Why Dutch people love Barcelona
Here 10 reasons why dutch people love Barcelona (Las Ramblas decidedly absent).
Barcelona is not any city in Spain. In recent years it has been the third most visited city in Europe. It is a city well connected with the rest of the world through the airlines. It´s made for tourists, but also for any visitor.
1. It’s not super Spanish.
Barcelona is still Spain, despite a large chunk of the Catalan population crying for independence. It retains the Spanish feel—meal times, culinary flavors, yearly festivals, friendly people—but also has a decidedly European element.
It’s hard to put a finger on what that really means, and I don’t want to litter this post with stereotypes—sure, Catalonia has banned bull-fighting, and Flamenco is hard to come by in these parts. But there’s just something about this city, from the restaurants and cafés to the international presence and mentality, that makes Barcelona different. Well, different from Spain, that is. And most of the time, Dutch can say: We are grateful for that.
2. Size matters
The city has more than 1 million 600 thousand population which added to the massive number of tourists and visitors easily exceeds two million. So, in the main streets of the city you can find people 24 hours a day.
3.- It´s cosmopolitan
The diversity is one of the top reasons to love Barcelona. You can see people on the streets of all cultures and listen to all existing languages. The population in Barcelona is prepared to socialize with everyone and dutch people love that.
4.- Brunch
One of the most special things in Spain, it´s the cuisine, Barcelona it´s a perfect place for terraces. But you can take a brunch in many cafes ignoring Starbucks, McDonalds or any other franchise. In Barcelona dutch people can find a lot of cafeteries as houses.
5.- Things to do
Language exchanges. Couchsurfing meetups. Volleyball games. Concerts in the park. English book clubs. Running groups. Writing courses. Art openings. Beaches and mountains. Barcelona is a cultural hub and a place where things happen.
6.- Location
The Mediterranean Sea is the backyard, and the beach is the playground. France is 3 hours to the north. So is cute little unassuming Andorra, so you can push another pin in your world travels map. There’s a massive airport with really cheap flights just a 20 minute bus-ride away. There’s skiing in the Pyrenees, if you’re into that sort of thing, but I’ve mentioned the beach already, right?
7.- Friend of a friend
The nice thing about moving to Barcelona alone is that you probably have friends who have friends here. Most people know someone who also thought it would be cool to pack up and live in Catalonia’s paradise. So Dutch may come here alone, but within a matter of days they’ll be going on blind friendship dates with so many friend-of-a-friends that they’ll wonder where all your alone time has gone.
8.- Warm fuzzy sunshine.
Barcelona’s Mediterranean climate is more Dutch style. When it rains here it’s like the event of the year. In Holland the rain and could are typical mostly the whole year.
9.- Opportunities.
The economic crisis in Spain is bad, to put it lightly, and there’s a general air of despair that no one knows when will lift. But Barcelona feels slightly more hopeful. There is industry here; there are Spanish and international headquarters; there are opportunities. I’m not just talking about jobs, but networking opportunities, organized events to get involved with, English language publications, and start-ups. Barcelona feels like a human brain, and the cogs are spinning.
10.- Cultural life and nightlife.
Perhaps the cultural life is not the priority for day visitors. But Barcelona does not have to envy to other cities such as London or Paris, where theatrical events, festivals, concerts, etc. Perhaps the Dutch do not go to such events, but they know it´s available to have it any time.
The variety of bars, restaurants, clubs and discos make Barcelona one of the European cities with more nightlife. There is no time limit.