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Practical advices
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Bank
As almost anyone else, I’ve opened my
account at “La Caixa”: it’s one
of the biggest bank of Spain and has got
an ATM machine every second street.
It’s quite easy open the account: just
go to a bank office (better if close to
your flat or office), take your passport
and, if you have got it, your job
contract, and ask to open the account.
That’s all !
There are 2 kind of accounts: one for
residents, the other for no-residents.
Main difference among the two is
expenses (the one for residents is
really cheap. The other is a bit more
expensive…but not too much) and the
ability to ask for a credit card.
To open a no-resident account you just
need you passport.
Once you’ve arranged all your documents
to be legally entitled to live and work
in Barcelona you can go to your bank and
ask for a resident account.
Accounts in Spain are quite cheap:
withdraw from any “La Caixa” ATM is
free, as it’s free the on-line banking:
La Caixa’s web application is really
great and if you use it regularly, you
will rarely need to go your bank office
in person.
For more information, just have a look
at Caixa’s website (www.lacaixa.es)
Moving
around Barcelona
Even though public transports in
Barcelona works great (and metro,
trains, bus and taxis are very cheap),
buying a scooter is the best way to
enjoy the town and be anywhere within 10
minutes: this will allow you to be
independent and rapid in your movements.
Be careful because if you don’t tie it
really carefully, it’s easy someone will
steal it.
If you decide to live in the center and
you’re lucky enough to find a job close
to your place, an interesting
opportunity is getting a bike. Since it
quite common to assist to bike
robberies, many people buys really old
bikes…or uses Bicing, the new
public bicycle renting service: you have
several “station” across town, and you
can decide to take the bike at one
station and give it back to another one.
The service is also very cheap: free for
the first 30 minutes, and then 30 cents
each half an hour more. To be entitled
to rent these bikes you need to
subscribe (and pay an year fee) to the
service.
Have a look at their webpage:
http://www.bicing.comm (sorry, just
Spanish or Catalan).
If you prefer moving though public
transportation, it’s still ok: you will
not have many problems in reaching any
part to the city.
Tickets are quite cheap: €1.3 single
ride, €6.65 for 10 rides and €27.55 the
50 rides ticket..
As for service hours, Metro closes at
midnight from Sunday to Thursday, on
Fridays it closes at 2 AM and on
Saturady it’s open all night long (to
allow people to enjoy their night out
and go back home safe).
When Metro is closed, you still have the
Bus service, which will take you
anywhere in town. Most of them starts
their route from Plaza de Catalunya.
Anyway, especially at night, you can
also take a taxi to go back home.
Compared to other countries, they are
quite cheap: usually with 5/7 euros they
will take you back home.
What’s hot in townn
Barcelona is a really vibing town: every
day and night it’s full of interesting
things to do.
Of course, it's hard being informed
on everything deserves to be done in
town.
Even if word of mouth is still really
important, best way to know what’s hot
in town, is reading !!
Many magazines are given for free in
almost any bar in town: take them home
and have a look.
Also you might buy on Thursday the
“Guia de Ocio”: it’s a
kind of local Time-out with huge list of
things to do each day of the week.
continue...
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Italian