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Shadowing practice: Barcelona Tourist Mistakes That Could Ruin Your Trip

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  1. Hey there fellow travelers, Mark here with Walters World and today we're in Barcelona.0:00
  2. And today we're gonna go through are some of the mistakes that tourists make when they come here to Barcelona because I want you to have a great time when0:03
  3. you're here and not make these mistakes when you come.0:09
  4. And I think the first mistake I need to let you know, and this is one thing I hear a lot of tourists make a mistake about, is calling the0:12
  5. city Barça.0:18
  6. Look, Barcelona, Barça is the actual football team, the soccer team.0:19
  7. So you're saying, yeah, I love Barça.0:24
  8. You're talking about the soccer team, the football team.0:25
  9. Okay, you're not talking about the city.0:27
  10. The people call it Barcelona or they might call it Barna.0:28
  11. That's kind of like the local nickname, but it's not Barça.0:31
  12. So don't think that Barça is the city, okay?0:34
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  1. That's the soccer team, all right?0:36
  2. The football team.0:38
  3. And I think another mistake I want you to know before you come, and this is one that people make when they're booking their tickets to come here to Barcelona,0:39
  4. is thinking that all the Barcelona airports are in Barcelona.0:47
  5. No, no, no, no, no.0:51
  6. The main airport, the Barcelona Prat Airport, like the one that you fly in if you're coming from the US, that is the main airport.0:52
  7. That's BCN.0:59
  8. However, you will probably notice if you're booking with some of the cheap airlines, they'll give you multiple Barcelona airport options, like Barcelona, Hirona, Barcelona, Rios.1:00
  9. Look, Hirona and Rios, they are not in Barcelona.1:12
  10. They're not really that close either.1:14
  11. So do expect if you're flying into those airports, it's going to take you some time to get here, okay?1:16
  12. It's not like they're right there, okay?1:21
  13. So listen, the first two I kind of want to start off with.1:23
  14. And now, another mistake I see tourists make is they really don't take seriously Barcelona's moniker of the pickpocketing capital of Europe, because honestly, Barcelona does have a lot of1:25
  15. pickpockets.1:36
  16. When you go around, you see all the tourists that are here, and you understand why they would be here, because there's so many, and they're so packed together, so1:36
  17. it's kind of easy pickings for them.1:43
  18. So honestly, do not leave your wallet in your back pocket.1:45
  19. Don't leave your phone on top of your table when you're eating on the rambla for some reason.1:48
  20. I mean, I'll talk about that mistake later, but honestly, like, don't make the mistake of thinking it's not something that could happen.1:52
  21. I know my parents have been pickpocketed here.1:58
  22. They had the bird poop scam, and my mom put her bag down and somebody swiped it.2:00
  23. It was all part of their plan, and the cops laughed at my parents when they went to talk to the cops.2:04
  24. So do be aware of that, okay?2:09
  25. But I think another mistake with that, even though it has the moniker for, like, you know, the most pickpocketing place in Europe, is thinking that the pickpocketing thing is2:11
  26. all over the city.2:20
  27. Look, Barcelona is actually a very safe city, and once you get out of, like, El Borne and the Barro Galticole, like, the two really big tourist parts in the2:21
  28. rambla, you'll notice that, wait, everyone's just walking around till midnight.2:28
  29. No big deal.2:32
  30. Yeah, because the city's pretty safe, so don't make the mistake thinking that, oh, it's dangerous all over.2:32
  31. No, no, it's just when you're walking around where a lot of the tourists are, that's when you need to pay attention.2:38
  32. Now, one of the biggest sights you have to come see when you come here to Barcelona is the Segrada Familia.2:43
  33. And it is super cool, and a mistake a lot of tourists make is think it's going to be like a church that you see in other parts of Europe,2:48
  34. where you can just, like, walk in randomly.2:54
  35. No problem.2:56
  36. Oh, no, no, no.2:57
  37. Don't make the mistake of not booking your tickets to go in there, because you can prebook your date and time that you go in to see the Segrada Familia.2:58
  38. I mean, it's cool from outside, but you really want to see the inside as well, so make sure you prebook those tickets, and I'm not talking, oh, prebook for3:06
