Mobile World Congress Barcelona - Business Services You May Need and where to Find Them

Here is another article to help you with your Business needs, while you are staying visiting the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Where can you go for printing services, batteries, SD cards etc. Here is an article covering just that and we will be adding something new every day, so keep coming back.

Mobile World Congress has a deal with Workcenter, a chain of office centers with five outlets across Barcelona. The onsite Workcenter at the Fira Gran Via (CC2, Level 1, Room 2.12) is open starting Saturday for vendors, and Monday for everyone else. That's by far the most convenient place to print your documents during show hours.

From batteries to SD cards and USB cables, many small-scale gadgets are available in the Granvia 2 mall across from the South Entrance (open 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday). The Carrefour superstore has pretty much everything, but there are also dedicated photo stores (such as Fotoprix) and electronics stores (such as Miró). Just remember that since these aren't official show vendors, you'll need to take anything you buy home with you, yourself.

Mailing and Shipping
The official freight forwarder, EF-GSM Ltd, is the only company allowed to deliver items directly to and from the Fira Gran Via. You can find full details in the exhibitor manual. The company requires three to seven days advance notice for most deliveries. If you're shipping something to the show last minute via UPS, FedEx, or a similar company, exhibitors can send it to a special delivery address at Fira Montjuïc. It's all in the exhibitor manual linked above.

Of course, if you aren't an exhibitor, you won't be able to use these services. For ordinary visitors, the five Workcenter locations in Barcelona (as referenced below) can also do shipping and package receiving via DHL. The nearest post office to the Fira is at Alts Forns 65, 08038 Barcelona. That's walking distance from the North Entrance. It's open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday.




Computers, Printers and Workspaces
Outside show hours, hit the five Workcenters in town. Three are open on Sundays, and the one on Avenida Diagonal (Diagonal 437, 08036 Barcelona; +34 (93) 390-1100) is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. To get to the 24/7 Workcenter, take metro lines 3 or 5 to Diagonal, take a left on Avenida Diagonal and walk about five blocks. Several buses also serve that location.

Sartorial Issues
The Granvia 2 mall just across Plaça Europa from the convention center has next-day laundry and shoe repair services, as well as hair salons and pretty much every tier of clothing store. Whether you've broken a heel or poured wine on your last shirt, the mall holds your solution.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com by Sascha Segan

If you are visiting Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress, MWC or GSMA in 2014 or just want to make a Tour, Day trip, Attractions or Excursion or are interested in any other tour services, then check out the picture above at the top and if you can't find what you are looking for, call us on +34 647 044 889, because you can be sure we can do it.      

Mobile World Congress Barcelona - Get Connected

Here is another article to help you with your Business needs, while you are staying visiting the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Where can you go for connectivity e.g. wifi, hotspots etc. Here is an article covering just that and we will be adding something new every day, so keep coming back.

CONNECTIVITY: SIM CARDS, HOTSPOTS, AND WI-FI
Check your wireless carrier's roaming plan before committing to a local solution. Most European operators, as well as AT&T and Verizon in the U.S., now have reasonably priced smartphone roaming plans including data, and it's always easiest to be able to keep your "regular" phone number to give to contacts at the show.
SIM Cards

The Granvia 2 mall, just across Plaça Europa from the convention center (open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday), has more than a half-dozen mobile phone shops. I went to the Carrefour Mobile desk on the ground floor, which sells all the major Spanish brands.

The simplest tariff for data-hungry business travelers is Vodafone Yu, which comes in three varieties. "Yu 8" (€12 for the SIM plus one month service) gives you 200MB of data, 20 minutes of calling, and 20 local SMS messages. "Yu 12" (€15 for SIM plus service) gives you 600MB, 60 minutes, and 60 SMS. "Yu 16" (€20 for SIM plus service) gives you 1GB, 100 minutes, and unlimited SMS. When you pop the SIM in your phone, have the salesperson type in the activation code to put it on the appropriate plan.

On Sundays, the best place to buy a SIM card is the Movistar kiosk on the ground floor of the Maremagnum mall (Moll d'Espanya 5, Barcelona 08039; Tel. +34 (93) 225-8100; open daily 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.). To get to the mall, take Metro line 3 to Drassanes, then walk down to the end of the Ramblas, across the traffic circle and along the pedestrian bridge.

A basic prepaid Movistar SIM costs €13, including €10 credit. For prepaid data, choose €4/week for 100MB, or €2.39/day for 250MB/day.

