Montjuic, the hill with a history!

Who is coming to Barcelona will see immediately the mighty Montjuic. Montjuic is ´Hill of the Jews´ in medieval Catalan. From this hill you can overlook the harbor, to the southwest of the city centre. Since the location was so ideal the top of the hill was the location of several fortifications: the largest fortress has a ´black´ history while it was the site of several executions up to the ´Franco time´.

The Montjuic hosted some events over the years. One of the major were the 1992 Olympic games, when several stadiums were located at the Montjuic: until 2008 the Olympic stadium was the home of football club Espanyol.

The roads in the slopes facing the city were four times the home of Spanish grand prix: due to a terrible accident which killed 4 people the grand prix never returned to this historical location.

Next to the Olympic stadium you will find Palau Sant Jordi: this venue is used as ´concert arena´ since many artists, like Madonna, Mika and Kiss, already performed at the Palau.

During the summer the mountain is the home of an outdoor cinema. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, film enthusiasts can see a selection of national and international movies. These films are offered in English; therefore this is an ideal location for tourists. Besides you can take you picnic basket since the screen is located on a big field of grass. More information at The Sala Montjuic Website

FlatsByDays is offering multiple apartments (Ramblas Santa Monica, Bellafila Prl, Bellafila 1b) which are just a metro ride away from the Montjuic. The Montjuic is the ideal location for making beautiful pictures of the city visit the castle garden or visit the Miro Museum.

Beaches in Barcelona

Today´s forecast, sunny and 24 degrees: it´s summer in Barcelona and the beaches are getting more attractive.

In Barcelona you will find a variety of beaches which are located over the whole coastline (See Picture).



Since the big clean up for the 1992 Olympics the beaches became a magnet for locals and visitors. Therefore there is taking good care in maintaining a clean sea and beach, the beach is tested daily and is accessible for disabled, there are lifeguards, sun beds and showers.
One of the most beautiful beaches is the Nova Icaria: it is the closest one to the marina and is therefore crowded. Due to this fact there are a variety of beach bars, restaurants and a large promenade.

Second beach is the Bogatell beach. This beach is twice the length of it´s neighbor(Nova Icaria). Since the beach is depressed it cuts all the noises down and it feels like you´re miles away from Barcelona. At the beach are no bars and restaurants, but you can find some restaurants on the boulevard.

The next beach is Mar Bella. This beach is located next to Bogatell but is divided by a school which can teaches you how to windsurf and kayak. Near to the beach is a wonderful park which is perfect for a picnic or siesta in the shade.

Last but not least is the Barceloneta beach. This beach is the most popular for tourists since there are a dozen of restaurants, from American-style to Catalan style. On this beach you will find a lot of people and due to that fact it´s really cheerful.

If you´re interested in planning a day trip to one of the beaches. It would be a good idea to look as well to the beaches which are located around Barcelona. Cities like Sitges have even more beautiful beaches which are not artificial and are just a short train ride away.

Tip: During the night of the 23th of June (tomorrow) Sant Joan is taking place. During this national holiday people are making bonfires and there are firework shows around the beaches. Since everyone is going to the beach the atmosphere is very relax and cheerful.

With apartments (Bellafila 3a, 3b and Bellafila 1B) on just 10/15 minutes (walking distance) from these beaches, FlatsByDays can offer you a joyful and relax holiday in sunny and interesting Barcelona.

Book your apartment at FlatsByDays during Bob Dylan´s peformance at Barcelona

On the 24th of June American singer/songwriter Bob Dylan will perform in Barcelona at Poble Espanyol. Active for over 50 years Dylan is an icon in the global music industry with hits as “Hurricane”, “Like a rolling stone” and “Forever Young”. The highlight of his career was during the sixties were he made the most of his awarded material. Tracks like ´Blowin in the Wind´ and ´The times they are a-chagin´ became anthems for anti-war and civil rights movement. Dylan which had some great skills on a variety of instruments (guitar, harmonica and keyboard) wasn´t a normal performer, since he made music in almost every kind of genre (from folk to gospel). With 11 Grammies, 1 Academy and 1 golden globe award Bob Dylan is one of the most awarded artists in the world. This Oscar nomination and award was a beautiful start of the new millennium, this price was awarded because of his song; “Things have Changed” which was made for the movie ´Wonder Boys´. Due to this Oscar people realized that Bob Dylan was still alive and was still ready to surprise the globe once more. In 2006 Dylan started a career as a DJ, hosting a weekly radio program where he was playing songs which were selected around a chosen theme. During his 100th show n April 2009 he played “Woody Guthrie - So long, it´s been good to know yuh” which has led to numerous speculations that Dylan ended his radio show. During his summer tour throughout Europe he is going to play twice in Spain, on the 24th in Barcelona and on the 26th at the Azkena rock festival. So this will be a unique chance to see this stunishing American singer/songwriter live.

