This is a great opportunity to have a nice night out in Barcelona, check out a couple of Barcelona’s world famous museums for free and just enjoy the beautiful spring weather of this magnificent city.

Complete List of Museums With Free Entrance Durring the 2012 Barcelona Night of the Museums

Sant Jordi Hostels’ Pic of the Best Museums Included in the 2012 Barcelona Night of the Museums

This is our short list of the most famous and best museums in Barcelona that are participating in the 2012 Barcelona Night of the Museums. Each of the museums listed below are world class museums and would be worth checking out, even you you had to pay the entrance.

1 – Cosmocaixa – At the top of the list is the Cosmocaixa: recommended because it is just plain fun. Not a traditional art museum, the Cosmocaixa is a science and technology museum dedicated to providing an interactive educational experience. Oriented primarily towards kids and young adults, the cosmocaixa is a ton of fun for grown-ups as well. Housed in huge hyper-modern installation, the museum is a full blown interactive experience of the modern world of science and technology. Almost everything in the museum is designed to be touched, picked up and experienced in such a way that the visitors can understand in a hands-on-fashion what science so often describes in hard to understand technical terms.

2 – La Pedrera – La Pedrera, also known as La Casa Mila, is not a museum so to speak; it is an entire building. Designed by Antoni Gaudi, La Pedrera is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Barcelona. Allowing access to the atic, the roof-top, and a full apartment furnished in the art nuveau style popular at the time the building was designed and built, La Pedrera is a museum dedicated to the life and work of the famous Barcelona architect, designer and artist Antoni Gaudi. The Atic area is filled with museum style exhibits that explain the genius of Gaudi’s life and work. The roof-top allows amazing vies of the city center of Barcelona from above while enjoying the architectural uniqueness of the building’s design. The fully furnished apartment is special glimps into the past and an opportunity to see how Gaudi’s Architecture and furniture design would be used in real life.

3 – Fundacio Joan Miro – The Fundacio Joan Miro is a full blown modern art museum honoring the work of the World famous Catalan/ Barcelonese artist Joan Miro. If you are a Joan Miro fan this museum is a must see.

4 – Museu Picaso – The world famous Museu Picaso houses a world famous collection of Picaso’s arts that spans the course of his entrie life. Some are disappointed by the Picaso museum because it highlites a lot of his early works that are less identifiable as Picasos and are in a more realistic traditional style as opposed to his famous cubist technique. There are however a couple of beautiful pieces from his blue period and an entire room dedicated to the full collection of his Las Meninas series of paintings.

5 – The MNAC – The National Art Museum of Catalunya, or MNAC, houses an amazing collection of art from the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque as well as 19^th and 20^th centuries. This is a traditional museum in every sense of the word and will fulfill every museum lover’s expectations. The museum’s collection is spectacular, the location is ideal and the building in which the museum is located is grandiose.

6 – Fundacio Antoni Tapies – The Fundacio Antoni Tapies is a museum and cultural center dedicated to the life and works of the artist Antoni Tapies. This museum is little something different and it might be a good idea to research Antoni Tapies before just going to the museum and expecting to like it. What is so cool about this museum is that it is a real contemporary Catalan/Barcelona modern art experience.  It is a perfect example of the the importance of Barcelona and Catalunya in the modern art world.

7 – The MACBA – The Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona, or MACBA, is a large museum dedicated entirely to the art of the second half of the 20^th century. A true modern art museum, the MNAC is more of an acquired taste – but and outstanding museum just the same.

A Few Recommendations and Tips

The Night of the Museums in Barcelona is a big event and spans the entire city. Because it is absolutely impossible to see everything in one night, pick out a couple of museums that you really want to see and focus on them alone. If you are planning on checking out more than one museum during the night be sure to plan wisely and pick museums that are close to one another. The Cosmocaixa for example is really on the other side of the city and is a bit of a trek to get to – but still well worth it.