  39. later that day.3:12
  40. I'm talking, once you know you're going to Barcelona, you might want to look into booking your time, so then you can kind of plan your time around that.3:13
  41. It works kind of the same way with the Park Gual.3:20
  42. I mean, you can go into Park Gual, no problem, but like, if you want to see like the gaudy part of it, yeah, you do need to get a3:22
  43. ticket for that, and that's also kind of a time ticket, limited numbers, so do be aware of that.3:28
  44. Now, another mistake I see tourists make when they come here is not going and enjoying the Cava Bars.3:33
  45. I know for me, my favorite part of chillaxing here in Barcelona is just hitting up a Cava Bar, having some Potapas, having the Cava.3:38
  46. If you're not sure what Cava is, it's bubbly wine, okay?3:45
  47. It's the Spanish version of Champagne, of Prosecco, right?3:48
  48. And it's from this region, like you can go and do tours for it too, okay?3:51
  49. So do be aware of that, and just taking that in, because as much hustle and bustle, so many museums, so many sites, beaches, all kinds of fun, hustle that3:54
  50. you have here in Barcelona, not taking the time to relax, hit up a Cava Bar, enjoy yourself, that's a big mistake a lot of tourists make.4:02
  51. Oh, and if you're looking to get Sangria when you do come here, ask for the Sangria made with Cava, that's way better than the over sugared extra headache -y4:10
  52. kind of red wine version of Sangria that you might see some places.4:19
  53. Another mistake tourists make when they come here to Barcelona is thinking that Barcelona, the city beach is the only beach you can go to.4:22
  54. Yeah, you can come here.4:29
  55. I mean, literally, it is a walk from the center.4:30
  56. Like, it is not hard.4:32
  57. If you're staying in El Borne, it's not hard to walk here at all.4:33
  58. However, there are some really fantastic, more natural beaches, let's say, that you can go to, take the train, take a bus, go to the Costa Brava, and you can4:36
  59. have some really, really nice beaches and be a bit more out of the city's kind of influence.4:44
  60. So just something to think about.4:49
  61. So don't make the mistake.4:50
  62. Think this is the only one.4:51
  63. Okay?4:52
  64. Now, in honor of Jocelyn and her architectural history background, she wanted me to make sure I mentioned this mistake.4:53
  65. Don't think that Gaudi only has the Sagrada Familia and Parque Well.5:00
  66. There are tons of buildings throughout the city that you can visit.5:05
  67. You can see from outside.5:08
  68. Some of you can tour inside.5:09
  69. That are from Gaudi, so you should definitely check those out.5:10
  70. And if you're taking the hop -on, hop -off bus or going around the town, you'll notice them.5:14
  71. You will very much notice them when you're going around.5:18
  72. Now, when you're going to Barcelona, I think another mistake people make when they're visiting is they don't take it to museums because we think of Barcelona.5:21
  73. You think, like I said, the Cava Bars and the beaches here and the crazy nightlife and having a good time kind of stuff.5:27
  74. You're going to have that.5:33
  75. But the city has tons and tons of museums, whether they're like the National Museum of Art of Catalonia is right behind me.5:34
  76. You have that.5:40
  77. There's a Picasso Museum that's worth going to see.5:41
  78. The Jean -Marieau Foundation is great.5:44
  79. There's ethnographic museums.5:46
  80. There's history museums.5:48
  81. There's contemporary art museums.5:49
  82. Tons of contemporary art to visit when you're here.5:50
  83. So you can really get like an architectural tour.5:52
  84. You get an art tour.5:54
  85. You get a food tour.5:55
  86. You have all kinds of stuff to see.5:56
  87. But don't forget about all the museums that are here as well.5:57
  88. And when you're staying here, I think another mistake people make is they look for deals in places that stay and they end up staying kind of outside of the6:00
  89. Barro Gautúco or outside of El Pueblo or outside kind of like the center.6:08
  90. Honestly, for what you get when you're farther out from the center, I don't think it's really worth it.6:13
  91. I think it's better to stay in the more historic part, the more like things going on part.6:18
  92. I think you'll enjoy that because it's easy to get all the sites.6:23
  93. If you do stay farther out, you will have a good chance of meeting the locals when you're here because they are very outgoing.6:26
  94. And I think that's a mistake you make is thinking that you won't be able to talk to them.6:31
