff

To enjoy a beach day and an exciting night out is more than possible in a city like Barcelona, and a easy option if you are staying in our hostel, Amistat Beach Hostel.

Since the Olympic Games water and sand quality has improved a lot, offering a clean and nice beaches. Barcelona has 9 diferent beaches and offers 4.2 kilometers of golden beaches.

Playa de la Barceloneta

The Barceloneta beach is, along with Sant Sebastià, one of the largest and oldest large beaches of Barcelona. Its central location and easy access by public transport make it one of the most popular beaches by local foreign users and young people who practice sports. The beach has an extensive sports and leisure equipment as volleyball courts , playgrounds , ping -pong , fitness area and service ” biblio- beach ” .
Playa de Somorrostro.
Located between the Hospital del Mar and Calle de la Marina. Somorrostro Beach boasts a central location and convenient access via public transportation makes it one of the beach areas preferred by young local and foreign users .
Playa de Sant Miquel

Located between the beaches of Sant Sebastia and Barceloneta Beach. It was refurbished in 1755.

Playa Sant Sebastià
Located next to the Playa de Sant Miquel , Sant Sebastia Beach is one of the largest and oldest beaches of Barcelona. Sant Sebastia are some of the most important sports clubs of Barcelona. Together with the Bogatell Beach , Sant Sebastia is one of the beaches frequented by older people.
Playa Nova Icària

Nova Icària Beach is one of the quietest beaches in the city and is often frequented by families with children and groups of friends. Thanks to its central location next to the Olympic Port, many users reach it by walking or using public transportation.

Playa Bogatell

Renewed during recovery of the seafront of the city in the nineties , the Bogatell beach gets very crowded , though less crowded than the beach of Barceloneta.
Playa Mar Bella
The Playa Mar Bella was created during the urban renewal that took place on the coast to mark the 1992 Olympic Games . Frequented by a very young audience , the beach has a space used as a nudist beach , and several sports facilities like volleyball court , basketball hoop and ping -pong . There is a nautical base from which to carry out water activities.
Playa Nova Mar Bella
Nova Mar Bella Beach was created during the urban renewal that took place in Barcelona on the occasion of the celebration of the 1992 Olympic Games . It is a quiet beach frequented by a very young audience.
Playa Llevant

It’s one of the last beaches that were added to the coast of Barcelona. It is located next to the Nova Mar Bella Beach , a little further away from the center of the city, so it is possible to find a quieter atmosphere and less crowds .

Enjoy our amazing city!! Our hostel in Barcelona, Amistat Beach Hostel is located just 3 min from Bogatell and Marbella beach. Come and stay with us!!!! 🙂

Be a local!

junio 23, 2016 by staff

Are you a traveler or a tourist?

The difference between a traveler and a tourist is than traveler wants to live a real experience, wants to meet locals and experience the place in a genuine way. Tourist prefers to have everything organized and the comfort of a hotel.

Here in this pics you can understand the main differences:

Good news, you can enjoy Barcelona a local. First, you have to mix with local people, escape to have drinks in touristic restaurants and bars because you will just meet tourists.

There are many platforms that offers multitude of events host by locals as www.meetup.com or www.trip4real.com.

Cooking a paella with a foodie local or visiting the city with a guide and a scooter there are just a few of the experiences that you will find. This type of activities are very affordable and genuine. An opportunity to mix with locals and tourists.

Locals are the best guides and the ones that can show you a real experience. They know the best and secrets spots in the city, the best deals in transport, bars, products..etc.

Ask also to our receptionist team in our hostel in Barcelona which bars and local restaurants to go. If you are walking around and you find a bar or restaurant just with spanish menu, sure that is a real local one!

Our hostel in Barcelona, Amistat Beach Hostel is located in a very local neighbourhood, you will just meet locals and few tourists and the best is that is located just a few stops by metro from the city center where you can find thousands of tourists.

Enjoy Barcelona!

