Spain - Celebrating the Start of Summer in Barcelona
Barcelona is one of my favorite trips to date. The vibe of this city is amazing – everyone takes it easy, people are friendly, it’s warm and colorful, and eclectic design and architecture are everywhere. It is all you can imagine and more.
I went to Barcelona in early May 2017, and just for a weekend on the back end of my very last business trip in my former role. The business trip was in Madrid, and a few years back I had explored Madrid and Toledo on my very first business trip in that role. This time around Barcelona was on my mind, and I had a coworker who was dying to see Barcelona with me. My coworker, Sneha, and I purchased flights from Madrid to Barcelona on Vueling, the low cost Spanish carrier, and then business travelled home from Barcelona.
SEATS ON VUELING: "Be curious, fly more!" ME: "You don't have to tell me twice!"
We experienced such a bright and perfect weekend that we couldn’t have asked for a better kick off to summer!
Trip Type
Weekend trip at the beginning of summer. +7 hours ahead from our normal time zone. Stayed in a private room in a hostel, and travelled via public transit & our own two feet. Transportation from/to the United States was business (premium) travel, transportation within Spain was a low cost carrier.
Timeline
Friday AM – Flight from MAD to BCN on Vueling (1.25 hour flight)
Friday PM – La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi House Museum, short hike to scenic viewpoint above Park Guell, short hike to Three Crosses Hill (around Park Guell), Tapas for Dinner
Saturday AM – Park Guell Full Tour
Saturday PM – Casfedelles Beach
Saturday PM – Arco de Triunfo, La Manual Apargatera Shoe Store, more tapas
Sunday AM – Head to Airport to Catch Flight
Sunday PM – Arrive home
LOGISTICS
The metro system in Europe in general is super great, and in Barcelona that is no different. It’s not the best European metro I’ve experienced (by number of lines, speed of service, direct point-to-point service to tourist landmarks, etc.), but it is really solid. My only complaint is that most metro stations in Barcelona are fairly far from where you want to go – for example, if you want to go to Park Guell you need to take a metro as far as the line will go and then get out and take two bus lines to get to dropped off at a point where you can continue to walk about a half a mile to the park. Also, to get most places you will need to use at least two lines.The positive thing about the Barcelona metro is that it’s pretty clean in comparison to some of the other metro systems I’ve experienced, and it’s not nearly as crowded as others like London. It is also very affordable. We purchased a two day public transit pass called the “2 Day Hola Barcelona Card” that was valid from 48 hours after first use. It cost us only 15 euros, which is around $18 at the current exchange rate at the time of writing this. I believe that this pass is are the way to go because it gives you a lot of flexibility to get around the whole city (including back to the airport), on all forms of public transportation, and in the end it ends up being your most economical option. This pass comes in 2 through 5 day options. To purchase a pass all you do is show up at one of the metro stations and go up to the self-service ticket purchase machines. Another option is to purchase a pass at the airport. This is what we did – it was kind of difficult to figure out how to get to the ticket purchase counter, but if you head towards the bus signs the metro/bus ticket purchase building is right behind the bus depot at the BCN airport. You can also purchase these passes online for a 10% discount (see hyperlinks above to purchase).
If you purchase your ticket at a depot or station like we did then it will be in billet form (unlike the plastic cards like Opal in Sydney or Oyster in London). You will feed the billet into the machine at the metro, and it will authorize it, open the turn stiles and then return your billet on the other end. It does the same thing on the buses. You just have to be super careful not to lose the billet because if you lose it there is no refund. I’m not sure how this works if you purchase online.
The best way to navigate the city and the public transport is via Google maps – it is really effective at giving you running times for the buses/trains, and connecting you to the right lines. I have T-Mobile so I have unlimited free international texting, calls at $0.20 per minute and unlimited data at 2G speeds. My data service was strong enough to have good Google Maps on the go, but I highly recommend just downloading offline maps for the city. You won’t regret it and you’ll be good to go if you get into a pickle with no cell service.
One last thing to note logistically is the signage in Barcelona – interestingly enough the signage is first in Catalan, second in English, and then third in Spanish.
Barcelona is the capital of the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia. As an autonomous community, Catalonia has its own flag and also its own national language, Catalan. Catalan is a western romance language derived from Vulgar Latin, evolved during the Middle Ages. It has been institutionalized as an official language, language of education, and language of mass media. The teaching of Catalan is mandatory in all schools within Catalonia. Catalonians are fiercely nationalistic and proud of their heritage and background, so fittingly they are also very proud of their Catalan language, and you will hear it spoken quite often. To my ear Catalan sounded as if Spanish and French were blended together. It has many similar stems to Spanish, but the sound is softer like French. This all makes sense given the geographic proximity of Catalonia to Southern France.
Regardless, people do not expect you to be able to understand it or speak it, so in most cases if they know you are tourists they will most likely try to speak with you in either English or Spanish. You should be able to get around with English fairly easily, mostly because Barcelona sees a lot of international tourism. I spent most of my time there speaking Spanish, and had no issues.
SAFETY
Barcelona is super safe – arguably one of the more safe cities I’ve been to. It is very common to walk everywhere here and everybody uses public transport, so there is plenty of surveillance to enforce a functional and safe system for everybody, all walks of life. You will see lots of security/police force around all the major monuments like La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. You will also see police force occasionally within the metro system.Furthermore, there are usually a good number of everyday people around wherever you go, so there is always a crowd that would be around if something were to happen.
Still, like in most places in Europe you shouldn’t carry big bags or backpacks around that could be easily pick-pocketed without you noticing, and you probably shouldn’t walk around with huge wads of cash that people can see when you go to make a transaction.
