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Oct 28 2022 
Ultimate Guide for University Life in Barcelona
Looking forward to finally starting the university experience in Barcelona? Check out all our tips in this article, so you can enjoy it 100%!
Starting university life can be a big challenge, especially if you’re going to study in a totally different country!
At Xior, we are aware of the challenges that our residents constantly face, so we have gathered in this guide everything you need to know and do before starting university life in another country:
Is Barcelona the ideal city to study?
First of all, this is the question you have to ask yourself. And if you’re not sure what to answer, then we have an article prepared to answer all your doubts and all the reasons why you should live in Barcelona! From the climate, the people, and delicious food, there are numerous advantages to moving to Barcelona.
If you want to go out…
We have the perfect guide to the nightlife in Barcelona with some of the best bars, hangouts, nightclubs, and some unmissable events if you’re new in Barcelona or at Xior Lofttown.
Whether you want to go all-out clubbing or if you’d like a more laid-back dinner and drinks with a view, we’ve got your covered, either way you will find the perfect venue for you.
Barcelona is a very festive city and many neighborhoods are lively at night. In other words, if you go out at night in Barcelona, you will be stunned by the variety of bars and clubs in this amazing city.
Cost of living
Knowing how much it costs to live in Barcelona is crucial, isn’t it? Luckily, we have an article that talks about the cost of living in Barcelona, so that you can calculate your expenses like food, basic services and transport. We want to help you enjoy your stay in Barcelona at Xior Lofttown!
Discover the best universities in Barcelona
Still in doubt about which university to choose? Then check what is said about each of the Universities of Barcelona, and see where you can find the greatest offer of training, and what can benefit your academic and, later, professional path. We invite you to read our article on the top 5 universities to study in Barcelona.
Tip: They are all good, so we advise you to check the website of each one of them, to know all the offers 100%.
Tips for finding the ideal accommodation in Barcelona
After all this preparation, we know that you have decided and that you made the right decision about studying in Barcelona! So, the next step is to look for the perfect accommodation for your stay.
Adapting to a new country and city can be a big challenge, but it will be much easier if you live in a calm and comfortable place, right?
Bonus tip: we would be delighted to welcome you to any of our residences, so if you think it could be a good place for you, check out point 6.
All the benefits of living in a student residence
If you have any doubts about whether living in a student residence is good for you or not, then read our article about all the benefits of living in a student residence. In addition to the constant company, we guarantee that you will leave here speaking even more languages, and, of course, always on an all-inclusive basis to avoid unpleasant surprises at the end of the month.
Now that we’ve given you all the tips to have a fantastic university experience in Barcelona, it’s time to put them all into practice! Follow the Xior articles, and learn several tips to live this phase of your life to the full. -
Oct 21 2022 
Best Places for a Night Out in Barcelona
In this article we will give you a complete guide to the nightlife in Barcelona with some of the best bars, hangouts, nightclubs, and some unmissable events if you’re new in Barcelona or at Xior Lofttown.
Whether you want to go all-out clubbing or if you’d like a more laid-back dinner and drinks with a view, we’ve got your covered, either way you will find the perfect venue for you.
Las Ramblas
A good starting point for new residents at Xior Lofttown is of course Las Ramblas. Barcelona’s busiest boulevard by day, Las Ramblas is also pretty heavy by night. This street changes in the early stages of the evening when the street performers are still playing their music and the locals and tourists heading out for drinks and dinner. Typically, these restaurants are spilling over with customers searching for the famous tapas (although you can find better quality for cheaper in other places).
El Raval
This is the city’s most international and eclectic district, and with the most exciting spots for enjoying the nightlife in Barcelona. This is a neighborhood which never seems to die, it’s always buzzing with sounds, lights, and the energy of young, enthusiastic locals and tourists strolling down and exploring the nightlife of this amazing city.
As you walk through its streets, you’ll feel the aromas of other cultures. At night-time, the Raval gives you the opportunity to try exotic cuisine and local dishes.
It is a lively, multi-cultural neighborhood with a huge variety of tempting cafes, restaurants and bars. Some bohemian bars and cafés retain the atmosphere of a bygone age and remain some of the most popular places on Barcelona’s night-time scene. Raval has also become fashionable being host to a wide variety of art studios, galleries and trendy bookshops.
