Public Phones

There are public phones (cabines) throughout the city. Use coins or a phonecard.

Phonecards

Purchase a phone-card from a newsstand, phone centre or tobacco shop (estanc). The Telefónica phonecard comes in denominations of €6 and €12. Other phonecards (BT, Fortune) for international calls are also available and tend to offer cheaper calls.

Long-Distance Calls

To make an international call, dial 00 followed by the country code (UK: 44; US/Canada: 1; Australia: 61; New Zealand: 64), the area code and the phone number. To call Spain from abroad, dial the international access code then 34 for Spain plus the full phone number. To make a collect call, or to pay by credit card or your calling card, dial the international operator (9009900) plus the country code. For operator assistance in making international calls from Spain, dial 1008 for EU countries and 1005 for all others. For international information and directory enquiries, dial 11825.

Local & Regional Calls

The cost of a local call from a phone booth to a land line is generally about 20 cents. Barcelona phone numbers all begin with the code 93; the rest of Catalonia is divided up into the provinces of Lleida (973), Girona (972) and Tarragona (977). For operator assistance, dial 11818.

Phone Centres

Phone centres (locutoris) provide a more comfortable – and usually cheaper – alternative to public pay phones. Phones are hooked up to a digital display showing the cost, which is paid at the end. Note that the more central the location, the more expensive the call. Prices do not vary dramatically, but Telecomunicaciones del Caribe offers some of the best prices in the city centre.

Telecomunicaciones del Caribe

• C/Xuclà 16

• Open 10am–10pm daily

Post

Post offices (correus) are usually open 8:30am–8:30pm Mon–Fri and 9:30am–1pm Sat, though hours may vary slightly. Barcelona’s main post office is open longer hours. It also offers a range of services, including fax and express mail services (urgente). The city’s mailboxes are bright yellow, generally with one slot for ciutat (city) and one for altres destinacions (other destinations).

Main Post Office

• Pl Antoni López

• Open 8:30am–10pm Mon–Sat, noon–10pm Sun

Poste Restante

You can receive mail at any post office, but it’s safest to have it sent to the main one. Bring your passport (or a copy of it) to collect mail.

Poste Restante

• Address letters to: Lista de Correos, 08070, Barcelona, Spain

Internet Access

Internet centres are dotted all over Barcelona, many around Plaça de Catalunya and La Rambla. Most are open until 11pm, sometimes midnight. For 24-hour internet access, head to Workcenter and for good deals, opt for easyInternetCafé (until 2am).

Workcenter

• C/Roger de Lluria 2; Diagonal 439

easyInternetCafé

• La Rambla 31; Ronda Universitat 17

People @ Web

• C/Provença 367

• 93 207 01 97

Courier Services

Courier services will pick up a package and deliver it anywhere in the world, usually within 1–5 days.

Federal Express

• 902 10 08 71

UPS

• 902 88 88 20

DHL Worldwide Express

• 902 12 24 24

Fax

You can send and receive faxes at most post offices. Many internet centres also offer fax services at lower prices.