  95. You won't be able to hang out with them because even for a big city like this, you know, the people of Barcelona really are fun and they do want6:34
  96. people to have a good time.6:40
  97. So don't be surprised when you're at that Tapas Bar or you're at the Cabo Bar that you actually start talking to the locals when you're there and get a6:41
  98. few kisses at the end of the night just to say bye.6:47
  99. The only way to piss them off, tell them Lauret's beer is actually a German beer because the name, they won't like that.6:50
  100. They'll point out that it says Barcelona right underneath it.6:55
  101. So FYI, there's some Barcelona beer for you and a way to annoy them.6:58
  102. And when you are here, don't make the mistake of thinking everybody just speaks Catalan.7:04
  103. I know we're in Cataluña, OK?7:07
  104. And a lot of people feel like go to Barcelona.7:09
  105. It's not really Spain.7:11
  106. It's Cataluña.7:12
  107. So I shouldn't speak Spanish.7:12
  108. In some people, I speak Spanish.7:14
  109. I sure probably knew some Catalan, but I don't know any Catalan.7:15
  110. Look, don't make that mistake.7:18
  111. You can speak Spanish here.7:20
  112. No problem.7:22
  113. You had some high school Spanish.7:22
  114. You know, gracias a por favor.7:24
  115. Goes a long way when you're here.7:26
  116. Yes, they say, Messi for thank you.7:27
  117. But the thing is, is just practicing some of your Spanish.7:29
  118. Using that there is totally fine.7:32
  119. And the thing is here, there's so many tours that come through Barcelona.7:34
  120. This is probably the most English spoken city in all of Spain.7:37
  121. OK, so you'll be OK.7:41
  122. But don't feel bad that you're speaking Spanish.7:42
  123. It's about a Catalan because a lot of people from all over Spain moved to Cataluña, moved to Barcelona specifically because of the job opportunities.7:44
  124. So you have people from all over Spain that live here.7:51
  125. So you might hear a Galician accent.7:54
  126. You might hear somebody a Madrigal Guignol.7:56
  127. Yes, somebody from Madrid moved here once, I think.7:58
  128. You do have that.8:00
  129. So don't don't be afraid.8:01
  130. Another mistake I see tourists make has to do when you go and you get your tapas or you get your food.8:03
  131. And one of the most popular things to get, not just here in Barcelona, but all over Spain is here in the Hamoni Béreco, the Spanish ham.8:08
  132. You know, they cut it off for you and they give it to you and everybody wants to have you have to have when you're here.8:14
  133. But the mistake people make is when they see it on the menu, they order it and they don't notice it says 100 grams next to it.8:19
  134. And so you may be like on a low rambler or something like, oh, yeah, I want some, some Spanish ham, some, you want Hamoni Béreco?8:25
  135. And so they go, how much would you want?8:31
  136. Oh, I want, I want an order.8:33
  137. Okay.8:34
  138. And that might be 200, 300, 400 grams of the Hamoni Béreco.8:35
  139. It's not cheap.8:39
  140. Okay.8:40
  141. So don't make the mistake of thinking the price you see next to Hamoni Béreco represents the price you'll pay for as much Hamon that you actually eat.8:41
  142. So do be aware of that.8:48
  143. And that can happen too.8:49
  144. If you're looking to get, you know, like croquetas, they're like little fried, like they look like fried fingers of happiness.8:50
  145. Sometimes those places are sell unidad like per unit.8:57
  146. So it's like per croquettes.9:01
  147. So make sure you ask how many croquettes come in this price.9:02
  148. So you're not like, oh, yeah, I want like three croquettes.9:05
  149. And it's, you know, so you know, when you order, if you're going to get enough for everybody there, or if you need to make multiple orders to make sure9:08
  150. everybody does get a croquette, because you have to have a croquette when you're here.9:13
  151. They're amazing.9:16
  152. And if you don't get a croquette, at least please get a bomba when you are here.9:17
  153. That's like a mashed potato ball and it's deep fried and it's got like meat on top or something like stuff in the mashed potatoes when they do it.9:20
  154. It's a totally Barcelona like top of thing.9:27
  155. You got to have when you're here.9:29
  156. OK.9:30
  157. And I guess I should mention some of the mistakes people make when they come here in terms of food.9:31
  158. You have to realize when you come to Catalonia, kind of Barcelona, they do have some things that, yes, they're all over Spain, but they have stuff that's really special9:35
  159. for here.9:41