If you happen to be staying at our Sant Jordi Arago hostel in Barcelona, start by just walking across the street. The Fundacio Tapies is directly across the street from the Sant Jordi Arago hostel and is a perfect way to start a great night of museum visits. After the Fundacio Tapies, La Pedrera is just up the street. If you are staying at our Sant Jordi Diagonal hostel, do the exact opposite: start at La Pedrera and then go to the Fundacio Tapies just down the street.

Barcelona Fixie Bike Shop and Supplies

Whether you are just traveling to Barcelona as a tourist or live in Barcelona permanently, if you are into all things fixie then My Beautiful Parking is for you. Their 2 shop locations in Barcelona are filled with everything you need to pimp out your existing bike, buy a whole new rig, improve your wardrobe or just cruise around and enjoy the hip atmosphere.

They stock all the best local and international brands in the world of fixie and have everything from hip biking caps to custom frames and parts. A few of the more prominent brands that they stock include: velocity, brooks, san marco, chrome, BLB, condor cycles, legor cicli, cinelli, sugino, campagnolo, continental, vittoria, oury, kryptonite, nitto, fuji, mks, ybn, deda, swvre, halo, h+son, phil wood, pinzat, bagaboo, dvs-cadence, fixation, dia compe, miche, knog, redline, kalloy, tektro, schwalbe, gusset, foss, token, paul, shimano, bern, catlike, mavic, taurus, andel.

Barcelona Fixie Repair and Maintenance

If you’re looking for a place to get work done on your bike, whether it’s just basic maintenance or a major repair, in the professional workshop at My Beautiful Parking you can have pretty much anything done from a simple puncture repair to the replacement of an entire bike frame. If your just looking for a standard maintenance, you can get a basic service performed for around 12 € and a full service for just around 49 €. If it’s something a little more complicated bring your bike with you and they’ll give you a free estimate on the spot.

Special Services of My Beautiful Parking

One of the most unique and innovative services provided at My Beautiful Parking is their bicycle parking service. This is a service more fitted for residents of Barcelona or those staying in Barcelona for an extended period of time.

The idea must have arisen from the all-too-common bike theft and vandalism problem in Barcelona. It makes almost no sense to have a nice bike in Barcelona because unless you have somewhere to keep it indoors, day and night, it will be stolen within six months guaranteed. The genius idea of My Beautiful Parking is that you have a safe place to park your bike in the city center – close to your work, school, house or favorite music shop. This way you can actually own a cool bike and ride it from here to there and not worry that whenever it is out of eye-site it could be stolen or parted out for scrap metal in seconds.

If you’re really interest in the fixie Barcelona scene don’t forget to check out biking Barcelona for information and maps tell help you get around the city by bike. Also unique to Barcelona is the fixed gear bicycle Barcelona hostel, Sant Jordi Gracia – one of the hippest hostels in Barcelona.

It is official – Sant Jordi Hostel Gracia, Grand Opening Party… Celebrated!!!

Just last week we invited all of our friends, family and everyone who helped us in the planning, design and construction of our newest barcelona hostel, Sant Jordi Gracia, to come over and join us in the celebration of the official Grand Opening of the newest, cooloest hostel in Barcleona. It was so much fun!!!

Thanks again to everyone that was a part of this project… We couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you.

2013 will be the first time that the X Games goes global and the event organizers are planning something special.

Scheduled for May 9 – 12 the 2013 Barcelona X Games event line-up is not yet official but will most likely include the regular extreme sports events seen at previous X Games, the Interactive X Fest Village, as well as a wide array of music performances. The word on the street is that the X Games organizers are planning on keeping the core spirit, excitement and innovative action of the event exactly the same as in previous X Games while adding unique elements to highlight the cultural differences of the new international event locations.

The X Games are an extremely popular and action pact set of events that are definitely worth checking out. They always draws a huge crowd and will bring a large number of travelers to Barcelona – so be sure to book your X Games Barcelona accommodation as early as possible.