Even at night Barcelona is pretty safe. The clubbing culture is pretty huge in Spain, and especially in Barcelona, so there is always a good deal of people walking around the streets late at night and into the wee hours of the morning.
...Like us after a night out
The metro runs from 5 am to midnight on Mondays through Thursdays and Sundays, 5 am to 2 am on Fridays, and 24 hours on Saturdays. There are also night buses that can be taken. So you can easily get around at night on the public transit, but it just may not be as safe to take it very late at night, especially while under the influence. Less people use the metro at night, and it would just be safer to grab an Uber. For more detailed information about the public transit and timings, check out this link.
Uber is fantastic in Barcelona – there are always speedy service options (2 to 5 min away) and you rarely get dropped. We used Uber later at night when we didn’t want to navigate the public transport as two girls alone. Uber is also a super good option for you if you can’t speak enough Spanish to give directions/desired destination. Most taxi and Uber drivers do not speak a lot of English, so it is helpful to have Uber pre-programming in your destination.
Uber isn’t cheap in Barcelona, but it is also not super expensive like it can get in places like London or New York.
ATTRACTIONS
La Sagrada Familia
This is the very first place we went in Barcelona, and it was take-your-breath-away stunning. We were able to take the metro from our hostel area straight to La Sagrada Familia. There is a metro station right there that spits you out at the base of La Sagrada Familia, and the station is actually called “Sagrada Familia”.
Note: Metro sign to the left, La Sagrada Familia directly behind it. We are standing at the entrance/exit of the station.
The main trick to managing the crowds at La Sagrada Familia is to purchase your entrance tickets online. If you do this then you skip the ticket purchase queue and can head straight to the entrance where they will scan your online QR code and allow you in. This saved us soooo much time! We just bypassed the whole line and walked straight in.
There are a couple of different ticket options – you can buy a ticket where you can go to the top of the church for views of the city for around $35, or you can buy a ticket for Gaudi’s work and life which includes entrance to both La Sagrada Familia and the Gaudi House Museum for around $29, or you can purchase a simple entrance ticket ($18) or basic ticket with audio tour ($26). We purchased the Gaudi’s work and life ticket, which included the entrance to La Sagrada Familia and the house in which Gaudi lived during its construction (in Park Guell). This ticket also included the audioguide. The audioguide was awesome! I highly recommend getting it because it gives so much history and background, and it goes to great lengths to explain the artistic design and meanings behind the style and architecture. You just cannot get the same background by simply reading the plaquards.
When you purchase the ticket online you have to select a time to visit – this is so that they can control the number of people in the crowd at one time. The crowds were honestly not that bad at all, so this approach must be effective. If you don’t purchase online in advance you can expect to stand outside in line in the heat for a while, especially during prime hours of the day when the traffic is higher.
Once you purchase your ticket online you can either screenshot the bar code and save it on your smartphone or print it on a physical piece of paper, but you do need to have it with you so that they can scan you in.
The front exterior face of La Sagrada Familia depicts creation (Genesis) and you can see the representation of all the Earth’s plants and creatures in the carvings that are in the characteristic “drippy” style of Gaudi.
The front efface - depicting stories of Genesis & the Old Testament.
In this closer-up you can see the plants and animals and human creation of Genesis. Notice the donkey in the center looking over the shoulder of Mary & Joseph with Baby Jesus. This scene is placed on the center, stabilizing column, introducing the birth of Jesus as it leads you into the church where the story of Jesus's life in the Gospel is depicted.
One of the pillar's base is a turtle.
The front doors are covered in leaves to depict the Garden of Eden.
With bugs depicted in the leafy detail.
After entering the Church through the beginning of its story (the creation of the world in Genesis) you step into the main threshold. The light filtering through the stained glass hits you like a ton of bricks – it is unlike anything I have ever experienced before and no picture can do it justice. It sets an ambience that is other-wordly, and evokes a sense of divine presence.
The entrance threshold - filled with light.
The light and color is intentionally designed to stun you.
The time of day that you go to La Sagrada Familia matters because of the nature of the incredible stained glass inside the church. The east side is more greens and blues and the west is more oranges. So in the morning the light coming from the east and filtering through the stained glass will make the hazy ambience of the church interior appear more cooler colors of greens and blues, and in the afternoon it will glow with warmer oranges and reds and yellows.
The blues and greens.
The blues and greens in more detail.
The reds and oranges and yellows.
The reds and oranges and yellows in more detail.
Around the main threshold of the church are four giant pillars. These four pillars represent each of the four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and the architecture is such that those four pillars support the entire design of the church. This is intentional to portray that the basis of Christianity is held up by the four gospels.
You can see the names of each of the gospels and the animal symbols of each - Matthew & Mark clearly discernible at the bottom of the frame from left to right, respectively.
To the right of the main threshold is Jesus Christ on the crucifix hanging from the ceiling. The windows are designed so that the light filtering through directly casts a light halo around this hanging Jesus Christ, no matter what the time of day. It is truly a moving and brilliant design.
Hanging Jesus Christ to the right of the main threshold, over the alter.
Closer up.
The back exterior face of the church depicts the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in architecture that evokes impressive emotion.