  160. And don't make the mistake of thinking, why is there like weird catch up on top of the toast?9:42
  161. Look, the kind of tomato bread, it's toast.9:48
  162. They have smashed up tomato.9:53
  163. They put on top of it and garlic and olive oil.9:54
  164. That is very much a thing here in Barcelona that you might just have for free brought to your table or you order as a snack.9:56
  165. That's one thing you don't want to pass up either.10:02
  166. Or maybe you want to get some of the sausages, the butifada.10:04
  167. That's a really low regional sausage from around here.10:06
  168. That's really good to get where they get it on its own with the white beans.10:09
  169. You get it in a bocadillo, a sandwich.10:12
  170. You can't go wrong with it.10:14
  171. Or the crema catalana for the dessert.10:15
  172. Or you can get the mato, which is the ricotta cheese with the honey on top.10:17
  173. I mean, really, honestly, don't make the mistake of only ordering like internationally known Spanish food.10:22
  174. Make sure you get the food that's from Barcelona or from Catalonia, because you will really enjoy it.10:28
  175. Now, while you're eating all that local food when you are here, do avoid this one mistake, eating on la Rambla.10:33
  176. OK, now I told you, be careful when you're on la Rambla.10:38
  177. That is a super pickpocketing street.10:40
  178. But also, you notice a lot of restaurants there.10:43
  179. If you want to get a drink there, that's fine.10:44
  180. They're overpriced.10:46
  181. But for that view and while the people watching, I think it's worth the price.10:46
  182. But my thing is actually eating on la Rambla.10:50
  183. You're going to find way better restaurants away from la Rambla.10:52
  184. So why not have a drink there, enjoy the people watching, and then head off into the city and some of the other neighborhoods to go eat there and enjoy10:55
  185. the food at a fraction of the price and probably double the flavor.11:02
  186. Another mistake tourists make when they come here to Barcelona is not going to the markets.11:05
  187. And it's not just one specific market you should go to when you're here.11:08
  188. There are a number of them.11:12
  189. So go and explore, find a snack to eat, find something to take back to your apartment and cook.11:13
  190. But honestly, going through the markets here in Barcelona is always fine because you're going to meet the locals when they're there because that's where they get their food and11:18
  191. they take their dogs and all kinds of fun stuff.11:24
  192. So definitely, definitely, definitely don't make the mistake of not going to the markets because you think, well, I'm not going to need market food.11:26
  193. It's for the experience and some of the food, too.11:32
  194. And when you're out exploring the city, another thing I don't want you to miss out on is don't make the mistake of not going to some of the sky11:35
  195. bars.11:41
  196. You know, the rooftop bar.11:41
  197. Yeah, the rooftop bar craze that's spread across the world.11:42
  198. It's here as well.11:45
  199. And you'll notice restaurants and bars will have a sky bar up on the top that you can go to and have a beautiful view of the city.11:46
  200. And I've actually found that the drink prices up there aren't very much different than a normal bar kind of price.11:53
  201. So that might be something you want to do.11:58
  202. And sometimes you get to enjoy an infinity pool while you have a drink and have some patates bravas while you have a view of the cathedral.11:59
  203. Because, yes, it does happen that way.12:06
  204. And when you're going around the city, I want to mention this.12:08
  205. Don't make the mistake of getting really enthralled with that first guitar player you see because a lot of people, they come here and like, oh, the Spanish guitarist, they're12:11
  206. so good.12:18
  207. I want to take it in.12:19
  208. I want to sit here and listen to him, buy money.12:20
  209. You have to realize if you're going by the cathedral, you're going anywhere around town, there's going to be a Spanish guitarist playing guitar.12:23
  210. Because any Spaniard playing guitar is a Spanish guitarist, right?12:29
  211. So don't get like, don't make the mistake of getting over enthralled with the first one you see because there's got to be more of them out there.12:32
  212. All right.12:37
  213. And for my football fans or my soccer fans, when you come here, when you want to see and learn about Barça, you know, the football team, don't make the12:37
  214. mistake of missing out on a tour of Camp Nou.12:45
