Along with Madrid, the economic and administrative capital of Spain, it is the Hispanic Olympic capital: Barcelona, ​​which will still attract the most foreign tourists in 2024.

Through this article, we encourage traveling padel players to immerse themselves in Catalan culture.

" BAR " : This cosmopolitan city with Latin, European and South American inspirations is truly an archetype of the World City in the noble sense of the term. Its legend “of the city that never sleeps” is partly due to its many establishments: restaurants, bars, nightclubs open all day… until the end of the night or should we say, until the early hours of the morning. Believe us, the destination also lives padel all year round!

"CEL": Sky in Catalan, Barcelona is the capital of this autonomous region. Focused on the outdoors, this seaside city benefits from mild Mediterranean temperatures, with, despite everything, it must be conceded, problems of droughts for three years.

"ONA" : “the wave” literally speaking with in particular a strong community of surfers in the summer who do not hesitate to change boards and switch to rollers in the winter… a little paradise for riding enthusiasts! Its commercial port also makes it a hub of European trade.

Barcelona La Toupie Bleue

Discover the real Barcelona outside of summer: a smart alternative to avoid increasing the problems associated with overtourism

It is no secret that the Generalitat Catalunya and more precisely the Ayuntamiento de Barcelona (city hall) are working for the good / good life in the flagship city of the “blaugranas”. Indeed, remember that last year, the city decided to stop the arrival of cruise ships. On land, cars are encouraged to stay on the outskirts as evidenced by the creation of a ZFE sticker in order to regulate the number of vehicles there.

Overtourism indeed poses many problems that are much more complex than the simple pollution induced (exhaust gases, waste management, treatment of grey and black water). The housing crisis is real in Barcelona. Tourists themselves notice it with some of the most expensive nights in Spain, whether in hotels or on booking platforms like AirB&B.

Barcelona La Toupie Bleue

It is therefore by taking into account these real issues that intelligent sports stays combining part of the stay in Barcelona & on the outskirts make it possible to distribute the flow of tourists into locals in time and space. Of course, the city's must-sees catch the eye of any novice: Sagrada Familia, Parc Guëll, Las Ramblas, Barceloneta but here again trust the many resources of this magnificent destination which could really fill you, & this in many districts:

- At MontJuic, of course you have the 1992 Olympic facilities including the Palau San Jordi which hosted the finals of Premier Padel again this year, but the discovery of Montjuic Castle and a return trip to the city, either by funicular, by cable car or on foot via the National Art Museum of Catalonia is a must!

Barcelona La Toupie Bleue

- At Poble Nou, in addition to the largest nightclub in the city, you will appreciate a few addresses found not far from the beach.

– To discover Eixample “right or left”, there is nothing better than getting on a Dutch bike, pleasant to ride and able to freely crisscross the streets and avenues on the many cycle paths.

- The Gothic Quarter is very popular for its nightlife thanks to its many small squares which are places to discover with very appreciable addresses. You will find Irish pubs (perfect for broadcasting a sporting event) through popular restaurants or even club addresses appreciated by locals and tourists.

- The Sant Pere district, Santa Carterina i la Ribera will be a summary of an old Barcelona, ​​with small streets to discover on foot. It is interesting to walk there without any particular objective in order to discover, for example, historic buildings. If you wish, a passage through the Parc de la Ciutadella would allow you to relax on lush grass, the perfect compromise to rehash the tactical & technical padel advice given by the coach earlier in the day.

– Further north, the Sagrada district no longer needs to be introduced but finally the old village of Gracia has now become a district in its own right in the city that we highly recommend you discover. Here, finally, it is a local beer like Moritz or a revisited Catalan cream that you should absolutely "taste". When the schools leave, this village in the city wakes up with children (young and old) who do not hesitate to express all their sporting enthusiasm or not elsewhere (balls, hopscotch, games on structures) while the parents themselves go over their day's work together, secretly hoping that once the homework is finished, the evening's padel game is still waiting for them! Certainly Playtomic “That’s life” for app addicts, who were already using WhatsApp extensively in 2011, when the green giant didn’t have many followers in France at the time.

Barcelona La Toupie Bleue

– Finally, if we had to mention another district of this charming city, we could talk aboutThe Raval where you will discover beautiful exotic addresses or even very typical of Barcelona… like those which only serve the traditional sangria by the litre; also allowing those who have not won their match of the day to redeem themselves with a game of billiards or table football.

Certainly, there is no shortage of possibilities, as you will have understood, but you still have to love the city, be interested in it, respect it and sometimes also let yourself be guided. But after all, isn't that also what sports travel is all about? The outskirts also have some nice surprises to offer you.

Barcelona La Toupie Bleue

Padel all year round, for years, with an unmissable event on the international calendar!

As you know, padel was born in Mexico, became professional in Argentina and became international in Spain and more specifically in Barcelona. In fact, In 1997 in Barcelona, ​​the FIP decided to standardize playing conditions to make the practice more understandable and applicable to all four corners of the globe.

In 2024, home to many of the most internationally renowned academies, Catalonia is full of seasoned athletes of all ages, from padel and encouraging the best professionals in the discipline to set down their suitcases there to develop their background as seasoned and complete athletes (Alix Collombon – also French No. 1 for example since 2018).

In this country focused on the development of athletes from a very young age, physical preparation and the tactical sense of padel offer very significant possibilities for progression that even amateur trainees like to experience during a week-long padel stay.

We had truly discovered all this craze for the complete sport practice of padel in 2011, at the time in the straitjacket of the Erasmus program. I tell you about my meetings and observations in this video. Embark for a few minutes with La Toupie Bleue :

What if you took the plane to join us there in December and experience a turnkey stay around the finals of Premier Padel ?
We are organizing a Welcome Padel Week for the occasion:

Remi Collat

The founder of the agency La Toupie Bleue offers themes on padel courses and holidays in Europe. The padel holiday specialist does not hesitate to give us his opinion on these themes.

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