The short white columns are designed to depict ribs, like the ribs of Jesus Christ on the cross. The architecture shows these ribs strained and stretched like those of Jesus during the crucifixion. The long leaning columns are designed to depict strained heart strings, like those of Jesus Christ as he yearned for the salvation of the world. There are multiple snapshots of Jesus on the back face, depicting him at the twelve Stations of the Cross, culminating in the eventual Resurrection, with Jesus rising to the very highest peak of the church. This is by far the most dramatic facet of the church, intended to portray pain and struggle and highlight the true message of Christianity – that Jesus Christ died a brutal death on behalf of the world’s sins so that the world could have everlasting and hopeful life in Him.
Note: The white ribs at the top of the building, the strained heart string pillars, and statues depicting the 12 stations of the cross, with the Crucifixion at the top. It's hard to see at first, but the resurrected Jesus sits at the top of the structure, above the ribs.
Better detail on the resurrected Jesus.
It is amazing how this architecture is truly a work of art that can so powerfully portray these messages of Christianity. If you are a Christian this is perhaps the greatest church you will ever visit. In my opinion there are few (if any) other churches in this world that can so effectively and holistically portray the message of Christianity as this church does. Even if you are a not a Christian you can appreciate the talent Gaudi had in representing this message in his work.
Most people don’t know that La Sagrada Familia is actually unfinished. Construction on the basilica started in 1882 under the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar, who resigned not long after in 1883. It was then that Antoni Gaudi took over as chief architect and transformed the basilica with his own unique style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudi devoted his entire life to this project, and at the time of his death in 1926 less than a quarter of the project was complete. After Gaudi’s death development continued solely funded by private donations, hence it moved very slowly. It was interrupted further by the Spanish Civil War. Nowadays, with modern advancements in technologies such as computer aided design, it has become possible to complete bringing Gaudi’s vision to life by 2026, the centenary of Gaudi’s death.
Construction continuing in order to make the 2026 target completion date.
Below is a short visualization that shows what the basilica is intended to look like upon completion. You can see this model and video for yourself on the tour of La Sagrada Familia, towards the end of the tour when you progress through the basement to further examine some of the architectural techniques used in the building.
One of the many interesting things you will learn about Gaudi's design of this basilica is that he did it all with an upside down model of strings, pictured below.
Overall I found this tour captivating. There is just so much to learn about the background of this basilica, and I really believe it is more artistic representation than building.
Gaudi House Museum
While Gaudi was working on La Sagrada Familia he lived in a house inside of Park Guell. His house still stands today in the park, complete with some of his original furniture and some pretty views of the city. It has now been converted into a museum, and kept in the original state it was left upon Gaudi’s passing.
I enjoyed appreciating the color and design of various elements of the house, to include the outer pink stucco façade and also the colorfully designed geometric tiles.
I could easily live in a home like this, especially with the views from the main living/dining area.
Views through the shutters of the main room - feeling like you're surrounding by nature.
The house is intentionally built into nature, so you feel as if it is almost a treehouse given how closely it is nestled into the surrounding trees. The small gardens and parkways also contribute to that feeling of being lost in nature.
View from the balcony - feeling like you're in a tree house.
Becoming a part of nature in the gardens.
All-in-all there is not too much riveting stuff to see within the Gaudi House museum, and it is a very small museum.
Some of Gaudi's belongings from the house.
There is no audio tour available at the museum, so there are only a couple plaquards to read here and there for background. I think to progress very slowly through the whole house, reading every plaquard and stopping for pictures, it took us about 30 minutes. If you are very pressed for time this may be something you might think about skipping, as there are many other beautiful things to see and do within Park Guell.
Park Guell
Park Guell is the colorful iconic image your mind conjures up when it thinks of Barcelona. Park Guell as a whole is actually huge and contains a variety of Gaudi architecture and works of art. There are many walking paths and small hikes that you can do in the park.
Interestingly enough Park Guell was intended to be a luxury housing development with weaved in elements of art and plenty of walking paths and parkways. It was supposed to be an escape for the wealthy – to be able to live away from the industrializing city, in cleaner air, and in commune with nature. Only two houses of the development were ever built – one of which was the model home that became Gaudi’s house where he lived from 1906 to 1926, during the time he was working on La Sagrada Familia (see Gaudi House Museum above). Neither of the two houses were designed by Gaudi, but the remaining structures within the park were designed by Gaudi during his naturalist phase (first decade of the 20th century). During this phase he studied geometry and experimented with blending it with organic shapes.
Guell and Gaudi conceived this as a park situated within a natural park. They imagined an organized grouping of high-quality homes, finished with an artistic touch. They also envisioned building a community that was strongly influenced by similarly held beliefs such as Catalanism (nationalism) and Catholicism. Many of the art elements within the park are designed to symbolize this, such as the entrance stairway where the Catalan countries are represented and the cross above the guard house stationed at the lower portion of the park.
The entrance stairway at the lower portion of the park.
The symbol of Catalonia, at the top of the entrance stairs above the water feature.
The cross above the guard shack - almost always pictured in famous photographs of Gaudi's curvy mosaic wall in the park.
The famous mosaic Gaudi lizard suns himself at the top of the entrance stairs. This lizard is also a blatant symbol of Catalonia.
Furthermore, much of the architecture was inspired by mythology and ancient Greek design, such as the columns holding up the walkways and viewing decks.
And even some busts and statues resembling ones you would see in Greek architecture.
Within Park Guell there is a very cool system of roads, stone arches, and pillars, all of which are tilted at different angles.
In my opinion, the best part of the park is the mosaic work weaved in through every architectural element. At the same time that Gaudi was working on the park he was working on designing La Sagrada Familia, and he instructed all the workers to collect the ceramic elements (broken plates, bottles, tile) from the basilica. He took these elements and crushed them to incorporate them into his mosaics within the park.