X Games Barcelona 2013 Event Line-up

The X Games Barcelona event line-up will feature the world’s best extreme sports athletes competing for Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in their respective fields of expertise.  The three main categories –Skate, Moto X and BMX – will each be divided up into subdivisions that will see the competitors battling it out in specialized events.

The X Games Barcelona skateboarding event is sure to be a highlight event of the 2013 X Games. It should include a skateboard park event, a street-skate event, a vert-ramp event and a big air competition. The skateboarding events are always crowd pleasers so be sure to get good seats.

The Barcelona X Games BMX event will include park, freestyle, vert and street competitions. Expect to see some amazing BMX action.

The most thrilling event at the Barcelona X Games will be the Moto X event. The Moto X freestyle event is the most dangerous and death-defying display of extreme sports innovation ever. The Moto X freestyle competition is an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that never disappoints. The Moto X competition schedule will also include Enduro X, Step-up, best whip and best trick competitions.

X Games Barcelona Accommodation

For the best X Games Barcelona accommodation during the 2013 Barcelona X Games, check out Sant Jordi Hostels Barcelona. Sant Jordi’s Barcelona Hostels are the perfect choice for extreme sports enthusiasts looking for high quality, budget accommodation in Barcelona.

Sant Jordi’s award winning, modern, high-tech hostels are ideally designed for those searching accommodation for the 2013 Barcelona X Games. With a skateboarders’ hostel, designed particularly for skateboard enthusiasts, and a fixed-gear bicycle hostel that is a perfect choice for BMX riders, Sant Jordi Hostels provides high quality accommodations for extreme sports enthusiast at a budget price and is the ultimate X Games Barcelona hostel.

If you are a skateboarding fan and are planning on coming to Barcelona to check out the 2013 Barcelona X Games you might be interested in our locals guide to skateboarding Barcelona or our guide to the best skateboarding spots in Barcelona. They both provide helpful tips for getting around and finding the best skateboarding spots in Barcelona.

Why is it then that most hotels around the world, whether 2 star, 3 star, 4 star or higher, charge extra for high-tech amenities; if they offer them at all?

For anyone who has stayed in a youth hostel during the past 2 or 3 years, anywhere around the world, it may seem logical that free Wi-Fi connection and guest computers with free high-speed internet is included in the price. It has also become almost standard that next to the bed is an individual charging station with electrical plug and cubby/shelf for charging portable devices while you sleep. The best and most competitive hostels world-wide have been taking note of what guests want and expect out of a nice hostel with modern facilities.

High-tech Hostel Amenities at Sant Jordi Hostels in Barcelona

The Barcelona based hostel chain, Sant Jordi hostels, has been paying close attention to the opinions of hostel guests and has made progressive steps to modernize their services and facilities. Over the past two years Sant Jordi hostels has put great effort into both renovating their existing Barcelona hostels and opening entirely new hostels in Barcelona. All of the renovations, as well as new construction, have focused on improving the high-tech hostel facilities and modernizing the hostel amenities and services.

At the Sant Jordi Sagrada Familia hostel (newly opened in June of 2011), the Sant Jordi Gracia hostel (newly opened in April of 2012), as well as the Sant Jori Alberg hostel (newly renovated in February of 2012) high-tech hostel facilities are the norm. Each of these Barcelona hostel locations have been designed with particular attention paid to the modernization of security and connectivity.

High-tech Hostel Security

As security is a primary concern for all travelers – everyone wants to feel comfortable leaving their valuables at the hostel while they explore a new city – the modernization of hostel security was an important part of the renovation and construction of the Sant Jordi hostels. To improve and modernize the security of their new and newly renovated hostels, they installed a network of security cameras as well as a magnetic card operated entry and locker system.

Magnetic cards, which provide access to the main hostel entrance, guest bedrooms and lockers, are the best way of providing hostel guests both convenience and security.   The magnetic cards are easily programmed to expire when the guests stay ends and will no longer work if a replacement card has been issued. This ensures that if a card is lost, stolen or expired it cannot be used to access the hostel facilities.

