MAY 2022
Barcelona is one of the best cities to visit for a city trip, it just has so much to offer: cute alleyways, amazing Gaudi buildings, a sandy beach with chiringuitos, art musea, a thrilling nightlife and parks. I have lived in Barcelona for a summer and have since then gone back several times; it always feels like coming home. Last march I went back again, to enjoy Barcelona for a few days and introduce Hugo to my favorite city.
Hotels
Barcelona has hotels that suit all sorts of budgets. On Airbnb you can find some true gems, in good locations for about € 50 per night. But you can also splurge on a really cool hotel with a rooftop pool. Some goods areas to stay in are: Barri Gótic, Ciutat Vella, El Raval, El Born, Eixample, Gracia and Barceloneta. But to be honest, as long as you are located somewhat in the city center and have a metro station nearby, you will be fine. Barcelona also has a great night bus system, that covers most areas in the city.
Last March we stayed in the Barcelo Raval, which I found of very good value. Raval is not the cleanest area in Barcelona, but definitely safe to stay in and within walking distance to the main sights. The Barcelo features a rooftop terrace with a little “pool”, that overlooks Barcelo, you can spot the Cathedral, Sagrada Familia and beach from the rooftop. We loved having cocktails on the rooftop terrace when Hugo was taking his nap. The Barcelo also has a very good restaurant, where you can have main dishes or tapas style food. Again, perfect with a baby, as we could have dinner in the restaurant while he was asleep. The breakfast buffet was really good, with lots of choice. We had a 3 person room, which was spacious and featured a comfortable bed, a baby bed and a big bathroom with a bath and separate toilet. I didn’t love the decorating style of the hotel, I found it very “kitsch”, but overall it was of very good value at € 125 per night per room including breakfast. Would definitely stay here again next time!
Activities
Gaudi
My favorite activity in Barcelona is visiting the buildings designed by Gaudi. This is such a quintessential Barcelona thing to do as Barcelona is synonymous with Gaudi. The fact that Barcelona has so many buildings designed by Gaudi makes Barcelona more distinguishable from other beautiful Spanish cities, so I would definitely recommend visiting a few. These are my favorites:
Sagrada Família: The Sagrada Família is pretty much always covered in scaffolding, but that does not mean that it is not worthwhile to visit it. For years I had been wrongfully informed by people telling me it was not worth it to visit the inside of the cathedral, but that it would be sufficient to just admire the cathedral from the outside. Nothing is less true, though the exterior has lovely details and is super original, the inside is the true spectacle. As Gaudi says: “Sunshine is the best painter and the light changes with the time”, the inside of the church is really colorful because of the light that falls through the stained glass windows. We bought skip the line tickets from the official website. Prices have increased steadily over the past year. I would recommend to take at least an audio guide, because it’s very useful.
Parc Güell: Parc Güell used to be free, but with the rising popularity of Barcelona for city trips they ask an entry price of € 13,50 now. Apparently it is sensible to buy you tickets online in advance. I specifically love the mosaic bench with a view of Barcelona, but the columns are really great as well. I advise to go here really early, because it gets crowded real fast.
Casa Milà: Casa Mìla is also known as La Pedrera and is worth visiting for the apartments that you can visit and the rooftop with unique statues. From the rooftop you also have a great view over Barcelona. If you buy your ticket online, you can enter pretty easily.
Casa Batlló: I think Casa Batlló is the prettiest from the outside, the façade is super colorful and original. Can you imagine living in a house with a façade like this? Casa Batlló can also be visited at night during the Magic Night visits. During these visits there is a performance on the rooftop terrace, so you receive a concert in a super special surrounding. Click here for more information.
Casa Vicens: Casa Vicens is the latest addition to the Gaudi family, it only opened to the public in 2017. This was Gaudi’s first important building and he started off spectacularly. It is a little further out of town and therefore less busy than the other Gaudi houses. I wrote a separate guide about Casa Vicens.
Other activities
Barri Gotico: The gothic quarter is one of the most gorgeous boroughs in Barcelona, it is quintessential Barcelona. Barcelona cathedral is one of the main sights and the surrounding alleys are very interesting as well. It is best to explore this neighborhood with a walking tour. I took a walking tour years ago and you really do see so much more with a good tour guide.