His mosaics have so much variety – they are geometric and floral and have such a great mix of texture that creates very unique character within each architectural element.
Mosaic work on the ceiling of the platform that holds the central park area with the iconic viewpoint.
Ultimately Gaudi and the financial backer for this project, Count Eusebi Guell, grossly underestimated the demand for such high class residences so far from the city center, and this project failed miserably. Then the government took over the park and eventually it became what it is today.
Most of the park is accessible to visitors for free, however the central portion of the park that includes the guard house, the entrance stairs, the lizard, the columns and pillars, and the iconic viewing deck requires a fee to access. The lines to purchase tickets for entrance to these features is SUPER long, so, again, I highly advise purchasing your access tickets online in advance.
This iconic are is not free and the queues to get here are long! Also prepare to have many pictures ruined by pushy tourists, especially if you don't get here early!
The upper walkway near the palm trees marks the division between the free upper exterior zone of the park and the tickets-required lower monumental zone, where I am sitting.
When we first arrived to Park Guell it was in the afternoon on Saturday, and we didn’t think we would have time to wait in line and still make the last entrance time. We didn’t want to be rushed, so we decided to stroll through all the free areas of the park, which included a giant set of stairs that takes you the Jardins del Turo del Putxet scenic overlooks and also the Three Crosses Hill, which also has fantastic views.
All the upper areas and walking paths are free - this is where this picture was taken.
We also enjoyed an afternoon ice cream bought by the vendors there in the outer zone of the park.
We decided we would book tickets in advance online when we returned to our hostel that night and then we would select the first time offered in the morning to avoid the crowds. This was a great tactic. First of all, the morning light is the perfect direct light for photographs – it limits the amount of shadows in your photos of the most iconic areas of the park. Secondly it limits the number of overzealous tourists that haphazardly jump into your shots.
The upper entrance into the interior monumental zone (near the Gaudi House Museum) takes you straight to that iconic viewpoint zone. This photo was taken looking back towards where the line queues - look at how few people were there early in the morning! I highly recommend taking this entrance so you can get to the most popular areas of the park first before anyone else gets there.
Purchasing tickets online is super easy, and the added benefit is that it allows you to skip the line and enter straight through priority access at no additional cost. The standard “Skip the Line Entry Tickets to Park Guell” cost 7.50 euros each (around $9). This standard ticket does not come with any guide or audio tour. There is no audio equipment offered at the park, however you can download the free Park Guell Barcelona app for either Apple or Android, and that app provides free audio guides to all the elements within the monumental zone. It also contains detailed maps, recommended routes and practical information for visitors. The app requires internet connection, but that’s okay because there is free wifi offered within the park!
Me listening to the app audio guide.
Another ticket option is a combined ticket for both Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia, which includes expert guides at each location and also free transportation between Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia. This ticket would cost you 49 euros (about $59). There are a couple other ticket options offered on the Park Guell website, but the two above are the most notable and popular ones.
A Quiet Place for Scenic Views
If you are travelling via public transit to get to Park Guell, you most likely will navigate yourself to the Park Guell bus station. This is station will be on the Northeastern side of the park (the right side if you are orienting yourself towards the front entrance gate and stairs to the mosaic lizard). We didn’t really do extensive research about the best way to get to Park Guell, so I just plugged in Park Guell into Google Maps and it took us straight to this station and then to the Eastern entrance to the park (the most direct way to get to the Gaudi House Museum). At first when we arrived at the Eastern entrance there were signs for the Gaudi House Museum, but we wanted to find the iconic mosaic tile wall within the park. At this point in time we didn’t know you had to purchase a ticket to the inner “monumental zone” in order to see this. We had no idea if it would be in the lower area of the park or higher up the hill, so we guessed that it would be higher since it is a lookout viewpoint. So when we were facing towards the Gaudi House Museum we could see lots of stairs to our right, going up the hill. We decided to take this route.Let me tell you, it was a bit of a hike! We were pretty out of breath when we reached the top, and a little dismayed to find out that it was not the location of that famous mosaic wall! However, the views of Barcelona from there were pretty cool, so we didn’t mind too much.
If you’re interested in getting some higher vantage point views of Barcelona I would recommend this viewpoint. Not too many people know about it, and since it is a bit of a hike up stairs that seemed to be a deterrent for many tourists. On Google Maps this location is called “Mirador de Joan Sales – Mirador del Virolai”, and you can see it marked right above Park Guell.
Another popular place for views (and also physical activity like biking and hiking) is El Parc del Turo del Putxet. This is not far from Park Guell - a little to the west. It is known to have some steep and challenging hills for those who want to stay in shape!
Three Crosses Hill
If you walk around outside of the monumental zone in Park Guell, you will likely wander to Three Crosses Hill. The main trail that sits behind the monumental zone winds up towards the western side of the park, and starts to meander uphill. This appeared to be a popular walking trail for many locals & their dogs. We were just walking around with no real plan and no real agenda, so we followed the path all the way up the hill and it brought us to the Three Crosses.
Cool viewpoint on the walk up to Three Crosses.
You can see La Sagrada Familia from this walking trail to Three Crosses. Gaudi did this walk from his house in Park Guell to his workshop at La Sagrada Familia every day.
You can walk up the steep and narrow stairs to Three Crosses, and once you reach the crosses you will be at the highest viewpoint in Park Guell. When we arrived there were a lot of people sitting on the monument watching the sunset, but they willingly made room for us to join them. It was an incredible sunset from that vantage point.
