Barcelona has two types of tourist offices. The autonomous government (the Generalitat) office deals with Catalonia in general. Its office is in the grandiose Palau Robert, Passeig de Gràcia 107 (tel. 93-238-40-00; www.gencat.net/probert), where there are often exhibitions on aspects of Catalan culture. It's at the junction of Passeig de Gràcia and Diagonal and open daily from 10am to 7pm. The city council (ajuntament) runs Turisme de Barcelona, the source for information on the city itself. Its main office is located underground at the Plaça de Catalunya s/n (tel. 80-711-72-22 from inside Spain, or 93-368-37-30 from outside; www.barcelonaturisme.com). It has loads of information on the city, a hotel booking service, a gift shop, and a branch of the bank Caixa de Catalunya where you can change money. The office is open daily from 9am to 9pm.
The same organization has an office at the Estació Central de Barcelona-Sants (Sants Railway Station), Plaça dels Països Catalans (no phone; Metro: Sants-Estació). In summer, it's open daily from 8am to 8pm; in the off season, it is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 8pm, Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 2pm. Another branch is located on the Plaça Sant Jaume (Carrer Ciutat 2). It's open Monday through Friday 9am to 8pm, Saturday 10am to 8pm, and Sunday and holidays 10am to 2pm. There are also branches at the Barcelona airport at terminals A and B that are open 9am to 9pm daily. These offices are the places to pick up discount sightseeing cards such as the Barcelona Card . In summer the Casaques Vermelles (Red Jackets) take to the streets. These are multilingual hosts ready to answer any queries tourists may have.