How to save money during your trip in Barcelona

junio 16, 2016 by staff

Here we reveal some secrets how to save money in this amazing city. If you are wondering to come or not to Barcelona, I would recommend BOOK YOUR TICKET RIGHT NOW!! Why? because just your ticket could be the most expensive item of your journey.

Depending your departing city, you can get to Barcelona by plane, train or bus. Barcelona is very well connected! Regarding accommodation there is multiples options as coachsurfing (you sleep in a coach of some local) or hostels as Amistat Beach Hostel where you can sleep for a little money comparing the comfort, services and activities that you will have. Comfortable beds and a big kitchen where to cook your favorite dishes will make you stay nice and cheap!! But the most amazing is that our hostel in Barcelona offers you FREE PASTA! so you just need to buy your favorite toppings!

Also you can join many of the activities that we offer as free walking tours, community diners just per 6€ and cheap night tours…what else!!

Now that transport, hostel and food is solved, let’s see how you can save money discovering the city:

Avoid to drink or eat in very touristic places as Las Ramblas.
See the main museums and attractions when offer discounts or are free (this happens certain days or times a week)
Get the Barcelona Card if you would like to get to the main attractions anytime.
Go clubbing before 2:00 am and skip paying the entry fee.
Use public transport or rent a bike. If you use public transport you can by a transport card (T10) per 10€ and you can have 10 rides using bus, metro, tram and train (Zone 1). A single ticket cost 2€.
If you have lunch in restaurants, always ask for MENU DEL DÍA. Cost less than 10 euros and you have starter, main course, dessert and water included.
Attend meet ups organized by locals, and enjoy some events for free. You can check this events in www.meetup.com

Money is not an excuse anymore!

Our hostel in Barcelona is a very good option if you want to have a local experience adding that we are just a few steps from the beach 🙂

You will enjoy your visit to Barcelona! Do not hesitate, make your booking!

Special routes in Barcelona

junio 2, 2016 by staff

How many differents Barcelona are? Do you know? Would you like to explore it? This ancient city has been invaded for Romans, Visigoths and Arabs and you can find vestiges of the history. Also you can appreciate part of the medieval wall and lots more of this vestiges. We would recommend to join one or all of this routes. Barcelona offers more than good restaurants, nice venues and amazing beaches.

Roman Route

You can breath this old roman culture. A tour of Roman Barcelona is a box of surprises containing archaeological remains dating from the time the city was established. Barcino, the Roman city, has left us a valuable legacy, which can be found in the Gothic Quarter, the site of the early walled city.

Medieval Route

A visit to medieval Barcelona is a very fascinating city itinerary. The power wielded by the Crown of Catalonia and Aragon over the Mediterranean during the Middle Ages has left a valuable legacy of palazzos, churches and civic buildings. Most of them can be found in the old town, Ciutat Vella.

Modernista Route

Barcelona and its home-grown art nouveau movement, modernisme, go hand in hand. The style emerged in all its glory at the end of the 19th century to reveal itself in hundreds of extremely beautiful buildings which line the way. Let yourself be captivated once again by these masterpieces. Gaudí was one of the most important artist.

Contemporary Route

Barcelona is known throughout the world for its architecture. This is why the city didn’t want to fall behind in the race to have some of the world’s finest contemporary buildings. The names of today’s great architects and artists are present in almost every city neighbourhood.

Gaudí Route

Gaudí is a name associated with Barcelona who needs to be discovered while you admire his finest landmarks: a treasure trove of forms, ideas, symbols and fantasy which is hard to surpass. The Gaudí landmarks in Barcelona give a greater understanding of one of the most famous architects who ever worked in the city.

The best way to spot all this routes is to attend a Tourist Office and ask for information. They will help you also with the directions and how to move in the city. Sure you will be amazed by the nice and wonderful city of Barcelona.

If you are staying in our hostel in Barcelona, our receptionist team will help you also with the directions. Enjoy this amazing city!!