Gracia
A similarly alternative vibe to Raval prevails in the district of Gracia, a neighborhood in the city of Barcelona which is just minutes away from the center. Here you’ll find a very Catalan quarter oozing charisma and aspiring artists, it’s like somehow you feel as if you have entered a completely new city. The young, artsy and bohemian vibe of the neighborhood has drawn in artists and musicians from all over, so you will have many fine bars, like the excellent La Cigale and La Fourmi that cater to the barri’s more Bohemian residents. Alternatively, if it’s a hot day or don’t want to spend a lot of money, you can just hang out on one of Gracia’s many squares, such as the Plaça del Sol.
Clubs and Discos in Barcelona
Razzmatazz
Razzmatazz is actually five venues in one. When you visit this club, you’ll find a wide variety of music genres being played, though the genres tend to be exclusive to one of the five halls. Razzmatazz is arguably Barcelona’s one and only super club.
Some of your options include indie, electronic and pop. The Loft is one of the best places in town to hear techno, electro and dubstep. For Indie lovers you have the Razz Club, the Pop Bar is your go-to for classic pop and the Rex Room is the venue’s main dance floor and live-music stage, which has welcomed the likes of the Arctic Monkeys, Passion Pit and Calvin Harris. And Lolita plays a mixture of house, electropop, nu-disco and electronica.
Alternatively, you can take an adventure and get lost in the maze of pumping dance floors and confusing corridors.
Pacha Barcelona
Other club which you cannot miss, is Pacha Barcelona, one of the best nightclubs in Barcelona. Pacha Barcelona is a notable nightclub in town that generally has a different musical style every day allowing subsequent visits with new experiences.
This club came to the city of Barcelona after his big famous club Pacha Ibiza. Party like you’re in Ibiza at Pacha, Barcelona, located by the waterfront in Port Olímpic. The main room is the stage for international and the hottest DJs of dance, electro and house music of the moment. In the secondary room you will enjoy the latest reggaeton and Pachanga hits. On Sundays, you can enjoy slightly different sounds, including hip-hop, R&B and reggaeton.
Moog
MOOG is Barcelona’s ultimate electronic music venue. This place has a Berlin underground feel, except under the Mediterranean sun. Open 365 days a year, MOOG helped introduce electronic music to the city back in the mid-1990s when it opened, and it continues to host some of the biggest names in the electro, house and techno scene throughout the year.
With one of the best nightclubs in town MOOG offers 2 floors of fun, in a building that has been used as a venue for more than a century. On the top floor, you’ll find yourself in the mirror room that offers more pop-oriented sets. Meanwhile, the bottom floor plays house music and underground techno.
You’ll find it conveniently located right in the heart of downtown Barcelona, so it’s close to several other prominent attractions.
Opium Barcelona
Without a doubt, the Opium Barcelona nightclub is one of the best nightclubs in Barcelona and one of the first must-see clubs. Opium is the place to catch the famous DJs like Whiz Khalifa, French Montana, Tiesto or Martin Garrix during the summer. This nightclub offers different evenings with different musical styles depending on the day of the week.
This venue is for people who like to see and be seen, high heels, designer labels and magnums of champagne are all part of the atmosphere at this exclusive club, which has attracted a few celebrities on occasion. The dance floor features white-satin couches, chrome-and-glass tables and sleek modern decor, and the chic crowds dance to the beat of mainstream electronic music.
It is located on the Paseo Marítimo de la Barceloneta with a view to the Mediterranean Sea and Barceloneta, the most famous beach in Barcelona. Thanks to its great national and international fame, it is considered one of the best nightclubs in the entire Olympic Village along with other nightclubs.
Are you ready to enjoy the nightlife of Barcelona?
We hope that with this post you can go out and enjoy the nightlife of this amazing city.
If you want to know more about this city, we invite you to follow us on Facebook and Instagram so that you are always up to date with the latest news in our university residence. -
Oct 14 2022 
Why You Should Live in Barcelona
Living in Barcelona is a dream for everyone, the capital of Catalonia is known for the huge number of foreign students it receives every year.