In any case, make sure to bring your original passport to buy your SIM card; they'll need to make a copy for ID purposes.

Hotspots
For more intensive, multi-device Internet use, you may want to rent a hotspot. Typically, hotspots support up to five devices and offer you about 300MB/day, up to 7GB/month.

Before you travel, you can rent hotspots from XCom Global, Tep Wireless or Cellular Abroad for your trip.
In Barcelona, the tourist board officially recommends TripNeter (+34 (668) 893-310), which provides 250MB/day of 3G service for €5.99/day. The company will deliver a hotspot to your hotel or let you pick it up at a tourist office downtown.



Local Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is not widespread in Barcelona, although it's available at major hotels. Fortunately, the GSMA is running Wi-Fi at hotspots all over the convention center, so you should be covered during the show itself.
Outside the venue, Wi-Fi is available in the lobby of the Porta Fira and Fira Congress hotels (buy a coffee and ask for the password), as well as in many local restaurants. I'll note which restaurants have Wi-Fi in the "Eating and Drinking" section.

If you don't want to go to a restaurant, head to the Granvia 2 mall across the street, where free Wi-Fi is available anywhere near one of the two Jamaica coffee shops or the Carrefour superstore. The McDonald's on Plaça Europa also has free Wi-Fi.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com by Sascha Segan

If you are visiting Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress, MWC or GSMA in 2014 or just want to make a Tour, Day trip, Attractions or Excursion or are interested in any other tour services, then check out the picture above at the top and if you can't find what you are looking for, call us on +34 647 044 889, because you can be sure we can do it.      

Mobile World Congress Barcelona - What You Should Know for Your Stay

Ok, so you are coming to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. What do you need to know to make your stay comfortable. Things like the currency, the international dialing code, shopping hours etc. Here is an article covering just that and we will be adding something new every day, so keep coming back.




Country Code: +34

Time Zone: GMT+1

Currency: Euro (Here's a helpful currency converter.)

Electrical Plugs: 220V, two round pins (continental European). If you need a plug adapter, they're available at hardware stores (ferreterías), but I advise buying them before you leave home. I recommend the Wonpro series of universal adapters and power strips, which you can buy at Europlugs.

Business Hours: Most businesses are open from roughly 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Major shops are open Monday through Saturday, usually from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Dining Hours: Breakfast generally runs from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., lunch, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and dinner from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. No one goes out clubbing until midnight.

Language: Barcelonans speak both Spanish (Castellano) and Catalan. Most signs will be in both languages.

Hotlines: For emergency services call 112.

Tax: Sales tax is 10 percent on food and 21 percent on most other goods; it's included in prices shown.

Tipping: Round up to the nearest euro.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com by Sascha Segan

If you are visiting Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress, MWC or GSMA in 2014 or just want to make a Tour, Day trip, Attractions or Excursion or are interested in any other tour services, then check out the picture above at the top and if you can't find what you are looking for, call us on +34 647 044 889, because you can be sure we can do it.     

Mobile World Congress Barcelona - Where to Shop

Here is another article to help you with your shopping (you know you want to buy things ladies!!), while you are staying visiting the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.  Remember, that we will be adding something new every day, so keep coming back.

If you need to buy gifts and can't get into the city center, the obvious choice is the Granvia 2 mall opposite the Fira. Granvia 2 (shown below) has dozens of shops, including three toy stores and the holy trinity of Spanish mainstream fashion brands: Zara, Desigual, and Mango. The Carrefour superstore also sells pretty much everything.



But if you have the time, I'd strongly recommend heading into Barcelona to shop. Specifically, head to the Passeig de Gràcia, in the Eixample neighborhood just north of the old city, or to the neighborhoods of Gràcia and El Born.

To get to the Passeig de Gràcia, take the H12 bus from the Fira to the Passeig de Gràcia and Gran Via, and walk north.

On the Passeig de Gràcia you'll find a mix of global flagship brands and upscale boutiques. For techie gifts, my favorite is the Vinçon design shop (Passeig de Gràcia 96, Barcelona 08008; +34 (93) 215-6050, Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; www.vincon.com), with dozens of laptop and smartphone cases and tech-themed lamps. (You can get a giant, lighted "ctrl" key for €14.)

Across the street, the Bulevard Rosa mall (Passeig de Gràcia 53, 08007 Barcelona; +34 (93) 215-8331; open Monday through Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; www.bulevardrosa.com) is a maze of little boutiques, each one unique, with antiques galleries on the second floor.

