A recently refurbished general post office with a full service for mail, official forms and social…read moreservice payments. There's also a banking concession for loans, savings and mortgages. As with many large offices in Spain, there's a complex queuing control system, for three different types of queue: one for mail and other traditional post office services, one for social security business and one for banking services. You take a ticket from the machine at the entrance after pressing one of three buttons (depending on which service you want) and then wait until the electronic display tells you to go to one of the counters. Staff are pleasant and helpful but, unless it's very quiet, expect to wait 5-10 minutes for service, and up to 20 minutes in high summer.

Ugh. Catalonian bureaucrats. Come in. Take a number. Sit…read more Wait. Wait. Wait... This brightly lit post office wasn't as good as many post offices I've been in. When I came to a teller, we explained in Spanish that we needed stamps to send postcards to the USA, and how I'm a stamp collector and I'm looking for smaller denominations of stamps so I could use multiple stamps to send a single postcard. The teller looks at us blankly, like why would anyone want to collect these stamps? He gets confused, or there's a mistranslation, I dunno, but we ended up with only one stamp per postcard, which we later found out was inadequate postage to get to the USA. He sold us the wrong stamps. I had to use two of them to cover the postage, leaving me with fewer postcards' postage than intended. The whole transaction got fumbled, but the postcards I put the stamps on made it back to the USA. The post office was clean, and the numbers were clearly displayed on a computer screen to indicate when it's your turn to speak with a postal employee. It was conveniently located. Once I figured out the postage amount, it was a bummer that the clerk sold us the wrong stamps. This post office does not sell sangria, wine or beer. And what kind of post office closes at 2:30 every day? These lazy postal punks...

Corrupt - STAY AWAY The postal service in Spain/Madrid is a…read morehorrible and corrupt organization. STAY AWAY from shipping to SPAIN. Tried shipping a used bike for my son, living in Madrid, they charged a 350 euro FEE to deliver it to him, and told him they would destroy the bike if not paid. This is ridiculous, and no one there seems to care. I am sure somone in the Spanish customs department is now riding around on my son's bike. The fee was almost the total cost of the bike, which was several years old. I plan on letting everyone I can know about this horrible system. with the hope that it may help change it and at the least help others avoid the same issue.

A beautiful post office!!! The US should model all post offices after this one. There's a…read moreself-service kiosk to submit why you're there, and like the DMV, it calls you when they're ready. Very efficient! The building itself is a sight to be seen, whether or not you need to use the post.

Why, oh why would I get excited about a post office? Perhaps because it is in a lovely, historic…read morebuilding? No, the landmark post office in Manhattan would send me into panic attacks. Perhaps because of the fine correos system here in Spain? Hahahahaha. That's certainly not it. Perhaps everyone likes to get a package in the mail. Could be . . . No, because this was my first dealing with a Spanish beaurocracy that was, well easy. Every time I go to pick up a parcel, I get an enormous sense of self satisfaction. The building is always cool and while there may be a few people ahead of you, there is a number/ticket system so you can spend your idle 10 minutes sitting on a bench or enjoying the architectural details. Naturally, NOBODY speaks a lick of English, however, they will be exceedingly patient with whatever level you speak. They will smile, speak slowly and get you what you need. (Also, they were all thrilled to have my little dog visit as well.)

We had a tour Friday and arrived on the mountain around 10:30 via Bus and Rack Railway (Cremallera)…read morefor the last 10 minutes. You get some breathtaking views as you climb towards 1236 ft. and also experience the railway car that has been around since the 1800s with the original car on display at the station. Once we got to the main area of the mountain, there is quite a bit to do and you can spend a full day if you took the time to take it all in. The jagged rock formations of the mountain range give a few photo ops. The main event was the Basilica/Abbey with the Black Madonna and hearing the Escolania Boys Choir. Peaceful, serene and listening to this choir for a few minutes before bed has to help with insomnia. There are plenty of hiking options with a 15 minute hike to the top for more breathtaking views. Would recommend visiting the museum. Many shopping and food options (Cafes) with our tour guide recommending a Buffet restaurant. I tend to stay away from Buffet spots and should have followed my instincts. It was ok and really was at a disadvantage after the meals we had in Barcelona-stick with the Cafes. Overall, well worth the time and visit!

Beautiful monastery, located against the backdrop of the Montserrat mountain where the peaks are…read moreliterally surrounding the monastery. The Cathedral that is at the heart of this monastery is very ornate and gorgeous with classic European craftsmanship from an age gone by clearly visible throughout the cathedral. As beautiful as the monastery is, the elevated views from this location are drop dead gorgeous and worth the trip alone. Unfortunately, on the day we visited, there was a mass going on where they closed viewing of the black Madonna for the day to not be in conflict with the mass which is standard practice. So you need to keep an eye on this if you plan to visit this site. The other negative thing is that the place was slammed with tourist and I felt that the outlying buildings were completely commercialized to sell trinkets to the tourist that visit. I personally am not a fan when places of worship do this, but I do understand that this type of operation probably funds the maintenance and operation of monastery year-round and is probably a necessary evil in this case. All in all, this is one of the main attractions in the Barcelona area and should be included on any itinerary during your visit here. Opportunities to see beauty like this along with it's historical relevance are far few and in between and should be taken advantage of anytime you're given this opportunity.

Small post office location. Never very crowded. Service is the same as all other post offices…read more Summer hours are from 830 to 1430.