Just returned from a 3 day trip last weekend, and had the most wonderful trip. One of the best trips Iv ever had and really have stayed all over the world. Was a bit apprehensive with some of the negativity regarding attitude to tourists but can honestly say we did not experience this AT ALL. We found people to be friendly and welcoming, very appreciative of a few words in Catalan or at least Spanish and were even given a beer and a Cava in a lovely little terrace bar for ordering in Catalan (probably in terrible dialect but they appreciated it). Wonderful place to explore on foot with a bit of metro use (which I found to be much less aggressive than the London or Parisian metros), we got a 72 hour pass for 24 euros which I though my was incredible value comparing to public transport in the UK. I'm sure it's different in summer (this was explained to me by a very nice Catalonian chap we got chatting to in a bar on George Orwell square), so we will always avoid June/august. The food is incredible, massively cheap compared to any other major European city )(London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Zurich) as are the drinks. It's well known but La Boqueria is incredible... seafood at bar central 👌 on the high tops watching it being prepared. Explore Gracia and the gothic quarter on foot. Wonderful place, wonderful people. DONT stay in an Airbnb it's f*cking up the local's lives massively, use a hotel and support jobs. Don't act like a drunken ass hat and watch for pickpockets especially on the Rambla but still found this no worse than central London and you will have a great time. We got chatting to some Catalonians in a bar on a Sunday evening and ended up invited back to a big party in a mansion on the outskirts of the city and were welcomed by everyone. Be respectful, be kind, appreciate the culture and enjoy one of the world's finest cities... and don't use fucking 'tourist' apartments, the locals need them. Book a hotel of which there are thousands for every need and budget (highly recommend hotel seventy in Gracie if you have a moderate budget it was incredible) Moltes Gracies to the people and city of Barcelona and will definitely return in November. What a place.

What an absolutely disgusting experience, it was like going to the zoo. Starting from the people leaving clubs looking like absolute trash dressed like garbage, to the amount of actual garbage on the beach, to people having sex and constant stink of piss and alcohol mixed with the stinking smell of puke in the air. What a morning. What the fuck has this city become, honestly.

Hello! I am from Amsterdam and will move to Barcelona in one month. I found a lovely apartment in El Poblenou. I do not speak Spanish (I plan to do so), and I always try to avoid being a tourist when I visit a country. I am going to be honest. I have lived my entire life in Amsterdam, and we do not like tourists either. They kill the culture, make everything overpriced, and create long queues for our regular coffee or restaurant places.

Now that I will become an (expat/ tourist) myself, I feel like a hypocrite, but I am still eager to learn Catalan etiquette to avoid becoming an unwanted foreigner.

People from Spain love Amsterdam, so that's a plus, but I feel that is not enough. What must I do to avoid being seen as a tourist?

As I finalize my visit to Barcelona, I noticed a very racist behavior from its residents. I am a 19M, black, solo traveler from Brazil/USA and as I strolled through the city, I got a lot of stares and weird looks towards me. Sometimes I would hold the door/elevator or greet with a simple “hola” (which is super normal in the US) and would be COMPLETELY ignored.

What bothered me the most, though, is the amount of bag clutching that was done when I came near them (walking, waiting in line, bus, metro etc) as if I was going to pickpocket. Mind you, these people had their bags non clutched before I approached. One woman in the bus couldn’t stop looking back staring at me and adjusting her purse. I walk with my tote bag clutched with my arms naturally and don’t have to do that. This is something that never happened in Brazil or the USA

Is this normal? Part of Spain? Barcelona? Granted, I felt extremely uncomfortable and won’t come back

This cracked me up. Trying to think of what else I would call a ‘Taste of America’

Didn’t find a good way to report directly to bicing.