The Passeig de Gràcia is also one of the world's most beautiful streets, so you're a winner even if you don't buy anything.



Where the Passeig de Gràcia gives you an elegant shopping experience along a grand boulevard, the neighborhoods of Gràcia (shown above) and Born let you discover tiny shops along narrow pedestrianized streets, with beautiful plazas erupting around every corner.

For Gràcia, take metro line 3 to Fontana and walk along Carrer Asturies to Carrer Verdi, then turn right. On Verdi and its neighboring streets, between Asturies and Terol streets, it's a nonstop riot of boutiques, cafes, bars, and Lebanese restaurants with pretty good shawarma. The Barcelona tourism board has a catalog of shops run by young designers in Gràcia.

The Born is the hippest part of Barcelona's old city, where gorgeous medieval buildings meet designed boutqiues and the Picasso Museum. To get to the Born, take metro line 4 to the Jaume I station and walk down Carrer L'Argenteria, then take a left on Passeig del Born and a right on Carrer Rec to pass the hottest shopping streets. Make sure to check out the Church of Santa Maria del Mar, too. Barcelona Tourism has an official guide to shops in the Born.

Be aware that most of Barcelona is closed on Sundays. Limited shops remain open, including the entire Maremagnum mall at the base of the Rambla (Moll d'Espanya 5, Barcelona 08039; Tel. +34 (93) 225-8100; open daily 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.), the Opencor chain of convenience stores, various random-object shops generally run by Chinese people, and ten pharmacies (see "Health and Safety," below).

Tax Free Shopping: If you buy more than €90.15 of products from stores displaying the "Tax Free Shopping" logo, ask for a Tax Free Form when you're buying your items and have the shop fill it out on the spot. You can claim the tax back at the airport. Find out more at www.global-blue.com.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com by Sascha Segan

If you are visiting Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress, MWC or GSMA in 2014 or just want to make a Tour, Day trip, Attractions or Excursion or are interested in any other tour services, then check out the picture above at the top and if you can't find what you are looking for, call us on +34 647 044 889, because you can be sure we can do it.        

Mobile World Congress- Part 2 of 30 Must Do and See Things While You Are Here!

If you are here at the Mobile World Congress Barcelona, then now is the time to check out some of the great things Barcelona has to offer. Here is a 3 part series of articles from an American visitor Delaney Drew, who wrote down a wish list of places and things she wanted to do. It's a great list, so take a look and maybe you should visit some when you get some spare time, or maybe next time you visit Barcelona.

If you are at the MWC - Make A FC Barcelona Stadium and Museum Tour.

Before coming to Barcelona I put together a list of thing I thought were a “must” in order to get the most out of my time here. I want to share it with you because it gives a great jumping off point for anyone interested in visiting Barcelona.

 

 1.    Visit the Picasso Museum.

2.    Spend an afternoon wandering Gaudi's outdoor masterpiece, Park Guell.

3.    Tour La Segrada Familia, the most famous landmark of Barcelona, a huge church started in 1882 and isnt supposed to be finished until 2040. It was designed by the modernist architect Antoni Gaudi.

4.     See the magic fountain at Montjuic light up at night. 

 

5.    Get lost in Parc del Laberint d'Horta.

 

6.    See Fundacio Joan Miro, a museum dedicated to Joan Miro who was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona. His work has been interpreted as Surrealism. He expressed contempt for conventional painting methods as a way of supporting bourgeois society, and famously declared an "assassination of painting" in favor of upsetting the visual elements of established painting. (wiki).

7.    Visit Monserrat Mountain.

8.    Check out the Olympic Stadium from when Barcelona held the Olympics in 1992.

9.    Hike the Tibidabo Mountain.

 

10. Visit Figueres and the Dali Museum. Figueres is a city in the Catalonian region of Spain and is the home of Salvador Dali.

If you are at the MWC - Make A FC Barcelona Stadium and Museum Tour.


If you are visiting Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress, MWC or GSMA in 2014 or just want to make a Tour, Day trip, Attractions or Excursion or are interested in any other tour services, then check out the picture above at the top and if you can't find what you are looking for, call us on +34 647 044 889, because you can be sure we can do it.   

Mobile World Congress Barcelona - Where to Eat Nearby

Here is another article to help you with your Eating requirements, while you are staying visiting the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. We will be adding something new every day, so keep coming back.

