Barcelona City Guide
Barcelona is a unique city in Spain. Many people (myself included before I started researching) don’t realize that it is part of the Catalonian region, which means the people there actually speak a different language, Catalan, and have a very different history and culture from the rest of Spain. You don’t need to fret before visiting though; almost every single person we met in Barcelona spoke Catalan, Spanish, French, and English.
We spent three days in Barcelona, and I think that was a perfect amount of time. With that being said, you could easily spend a week or more in this vibrant and fun city. The food is delicious, the people were (mostly) very kind, and it’s beautiful.
Where we stayed
For our entire Europe trip, we stayed in Airbnbs. This little apartment in Barcelona was a great find. We ate breakfast on the balcony overlooking the city every morning, and there was fast wifi and a comfy bed. The only negative to this place was the seven full flights of stairs. I won’t lie, they were tough, especially when we arrived since we had our luggage, but we only did them once a day and the view was definitely worth it. There is a grocery store next door to the apartment and a metro stop close by, so the location can’t be beat. I would give this place a 9/10 and would absolutely stay there again.
Getting around
The train system in Barcelona is super easy to use. There are only a few lines and they are color coded. You can buy a pass for a few days, we got a three day one, and it will take you pretty much anywhere you need to go in the city. We didn’t realize there was a metro stop literally a block away from the apartment, so on our first morning, we walked several miles unnecessarily. Once we figured it out, which really wasn’t hard, I just didn’t check before we left the house, it was great!
A Place to Eat
I have to stop for a second a talk about Llamber. We usually just found places to eat as we went in Barcelona, but a friend told us about Llamber before we went and we made a reservation for our last night there. The meal was incredible. Every single thing we ate was unique and impeccably prepared. I would eat there over and over again. You have to go!
Things to do
Las Ramblas and La Boqueria
Las Ramblas is a large pedestrian street that is full of vendors, restaurants, street performers, and more. Strolling down Las Ramblas is an activity all on it’s own, but if you’re there, you have to stop at La Boqueria, which is a large area with nothing but food stalls and markets.
Don’t make the same mistake we did; we got there at the height of lunch time and it was packed. If I could do it again, I would get there mid-morning before the lunch rush starts. The fresh fruit, juices, and seafood are to die for there.
The Cathedral of Barcelona
We didn’t go inside this cathedral, but I mention it because it was beautiful to look at from the outside, and there always seemed to be several musicians and street performers there. We ended up there twice and spent quite a bit of time just sitting in the square and watching the performances and crowds.
Park Güell
The entire city of Barcelona has been changed by the architecture and vision of Antoni GaudÃ. Buildings of his are all over the city and you’ll find an entire museum devoted to his work as well as many, many shops selling Gaudà souvenirs. Park Güell started construction in 1900 as essentially a residential playground for Barcelona’s rich, but the only people that ever ended up living there were Gaudà himself and one other family.
Although it was never finished, enough of the park was done that they eventually opened it up to the public in the 1920’s. Now, tourists spend hours looking at the unique, colorful architecture, exploring the gardens, and enjoying the view from atop a hill that overlooks the city.
We booked tickets and a tour directly through the park’s website. The tour was okay; it was definitely not necessary and I wouldn’t have minded just exploring on our own. I do recommend going at sunset as the view is breathtaking and it isn’t as hot if you’re there in the summer. Our tour started at 6:15, which was the perfect time to enjoy the view. You do have to book your tickets in advance for a specific time, so I would recommend booking them a few months before your trip.
La Sagrada Familia
This visit was the highlight of our time in Barcelona and the husband said it was actually his favorite thing on our whole two-week Europe trip. Construction on this Catholic basilica started in 1882 and it still isn’t done. It was the vision Antoni GaudÃ, so of course it is unlike anything you have ever seen before. The sheer scale of the building is breathtaking, but its architecture will keep you starting at the structure for hours. Seeing the old structure and comparing it to the newer parts that were and are still being added on was really neat too.
You should book a tour to see this magnificent church because the history and facts a tour guide can give you are so worth it. We booked our tour using Viator. DEFINITELY book the tour first thing in the morning if possible. The lines to get in to the basilica (even with a tour) are long, and they get longer throughout the day. We went at 9am and the lines weren’t too bad, but the lines when we were leaving looked awful. We booked the tour with the optional tower tickets because we wanted to be able to see the view from up high and it was absolutely worth the extra money. The view from the top was so cool!! If you book the tower, be prepared because although an elevator takes you up to the top, you have to walk down a narrow spiral staircase. The stairs themselves aren’t steep, but walking down in such a small, enclosed space is a little weird!
Montjuic Cable Car & Castle
Montjuic is a hill that overlooks the city. You get there by taking the metro to the cable car stop (included with your metro pass) and then you can purchase a ticket for the funicular, or cable car, to go up to the top. The coolest part about this was the incredible view as we rode up and down the hill. Once at the top, there is a castle that we took a photo in front of, but getting inside was an additional cost and honestly? The tickets for the cable car were already really pricey. Plus, we have been in similar looking castle forts in Puerto Rico. It didn’t seem worth it to us to pay to go in, but if you have never been to one of these Spanish, castle style forts, I would do it! They are really interesting and full of history.
There is also an Olympic stadium up on Montjuic, but we didn’t actually get to go to it because we were starving and didn’t time our trip up the hill well. Instead of going to the stadium, we headed back down in search of a late lunch. I have been to the Olympic stadium in Athens though, and I definitely think they’re cool, so this might be a perfect way to spend an afternoon.
Waterfront
If you walk all the way down Las Ramblas, you will eventually get to the water. It is an absolutely beautiful view. You will find a really cool dock with a bridge that leads to the Maremagnum Barcelona, which is a unique looking shopping mall. I honestly wouldn’t really recommend the mall as it is just stores you can visit anywhere like H&M, but I we did enjoy sitting out by the water and walking along the bridge. It was the most perfect weather we had on our trip when we were there and it was a relaxing way to end the day before dinner.
Suara Store/ Cat House & Foundation
We found the Suara Store/ Cat House and Foundation completely by accident when we got a little lost on our way to eat dinner at Llamber, and I am so glad we did! The owner of this unique shop founded it in order to use his love of techno music to raise money to support the stray cats of Barcelona. The shop on the first floor sells music and awesome clothing, while the cat house on the second offers visitors a chance to play with and adopt cats. I would have loved to play with the kitties, but we had dinner reservations and my husband is allergic to cats. I did buy that awesome “La Loca de los Gatos” t-shirt though and got some pretty cool free stickers along with it.
I would absolutely put Barcelona on your must see list. I would love to explore more of Spain, but for my first time in the country, I am glad we chose this city. I am told that it is very different from the rest of Spain, but I think that is probably a large part of why I liked it. Barcelona really is a city unlike any other.
