Logistical information

📍 Venue

The Venue of the UCLG Retreat this year will be the Catalonia Barcelona Plaza Hotel:

Catalonia Barcelona Plaza Hotel, Plaça d’Espanya, 8, 08014 Barcelona

The venue is located in a rather scenic location in Barcelona. The surrounding area is very well served in terms of restaurants and attractions. Some of the highlights are the iconic twin Venetian towers, the Magic Fountain and the Arenas, an ancient bullring rebuilt into a shopping mall. The Royal Palace stands regally at the opposite end of Avinguda Maria Cristina, and houses the MNAC (Catalonia Art Museum). Other important museums nearby are the Poble Espanyol, the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, CaixaForum or the Miró Foundation. Additionally, you will find many restaurants on Avinguda Paral·lel.

Plaça d’Espanya is one of the main transportation hubs in the city, with 3 metro lines and a dozen bus lines. It is also the first stop of the official bus shuttle (Aerobus) from both terminals of Barcelona airport, and the main railway station (Barcelona Sants) is only two metro stations away.

🛌 Accommodation

Please note that the World Secretariat has blocked a limited number of rooms at the Catalonia Barcelona Plaza Hotel.

In order to book rooms at the hotel, please send an email to the address plaza.reservas@cataloniahotels.com and identify yourself as a member of the UCLG Retreat delegation in order to be applied the negotiated rate of 130€ per night (single occupancy). Please note that you will need your credit card details in order to secure your booking. Additionally, there will be no shuttle service from the airport to the hotel.

🍜 Lunch

Lunch will be served at the venue from Tuesday to Thursday, available to all participants.

💬 Interpretation

Interpretation will be available in English, French and Spanish (*) throughout the whole week. As in previous occasions, it will be managed remotely, which means that the interpreters will not be in the space where the meetings are being held. We cannot have additional booths or include languages remotely during sessions. If you have any doubts about this, please contact the World Secretariat.

(*) Additional languages may be considered for some of the sessions. Please write to the World Secretariat as soon as possible to finalize all necessary arrangements. The final languages available for each session will be indicated directly on UCLGMeets.

🛂 Entry requirements

Please confirm that you comply with all entry requirements (passport, visa…) before boarding your transport to Barcelona. Please visit this website for further information.

We hope to see you soon. Building on the experience of our previous meetings, we hope you will enjoy this edition’s experience and we will make sure this 2025 Retreat is a resounding success for all!

Do not hesitate to contact the World Secretariat should you have any questions or suggestions.

See you very soon in Barcelona!