Eating and Drinking Tips
Coffee and a pastry make for a typical breakfast in Catalonia. Ordering coffee can be a complex art, but the most common varieties are "café solo" (espresso), "café con leche" (plenty of milk) and "café cortado" (just a bit of milk). Expect to pay around €2 for a coffee and croissant; it'll cost more in a hotel, of course. Breakfast hours run from around 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Most restaurants have a set three-course lunch menu that's good value, but you can always order à la carte or just nosh on "bocadillos," the sandwiches that are a Catalan national treat. Lunch runs from about 1 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. until 4 p.m.

Catalans, like all Spaniards, eat dinner late; 8 p.m. is considered early.

Almost all the restaurants below feature full bars. Expect to pay €2 to €3 for a beer and around €5 for harder stuff. The local beer most commonly on tap is Estrella Damm; ordering a "caña d'Estrella" gets you a glass of the good local stuff.

Where to Eat and Drink
The new convention center has 49 restaurants, including fast food and sit-down options, different international cuisines, vegetarian, Kosher, and Halal food. You still might want to leave the convention center, though—whether you arrive before the venue opens in the morning, you want to take a break, or just want to try out a local business.

Fortunately, the Fira is surrounded by restaurants, mostly north and east of the venue. We got local recommendations and tried the best.

The city of Barcelona has world-class dining, of course. The city tourism board offers a free restaurant booking service at a kiosk just inside the Fira's North Entrance and the South Entrance, letting you book tables at 170 restaurants. Once your reservation has been confirmed, the restaurant will welcome you with a free glass of cava when you display your Mobile World Congress pass.

Restaurants Near the South Entrance



Nuclo
Avenida Joan Carles I 58, L'Hospitalet 08908
+34 (93) 233-4989;

Hours (Monday to Friday): 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Lunch menu: €26.50, Tasting menu: €49.20

Right by the entrance to the convention center, the award-winning Nuclo offers world-class, international cuisine using local, seasonal ingredients. Chef Jordi Narro worked with the legendary Ferran Adrià . Expect creatively reinvented Spanish cuisine, with dishes like crayfish tartare with corn foam being followed by a fish of the chef's choice in a crayfish jus. See what he did there? There's even narrative. Reservations are absolutely essential, as far in advance as possible.

Spiral
In the Porta Fira Hotel, Plaça Europa 45, L'Hospitalet 08908
+34 (93) 297-3500;

Hours: Lunch 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Dinner 8 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.
Entrees: €10 to €21

If you can't get into Nuclo, Spiral, on the ground floor of the Porta Fira hotel across the street, is your next best bet. Like Nuclo, Spiral offers wittily reinvented traditional Spanish food: a forest of asparagus dusted with Parmesan "dirt," for instance, or little pasta pockets stuffed with a mildly sweet pear jam. When I went, service was attentive and occasionally delivered surprises, like an unexpected amuse-bouche of strawberry sangria. Reservations are strongly recommended.

Palmer
In the Renaissance Hotel, Plaça Europa 50-52, L'Hospitalet 08902
+34 (93) 261-8000;

Hours: Lunch 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., Dinner 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Lunch menu: €24, Entrees: €13 to €28

The most dramatic setting in the area, Palmer perched up on the 14th floor of the Renaissance Hotel and promises truly business-class service. When I ate there, though, both service and food were off; there was no host to greet me, and my monkfish "all cremat" (a popular local sauce with garlic and white wine) was unpleasantly chewy. Things are sure to improve with time, though, as the hotel is brand-new and just getting on its feet. Reservations strongly are recommended.

Narandam
In the Fira Congress Hotel, Carrer de José Agustín Goytisolo 9-11, L'Hospitalet 08908
+34 (93) 267-1800;

Hours: Lunch 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., Dinner 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Lunch menu: €24

The hotel restaurant in the Fira Congress Hotel, Narandam has a long wall of bright windows, letting light in. The menu combines Portuguese, Spanish, French and Italian influences, so you can get Galician octopus, steak with Port wine sauce, or pasta puttanesca. The approach to the hotel is a little less classy than with the Porta Fira or Renaissance, though, and the Fira Congress looks like it could do with a bit of a sprucing-up. Reservations are strongly recommended.

Atlantida
In the Hotel Solvasa Barcelona, Carrer Ciencies 98-100, L'Hospitalet 08908
+34 (93) 503-5090;

Hours (daily): Breakfast 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Lunch 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., Dinner 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Entrees: €9.95 to €21

The least imposing of the local hotel restaurants, Atlantida is in the basement of the Solvasa hotel a few minutes' walk southeast of the Fira. The menu is basic, hearty and simple: steak, sausage, grilled fish, and squid, for instance. Free Wi-Fi is available.