Castelldefeles
Castelldefeles might have been the highlight of the trip for me. Maybe because I love to be around water, but also because there is something unparalleled about the Mediterranean sun – it just warms your soul and mends it.
This beach is mostly only known by locals, perhaps because it is a little longer of a train ride out of Barcelona proper than most tourists would prefer (about an hour southwest of city center). I actually found out about this beach when I was googling things trying to figure out the best beach to visit. I saw a local event that was advertised to occur on this beach – some kind of kite surfer gathering. This grabbed my attention because of the coloring of the kites – so bright and cheery, and I thought it would be so relaxing to sit out in the early summer sun and just watch this.
It turns out that this beach is known for its kite surfing, especially during the months of April and May, which was when we were there.
It is quite the hidden gem – it is a very broad beach with spacious stretches of sand and beautiful oceanside reeds.
Walking onto the beach - with oceanside reeds that reminded me a little of North Carolina.
There are small cafes and eateries located right on the beach so you can grab a drink or a snack. We did this when we first arrived, and I enjoyed watching the kite surfers from afar while sipping on a mojito.
Enjoying a mojito at one of the eateries on the beach.
Another beach eatery/bar.
After our drink we found the perfect place on the beach to just sit out on our hostel towels that we brought with us and soak in the sun.
Both Sneha and I ended up falling asleep, which resulted in the most interesting tan lines ever.
Napping on our tiny hostel bath towels and getting weird swimsuit tan lines.
After our little nap we just strolled along the beach a little and leisurely made our way back to the train station. On our way we stopped at the little beachside shops for an ice cream.
I will never forget the moment we were going to board the train and on some speakers somewhere we heard the song “Barcelona” by Ed Sheeran playing, and that is the mental snapshot I have every time I hear that song or even just think of Barcelona. I always think of that incredibly relaxing and warming day at the beach.
Getting to Castelldefels is actually pretty easy. Just take the metro to Passeig de Gracia station, where you will purchase a Renfe ticket for the R2S Sant VenceC de Calders service, and ride that for 3 stops until you exit at Castelldefels station. I think the round-trip Renfe ticket cost somewhere around $10. It’s well worth the time and effort.
La Manual Alpargatera
La Manual Alpargatera is one of the most famous shoe stores in Spain. They were the first workshop to make fashion sandals (espadrilles), back in the 1940’s, which was a time when sandals were considered low-class and country. The sandals, made from all natural materials like hemp, cotton and linen, soon grew to be very popular for their comfort and for their style.
All of the sandals are manufactured by hand in a storefront near the Barcelona Cathedral and Las Ramblas – this store was the original workshop from the ‘40’s. When you visit the store you can actually observe the workers making the sandals right then and there.
This store has many famous clients to include Salvador Dali, Jack Nicholson, and the Queen of Sweden.
If you decide that you want a traditionally Spanish pair of sandals or canvas shoes, this is the place you need to go. When you walk into the store you will have to take a number because it is so busy. There is also no place to really sit and wait because every corner of the room is used for storing shoes and they are stacked from floor to ceiling. The only two benches are at the front of the store and these are reserved for customers trying on shoes. When your number is called you will meet a customer service assistant and you will show them the style of shoe you are interested in. Then you will tell them your size (European size) and they will go find you a pair. Then you can try them on and see how you like them. When you’ve decided to purchase one then the assistant will place your pair with the checkout counter and you will wait in line to pay.
Sneha purchase two pairs of shoes – one normal canvas shoe and one wedge heeled sandal. I wasn’t initially planning on purchasing any (just ask my husband…I have plenty of shoes already), but I decided that “when in Rome”, so I tried on a pair of wedge heeled sandals. They were so incredibly comfortable and uniquely adorable that I decided I must have them. I think they cost me somewhere around $40. I wore them almost every day at work, all summer long, and they are still holding up great!
There are some special care instructions. If you are going to wash these shoes for any reason then you need to dry them ASAP so that they won’t rot because they are made from all natural vegetable fibers. Also, they recommend you wear them only in dry climates and dry weather for the same reason.
Arco de Triunfo
This is Barcelona’s visual equivalent to the French Arc de Triomph.
It was designed to represent a period of prosperity in Barcelona and to provide welcome to those from other nations. The arc is composed of a nice reddish brick, and the park behind it is lined with palm trees and filled with locals and street vendors. I loved observing all the activity in the park – it was so alive.
Las Ramblas
If you’ve ever entertained the idea of visiting Barcelona, you probably already know of Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas refers to the neighborhood surrounding a famous boulevard in the city center. The boulevard is called La Rambla and it is the central most boulevard that cuts through the heart of city center. La Rambla is a pedestrian street that forms the boundary line between the Gothic Quarter to the east and El Raval neighborhood to the west.
It is popular because it is quite lively. It started out as the center of life in Barcelona – it was a conveniently long and wide thoroughfare used for festivals, pop-up markets and even sports. But today it has become much more of a tourist trap – it is now lined with pedestrian cafes, street performers and souvenir shops. It is a popular place for pick pocketers, so just be aware of that, and don’t wander down towards the southern end too late after dark, as that turns into a Red Light District of sorts and is quite seedy.
We wandered our way through Las Ramblas, and just looked at all the shops and cafes as we passed, but we did not spend too much time there.
Casa Mila
Casa Mila was the last private residence designed by Antoni Gaudi, and at the time it was controversial due to its undulating stone façade and twisting wrought iron balconies. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site for its historic and artistic significance.