  215. Like you can literally go to the stadium.12:48
  216. They have a museum that's there.12:49
  217. There's a tour of the stadium.12:51
  218. You can see it all there.12:52
  219. And you learn about not just the football team, but also all the sports teams that are from Barcelona.12:53
  220. And it's a really kind of a cool experience.12:58
  221. And even if you're not a fan of Barcelona, like the team or a fan of football, in general, you can enjoy your time there.13:00
  222. I know all the boys love it.13:07
  223. We took them there.13:08
  224. And they had shots on a great time too.13:09
  225. So that's something that's worth doing a tour for.13:10
  226. And speaking of tours, I think another kind of mistake some tourists make is when they come here, they want to do a tour and visit the Cava, like wineries13:12
  227. and vineyards and you can do that.13:20
  228. It's really cool.13:22
  229. You rent a car.13:23
  230. I mean, don't drink and drive, have a driver or set up a tour.13:23
  231. But I think a mistake people make is thinking they can just roll up at any old vineyard, any old winery and get an English tour right away.13:26
  232. Look, if you want to get a tour, that's fine.13:34
  233. But if you know where you're going to go, I would recommend calling or emailing beforehand or if they could arrange one for you when you're there.13:36
  234. Cause I know I was at one for a wedding and they're like, okay, we have Spanish guests and American guests and guess what?13:42
  235. Our first three tours are all in Spanish, but at two o 'clock we'll have our English tour.13:48
  236. So come for that one.13:53
  237. Another mistake tourists make when they come to Barcelona is they think they have to walk everywhere they're going to go because they don't want to take the metro.13:55
  238. Honestly, the metro here in Barcelona will get you all over.14:01
  239. It is super efficient.14:04
  240. It's pretty clean.14:05
  241. It'll get you where you want to go.14:06
  242. Easy to buy tickets.14:07
  243. They're pretty cheap too.14:08
  244. So you get day passes, multiple day passes or just a one ride ride, you know, ticket, no problem.14:09
  245. It's pretty simple.14:16
  246. Straight forward.14:16
  247. Just slide your ticket in, pick it up on the other side, go enjoy your ride.14:17
  248. But yeah, I've seen people being really scared of taking the metro here and you don't need to be.14:20
  249. I mean, obviously pay attention to your, you know, fake pocket wallet bag, just like in every single metro ever.14:25
  250. But in general, not something to really worry about when you're coming here, but well worth using to get around because your feet are going to appreciate it.14:30
  251. Okay.14:37
  252. Another kind of stereotypical mistake people make when they come to Barcelona because when people think of Spain, they think of bullfights, they think of Flamenco and honestly, thinking you're14:37
  253. going to see a bullfight or seeing like really good Flamenco here in Barcelona.14:46
  254. That's a mistake.14:49
  255. They don't do bullfighting here.14:50
  256. So you don't have the bullfighting and Flamenco is more Andalusia.14:51
  257. Like you can go and find some Flamenco dancing here, but it's kind of like if you went to New York City to see a rodeo.14:54
  258. Yes, it's cool seeing the bulls bucking people off, but don't you really want to see it in Texas or Wyoming?15:01
  259. Not in New York.15:07
  260. It's the same thing here with the Flamenco.15:08
  261. I mean, you can do it.15:09
  262. It'll be cool, but I'm just letting you know, it's like, you don't get the same vibe here as you do other places.15:10
  263. And then I see tourists making this mistake.15:16
  264. They only stay in Barcelona when they're visiting Barcelona.15:18
  265. Well, yeah, Mark, I came to Barcelona to enjoy Barcelona.15:22
  266. What else would I do?15:24
  267. What are some really nice day trips from here that you can go do?15:26
  268. You want to go see another country?15:29
  269. Guess what?15:30
  270. Two, three hour bus ride away.15:31
  271. You can go to Andorra, which is good for skiing in the winter, hiking in the summer, shopping all year round.15:33
  272. They got spas there.15:38
  273. That's really cool.15:39
  274. Or maybe you want to do some more Roman history.15:40
  275. Go to Terragona and you can take in the amphitheater there and the museums that are there, or you want to see a historic city.15:43
  276. Well, you can go to Hirona.15:49
  277. Just take the train out there and go enjoy that.15:50
  278. Or maybe you're like, no, I want to see the monastery.15:52