Casa Varela
Carrer Blas Fernandez Lirola 82, 08908 L'Hospitalet
+34 (93) 431-9205

Hours (Monday through Friday): 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; (Saturday): 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Lunch menu: €9.95

A very traditional, family-run restaurant right near the South Entrance, Casa Varela gets very good reviews from locals. The menu is a mix of local specialties and European favorites; you can get pasta, roast chicken, fish stew or even Wiener schnitzel. While the owners don't speak much English, they're used to doing corporate events for the companies in the area; make a reservation if you want to make sure there's room.

Piripipao
Carrer Arquitectura 20, L'Hospitalet 08908
+34 (93) 421-1203

Hours (Monday through Saturday): 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Entrees: €7 to €20

Highly recommended by the staff at the nearby Marriott AC Hotel Som, Piripipao is an upscale neighborhood restaurant with a classy Spanish menu. Expect the usual tapas and entrees like sesame-crusted tuna and beef tenderloin in a port wine sauce.

Panaderia Bolleria Cabré
Carrer Aprestadora 106, L'Hospitalet 08902
+34 (93) 422-6610

Hours (Monday through Saturday): 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Most pastries: €2 and under

This family-run establishment offers pastries so fresh and light, they practically float into your mouth. While it's a bit of a walk from the convention center, it's worth it for specialties like an apple tart cuddled in a buttery cloud of phyllo dough. The owners also run a small sit-down cafe down the block.

Glub
Plaça Europa 41, L'Hospitalet 08908
Hours (Monday through Saturday): 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Breakfast: €2.20-€5, Lunch: €11

The pleasures at Glub aren't necessarily the food: this relatively nondescript neighborhood restaurant is right across the street from the Fira and has both plenty of seating and Wi-Fi. Breakfast there wasn't much to report about, but as I said: plenty of seating, and Wi-Fi. It's a good place to base yourself if you're too early to get into the show. Bar Mediterraneo, next door, is very similar, keeping the same hours and also featuring Wi-Fi.



Bar Restaurant Maxi
Carretera del Prat 30bis, Barcelona 08038
+34 (93) 296-8410

Hours (daily): 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Entrees: generally €9.75 to €18; tapas: €4 and up

Want to eat and drink like a real local? Stop by this better-than-usual tapas joint (shown above) right down the street from the convention center. It's full of locals, but has an English-speaking waiter and menu, and the patatas bravas and piquillo peppers are a significant notch above the quality you can get at the tapas places at the mall. Entrees focus on shellfish, with a massive mixed-seafood "marisco" platter feeding four for €42. Reservations are recommended if you don't want to end up eating at the bar.

Mangia e Bevi
Gran Via 16, L'Hospitalet 08908
+34 (93) 259-0972;

Hours (Monday): 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., (Tuesday through Thursday): 8 a.m. to midnight, (Friday and Saturday): noon to midnight

Pizzas: €11 to €14; meter-wide pizza: €48

Pizza is the specialty at this clean, brightly-lit neighborhood restaurant on the other side of the mall from the convention center. And if you're bringing a party, the pizzas get big: they showed me the wooden board on which they cook pizzas 36 inches in diameter. Like any good pizza joint, this one delivers, if you can't manage to leave your booth. A full bar and coffee are also available.

Niza Xurreria
Carretera del Prat, off Carrer Energia
+34 (647) 809-580

Need a snack? This food truck has been serving churros since 1952. Churros start at €2, waffles at €3 and you can get french fries, too. The truck is out during daylight.

Cafe Glacé and Muxia
Amadeu Torner 40 and Aprestadora 113, L'Hospitalet 08902
Cafe Glacé +34 (93) 263-5364, Muxia +34 (93) 263-0594

Cafe Glacé Hours (daily): 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Muxia Hours (daily): 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Sandwich and beer: €5.10; Muxia lunch menu: €13.80

Up Amadeu Torner street across Plaça Europa you'll find these two neighborhood cafés with an important specialty: they both have Wi-Fi. As you'd expect from the name, Cafe Glacé is mostly ice cream and crepes, with a small indoor area and many tables out on the street. Muxia is a more traditional Galician tapas restaurant with a full bar, lunch and dinner menus, including a menu translated into English.