The network of security cameras at Sant Jordi’s high-tech hostels are strategically located at the entrance, in the common areas and in stairways and corridors to ensure that they are not intrusive to the privacy of guests and at the same time deter thieves or catch them in the act.

High-tech Hostel Connectivity

With the increasingly frequent use of laptops, tablets, and other mobile devices with wireless connectivity, it seems almost common sense that hostel guests would greatly appreciate the availability of wireless connectivity. Sant Jordi hostels have taken this idea a step farther.

At Sant Jordi’s high-tech hostels in Barcelona free Wi-Fi is provided throughout the entire hostel. That means that guests can relax where they please – in their bedrooms, on the outside patio or in the common areas – and use their own personal mobile devices to surf the web free of charge.

Also, for those guests who did not bring a wireless mobile device, there are always sufficient guest computers with high speed internet and usb ports available for guests to use free of charge. The guest computers are located in the common area and are available for use 24 hours a day.

High-tech Hostel Comforts and Amenities

Paying close attention to their increasingly tech-savvy guests’ needs and desires, during the design process of the renovations and new hostel constructions, the Sant Jordi hostels team carefully planned the design of every aspect of the hostel facilities. Keeping in mind that guest are more frequently traveling with electronic devices that need regular recharging, the Sant Jordi design team created an entirely new system of bunk beds that include individual cubbies with electrical outlet, shelf and reading light for each bed. This provides the guest a secure place to recharge their devices while they sleep comfortably and worry free.

The common areas of Sant Jordi’s high-tech hostels were also designed to provide ease of use, comfort and durability.

After considering all of the high-tech modern amenities and facilities offered by youth hostels world-wide, it is little wonder that the hotel industry is having to play catch-up in order to improve their high-tech amenities and fulfill their customers’ basic needs and desires.

Formula 1 Barcelona Accommodation – Affordable and Well Located

The best option for affordable Formula 1 Barcelona Accommodation during the 2012 Barcelona Grand Prix is Sant Jordi Hostels Barcelona. With 6 hostels in Barcelona as well as hostel style Barcelona vacation apartments that provide the option of booking rooms in semi-private apartments that include a full kitchen, bathroom, dining area and comfortable living room for an affordable price, Sant Jordi Hostels is a great alternative to paying the high prices that hotels charge during the weekend of the Barcelona Grand Prix.

The Sant Jordi hostels Barcelona vacation apartment option at our Sant Jordi Sagrada Familia Apartments provides comfortable apartment style living with the choice of booking an entire apartment for a group of friends/family, individual or double rooms in shared apartments or individual beds in 4 person shared dorm rooms. The location is close to the “Clot” Renfe train station that provides direct access to Montmelo, where the Barcelona Grand Prix event is held.

Formula 1 Barcelona Grand Prix Event Location

The 2012 Formula 1 Barcelona Grand Prix will be held on the weekend of the 12^th and 13^th of March at the Catalunya Circuit, approximately 20 km outside of Barcelona in the town, Montmelo. If you are staying in Barcelona, getting to and from the event is easy and well organized. There are regularly scheduled trains that leave from the Clot, Passeig de gracia and Barcelona Sants Renfe train stations. To accommodate the high volume of passengers during the Barcelona Grand Prix weekend, the train company adds additional trains to the schedule. That being said, expect the trains to be pretty full.

The train to catch to get to Formula 1 Barcelona Grand Prix event location is the Renfe, cercanias R2 (green). The first train is at 05:27 am and the last train coming back to Barcelona from Montmelo is at around 23:00 (11:00 pm). The trains run every 30 minutes and the train schedule in Barcelona is general right on (very punctual).

It takes a little over 20 minutes to get to Montmelo from Barcelona by train. However, once in Montmelo you will need to get to the Catalunya Circuit, Barcelona’s Grand Prix race track. There are regular shuttle busses for ticket-holders only or you can walk. The walk takes around 30 minutes and is along large, high-traffic roads.