If you’ve made the decision to start a new life in Barcelona, or just want to spend some time studying away from home, this might interest you. In this article, we are going to show you 5 reasons why you should live in Barcelona, in our residence Xior Lofttown.
- Perfect climate all year round
Generally, the weather might be an important factor when choosing where to live abroad. In Barcelona you will have warm weather all year round, with average annual temperatures of about 26 ºC, Barcelona offers the perfect atmosphere.
During summer, you can expect highs of 30°C. While it is true that during the summer months it’s quite hot, the climate in the city is very close to ideal. Winter lasts approximately 4 months and the temperature usually never drop below 8°C. And if you’re not a fan of the rain, great news, rain is not something you see every day. Best of all, the transition from season to season is so gradual that there’s plenty of time to acclimatize to new temperatures.
- Delicious cuisine
If you looking for Barcelona’s typical food, we can guarantee, you be able to enjoy delicious and varied flavours dishes. In Barcelona the local food is so characteristic of the city abounds on every corner, so trying good tapas and paella will be the common thing to do. Every neighborhood in Barcelona has its own charm, and its own assortment of gems worth visiting.
The roots of this cuisine are largely from the Mediterranean, that’s why fish and seafood dishes are so popular in this city. Amongst them are the various rice dishes, the delicious suquet de peix (it’s like a fish and shellfish soup-stew) and the esqueixada de bacallà (shredded salt cod, tomato and onion salad).
But you can also find dishes based on the fruits of the earth, like escudella i carn d’olla (broth with pasta or rice and big meatballs). Add to that the botifarras amb mongetes (sausages with white beans), the coca pastries, the canelones and, of course, calçots (spring onions) and their delicious. However, being a multicultural city, you can also find plenty of international food places.
- Surrounded by amazing places
Barcelona is one of the most beautiful and photogenic cities on earth. With its world-famous Gaudi architecture, pretty parks and beaches, a buzzing nightlife scene, or a world-class art museums and galleries such as the Picasso, there’s no doubt that Barcelona is one of the most beautiful city in Europe to live in, no matter how long you stay.
This city has an energy that becomes infectious. It’s been the home of some of the best artists, architects and musicians in the world and as you can see, it’s full of their contributions. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it here, amazing art, beautiful architecture or museums and you’ll even be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t speak English.
You will struggle to find a more spectacular coastal city in Europe or anywhere, there are some fairly inspiring suburbs, Barcelona also has many enchanting neighborhoods to choose from when it comes to choosing where to live.
- A very complete public transport system
Transportation in Barcelona has grown in the last 20 years, especially the connection with the city’s two airports.
This city offers excellent routes to discover the city through cycling if you don’t feel like walking. In addition, there are buses, rental companies for motorbikes and cars, metro and trains, but you can reach most places by walking. Not to mention the very efficient public transport system takes discoverability to further heights. Even as a tourist, getting to the city from the airport is not a big problem.
The public transportation tickets are not that cheap (2,40€ for a one-way ticket and 11,35€ for a 10-way ticket), but the city is perfectly connected by its large number of lines, running with a high frequency that makes waiting times very low. This transport routes extends throughout the whole metropolitan area (reaching many cities and areas outside Barcelona).
Also, even if it is a big city, the car is not strictly necessary anywhere you go.
- Work and job opportunities
In terms of job opportunities, Barcelona is a great city for new opportunities and career growth, especially because of the city’s location, trusted public transport, cheap set-up costs, and great talent. Due to the internationality of the city, there’re a large number of international companies in Barcelona, right now Barcelona is already one of the most important startups and entrepreneurship hubs in Europe.
Especially in the IT sector, digital marketing, product development, and growth, new job positions are constantly being created, bringing foreigners from all over the world. And it’s not just big companies but also new start-ups who’re attracted to what Barcelona offers. So, whether you want to start your own business or looking for a new job, we’ve good news for you. Barcelona has a lot more English-speaking job opportunities compared to other Spanish cities.
So, as you can see, Barcelona is a beautiful city that is full of art and culture, and if you stay with us at Xior Lofttown, we will help you discover this amazing city!
