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.

Concerts in Barcelona

noviembre 25, 2016 by staff

This 2016 Barcelona has offered great concerts and performances as Beyoncé, The Cure, Justin Bieber, Coldplay amongst others. Next 2017 is gonna be plenty of big concerts, so don’t lose time and start to plan you trip to Barcelona.

Here is the agenda :

Mars, 21: Sting

Mars, 15: Bonobo

April, 7: Bruno Mars · The 24k Magic World Tour – Palau Sant Jordi

April, 13: Ghost

May 12: Shawn Mendes · Illuminate World Tour – Palau Sant Jordi

July, 2: Aerosmith . Rock Fest Barcelona 2017

No worries many music festival will take place during the year as Primavea Sound, Sonar, Beach Festival.

Barcelona is vibrant city. Start planning your holidays to Barcelona. Enjoy the amazing beaches, the perfect weather, the amazing food and the smiling food. What else?

Stay in Amistat Beach Hostel Barcelona, discover the fantastic experience that you can have staying with us. Feel like a local, be a local! Amistat Beach Hostel is in a very local neighbourhood that gives you the opportunity to have a real contact with the local culture instead of being in the city centre. In our hostel in Barcelona you will have a exciting and relaxing time, just 3 min away from the beach it’s the ideal spot.

Amistat Beach Hostel Barcelona is surrounded by local restaurants and markets. ¡Be a local, come to Amistat Beach Hostel!

Don’t forget us planning your trip as we are the beach hostel in Barcelona!

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.

Design in Barcelona

octubre 19, 2016 by staff

Welcome to trendiest city in Europe! Barcelona is the city of design. The city also happens to have the highest concentration of design schools in Europe, relatively small and expensive, whose success draws on the legacy. Walking around the city you can find different styles of architecture and design from old times, to modernism and contemporary.

Gaudí’s influence is very visible although Barcelona has got other important architects. Gaudí used his imagination and colours. Gaudí was particularly influenced by natural forms. Most of his buildings are based on naturally occurring organic shapes.

Bold, colourful, different, harmonious, bright and unique are just a few adjectives that come to mind when describing Barcelona architecture and design. Barcelona has successfully blended the old city and the new in a way that makes this city simply breathtakingly beautiful. There is nothing more enjoyable than walking around the streets of Barcelona and taking in the atmosphere that radiates out from the architecture and design. Traditional Catalan Gothic architecture such as the Iglesia de Pi church is reserved and stoic in its design, but just a short walking away we have the Barcelona Cathedral with is beautiful arches and façade crowded always by tourist and locals. A short metro ride we have the famous Sagrada familia Basilica which towers into the sky and has different architectural styles on all four sides of the building, this is a must!

Also there are some other building and constructions apart of Casa Batlló, Casa de la Pedrera and Parc Guell that you can visit as: Herzog & de Meuron’s Forum Building (Forum), Mercat de Santa Caterina (Borne), Richard Meier’s Museum of Contemporary Art, Santiago Calatrava’s Olympic Flame,Etc.

For sure you will not get bored walking around. Also you can ask for our free walking tours. If you are staying in our hostel in Barcelona, you just need to ask to our reception desk.

Greetings from Amistat Beach Hostel Barcelona!

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!

Skate spots in Barcelona

agosto 4, 2016 by staff

Are you a traveler but also a skater? Would you like have the taste an authentic local experience meanwhile you are also practicing your favorite sport?

If the answer is YES, welcome to Barcelona! Our amazing city is not just a destination for shopping, going out, beach, sun, culture, sightseeing, amongs others. It’s a vibrant city, a nest of new and inspirational designers.A place to enjoy your passion, to skate!

Barcelona offers hundreds of spots where to skate and unleash your adrenaline. Amazing right?

Where to stay during your skating trip in Barcelona? This is the answer! In our hostel in Barcelona, why? Because we are located in a very local neighborhood and just 3 min from the best beaches of Barcelona and guess what??? Just 3 min away from the best skate park of the city!! Unbelievable!

Skate park Marbella

If you are staying with us and you don’t want to pay extra luggage in your fly ticket, no problem! You can borrow a skate from us to satisfy your anxious to experience the skate park Marbella.

But is not just about to meet cool people in and out of Amistat Beach Hostel and skate in Marbella beach, noooo, it’s about to experience the different skating spots that you can find exploring the city. Here there is map of lots of skating spots.

This map includes any spot in Barcelona that is for skating. The locations are exact, just need to click on to have more information.

But not your visit has to be just for skating, after your skate session why not to join our daily community dinner in our hostel in Barcelona? You will make a new hostel friends, having a good time and enjoying an amazing typical meal just for 6 euros! So cheap!!

After dinner, if you still have energy join our night tour and enjoy one of the best night out of your entire live.

That’s all! Don’t hesitate, buy your flight. Amistat Beach Hostel is waiting for you my friend!

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!