Cycling tour: Barcelona is very suitable for cycling, it is really nice to go for a bikeride over the seaside boulevard at Barceloneta beach. The boulevard is always busy, with lots of people skating and cycling by. You can even get a flyer for a free club entry for the night! You can cycle through Parc de la Ciutadella all the way to the Sagrada Família. Most of Barcelona is bicycle friendly, except for Parc Guell (too many hills) and Barri Gotico. There are several bike hire companies located in the city center.
Palau de la Música Catalana: This is the concert hall of Barcelona and it has been designed by the other famous architect of Barcelona: Luis Domènech i Montaner. You can visit the concert hall for a concert, but also for a self-guided tour. The Palau de la Música Catalana is builty in an Art Nouveau style, it has a gorgeous chandelier and will take you back to 1908. I love this building so much, that I created a separate guide for it, which you can find here.
Magic Fountains: At the foot of the Montjuic mountain you will find the Magic Fountains. Depending on the season there will be a music and fountain show. Please check the show times and days at this website. The show is free and you can bring your own drinks to enjoy it.
Barcelona Cathedral: Barcelona Cathedral is located super centrally in the heart of Barri Gotico. The cathedral is nice and on the square in front of it you will always find touristy crowds. The rooftop is a must!
Parc de la Ciutadella: If you want to go for a picnic you must do it in Parc de la Ciutadella, one of the city parks of Barcelona. The parc contains many good monuments, a lake where you can rent a boat and a zoo. So this would also be a good option when traveling with children.
Ciutat Vella: Ciutat Vella is another nice area of Barcelona and it formally includes Barri Gotico, El Raval and Barceloneta, however it is often used to indicate the area that hosts the Aquarium of Barcelona. You will find a little port with beautiful yachts. Ciutat Vella is perfect for a leisurely stroll, you will find lots of street artists and during tourist season you will find a market with artisan foods near the waterfront. Mare Magnum is a gigantic shopping center where you will find all the high street brands.
Barceloneta: How can I forget the beach? Barceloneta is the area where you will find the beach that is closest to the historic city center. The further you go away from the historic center the less crowded it becomes. However I always love people watching at Barceloneta. Even if you don’t want to go swimming, I would recommend just parading at the promenade. You can make a quick visit to the beautifully designed W hotel for drinks, or grap a sangria at a chiringuito.
Museums
Barcelona has many great museums. Most of them can be visited with the ArticketBCN. This ticket costs € 35 and you get access to six museums. If you are an artlover like me this is a really good deal. My favorite museums were:
Picasso Museum: Barcelona has a museum with lots of the early works of Picasso. I was super surprised Picasso made impressionist paintings like this. This museum is located in the historical El Born, so afterwards you can have great tapas in this area. The Picasso Museum gets really crowded during the day, so to avoid lines you have to go here early in the morning. There are also some opportunities to visit the museum for free, but the cues get super long on these moments. For more information check out the museum website.
MACBA: This is a museum with contemporary art. It is located in a modern building near the Mercat de la Boqueria. The collection is really diverse and there are many photo opps in this museum.
Fundacio Joan Miro: Joan Miró is another Catalan painter/sculptor. I wasn’t familiar with his work before visiting Barcelona, because he is often overshadowed by Gaudi. However I loved his geometric and abstract work after visiting this museum. The museum is located on the mount Montjuïc, so it is perfect to combine this museum with a walk on the Montjuïc, where you will find several stadiums related to the Olympic Games of 1992. Another great museum on the Montjuïc is the MNAC, the museum of national art of Catalonia and next to this museum you will find the magic fountains.
Food
Barcelona has many good restaurants, I love the little pintxos bars where you can inspect the little bites before you taste them. I would recommend to not have dinner at the Barceloneta restaurants at Passeig de Joan de Borbo as the quality of the food is very hit and miss. The tourist menus are often a bad deal, with unfresh food and small portions. Go to one of my recommendations instead:
Mercat de la Boquería: This is the food market of Barcelona, located right at the Ramblas. At the sides of the market you will find some tapas style restaurants and I really liked the fruit drinks and smoothies over here.
Mercat del Born: The less popular sister of the Boqueria can be found in El Born. The roof is really stunning, but I haven’t found a good spot to photograph it.
