Please see the bottom of the post for a day-by-day itinerary.
"Relax, you're in Spain!" That was the first advice I got; the second was "if you think of something to do, count to 100, go drink a cup of coffee, then do it" and finally "start your day with a glass of cava". It is with this advice that I got an early start of primavera in Barcelona!
"Relax, you're in Spain!" That was the first advice I got; the second was "if you think of something to do, count to 100, go drink a cup of coffee, then do it" and finally "start your day with a glass of cava". It is with this advice that I got an early start of primavera in Barcelona!
As I stepped onto the streets of Barcelona, I instantly felt calm. There is something about this city that screams "slow down", "relax"! Barcelona is a land of insane architecture, amazing tapas, sangria and no traffic! Public transportation as well as infrastructure for bikes and mopeds is so well developed, you will rarely see a backlog of cars not foreign to any North American city. The architecture is like nothing I have seen before. It was with Casa Batllo that my love affair with Barcelona began. The famous Casa Batllo sums it all up; a building that looks like a dragon, with bones, scales and no straight edges. Sagrada Familia was another genius work of Antoni Gaudi that doesn't fail to impress. The use of light, colour and inspiration from nature, Gaudi managed to create works of art.
All you have to do in Barcelona is walk, walk the famous Passeige de Gracia, the Barceloneta, observe the people, the buildings and the nature. Bring comfortable walking shoes and venture out to Tibidabo, Park Guell or Montserrat to see some of the most incredible views and hike the trails. Have the food and drinks, explore the Gothic Quarter and its history, enjoy the magic fountains and observe the magnificently lit streets. One of my favourite areas to explore was the Gothic Quarter where you can get lost in its tiny streets, shops and restaurants. Not far behind was the waterfront where you can sit down and warm up in the sun, do some shopping, walk on the beach, observe the different boats docked in the marina and simply enjoy yourself. This is what Barcelona is about! Take some time in your trip to delve into the culture, go listen to a Spanish guitar concert or if you are travelling in the south a flamenco show. The Spanish guitar was something I had never heard before. At one point, the guitar sounded like drums! It was absolutely fascinating to see the musician's fingers fly on top of the strings.
Of course, food, as always, is a major part of any trip. Tapas, what Spain in known for, evolved from when the inn-keepers put on a tapa (lid) of food on top of the glass of wine or beer to keep the bugs out and to encourage people not to drink on an empty stomach. There are so many variety of tapas to choose from in any restaurant. Visiting the Mercat de La Boqueria is a must. My eyes couldn't focus with the variety of chocolate, nuts, tapas, meats and fruit.
Adiós amigos!
For more pictures visit World Snapshot.
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This is an itinerary for 7 days. You can compress some of this itinerary into shorter amount of days, just be prepared for a little hectic walking/sightseeing. March was the perfect time to go to Barcelona. I was told a few months later it gets super busy due to a huge influx of tourists. On Day 4, my sisters went further south to explore more of Spain. If you are looking to combine Barcelona with something extra, check out Your RV Lifestyle for 100 things to do in Spain.
Arrival
- Arrive, get settled, and go explore.
- To get to where you need to go, take a taxi. It cost us 35 euros with the tip to get to the hotel.
- We arrived at about 5 pm. and had enough time to go for dinner and go to bed early to begin the next day fresh.
- We stayed at a condo in an amazing location called Eixample, walking distance between Placa D'Espanya and Placa de Catalunya and a 2 second walk from the subway station. If you plan to take the subway around the city, I suggest you buy the pass of 10 rides, which makes each ride just over one euro.
- There are several grocery stores around the area if you are planning to cook breakfast to save time in the morning, which is what we did. You can also buy Cava or wine to start your day (yes, you read that correctly, you're on vacation)!
- Go to dinner at Arenas (Placa D'Espanya), a gorgeous building that was used for bull fights, now a shopping centre with an amazing lookout area at the top of the mall. The top floor is also home to several amazing restaurants. Please see the list of restaurants visited at the end of this itinerary.
