Barcelona Travel Guide: Tips and Recommendations for Your Visit to Catalonia's Capital" The title
La Sagrada Familia Church by Gaudi
Barcelona was our first stop on our 2 weeks trip to Spain. We spent 4 days in the city, and we enjoyed it so much. Besides it is famous soccer team, Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and it is known for its delicious Catalan food, its beautiful Mediterranean coast, and its charming neighborhood which make Barcelona a very attractive destination for many tourists. We visited Barcelona end of September 2022 and the weather was just perfect. We enjoyed the city so much especially walking in the El Born neighborhood and we will visit it again in the future.
Below is all my recommendation - from things we did or wanted to do, and places we ate at during our 4 days in the city.
How to get to Barcelona?
Barcelona has an international airport. We flew from Boston to Madrid and then flew from Madrid to Barcelona. You can take the train too or you can drive. We think flying is the best option.
Once you arrive at Barcelona airport, you can take the train to Barcelona city (around $10/ per person)
Yazy Tip: Book your international flight and then book your domestic flight separately. The domestic flight was very affordable and cost us around ~$ 30 - $55 on Vueling. This will be way cheaper than booking your flight to Barcelona directly.
Where to Stay?
I can’t recommend staying in El Born neighborhood enough! The location is just perfect and next to all the attractions. We walked to all the places we wanted to see. We stayed at the “Santa Marta” hotel, and it was better than expected.
Notes: Barcelona is an expensive city in comparison to other Spanish cities. Plan accordingly if you want to visit
How to get around?
Barcelona has a reliable train system and an affordable electric bike system (Bicing). You also can take Uber or Bolt. Personally, we used electric bikes all the time and walked. The city is very bikeable and very safe for bikers.
Language and Comunication
Barcelona's spoken languages are Spanish and Catalan. However, English is widely spoken and almost everywhere we went, we communicated in English (even when I tried to start a conversation in Spanish to practice, I get the answer in English)
Restaurants and Coffee Shops
During our stay, we tried multiple food places and coffee shops. Coffee in Spain is very delicious and reasonably priced.
The list below is what we truly would like to recommend:
Hidden Coffee Roaster: Tasty coffee and delicious quick breakfast
Honest Greens: Healthy food and drinks
Blackbird coffee Corner: Delicious coffee near La Sagrada Familia and they also have some Empanadas
Pizza Pazza: Very small pizza shop with limited seating. Authentic Italian pizza. Ideally for a quick dinner
Kinza: Georgian food. Good vibe and different food
Restaurant La Boqueria: Authentic Valencian Paella and Crema Catalan. I can’t recommend this place enough
Gocce Di Latte: Gelato – We went twice because it was authentic
Las Fritas: Fried Potatoes with customized sauce. The concept of fried potato shops is very common in Spain and some European countries
Poke Si: Fresh poke bowls
Places we wanted to try:
Flax& Kale
Federal Café
Tròpic
Brunch& Cake by the sea
What to do?
Barcelona has many things to do and see, however, nothing is free. Everything you do or see in Barcelona will need a ticket (except walking and exploring streets or public parks). I would recommend knowing early what you want to see and creating your itinerary.
La Sagrada Familia: Tickets: $26 without the towers, $40 with the towers. Book the ticket online ahead of time and download the App. The App has an audio guide
Tibidabo and Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church: A hill overlooking Barcelona. You can go up via a cable car or hiking. The view is very pretty from the top. You can also visit the two churches for free.
Park Güell: A beautiful Park on a hill designed by Gaudi touches. Tickeys are $10. The park is only reachable by uber/ taxi or walking. If you rent a bike, make sure to bring a lock as there is no city bike parking, and bikes aren't allowed inside the park.
Arenas Mall: A bullfighting arena that is now a shopping mall with a nice rooftop-free entry
Placa d’Espanya
Casa Mila: Gaudi designed’s house. We only walked by it
Casa Batllo: Gaudi designed’s house. We only walked by it
Casa Amatller: Gaudi designed’s house. We only walked by it
Placa De Catalunya:Barcelona city center
El Born Center de Cultura I Memoria
Parc de la Ciutadella and Arc de Triunfo de Barcelona: A huge park that has some historical landmarks- free entry
Rambla de Mar: Nice walk by the water
Passeig del Born: The old part of Barcelona. Very enjoyable walk
La Rambla: Street with markets and restaurants. One of Barcelona’s notable streets
Mercado de La Boqueria: Market with fresh produce
Got more time?
Magic Fountain of Montjuic
Cathedral of Barcelona
Montjuic Castle
Poble Espanyol
Museu Nacional d’ Art de Catalunya
Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium
Barcelona History Museum MUHBA
Picasso Museum