Granvia 2
Carrer de la Literatura 1, L'Hospitalet 08908
+34 (93) 259-0050;

Hours (Monday through Saturday): 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Entrees: Prices vary, but usually €10 to €20

The gigantic mall opposite the convention center has an unusually pleasant food court. Unlike most mall food courts, it's outside, with a series of heated tents protecting diners. Food options include an udon bar, two Italian pasta restaurants, a decent Basque restaurant called Baskonia, and an entirely industrial tapas place, Barnatapa. It's not exactly a meaningful cultural experience, but it's food, and it's easy.

Within the mall, the main highlight is Wi-Fi. The mall's two Jamaica coffee shops and giant Carrefour supermarket radiate free Wi-Fi to everything nearby, including the tasty Andreu jamón bar on the basement level directly across from Carrefour. I'd go back to Andreu.

Restaurants Near the North Entrance



Granja Elena
Paseo Zona Franca 228, Barcelona 08038
+34 (93) 332-0241

Hours (Monday through Saturday): 7 a.m. to noon, (Monday through Friday): 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Entrees: approximately €20

The best restaurant in the area, Granja Elena (shown above) has the atmosphere of a small local bar but offers world-class food. Expect traditional Catalan dishes like fish croquettes and roasted artichokes, but raised to the next level. My croquettes were cloud-light, and my artichokes were fork-tender and fell apart into a black sausage soup, giving a bit of a feeling of noodles in gravy. The restaurant sources ingredients locally whenever possible. With only 28 seats and a faithful clientele, reservations are essential, at least a week in advance.

 La Vid
Carrer Foc 44, Barcelona 08038
+34 (93) 289-6347;

Hours (daily): 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lunch menu: €15.30

The huge, practically brand-new La Vid restaurant sits right across from the North Entrance of the convention center, making it a prime target for corporate events. You'll pay a little more for the atmosphere and location than you would at other similar restaurants in Barcelona, but I was happy for the business-friendly ambiance and multilingual menus. The traditional Galician menu is seafood-heavy, and I had a melt-in-my-mouth whole sea bass with a very citrusy vegetable ragout on the side, and chocolate crepes for dessert. A full bar, tapas and sandwich menus are also available.

Acquit Ibèrics i Café
Avenida Granvia de L'Hospitalet 1, L'Hospitalet 08908
+34 (93) 432-8483;

Hours (Monday through Friday): 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Lunch menu: €9.35 to €12.20

Right by the City of Justice complex, the brand-new Acquit bistro clearly caters to health-conscious lawyers. (Also, with the name.) Expect traditional tapas but also a lot of fresh salads and fish.

La Sal Del Port
Carrer Foc 84, Barcelona 08038
+34 (93) 007-5988

Hours (daily): 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Lunch menu: €10.50

A new breakfast and tapas bar just off the Passeig de Zona Franca on the way to or from the North Entrance, La Sal Del Port is friendly and clean, although nobody there speaks English. Breakfast is run-of-the-mill pastries, lunch a range of traditional specialties like roast chicken or monkfish in romesco sauce. The usual tapas are also available, along with a full bar. It's a good place to meet people on the way to App Planet or the Theatre District.

Forn de Pa Praga
Corner of Energia and Foneria, Barcelona 08038

Hours (Monday through Friday): 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., (Saturday and Sunday): 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Pastries: €1 to €2; sandwich and juice: €3.40

Looking for coffee and a croissant on the way to the North Entrance? This bright, sunny cafe on a nearby corner is a good bet. The pastries are of decent quality, and they'll slap together a range of sandwiches, too.

Dietary Restrictions

Vegetarians: The main tourist office on Plaça Catalunya has a free booklet called "Guide to Vegetarian Restaurants in Barcelona," with 63 vegetarian-friendly restaurants listed throughout the city. Restaurants are tagged as vegetarian or vegan. In general, it's not hard to get tasty meatless food in Barcelona, as items like potatoes, piquillo peppers, sautéed mushrooms, asparagus, and artichokes are mainstays of any tapas menu. However, ask a waiter to make sure animal oils aren't used in preparation.

Kosher: There's one Kosher restaurant and one Kosher grocery store in Barcelona. They're both in the Sarrià neighborhood. The restaurant is Delicias (Santaló 125, 08021 Barcelona; (93) 201-0904;) and it will deliver to hotels. The supermarket is Isamar Kosher (Avenir 29, 08021 Barcelona; (93) 200-3375;)

Halal: Halal diners shouldn't have a problem in a city where fish rules many menus. For halal meat, Gràcia is honeycombed with Turkish and Lebanese restaurants, and there's a large Pakistani presence in the Raval neighborhood.

