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Multilingual staff give out free maps and information at Barcelona’s main tourist office on Plaça de Catalunya. They also have a hotel booking service, a bureau de change, internet access and a souvenir shop. Other offices are located in Estació de Sants and on Plaça de Sant Jaume. For information on the rest of Catalonia, visit the Turisme de Catalunya Ways to Explore Catalonia. For information over the phone on everything from museum opening hours to bus routes, call 010 or the Turisme de Barcelona’s information line.

In summer red-jacketed tourist information officers roam the city’s busiest areas giving out maps and advice; and there is also an information point in Las Ramblas.

The indispensable weekly Guía del Ocio covers the city’s nightlife (music, theatre, dance and film). It has extensive listings of restaurants and nightlife and is available from all newsstands. Barcelona Metropolitan (free) is the city’s leading English-language monthly magazine, featuring culture, the arts and restaurant and nightlife listings. Broadsheet is another English-language monthly. b-guided gives the latest on trendy places to shop, eat and drink – in English and Spanish.

Various nations have consulates in Barcelona.

Get the lowdown on cultural and arts events among others, from the Institut de Cultura in the Palau de la Virreina (Palau de la Virreina).

Numerous websites cover Barcelona, including the official tourist office site (www.barcelonaturisme.com). The in-depth www.bcn.es is another excellent source. The website of Turisme de Catalunya (www.gencat.es/probert) has extensive coverage of Catalonia.

This friendly bar, with internet access and amiable staff, is a good source of information. The bar hosts guided walking (Tours & Trips) and bike tours, “intercambio” nights to practise your Spanish, and a popular bar crawl to the best bars of the old town.

If you’re after cheap, short-term accommodation or if you’re looking to practise your Spanish, peruse the university notice boards posted around the building’s cloisters.

The city’s main library is the Biblioteca de Catalunya; bring your passport to apply for a one-day pass. The Institut Britànic houses a library of English books and newspapers.

Disabled access in Barcelona is limited – especially in old buildings. The Institut Municipal de Persones amb Disminució provides a list of places with wheelchair access and gives advice on getting around.