Your first 72 hours in Barcelona

You don't need to beat Spanish bureaucracy this week. You need a phone that works, a way around, food in the fridge, and one appointment hunted down. Here's the first 72 hours, in order.

Hour 1: out of the airport

From El Prat you have three good options: the Aerobús (€7-something, every 5 minutes, 35 min to Plaça Catalunya), the metro L9 Sud (~€5.50 airport fare, slower but goes more places), or the R2 train if Terminal 2 suits. A taxi to the centre runs €35–45 with the airport surcharge. Ride apps exist but Barcelona taxis are regulated, metered, and honestly fine — the rank is faster than the app at the airport.

Hour 2: the pickpocket briefing

Barcelona is a safe city with a world-class pickpocket industry. It's not paranoia, it's the local sport: phones on café tables, open bags on the metro, and anything on a beach towel are how newcomers pay their tuition. Phone in a front pocket, bag zipped and forward, nothing valuable visible at terraces — adopt the habits on day one and you'll likely never have a story. The metro lines to and from tourist spots (L3 especially) are where it happens.

Day 1: SIM card

Any Vodafone, Orange, or Movistar shop sells prepaid with generous data for €10–20, passport only — no NIE needed. Lobster is the English-language-first operator if you want signup without charades. A Spanish number matters fast: Bizum, delivery apps, and every cita previa confirmation want one. (Full steps in the SIM how-to.)

Day 1: cash, cards, and Bizum envy

Cards work everywhere, contactless included; Spain runs on them. You'll notice locals settling dinner debts by phone number — that's Bizum, and you'll get it the moment you have a Spanish bank account. Withdraw cash only from bank-branded ATMs; the freestanding Euronet machines at tourist corners charge piracy rates.

Day 2: transit card and orientation

If you're staying, get a T-mobilitat card (€4.50) and load a T-usual (~€22/month subsidised, unlimited zone 1) or a T-casual (10 trips, ~€12) while you decide. The metro is excellent and the grid makes walking legible. Bicing (the red bikes) needs a NIE, so it joins the later list.

Day 2: supermarkets and the basics

Mercadona is the national default, Bonpreu/Esclat the Catalan quality pick, Lidl and Dia the budget fill-ins, Condis the corner shop. Tap water is safe (Barcelona's tastes of minerals; most people filter or shrug). Pharmacies — green cross — handle anything mild, and every district has a 24h farmàcia de guàrdia posted on the door. The numbers to save tonight: 112 for emergencies, 061 for the health line.

Day 3: start the cita previa hunt

Barcelona's equivalent of Lisbon's "get your NIF" errand is less an errand than a campaign: the cita previa (appointment) for your NIE/TIE, and the padrón registration at the town hall. Neither finishes in 72 hours, but both queues start when you do — so on day 3, create your folder of documents, fill the forms, and start checking the sede electrónica each morning (slots drop early). The padrón appointment is usually easier to get and unlocks healthcare, so book whichever appears first. (Both have full how-tos in this app.)

Eat like you mean to stay

The menú del día (€12–15, three courses, wine included at the honest places) is Spain's greatest welfare programme for newcomers — lunch is the big meal and the bargain. Dinner starts at 9pm and the kitchens mean it; vermut at noon on a Sunday is a civic duty. One cultural note worth absorbing early: you're in Catalonia — street signs and school systems run in Catalan, "bon dia" lands warmer than "buenos días", and noticing the difference earns goodwill that lasts.

What can wait

The bank account, CatSalut card, internet, the NIE itself — all real, none urgent this week. Open the checklist in this app and work down it in order. For now: find your nearest plaça, order a caña, and watch the neighbourhood do its evening lap. The hard part — moving — is already done.