Gluten-Free: The Carrefour supermarket in the Granvia 2 mall directly across from the convention center has a gluten-free section. You can also get a list of gluten-free restaurants from SMAP Celiacs de Catalunya.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com by Sascha Segan

If you are visiting Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress, MWC or GSMA in 2014 or just want to make a Tour, Day trip, Attractions or Excursion or are interested in any other tour services, then check out the picture above at the top and if you can't find what you are looking for, call us on +34 647 044 889, because you can be sure we can do it.       

Mobile World Congress Barcelona - Getting Oriented around Barcelona

Here we have another article to help you while you are staying visiting the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. What do you need to orientate yourself around the city. Here is an article covering just that and we will be adding something new every day, so keep coming back.


Let's Get Orientated
First of all, let's deal with directions. All maps of Barcelona are rotated, so what appears to be east on a map is really compass north. (That's why the convention center's North Entrance is where it is.) I'll use "map directions" in this guide.

The city of L'Hospitalet lies between the airport (which is in another suburb, El Prat de Llobregat) and the main city of Barcelona. The border between the two is invisible; the north entrance of the Fira is actually in Barcelona, while the south entrance is in L'Hospitalet.

The Fira Gran Via convention center is on Granvia de L'Hospitalet, a long road that runs right through Barcelona. South and west of the Fira are industrial areas, tailing off to the working port; north and east are neighborhoods in L'Hospitalet and Barcelona.

The bulge of Montjuïc, a small mountain covered in parks and museums, separates the Fira area from most of the rest of Barcelona. The distance is too far to walk, and it's dull, but it's a quick bus or train ride. Both the area around the Fira and Barcelona itself are very walkable, though.




The Fira Gran Via
The new Fira center will make your convention experience a lot more comfortable. Unlike the old Fira, in Fira Gran Via you never have to go outside; if you remember MWC 2010 when it rained the entire time, you'll understand how nice a change that is.

Designed by prominent Japanese architect Toyo Ito, the Fira is supposed to resemble an undulating undersea world, with coral-reef walls and a "jellyfish" atrium. The eight halls are connected by an enclosed spine with moving walkways. At the middle of the structure, two outdoor avenues open up for eating, drinking, and networking; there are also several patios (GSMA calls them "networking gardens") lined with artificial grass scattered around.

The Fira is about a mile long and has two entrances, one on either end. Because the Fira Gran Via is so long, it's best to think of it in two halves: focus either on the South Entrance (closest to Hall 1 and Hall 2) or the North Entrance (by Hall 8.1, App Planet, and Hall 8.0, Theatre District). Restaurants and attractions in this guide will be listed by proximity to either the south or north entrances.

Mobile World Congress offers a full guide to the Fira, including a video you can watch called New Venue Orientation.



Neighborhoods of Barcelona

The Old Town
Bisected by the famous La Rambla, Barcelona's Old Town is a golden Gothic gem. This is an area of small, winding streets with hundreds of years of history. The more tourist-friendly neighborhoods of the Barri Gotic, Ribera, and Born are northeast of the Rambla, between that street and the Parc de la Ciutadella.

The Barri Gotic, between the Rambla and Via Laietana, includes the city hall, cathedral, and the remnants of the Jewish neighborhood, El Call; if you want to stay somewhere that feels ancient, this is where you should stay. Across Via Laietana are the hip Born (below Carrer de la Princesa) and somewhat sleepier Ribera. The Born has come up in the past 10 years as a neighborhood of cafes, boutiques, and bars in historic buildings, ideal for shopping.

The Rambla itself is one of Barcelona's most famous tourist attractions, but I consider it overrated: it's a tourist trap, in more ways than one. Leading from the sea to the Plaça Catalunya, it's overrun by visitors, people who sell things to visitors, and people who take advantage of visitors. It's a constant jostling crowd, and not always actually fun. While it's an unmissable Barcelona experience to walk along once, I greatly prefer the Passeig de Gràcia (below) for a promenade.

On the other side of the Rambla is the Raval neighborhood, a multicultural, working-class barrio that the city has been trying to redevelop for years. Most of that redevelopment can be seen north of the Carrer de L'Hospital, where you'll find the Museum of Contemporary Art, the CCCB arts center, hip hotels near the Gran Via and multicultural restaurants along the Rambla de Raval. The area south of L'Hospital,—confusingly called the "Barri Xines" (Chinatown) even though it isn't actually a Chinatown—is still a bit seedy. Be cautious there.