Gaudi designed the house in his workshop at La Sagrada Familia, and he designed it to be a constant curve, incorporating ruled geometric and naturalistic elements. Casa Mila is characterized by its self-supporting limestone facade, meaning that it is free of load-bearing walls. The facade connects to the internal structure of each floor by means of curved iron beams surrounding the perimeter of each floor. This construction system allows large openings in the facade which give light to the homes and free structuring of the different levels so that internal walls can be added and demolished without affecting the stability of the building. This kind of flexibility for renovations was pretty unique.
The unconventional style of the building made it the subject of much criticism during its day. Homeowners in the same neighborhood were angry with the Mila family and were known to not greet them as neighbors because they were upset the house would bring down the value of their homes. The style was so unconventional that is was made fun of in many a satirical magazine, and it was given the nickname of “La Pedrera” which means “the quarry”. This is how the house is most commonly referred to still today.
You can visit this house, and as per many of the other touristic sites in Barcelona you can book this in advance online, and even save some money by booking online (~$4 USD per ticket saved by booking online). Your basic ticket includes a free audio guide and will cost you about $26 USD, but they also have fancier ticket options that provide private audio-visual screenings, a small guided group, and a glass of cava (Spanish sparkling wine) for about $40 USD.
The super cool interior of Casa Mila, seen from the rooftop.
If you are curious about the super unique style of Gaudi and you have the time I would recommend this. You don’t get to see very many unique residential places like this these days.
Gothic Quarter
The Gothic Quarter is the center of the old city of Barcelona, so it encompasses some of the oldest buildings, including remains of the city’s Roman wall and several notable medieval landmarks.The coolest thing about that Gothic Quarter is that it remains a labyrinth street plan, with many small streets and alleyways opening out into squares. I love this kind of design! It always makes me feel like I’ve stepped back into time on an adventurous treasure hunt or something. Most of the quarter is closed to regular traffic, but open to service vehicles and taxis.
Loved the cool streets and alleyways of the Gothic Quarter.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the quarter was completely transformed from a very somber medieval neighborhood to more of a tourist attract through a massive restoration project that was intended to be completed for the 1929 International Exhibition that would be held in Barcelona. The intent of this was for the city and surrounding region of Catalonia to portray itself in a positive light to the world’s media.
The Barcelona Cathedral was a neo-Gothic rebuild in the Gothic Quarter, and we visited this when we were walking through, however we did not go inside. From 8 am to 12:45 pm and 5:45 pm to 7:30 pm visitation is free, but outside those times you have to make a donation to enter. Allegedly there are neat patios and beautiful cloisters.
When we passed by the cathedral there was a concert going on right on its entry steps. In this picture you can see the cathedral in the back and the Roman wall to the right side of the cathedral.
Again, if you are interested in the works of Gaudi you may want to visit one of Barcelona’s grandest squares, Placa Reial, in the Gothic Quarter, where you can find one of Gaudi’s very first projects – the street lamps!
At night the Gothic Quarter comes alive with dive bars, dance clubs and cocktail lounges. This is a popular place to enjoy a Spanish night out, and what better of an atmosphere? – so characteristic of Barcelona & its uniqueness!
If you want to experience a truly authentic Catalonian dining experience I would recommend Can Culleretes restaurant, the second oldest restaurant in all of Spain (I’ve also been to the first oldest one in Madrid and it was AMAZINGLY cool). This restaurant dates back to 1786 and you can find it hidden in a small street that branches off of La Rambla. This restaurant specializes in traditional Catalan and Spanish dishes. You can expect lots of comfort food and good wine.
El Raval
El Raval is an area historically infamous for its nightlife and cabarets, as well as prostitution and crime, however El Raval has experienced some re-gentrification and changed significantly in recent years. Due to its central location it has become a much more popular place to stay. This is where Sneha and I stayed.It currently has a very diverse immigrant community (47.4% of its population was born abroad, ranging from all South America, Pakistanis and Filipinos, to a more recent Eastern European community, especially from Romania). It is home to many bars, restaurants, and night spots. When Sneha and I were there we noticed that it stayed lively until the wee hours of the morning.
La Boqueria
La Boqueria is a large public market that borders the Gothic Quarter, and it is one of the oldest markets in Europe. La Boqueria dates back to 1840, but local people have been purchasing their food there ever since the Middle Ages.You should get to the market early! It opens at 8 am and that is when the chefs and the locals come to shop. Tourists usually filter in by noon, so you will get a couple hours of less crowded time in the market the earlier you get there. It is super colorful and will provide you tons of sensory overload.
Interestingly enough, you will find that many of the merchants are actually speaking Catalan.
One of the interesting tips if you are planning to buy anything from the market is to go to the stalls in the back because the stalls at the front pay higher rent, so their prices are higher.
If you are really looking for great Spanish food you should eat at one of the bars in the market, specifically Quim de la Boqueria, which is a favorite place of chefs. Go around 1 pm (a little early for lunch) because by 2 pm it will be packed. Another bar option at La Boqueria is Pinotxo Bar, run by the cutest old man, Juanito, who is apparently a legend in Barcelona.
Picasso Museum
Pablo Picasso is one of the most famous Spaniards, although he lived most of his adult life in France. He is regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, and he is known for co-founding the Cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture and the co-invention of collage.The Picasso Museum is located in the Bank District of Barcelona, and has one of the most complete permanent collections of works by an artist. It is here that you can witness the odd nature of some of Picasso’s most famous works, including Les Demoiselles d’Avignon and Guernica, among many others.
Again, tickets are best purchased in advance online – Sneha and I did not do this, so the line to purchase tickets at the museum were ridiculous even though we were there quite early in the morning, so we did not end up going due to time constraints. If I had more time I would have loved to visit and learn more about Picasso and his unique analytical cubism.