FlatsByDays can offer you a variety of apartment throughout Barcelona which can combine this concert to an unforgettable stay in Barcelona. With apartment all around the city centre there are apartments according to everyone´s wishes. We can offer you a variety of one- two- and more bedroom apartments. As a one bedroom apartment we can offer you our Bellafila 3a apartment which is located in the gothic quarter. Another beautiful apartment in the gothic quarter is the two bedroom apartment Opera. So do not wait and book your trip to Barcelona to see Bob Dylan and the beautiful city of Barcelona.

Impression of some of our beautiful apartments

Impression of some of our beautiful apartments

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Book your apartment at FlatsByDays during the Motogp

On the 4th of July 2010 the MotoGP circus will set feet on Catalonian soil. After 6 races Yamaha´s driver Jorge Lorenzo is leading by a astonishing lead of 25 points on number 2 Dani Pedrosa. The big question is if he will expand his lead and will celebrate his next victory in Catalonia. The race will take place on the famous Circuit de Catalunya, which is used as well during the Formula 1 GP. The circuit is famous because of it´s surprises, out of nothing a strong seawind can come up or it can start raining. During the first race on Spanish soil (Jerez), Lorenzo was able to win the race and defeat Pedrosa. All eyes are focused on this 23 year old Spaniard. Will he be able to win the both Spanish races? There will be a lot of pressure from the crowd but as well from his competitors. While we don´t have to forget Italian Stallion Valentino Rossi (which is currently on place3) who already won the Catalonian MotoGP for 6 times in the last 10 years. One of the other guys that won is Dani Pedrosa, the currently number 2. The race will be a real rivalry between these 3 wonderful drivers. Next to the MotoGP the 125 and 250cc class will also compete on the circuit.

For the real MotoGP lovers we can offer some lovely apartment in the Barcelona city centre, which is located an hour from the circuit (which is easily reachable by shuttle bus). So combine this wonderful race with the city of Barcelona. With apartment like Bellafila 3a, Opera and Portaferrissa we can offer you a variety of apartments throughout the old Barcelona city centre.

Rent your Holiday apartment during the Grec Festival

The Festival Grec de Barcelona is an annual summer festival held in Barcelona. The festival is formed by theatre, music, dance and circus and is organized by the Barcelona City Council. The festival is named after the original venue, the Grec theatre on the Montjuic Mountain.

The festivals first edition was held in 1976. It started as a collaboration between a group of actors and directors, who were interesting in innovating the theatre in Barcelona. From 1979 the organization is in hand of the City Council. This first edition is still feeding the Grec Festival. The festival has still the same base but has transformed and renewed every year. Frederic Amat creates the complete 2010 festival image. Besides creating the image he helped the organization by producing a show in cooperation with a Japanese theatre company.

This cooperation will give the 2010 edition a special extra; while there will be combination of the Mediterranean and Japanese sensibilities. Japan is one of the most fascinating countries for theatre.
This year the Grec Festival will join forces with the electronic Sonar festival, while theatre and music is one of the most amazing combinations: the festival will start together with Sonar on the 17th of June and will end at the 1st of August.

During these dates we can offer you some of our nice apartments. Besides the city and the Grec Festival you can come ´home´ in one of central based apartments. If you are interested to come with a bigger party we can offer you our Bellafila Prl or Bellafila 1b apartment which can house groups up to 10, besides we have some smaller apartments like Opera, Portaferrisa, Santa Monica and Bellafila 3A.

We are looking forward welcoming you in one of our apartment during the summer months!