Attend ELIA Together 2025 like a local

Benvinguts i benvingudes a Barcelona!

With ELIA Together 2025 just around the corner, I wanted to share my top tips and recommendations to help you make the most of your trip to Barcelona.

I’ve lived here for almost 3 years now, and thanks to all the workcations I’ve done, I could put together this list of things to consider for your workcation here.

Shall we? Let’s go!

?? For the purposes of this article I’m going to assume your home away from home is somewhere near the conference venue, so around Sagrada Família or Poblenou.

1- How to get here.

?? If you’re coming from the airport: take the metro, the train, the private bus or a taxi/Uber/Cabify.

Getting to Sagrada Família is super easy with the metro, connecting the orange (L9) and blue (L5) lines. This costs €5.70.

You could also get the train at terminal 2, at Aeroport station, that will get you to the city (and more centric metro stops) in under 20 minutes. This costs around € 5.

The Aerobús is a privately-managed bus that has different stops in centric spots of the city, and it costs €7.25 for a single ride or €12.50 for a round trip.

If you’re traveling with a group, consider sharing a taxi or using a rideshare app (€35-40 total). It’s more comfortable and can be more convenient than public transport, especially if you’re heading to Poblenou.

?? If you’re coming by train, you’ll arrive at Barcelona Sants, where you’ll be able to get a travel card that’ll take you anywhere you need. At this train station you’ll also find 2 metro stops, for the blue (L5) and green (L3) lines. Here, you’ll also be able to take the train to other parts of the city if you want to.

2- Where to stay.

Although most of you might already have your accommodation sorted, it is true that sometimes life gets in the way so, if you still need to book a place to stay during the conference, it’s perfectly fine.

I don’t actually have Airbnbs or hotels to recommend because I live here, but I can tell you a little bit about the different places that could work for you.

Barcelona has countless accommodation options to fit every budget, even with such short notice:

? “Luxury”: Hotels in Eixample or near the waterfront

? Mid-range: Hotels & Airbnbs in Poblenou and Sagrada Família

? Budget-friendly: Hostels or shared accommodations in Gràcia or Sants

Recommended areas:

The neighborhoods closer to the conference venue are Poblenou and Sagrada Família. Basically everyone who comes to the city stays in these areas, so there are plenty of options.

Other areas I recommend staying in are: Eixample Dreta and Born, which are the closer you might get outside of Poblenou and Sagrada.

You could stay at other parts of the Eixample or near the train station at Sants, which might be cheaper, but take into account that you’ll have to get a travel card and commute to the venue every morning. I will be doing this, so I’d feel you!

I know for a fact there are some colleagues who haven’t booked an accommodation yet who are open to the idea of sharing a place, so ask around!

3- How to move around.

?? Barcelona is a fairly walkable city, and our winter weather is perfect to be out and about, so just use your legs if you can!

But if you’re staying a bit further away from the conference venue or you want to be able to do some tourism during the lunch break, here is my recommendation for travel cards:

For groups - t-familiar. 8 trips for € 11.05, and you can share it.

If you’re traveling alone - t-casual. 10 trips for € 12.55. I don’t think you’ll need that much, so maybe just buy single rides for € 2.65 as you go!

Travel cards cover the metro, buses, and short-distance trains (Rodalies), making it easy to explore the city. Unfortunately, you can’t pay for the metro or train with your personal card or Wallet app yet, but you can do that on the bus.

4- Where to work from.

?????? If your accommodation doesn’t have a designated working space and you need to put some hours in, there are tons of cafés where you could use your laptop: Buenas Migas, Sandwichez, Granja Petit Bo, índigo Café & Brunch, among others.

If you’re not sure whether a café allows you to be there with your laptop, just use the little search bar under the Reviews section of the place on Google Maps and look for “laptop” or “computer” and you might be able to find out before hand.

My go-to coworking space in the city is Santander’s Work Café in Passeig de Gràcia! I go there at least once a week, because it’s perfectly located and the coffee is great.

5- Where to eat.

Let me start by saying that, although we will be able to have lunch during the conference at the venue, and some of you might even attend the networking dinner, I still wanted to share some restaurant recommendations for you to try out on your spare time before, during or after the conference.

Keep in mind that Spanish meal times are different from what you may be used to. People normally have lunch at 3 pm here, and they have dinner at around 9/10 pm. I know for a fact there are restaurants that don’t open up for dinner until 8 pm, so plan accordingly!

Now, let’s go to my list:

? T.44 - TAULAT 44 (Poblenou) – My absolute favorite for coffee and brunch! ??? (€€)

? El Nacional – Stunning venue, great tapas, but expect a queue. (€)

?Taller de Tapas – Couple of locations around the city, great tapas, welcomes large groups and walk-ins. (€€)

? Los Tortillez – A must-visit for tortilla lovers. (€)

I am going to leave all my Argentine food recommendations out of the list, for obvious reasons. But I’ll be honored if you want them, so ask away ??.

6- What to see.

The good folks at ELIA created a blog article on the best touristic things, so I’ll leave you to enjoy that!

Let me also say that tickets to the Sagrada Família are normally sold out, so if you want to visit it I’d recommend you start looking for them here.

I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t recommend you going to see FC Barcelona’s museum if that’s your cup of tea. The Spotify Camp Nou is still under construction, but the museum is open and you’ll be able to see how it will look like when it’s finished. During this time, the first male team is playing its matches at the Estadi Olímpic, which my mum and dad told me you can visit for free.

7- Remarks on safety.

???? Like every other big city in the world, there are pickpocketers around, so be careful, but don’t be scared. It feels super safe to walk around at night, even if you’re alone, so just enjoy!

I hope this guide helps you enjoy Barcelona like a local! If you have any questions or need more recommendations, drop a comment below (or wherever you can, this is my first LinkedIn article ??) — I'd love to help!

?? Ens veiem!