The Clubbing Experience
The clubbing scene is HUGE in Spain. You can find a wide variety of clubs – from pop hits to techno/EDM, etc. This is where the social scene unfolds. Clubs usually don’t open until much later – say around 11 pm, and they stay open until 4 to 6 am. One night out in Madrid one time we did not return to the hotel until 6:30 am!
There is a dress code for many clubs – ladies need to have nice dresses and heels/dressy flats and men should wear nice pants and shoes and a button-up shirt. Tennis shoes and everyday sandals are strictly prohibited.
The most popular club in all of Barcelona is called Razzmatazz. It is an internationally known club that his ridiculously huge. There are multiple levels to it and 5 different clubs within in – there are 3 smaller club rooms and 2 large ones. Each room has its own bar and music. The music varies from EDM to pop and hip hop or even disco. You can see the different kinds of music represented in each room on their website and can pre-purchase tickets to the shows in the club you want to attend.
Unlike many other clubs, this club is open every night of the week.
If you’re going clubbing make sure to bring a valid ID, passport or driver’s license with you for entrance. Most clubs have a minimum age of 18, and at Razzmatazz some events have other specific age restrictions.
If you want to check out Razzmatazz they suggest pre-purchasing show tickets because they fill up fast. You can do that online and either print or screen shot your ticket.
Interestingly enough Razzmatazz does not have a dress code.
Sneha and I were supposed to join some other coworkers and friends from another airline at this club on Saturday night, but we were too much of old ladies and decided we were way too tired to stay out until super early in the morning and that would greatly disrupt our tourist plans the next day.
If the clubbing scene is your thing I would say that Trip Advisor has solid recommendations for quality clubbing experiences.
As with most clubs, be prepared to pay cover fees and be prepared to find that drinks are pricey.
RECHARGE
Hostel options in Barcelona are really great – super trendy and very clean and most are very safe. I really like hostels in Europe because they are unique and they provide you the opportunity to feel like you’re living like a local. They also give you the opportunity to meet a variety of people and gather travel tips and recommendations from them.On this particular trip we rented a room in a two-bedroom apartment with one bath. We had a private, lockable room with safe, and we also had access to the main areas, which included a sitting area, dining area and full kitchen. Our private bedroom had one double bed that we shared, and it had its own small balcony with beautiful wooden windows that opened up to it. It was a good little set up. There was also a main hang out room with board games and a community kitchen outside of our apartment and down a floor. We were also welcome to use this, and this area had a larger balcony to sit out on and look on the hustle and bustle of the city.
We interacted a little with people in the main community room, but we never saw the other people that were staying in the same two-bedroom apartment with us, in the other room. We definitely knew they were there though because they left their purses on the kitchen table that night, which we found the next morning.
Hostels in Barcelona are very economical if you are in a co-ed dorm-style room, where you are just renting a single bed space with access to all the community features like the hang out room, the kitchen and the community restroom/showers. Usually there are 6 to 8 sleeping spaces in a hostel dorm, and they will cost you somewhere around $20 to $60 per person per night. If you rent a private room it will be comparable to any three-star European hotel ($120 to $180 per night for the whole room).
I do all my hostel booking through www.hostelworld.com , and I’ve had a lot of success with this. To be honest it’s pretty similar to Air BNB options.
Otherwise, there are 4+ star hotel options, but those hotels are usually not located super close to tourist attractions. They are more in the central city area, and you would need to still commute a little further to attractions.
FOOD
There is a variety of food in Barcelona, but I will say that it is really difficult if you are a vegetarian. Sneha was a vegetarian, and her selection was limited.At tapas places traditional tapas items you can find are Spanish olives, Spanish peppers, octopus, ham with crusty bread and tomato puree, cheeses, etc. The benefit of tapas is that you can try a myriad of dishes without feeling full. This article has a great list of traditionally Spanish tapas that you should try – we tried pretty much all of these.
Spanish green olives are amazing!
I also loved the Spanish peppers. They aren't spicy at all.
Octopus tapas - soaked in garlic & oil, yum with some kind of cilantro topping!
As a person that loves to eat food and in great volume the size of the tapas annoyed me! (LOL) I sound like such a typical American here when I talk about wanting larger portions, but that will hit you when it comes to the bill because you have to order the tapas one by one.
If you’re not eating tapas then you’re probably eating paella. Paella is considered by many to be the Spanish national dish, though some Spaniards consider it to be more regionally specific to Valencia (coastal region). Paella contains a variety of vegetables, but most commonly green peas, green beans and sometimes mushrooms. It also typically contains a meat – usually either chicken (pollo) or seafood, though you can get it vegetarian style. You can also get an “everything” paella called “Paella Mixta” – this will have all different kinds of meats and vegetables.
Vegetable Paella (Paella de Verduras)
Don’t expect Spanish food to be spicy at all – it is actually generally fairly bland. The primary spices used are just garlic, butter, olive oil and salt.
Spaniards eat food really super slow and dinner is usually a 2 to 3 hour event of socialization, drink and slow eating.
Our 3-hour-long team dinner in Madrid, the day before heading to Barcelona.
Again, I’m a super-fast eater (a terrible downfall), so I learned more about patience in Spain than anything else. Just make sure you budget a ton of time for eating, and don’t expect the wait service to be speedy or particularly attentive. Also, expect to have dinner no earlier than 8 pm. Most places don’t even open for dinner until 9 pm. Most restaurants will close between lunch and dinner – this is remnants of the days when afternoon siestas were more popular than they are today. You will find that the most crowded eating time is sometime around 10 pm.