  279. I want to have a prayer for my family.15:54
  280. You can go take a tour of Montserrat.15:56
  281. That's really cool as well.15:58
  282. Or maybe you're not like, you know what?15:59
  283. I've enjoyed Spain, but I want to get over to France.16:01
  284. Well, you can get over to Perpeñón in France and you can take the TGV.16:04
  285. It takes like an hour and 20 minutes, or you can take the bus, which takes a little under three hours to get there.16:07
  286. You can go to see the Castile, the castle of the Mallorca kings that are there, the cathedral that's there.16:12
  287. And what's cool is when you go to Perpeñón, it's kind of like Barcelona, because Barcelona is Catalonia with a Spanish influence.16:18
  288. And Perpeñón is Catalonia with a French influence.16:23
  289. That's kind of a fun thing.16:26
  290. So these are just some mistakes I've seen tourists make when they come here to Barcelona, like, and we're not even including forgetting the sunblock and sun protection.16:27
  291. Okay.16:34
  292. But, uh, yeah, what are some of the other mistakes you seen tourists make when they come here to Barcelona?16:35
  293. Please put it in the comments section below so we can help other travelers have a fantastic time in this fantastic city.16:39
  294. And I'll say bye from here in Barcelona.16:44

B1 English Speaking Practice With a Fast Talking Barcelona Guide

This clip is B1 level English speaking practice built from a single American narrator talking straight at the camera, so there is no back and forth to track, only one voice. Mark opens with, "Hey there fellow travelers, Mark here with Walters World and today we're in Barcelona," and from there he runs through mistake after mistake tourists make in the city. The recording moves at 256 words per minute, faster than 96 percent of the catalogue, so the sentences stack close together with almost no breathing room between ideas.

The subject matter helps carry that speed. Mark is not reading a script, he is warning you, correcting a mix up between Barça the football club and Barcelona the city, and naming a real risk, pickpockets. That narrative pull keeps a fast B1 clip approachable rather than exhausting, because you are following an argument, not just parsing vocabulary. If you are planning a trip yourself, or just want English listening practice from someone who talks quickly and casually, this opening section gives you a compact, self contained warning to work through.

The Colloquial Turns in Mark's Barcelona Warning

This is also where you can hear how to pronounce English words the way a fast American speaker actually strings them together, not the textbook version. Three lines from the opening show what to listen for.

  • "Mark here with Walters World and today we're in Barcelona" runs three separate ideas, his name, the channel, the location, into one breath with barely a pause. Say it aloud and notice where you want to add a break that he does not.
  • "we're gonna go through are some of the mistakes" holds the clip's only reduced form, gonna for going to, inside a sentence that is grammatically loose, "are some of" doubles up, because this is unscripted speech Whisper caught as spoken, not a written script.
  • "Look, Barcelona, Barça is the actual football team, the soccer team" packs a correction into one breath. Listen for how "Look" front loads the sentence as a verbal nudge before the actual point lands.
  • "No, no, no, no, no" is five identical syllables that still carry a rising then falling shape, not a flat repeat, and that shape is worth copying exactly.

How to Shadow This Line by Line Through the Barcelona Mistakes

Work this opening as english shadowing practice in a fixed order rather than replaying the whole clip on loop. Each step below points at one line, in the order Mark speaks them.

  • Start with "Mark here with Walters World and today we're in Barcelona" alone. Repeat it until the three beats land without you rushing past the location.
  • Move to the gonna line and isolate the reduction. Say "we're gonna go through are some of the mistakes" once in full, then say only "we're gonna go through" five times until it is automatic.
  • Take "Look, Barcelona, Barça is the actual football team, the soccer team" and shadow it against the audio twice, once for the correction Mark is making, once for pace alone.
  • Drop into "No, no, no, no, no" and match the rise and fall rather than a flat monotone.
  • Finish on "do not leave your wallet in your back pocket" and say it as an instruction, the way Mark delivers it, not as a flat fact.
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