The time has come for our annual pilgrimage to Barcelona - it's Sonar time! The time for us all to shake off those winter raving cobwebs and put on our sun cream and dancing shoes.
This year, we at Bodytonic have put together a guide to the festival, the weekend, and to Barcelona itself.
If you haven't seen the official Sonar day and night lineup yet, click here to have a look.
Bodytonic Guide To....
And if you have any tips you want to share with us, please let us know in our forum thread (Registration required!).
We've done the hard work for you, so now here's a list of nearly every club you would want to know in Barcelona. Keep an eye out for more listings and parties closer to the time.
Moog - Weds June 18th - Glimpse Live - Glimpse, Ripperton, Lee Van Dowski.
City Hall - Thurs June 19th - Club 4 - Christain Smith, Adam Beyer, Par Grindvik; Sat June 22nd Tishomingo/Tsuba Party - Varoslav, Peace Division, Dnaton Eeprom, Agoria, Dakotta, Chymera, Kevin Griffith, Okain.
Be Cool - Thurs June 19th - Families Present - Bancal Bancal & Danton EEprom (live), Ivan Smaghe vs Tim Paris, Pete Herbert, Jef K, Cosmo Vitelli, Baby G & Will Deluxe; Sat June 22nd - Innervisions Night - Dixon, AME, Henrik Schwarz live and Marcus Worgull.
Chiringuito Mochima @ PLayma de Mar Bella - Free beach party every Sunday - Minus and Kompakt annual party after Sonar
Nitsa - Sat June 21st- BPitch Control - Ellen Allien, Sascha, Paul Kalkbrenner (live), Thomas Muller (live), Zander VT.
KGB - Carrer de l'Alegre de Dalt 55 - Fri June 20th - Galaktika Records - Luna Express, Garnica vs Maurice Aymard, Jonas Snauffer.
La Terrazza - C/Marina 19 - 21 - Thursday June 19th - Soma Records Party - Slam, Silicone Soul and more TBA.
Macarena Club - Thursday June 19th - Galaktika Records - Sasse, Garnica vs Maurice Aymard, Martinez, Dan Drastic.
Parc Del Forum - Rambla Prim 2-4 - Last year there was a Raum Playa gig here on the Thursday night of Sonar.
Others to keep an eye on
Club Fellini, Kubik, Catwalk, La Cova, Arena, La Kabash, Liquid, Razzmatazz, Sutton, Pacha Matination .
The most important party of the weekend! We're going to have it on the Thursday night; Stay tuned to the site for more announcements.
We recommend that you book well in advance, as the closer it gets the higher the prices get. Lots of companies will want you book for a week not a few days, so take that into account. When you arrive you'll have to put down a security deposit so that if you happen to bring half of Sonar back with you one night and they trash the joint the landlord has something to try and fix it with.
Areas that are central and close to Sonar by Day are; anywhere along Las Ramblas from Colum to Placa de Catalunya; El Raval; Barri Gotic. If you want somewhere a bit fancier, along the marina in Port Veil is your best bet. At Barceloneta you have the beach at your doorstep and you're about 15 minutes walk to bottom of Las Ramblas. Port Olimpic has some very fancy places but you are a bit outside the centre, you would have to get the Metro into the city centre.
Barcelona 30 - Rooms, Hotels, Apartments all for €30 per night
Apartments Ramblas - Very central apartments but don't expect anything amazing, you might not get exactly what it says in the description!
Come2bcn - Some really nice apartments, though they'll probably want you to book for the week and they do put the prices up for the week of the festival.
Bcninternet and Friendly Rentals - Lovely apartments and quite helpful
Here are just two of our favourites...
El Bosc de Las Fades - Designed like a fairy tale forest, big trees, fairies and lots of magic inside. This is definitely worth a look after a day out in the sun and you're guaranteed your mind will play tricks on you in here. Its just near the end of Las Ramblas in the same entrance as the Wax Museum.
Xl Xampanyet - A mixture of everything that is Barcelona. A great place for cavas and tapas. This is on a cobbled alley just beside the Picasso Museum.
We reckon the best option is to just wander around the Las Ramblas and the Gothic area and see what takes your fancy.
Placa Del Sol is the place to head if you fancy some Asian Food; tonnes of Asian restaurants around here.
If you want cheap and cheerful restaurants you'll find them off Las Ramblas and in the Gothic area.
Juicy Jones great veggie restaurant off Las Ramblas, with the same price all day long.
Ra restaurant just behind La Boqueria Market. Lots of seats outside and 3 courses for €9 can't be wrong.
The juices and smoothies in the market on Las Ramblas are top notch. They're the best place for "the" cure or for those vitamins you're lacking in.
Cusines Santa - Caterina- This is in the Santa-Carterina Market in El Born District. Its got four different kitchens, Asian, Mediterranean, Italian and vegetarian. Fab food at a cheap price.