Down by the waterfront is the entrancing neighborhood of Barceloneta, a former fishing village with streets so narrow that people living across the street from each other can shake hands out their windows. Barceloneta is pockmarked with great little restaurants and ends at the beachfront promenade, which is still busy in February. My favorite tapas place in Barcelona is at La Bombeta (3, carrer Maquinista).

The Eixample
The most beautiful street in Europe, the Passeig de Gràcia divides the two halves of the gracious Eixample. Along here you'll find sidewalk cafes with room to breathe, as well as La Pedrera and Casa Milà, two of the city's iconic Gaudí buildings. Make sure to look down at the beautiful fresco sidewalks.

The Passeig de Gràcia divides the Eixample into the Esquerra (left) and Dreta (right). Both neighborhoods have long, straight streets with blocks cut off at the corners. Deep in the Dreta you'll find the iconic Sagrada Família, the unfinished cathedral that's the single greatest work of Modernist architecture. Just south of Passeig de Gràcia in the Esquerra are the Rambla Catalunya as well as Balmes and Enric Granados streets, prime streets for shopping and dining.



Uptown
Barcelona gets wealthier as you get closer to the mountains. As a visitor for Mobile World Congress, you're most likely to visit two neighborhoods uptown. Gràcia was an independent village until 1897, and it reminds me of New York's Greenwich Village. The Plaça del Sol is one of the city's best places for bar-hopping, and streets like Torrent d'Olla and Verdi are clogged with restaurants and boutiques. North of Gràcia is Parc Guell, famous for a huge cache of Gaudí's architectural confectionery, and above that, on the mountain, is Tibidabo, home to a charmingly run-down amusement park, a gigantic church, and a luxurious hotel. Sarrià-Sant Gervasi is a quieter, upscale residential neighborhood.

Poblenou
You'll likely attend events in the Vila Olimpica, 22@ or Diagonal Mar areas on the other side of the Parc de la Ciutadella from downtown. These are recently redeveloped, relatively synthetic new parts of town. The Vila Olimpica is packed with nightclubs and beachfront restaurants. The 22@ area is a formerly run-down industrial neighborhood that's been turned into a high-tech incubator, and Diagonal Mar is an alternative convention district by the water, with hotels and a medium-sized convention center.

Sants-Montjuïc
Anchored by the grand Plaça Espanya, Sants-Montjuïc is a popular neighborhood for visitors, as everyone traveling by Metro has to change trains at Plaça Espanya to get to the new convention center. This is also where the older Fira de Barcelona is, along with the Hotel Fira Palace, Hotel Catalonia Plaza, and several other venues sure to be used by MWC exhibitors. That said, the neighborhood immediately north of the Plaça Espanya isn't the most charming, and I've ended up spending evenings in the brand-new Arenas shopping mall just because it was convenient.

The old Fira backs onto the hill of Montjuïc, home to a beautiful, rambling park with great views of the city. You'll find several museums up here including the unmissable Fundació Miró. As Montjuïc separates the old city from L'Hospitalet, this is also a great place to take a long, thoughtful walk while staying close to business.



L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
Just on the other side of Montjuïc, Barcelona bleeds into the city of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. While the densely populated L'H has a quarter-million residents and seven official districts, the one you'll be spending most of your time in is Granvia L'H, one of the area's new business districts.

Since 2000, the Catalonian government has been encouraging skyscrapers to crop up along the Gran Via between Montjuïc and the edge of the urban area. There are two major business clusters: the Plaça Europa, home to the Hotel Porta Fira, Renaissance Hotel, the convention center and several large office buildings; and the City of Justice, an array of imposing legal buildings near the Plaça d'Ildefons Cerdà closer to the main city. The two areas are basically bridged by Granvia 2, a large shopping mall. Several commuter train lines and a frequent bus run along the Gran Via, connecting the neighborhood to Barcelona. If you've ever been to La Defense in Paris, it's similar.

The H12 bus runs the length of the Gran Via every seven to eight minutes and is the best way to connect parts of the district with the city center.


Source: http://www.pcmag.com by Sascha Segan

If you are visiting Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress, MWC or GSMA in 2014 or just want to make a Tour, Day trip, Attractions or Excursion or are interested in any other tour services, then check out the picture above at the top and if you can't find what you are looking for, call us on +34 647 044 889, because you can be sure we can do it.