A guide built with patience, to feel at home from day one
Settling into a new city is a learning process that takes months. You need to figure out how to book a doctor’s appointment, which school suits your children, where to apply for your NIE or which gestoría can help with your tax return. Every year, Barcelona welcomes thousands of people who come to stay for a while, or who end up staying for a lifetime. Many of them appreciate, at least at first, having someone explain the city to them in their own language.
For the French-speaking community, that someone has had a name for many years: Vivre à Barcelone.
A magazine for living in the city, not just visiting it
Vivre à Barcelone is a French-language publication that, since 2009, has accompanied those who live in, move to or return to Barcelona. It sees the city through a resident’s eyes: step-by-step guides to paperwork, transport, housing, schools, neighbourhood festivals and a cultural agenda updated every week.
What sets this publication apart is its practical, approachable tone. Its articles describe everyday life as it really is, with its advantages and its challenges, written with the knowledge of someone who walks the city every day. It is also a worthwhile read for those who already know Barcelona and want to discover it through different eyes.
The annuaire francophone: 660 addresses, each one verified
The publication’s flagship resource is its French-speaking directory of Barcelona, free of charge and free of advertising. It brings together more than 660 professionals, shops, institutions and associations useful to anyone living here in French: doctors and dentists, lawyers and advisers, sworn translators, schools, psychologists, estate agents, restaurants, bookshops and cultural organisations.
Each listing is checked before publication, according to clear criteria: a genuine presence in Barcelona or its metropolitan area, a service that is truly useful to the French-speaking community, and the possibility of being served in French. For food and drink, origin comes first: bakeries, cheese shops and bistros rooted in French tradition are included, even if their staff speak other languages.
The result is a human map of the city, patiently built, connecting newcomers with those who can help them.
When visitors arrive
Of all the questions the magazine receives, one comes up particularly often. People living in Barcelona frequently have parents, siblings or friends coming to stay for a few days, and they do not always have room at home to put them up. Where can they stay to be close by, comfortable and well looked after?
That question explains why the directory, designed for residents, also includes a selection of hotels. And we are delighted that both of our hotels are part of it.
In its listing for the Hotel Continental Barcelona, the magazine highlights its location on La Rambla, next to Plaça de Catalunya, its soundproofed rooms and, above all, our complimentary buffet, open 24 hours a day: a detail that makes all the difference for anyone landing on a late-night flight or returning to the hotel at unusual hours. The listing for the Hotel Continental Palacete emphasises the character of this former mansion on Rambla de Catalunya, a calm, tree-lined street in the Eixample, just steps from Passeig de Gràcia, one of the city’s most iconic shopping streets. Here, you can feel the rhythm of a neighbourhood where people truly live.
Welcoming those who come to see their loved ones
For our family, which this year celebrates 200 years of hotel tradition in Barcelona, welcoming those who come to reunite with their loved ones holds a special meaning. Eight generations have taught us that hospitality is measured in small gestures: a hot drink at midnight, an attentive welcome, the feeling of arriving somewhere you were expected and where calm prevails.
That is why we value so highly the work of publications such as Vivre à Barcelone, which build community and help make the city feel a little more like home for those who choose to live here.
If you have family or friends in Barcelona and are planning your visit, it will be our pleasure to welcome you to either of our hotels. You can check availability and book at www.hotelcontinental.com.