El Quim de la Boqueria in the centre of Las Rambla in La Boqueria market; you will have to wait a little bit but its worth it - Best tapas around. Prices €3 to €9.
Pinotxo is in the same market, if you cant be bothered waiting for a table in El Quim definitely go here as it's almost as good.
Make sure and see some of Antoni Gaudi's work around the city; the Sagrada Familia ie. the unfinished cathedral; Park Geul - walking around this is like Alice being in wonderland; Casa Balto - the funkiest house you'll ever see and Passeig de Graccia lined with shops, cafés and lots of Gaudi's Art.
Montjuic Cable Car - Make sure and get the cable car to the top of Montjuic. You get to see amazing views of the city and Olympic Stadium and get to have a wander about the castle and the forests.
Nou Camp - The biggest stadium in Europe and home to FC Barcelona.
The Museu de l'Erotica features a history of eroticism with paintings, sculptures, movies (black and white, silent porn from early 20th century) and artifacts from all corners of the globe. Its located just off Las Ramblas. Review
Barri Gothic (Gothic Quarter) - Again this is just off Las Ramblas, nice for a stroll in the shade of the high medieval buildings and the cobble streets.
Picassos Museum - If you fancy getting in just a tiny bit more culture you may as well head here. This is in the Gothic quarter few minutes walk from Las Ramblas.
Walk from Las Ramblas to Barceloneta and down the the beaches further on. Head down Ramblas to the Colum, past the Marina and follow the sea all along and walk as far as you want plenty of beaches for everyone including some for the nudists in the house.
Verbena de Sant Joan (St John's Day) Monday 24 June Barcelona goes wild on St Joan, drinking cava, the local sparkling wine, The fireworks are something else. You remember Apocalypse Now? Walking the streets on the night of the 23rd is like that. Wild!
Anti Sonar - This is hedonism at its best, see it to believe it. This is just down the road from Sonar Noche and you'll know what it is as soon as you see it. Most people head there for a few hours after Sonar Noche and the hour of the day makes it even more surreal.
Sonar by Day - Head to Sonar by Day for at least one of the afternoons for a completely different vibe to Sonar by Night. Enjoy a few beers chilling in the grass or go and check out some of the show cases they have on offer but do go once anyway!
Getting to Sonar Noche - Buses go from the bottom of Las Ramblas near the Column and they return all night, until about an hour after the gig finishes. The bus is the easiest way of getting back to Las Ramblas at the end. If you get a taxi there, make sure to have the address (its on in Fira Gran Via) - believe it or not some of the taxi men don't know where it is or they claim don't know where it is, anyway. If you head to Anti-Sonar the best way to get back is taxi or subway closest stop is Espanya on line 1 or 3. You will be charged through the nose for a taxi back to Las Ramblas so be warned.
Tickets for Sonar - It's no problem getting your tickets for Sonar in Barcelona. There are number of outlets, one is about half way up Las Ramblas - you'll see the big Sonar sign - and another is a massive music store at FNAC Placa de Catalunya (at the top of Las Ramblas where fountains are) and any other music stores would sell them. Once Thursday comes though the queues for tickets can be massive so try and get tickets on the Wednesday or get up early and queue then, because you really don't want to be stuck in a queue in the midday sun.
How to get from from Barcelona airport to Las Ramblas
The BUS to Plaza Catalunya which is at the top of Las Ramblas takes about 30 min. The "Aerobus" leaves the terminals every 12-15 minutes and the fare is about €4 per person (purchase the ticket on the bus). The last bus departs at 01:00 h.
The TRAIN to Plaza Catalunya takes about 25 min. The train leaves every 30 minutes and the fare is 2,40 euros per person. The last train departs at 22:59 h.
A taxi ride from Barcelona Airport to Plaza Catalunya should cost about 25 euro and last about half an hour.
The Las Ramblas strip takes about a half an hour walking from top to bottom so be warned if you've got a lot of luggage.
Its worth taking a look at the map to find where your accommodation is. If you've booked an apartment, ring the company and they will give you simple instructions to it.
How to get from Barcelona Girona/Barcelona Reus to Barcelona City
Both airports are about 100km away from the city.
Girona - Barcelona Bus is operated by Sagales and, though it coincides its departures with Ryanair flights, it is not operated by Ryanair. This can be a problem if your flight is delayed for some reason. The bus takes you to Estacio d'Autobusos Barcelona Nord, Barcelona's main bus station and takes 1h30. The Sagales website is only partially in English: click on 'HORARIS' and then all becomes clear!
Reus - There is a transfer from Reus airport to Barcelona which costs 22€ return. A taxi can be 120€. There is also a bus from Reus airport to Reus center.
Check here for all airport transfer options available
Barcelona Subway Map This will definitely come in handy on matter where you are all over Barcelona. Keep a copy just in case you do end up lost at Anti Sonar and all you have left is a fiver in your pocket!