Placa Reial: This is a square which hosts a lot of good (and not so good) restaurants and it sort of became a symbol for Barcelona. At night you will find long queues for the restaurants and lots of street vendors. Jazz & Night Club Jamboree is also located here, and is nice for if you want to go out in Barcelona, but don’t want to go all the way to the beach clubs. The party starts a little earlier over here. For food La Crema Canela & Les Quinze Nits offer good, affordable food, though it used to be a bit better when Barcelona was a less popular city trip. This is such a lovely square to go for food and will give you all the holiday vibes.
Chiringuito: A chiringuito is a little bar/restaurant that is located at the beach. They usually have simple meals and tapas, this depends on how large the kitchen is, so make sure to check the menu what you can order before sitting down. I always love having lunch at a Chiringuito, even when the weather is not good enough to go into the sea, you will get the best beach vibes. When I arrive in Barcelona I like to go to a Chiringuito right away to catch the holiday vibes as soon as possible. They usually serve delicious Sangria as well, at a reasonable price.
El Nacional: This is an enormous restaurant in a renovated parking garage which offers several sorts of cuisine. El Nacional is located at the Passeig de Gracia (main shopping street) and is renovated in the style of the thirties, with beautiful tiling, art and an amazing bar. They also have a tapas restaurant, where the waiters will walk around with tapas and you can decide whether you would like to eat the tapas that they are selling, as well as order some tapas from the menu. El Nacional is a must visit when you are in Barcelona, just expect it to be very busy, so you might have to wait for a table.
Bar Lobo: Bar Lobo is located in El Raval on a charming square, close to Las Ramblas. During summer time it is nice to have dinner at the terrace and enjoy the hot nights! Lobo is a trendy tapas bar and serves variations on classic tapas options.
Pla: When you want to wine and dine all evening I recommend visiting Pla. Pla is a little more upscale and serves modern Mediterranean food. They have a good selection of meat, fish and vegetarian meals. The food and wine pairings are really good. Pla is a hidden gem, many locals eat here, so it does not get started until late. Make sure you make a reservation.
Bodega La Tinaja: This Bodega is a classic Spanish tapas bar, which has structurally been reviewed well. The restaurant looks like a wine cellar and sells food of a good price-value.
Carpe Diem Lounge club: I think eating at one of the beach clubs of Barcelona really adds to your Barcelona feeling. There are several beach clubs that offer really good food, such as Shoko and Carpe Diem Lounge Club. I love the kitschy decorations of the restaurants and prefer to sit outside. To be honest I find the service a little haughty sometimes, but the beautiful details and good food make up for a lot. The food is reasonably priced but you will be charged too much when you order drinks.
Rooftop terraces: Barcelona has so many monuments and famous sights, that you will always find a near rooftop to enjoy them. We visited the rooftop of the Sercotel Rosellon hotel for impressive views of the Sagrada Familia. You can make a reservation for the rooftop terrace one week in advance via the website of the hotel. You just need to buy a (affordable) drink at the bar, to be able to enjoy the view.
Hotel Colon has a beautiful rooftop as well, with views over Barcelona Cathedral. It is not possible to make reservations, so it is best to show up when they open, to make sure you have the best seats.
Daytrips from Barcelona
Not that you ever have to leave Barcelona, but in the case you want to see some more of Catalonia, this would be my recommendations:
Daytrip to Sitges: If you are looking to escape the bustle of the city, it is only a short trainride to Sitges. Sitges has a really nice beach and the alleyways are a little less crowded. The beach of Sitges gets really crowded in the peak season as well, but during the off season it is really nice, Barcelona does not seem to have an off season. You can read my blogpost on Sitges here.
Daytrip to Montserrat: From Barcelona you can also do a daytrip to the Monastery of Montserrat. This Monastery is open for visits and is located beautifully in the mountains. The one hour trainride to Montserrat is already spectacular!
Torres wine tasting: Close to Barcelona in Penedès you will find the bodega that is home to the famous Torres wines. You can go to Penedès by train or bus and this will take about one hour. At the Torres winery you can do a tour and tasting. This trip is really nice way to see something of the countryside of Catalunya.
Dali Museum in Figueres: I didn’t love this museum myself and I expected a bit more based on the spectacular exterior. But I must admit I am not a Dali fan. If you are interested in Dali’s works, Figueres is only a short train ride away and boasts a museum dedicated to Dali.
