The Rough Guide to Barcelona 8 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

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In an emergency, contact the police on
the following numbers: Mossos d’Esquadra
T 088, Policía Nacional T091, Guàrdia
Urbana T092.
Smoking laws
Since January 1, 2006, smoking in public
places has been regulated by law. You can’t
smoke in public buildings, while bars, restau-
rants, clubs and cafés smaller than 100
square metres can choose to be entirely
smoking or non-smoking – signs on the door
tell you which it is. Premises bigger than 100
square metres can have separate smoking
areas. Compared to other countries with
smoking restrictions in force, you’ll find
there’s still an awful lot of puffing going on,
though the ban is generally observed on
public transport and in public buildings.
Taxes
Local sales tax, IVA, is seven percent in hotels
and restaurants, and sixteen percent in
shops. It’s usually included in the price though
not always, so some hotel or restaurant bills
can come as a bit of a surprise – though
quoted prices should always make it clear
whether or not tax is included.
Telephones
Spanish telephone numbers have 9 digits,
and in Barcelona the first two digits of all
landline phone numbers are 93 (the regional
prefix), which you dial even when calling from
within the city. Spanish mobile numbers
begin with a 6, freephone numbers begin
900, while other 90-plus- and 80-plus-digit
numbers are nationwide standard-rate or
special-rate services. To call Barcelona from
abroad, dial your international access number
+ 34 (Spain country code) + 9-digit number.
Public telephones in Barcelona have
instructions in English, and accept coins,
credit cards and phonecards. Phonecards
( targetes/tarjetas) with discounted rates for
calls are available in tobacconists, newsagents
and post offices, issued in various denomina-
tions either by Telefónica (the dominant
operator) or one of its rivals. Credit cards are
not recommended for local and national calls,
since most have a minimum charge which is
far more than a normal call is likely to cost. It’s
also best to avoid making calls from the phone
in your hotel room, as even local calls will be
slapped with a heavy surcharge.
You can make international calls from
any public pay-phone, but it’s cheaper to go
to one of the ubiquitous phone centres, or
locutorios, which specialize in discounted
overseas connections – you’ll find them
scattered through the old city, particularly in
the Raval. If the rates to the country that you
want to call are not posted, just ask. You’ll
then be assigned a cabin to make your calls,
and afterwards you pay in cash. For reverse-
charge calls, dial the international operator
( T1008 Europe, T 1005 rest of the world).
Most European mobile phones will work
in Barcelona, though it’s worth checking with
your provider whether you need to get inter-
national access switched on and whether
there are any extra charges involved. Even
though prices are coming down, it’s still
expensive to use your own mobile exten-
sively while abroad, and you will pay for
receiving incoming calls for example.
Provided your own phone isn’t blocked you
could simply buy a local SIM card instead
for your mobile, from operators like Vodafone
( W or Movistar (W www
. Or if you plan to spend some
time in the city it’s almost certainly better to
buy a Spanish mobile, as the cheapest
non-contract, pay-as-you-go phones cost
from around €29. You can buy top-up cards,
or have them recharged for you, in phone
shops and post offices and from ATMs.
Useful telephone numbers
Calling home T 00 (Spain international access
code) + your country code + city/area code minus
initial zero + number
Barcelona general information T 010
National directory enquiries T11818
The time T093
Alarm call T096
W Yellow Pages finds
any business in Barcelona and has links to the
Paginas Blancas (White Pages), to find a person.
Ticket agencies
You can buy concert, sporting and exhibition
tickets with a credit card using the Servi-
Caixa ( W ) automatic
dispensing machines in branches of La Caixa
savings bank. It’s also possible to order
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