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Oct 07 2022 
10 amazing places to visit in Barcelona
If you still don’t know where to go in this wonderful city and Xior Lofttown will be your next home, you may be interested in which places you can visit with friends and share the feelings these places promote, or just go by yourself to disconnect a bit from studies at your work.
Barcelona has a lot to offer. This city with fantastic sights of the Mediterranean Sea, and famous for Gaudí and other modern architecture, it is one of the most modern cities in Europe, with its own lifestyle, which is unique in the world, where you can enjoy your days with a great diversity of cultural, gastronomic and commercial activities.
We’ve listed 10 must-go places you can visit in Barcelona:
1. Sagrada Familia
One of the most important monuments in Barcelona, and one of the symbols of the city, this spectacular basilic was designed by Antonio Gaudí, the famous Catalan architect, worldly-known, and one of the most prestigious in his area. The interior and exterior of Sagrada Família, apart from other churches, present a merge of the Catala Modernism, the Spanish Later Gothic, and the Art Nouveau styles. It has started its construction in 1882 and it is not still finished,
2. Basílica de Santa María del Mar
Another on the must-go list you should visit in Barcelona if you are living at Xior Lofttown, it’s located in the Barrio del Born, and it’s a gothic Basilica built in the XIV century, known as the “Catedral do Mar” (Cathedral of the Sea). About this Basilica, books were written, including the novel “La Catedral del Mar” by Ildefonso Falcones, which narrates the life in Barcelona during the XIV century, based on the construction of the Basílica de Santa María del Mar.
3. La Boquería:
The San José Market, known as “La Boqueria” is a municipal market located in Las Ramblas in Barcelona, where you will find more than 300 places where you can buy a lot of high-quality fresh products, typical of Catalan gastronomy, as well as products from all over the world. The entrance is always open either to buy or just for a sneak peek.
4. Casa Batlló
Another Antonio Gaudií masterpiece, and one of the greatest buildings designed by the Catalan architect, nearby La Casa Milá, also known as “La Pedrera”, and both are located in Paseig de Gràcia. La Casa Batlló is a UNESCO World Heritage, and one of the best works of the artist. It is a modernist building that is inspired by organic forms of nature such as skulls and bones.
5. Park Güell
A park you can’t miss, very different from others, original and peculiar, and also designed by the unique, Gaudí. which is a UNESCO World Heritage as well. It is a park covered by symbolic elements inspired by the forms of nature.
6. Plaza de España y Plaza Cataluña
Plaza España is one of the most important squares in the Catalan city. Surrounded by many emblematic buildings and the Montjüic Mountain, one of the sights you can’t miss, with an incredible viewpoint, and other touristic sights such as La Fuente Mágica de Montjüic, the Montjüic Castle, the Pueblo Español, the MontjüicOlympic Ring, The Catalan National Art Museum, the Joan Miró Foundation, and the Botanic Garden. Plaza Cataluña is one of the biggest squares in Spain, close to stores, hotels, shopping centers, bars, and restaurants.
7. Famous Streets
Passeig de Gràcia is one of the most frequented streets in the entire city, and it is famous for having one of the most important commercial zones in Barcelona. There you will find many works from Barcelonian Modernism. Las Ramblas or La Rambla is one of the most well-known streets in Barcelona, where you can enjoy 1,3 km of sidewalks until the city’s old port. Diagonal, an avenue with 11km that crosses the entire city. You will find shopping centers, parks, and emblematic places. This avenue ends up at the Agbar Tower, a skyscraper that lights up the nights in Barcelona.
8. Barcelona Cathedral
The Santa Creu and Santa Eulàlia Cathedral is one of the oldest constructions in the city, In this great gothic cathedral you will find tombs, altars, and three of the most important saints (Santa Elena, Santa Eulàlia, and Santa Lucía) and its 21 bells have a woman’s name.
9. “La Barceloneta” Beach
One of the favourite beaches in the city for foreign and Barcelona residents. If you live at Xior Lofttown, you must visit the wonderful beach with more than 400m of extension.
10. Camp Nou
Since September 24th, 1957, it is the stadium of Club de Fútbol de Barcelona. For the football lovers in Xior Lofttown, this is a must-go visit!