Buying Tickets for the 2012 Formula 1 Barcelona Grand Prix

Buying tickets for the Formula 1 Barcelona Grand Prix is rather painless. The easiest way is to buy them online at www.grandprix-tickets.com. This is the official website for grand prix ticket sales and they accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Maestro, PayPal, and Diners Club.

A Few Tips for 2012 Formula 1 Barcelona Grand Prix Visitors

There are plenty of locations around the Catalunya Circuit to buy food and drinks of all types and price. However, as with most large organized events, food and drink can be quite expensive. It is recommendable to bring along your own food and drinks whenever possible – don’t forget the water. Also, as it can be quite hot and sunny, it is always helpful to wear a hat, use sunscreen and, for those with tickets for the grass area, bring an umbrella. One last essential item for a having a great Formula 1 Barcelona Grand Prix experience is a set of earplugs, earmuffs or large sound-blocking headphones. The race can get pretty loud.

Other Upcoming Events in Barcelona

Spring and summer are always filled with exciting events in Barcelona. If you live in the region or have discovered that flights really aren’t that expensive from most major cities in Europe, you might be interested in some of the upcoming events in Barcelona in spring and summer of 2012. The 2012 Primavera Sound Barcelona Music Festival is a 5 day music festival with more than 100 bands performing around Barcelona. One of the best music festivals in Europe, if you are a music enthusiast Primavera Sound should be at the top of your to-do list.

Another excellent music festival in Barcelona is the 2012 Barcelona Sonar. Barcelona Sonar is much more than just a music festival, it is the ultimate opportunity to encounter, interact with and appreciate the most current movements in the modern media arts and music. Scheduled for the 14^th, 15^th and 16^th of June, 2012, the Sonar line-up is outstanding and the event is loaded with tons of interesting and enlightening exhibitions, shows and seminars.

Just to prove that we weren’t joking around when we said “Let’s Rock Barcelona” we made a little video to show just how much fun we had with our hostel worker friends from around the world.

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the Let’s Rock Barcelona International Hostel Staff Meeting of 2012. It was so much fun!!!

For all of you who were invited, couldn’t make it and are watching this video thinking, “Man!!!! I really should have gone!!!”… No need to worry, we are doing it again next year.

“A Rose for Love and a Book Forever”

Yesterday was one of the most celebrated holidays in Catalunya, La Diada de Sant Jordi. For those who are not familiar with Sant Jordi’s Day (St. George’s Day), it is a widely celebrated holiday that commemorates the death of Saint George in 303 AD. Traditionally, in the Catalunya region of Spain, Sant Jordi’s day is celebrated by an exchange of gifts between sweethearts, friends and colleagues. Men give roses to women and women give books to their special men.

Since Sant Jordi’s day is our favorite holiday, we gave roses to all of our female guests at each of our hostels in Barcelona. Sorry guys, no books for you. But, hopefully you found a special someone to take care of you on this special day.

Happy Sant Jordi’s Day!!!!

Connexió Barcelona on the Catalan language TV chanel, Barcelona Televisió, recently did a feature on Sant Jordi Hostels Barcelona’s newly opened Sant Jordi Hostel Gracia, in the Gracia neighborhood of Barcelona. The short feature highlights the services and facilities of our newest hostel in Barcelona, includes a video tour of the hostel as well as interviews with staff members and guests.

Sorry to all of you who don’t speak Catalan. The program is not subtitled and was aired in Catalan only. Its actually pretty cool to watch even if you don’t understand what they’re saying.

Thank you to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to come and help us Rock Barcelona. Hopefully everyone had a good time and got a chance to meet some of their fellow hostel workers from across Europe and around the world.

For everyone who couldn’t make it this year, no worries, we are doing it again in 2013.

Check out some of the pictures of us rocking Barcelona in 2012!!!

BTW… these are the child appropriate photos.