Breakfast in Spain usually consists of pastries like a croissant with Nutella or crusty bread with tomato puree (no seasonings) and jamon iberico (cured & dried ham leg shavings).
I personally was not a fan of this very popular Spanish delicacy, as I found it kind bland and (this will sound silly) super meaty, but your taste buds might be different so it is definitely worth a try.
Jamon Iberico gets shaved off the pork leg and then goes straight onto your crusty bread with tomato puree.
If you don’t mind sweet drinks I highly recommend Sangria – it is very very sweet though – sometimes you can even still taste the granules of sugar and it’s pretty thick and syrupy with all that sugar settling to the bottom. The fruit that soaks in the wine also lends a ton of natural sugar to the drink.
Sangria - note the floating fruit.
Another option that is a little less sugary, but equally refreshing and fit-for-summer is something called Tinto de Verano. The name means "wine of the summer". It is red wine mixed with Fanta style soda. It’s basically a wine cooler, but it is fantastic. I basically lived off these things, and they were great for the warm weather.
Tinto de Verano - note the fuzz from the soda
If sweet is not your thing at all then I recommend Tempranillo red wine – it has a drier profile, not quite as dry as Cabernet Savignon or Merlot, but maybe just a step after those two. Spain is known for this wine style. The grape is a black grape with thick skin that is grown on the Iberian Peninsula. The name is a derivative of the Spanish word “temprano”, which means early, because this grape ripens several weeks earlier than more red varieties. Tempranillo is full-bodied and has a relatively neutral profile with flavors of plum and strawberries.
At most sit down restaurants you will be offered an aperitif (some small shot of alcohol like limoncello) to consume before your meal begins, and then a dessert liquor at the end of your meal. These offerings are gratis (free!), so take advantage of them. It’s a normal part of Spanish dining culture and you will find this at most quality restaurants. I haven’t seen this kind of practice many other places in the world.
Sometime around midnight, enjoying our aperitifs after a 2 hour dinner.
WHAT TO BRING
Comfortable walking shoes – You will be walking a ton, even if you are taking Uber or public transport, and in some places like headed up to Park Guell you will be walking up very steep hills and climbing lots of stairs. The last thing you want to deal with is discomfort from ill-fitted shoes or blisters.A bathingsuit, sunscreen, beach sandals and either a towel or sheet from the hotel or hostel – Hitting up a beach in Barcelona is a must, in my opinion. But I am crazy about bodies of water, so take that with a grain of salt.
A wine corkscrew – If you are a fan of wine you may want to think about bringing your own travel-sized wine corkscrew. Especially if you are staying in a hotel and not a hostel or Air BNB that may already provide this. This is because most of the Spanish wines are very high-quality and therefore it is not common for them to have twist tops.
FINANCIALS
The euro is the currency here, and its super easy to get around with both credit cards and cash. I pretty much used my credit card for everything.Here's how the financials worked out for just the Barcelona portion of my overall work trip:
| Flight from MAD to BCN | $83.44 |
| Shopping - Souvenirs + Other | $84.52 |
| 2 Day Transport Pass | $15.86 |
| Hostel - Private Room, 2 nights | $98.44 |
| Food in BCN | $92.67 |
| Sagrada Familia & Gaudi Museum | $37.15 |
| Park Guell | $7.66 |
| Picasso Museum | $10.91 |
| Cash Used Here & There | $40.00 |
| TOTAL | $470.64 |
| TOTAL PPPD | $235.32 |
OVERALL RATING
Attractions = 9
The attractions here get a 9, which is pretty close to a perfect 10. I ranked this so high because I really appreciated the pretty scenery as well as the rich cultural and artistic background of many of the attractions here. The only reason I didn't give this a 10 was because I have been to South Africa before, and that set the bar for the perfect 10 in attractions. So really, that's not super fair to Barcelona. The mix of things to do here is great - from beach to clubbing to shopping to learning.
Cost = 2
This was ranked so low because this was one of my top 5 most expensive trips from a per person, per day (PPPD) perspective. It fell along the lines of Australia, Maui and Tomorrrowland Euro Trip. I think that is just because hotel availability was low at the time we booked (last minute), so we ended up paying more for lodging than we would have if we had booked in advance. The other thing is that your tours start to add up quickly and there are so many cool tours offered in Barcelona that you might want to take advantage of. Food was also fairly expensive because of the sheer number of tapas I had to ordered to feel full.
Logistics = 9
Logistics gets a 9 because, like most of Europe, the public transport is great and fairly easy to figure out. The only reason this didn't get a 10 was because of how far the metro and bus stops were from some of the more popular tourist attractions. It was also a little difficult to get the transport pass initially at the airport.
Lodging = 8
Lodging options were pretty cool - there are some neat and trendy hostel options available for you. There are also lots of options with balconies and rooftop bars (which I really love). The only complaint here is that availability can be difficult sometimes, especially if you are travelling during peak times (summer).
Food & Drink = 6
Food & drink gets a little bit higher than average because of the drink options - I loved the Sangria and Tinto de Verano. The food itself can be sometimes on the more bland side, and there are pretty much the same tapas offered at every restaurant. Overall the food is not bad, it is just not as loud & impressive as many other places I've been like India, Thailand or France.
Overall = 6.5
Overall Barcelona gets a solid score - it is a great city full of so many things to do. You'll love the vibe and I'm sure you'll want to come back. It will definitely be one of my favorite summer destinations.
See ya next time, Barcelona!
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