- Magic Fountains - if you have enough time on the first day, this would be a great beginning to the Barcelona adventure. The fountains only play 7 pm. to 10 pm. on Fridays and Saturdays (it may vary depending on time of year so check ahead of time). We didn't have enough time on this day to catch the show, but make sure you can see these magical fountains at some point in your trip. We ended up seeing them later on.
Day 1
- Start your day with a glass of cava. Relax, you're in Spain!
- On the first day, take a guided tour. Taking a guided tour is a great way to get familiar with the city, learn about the history and take note of places you would like to visit again when you have more time to explore. You'll get a chance to see the highlights of the city and hear about its history.
- This tour will take several hours after which you'll need to recharge with an amazing meal. Our tour ended on Passeig de Gracia so we decided to stay in the area and have lunch at an amazing place called El Nacional. El Nacional houses several restaurants. We chose a tapas place called La Taperia. See a list of suggested restaurants below.
- After lunch, visit Casa Batllo, a building with no straight edges, a magnificent work that combines colour, light and architecture into one.
Tip 2: I found that a meal in Barcelona can take up to two hours. Make sure to give yourself enough time when planning.
- After the tour of Cassa Batllo, you can either go back to the hotel to relax before heading back out or if you still have energy, explore the rest of Passeig de Gracia where you can walk towards La Pedrera, where there is also a lookout area on the roof, the gorgeous Majestic Hotel, and perhaps even do some shopping if you're up for it.
- Grab dinner, drinks and relax.
Day 2
- Leave the first half of the day to visit Park Guell, This is a wonderful park, which you can take a walk through, relax, listen to live music (maybe we were lucky), observe amazing architecture that looks like ginger bread cookies. See the longest bench in the world!
- After the park, take the subway to La Rambla. You must have heard something about this street before. If nothing else, then the fact that this is the centre of pick-pocketing. Watch your things as you're walking through this street. This street separates the Raval district from the Gothic Quarter.
- On the way to Placa Reial, my favourite square in Barcelona (and a place of many restaurants), visit the amazing Mercat de La Boqueria. My eyes couldn't concentrate at that place. This market sells EVERYTHING food related, from fruits, nuts, vegetables, dessert, freshly squeezed juices to fish and tapas. This place was just something you have to see for yourself.
- Have lunch or an early dinner at Placa Reial. We stopped at Les Quinze Nits. But there are a few options that you can choose from.
- After the meal, continue on La Rambla towards the water. We didn't stop at Palau de la Musica, but it is beautiful inside. Closer to the waterfront you will see the monument dedicated to Columbus. You can explore the newly built Rambla de Mar - a floating walkway to maremagnum - the mall. This place also has an aquarium, a theatre and boat tours.
- There is also a Montjuic cable car that departs from this area if you would like to get a view of the city from above.
- If you do get to Montjuic, there is an Olympic park that you can explore.
- We have friends in the city, so we had dinner at their place, but after you're exhausted from walking the streets, have dinner closer to the water as the sun sets. The view becomes pretty romantic! On the way to our friends' place, we happened to stop by the stadium where the soccer (or should I say football) games take place (Camp Nou). It's pretty massive with a capacity of one hundred thousand spectators. Football is a religion here! If you have the chance, go see a game. I'm sure it will be an unforgettable experience, to even just feel the energy and enthusiasm of the fans.
Day 3
- Leave the morning if not most of the day for Montserrat. Check out this site that will tell you all the details you need to know on how to get there.
- Take the cable car instead of the tram, the view is better.
- at 1 pm. there is a boys' choir that sings every day. Double check the times, in case this changes. After the choir, you can go up the stairs to see the Virgin of Montserrat.
- There is also a museum that you can explore.
- If you would like to spend more time here, there are several hikes that you can do. The hiking trails start further up. You have to take another cable car to get there. The cable car costs 9 euros. I regret not doing these hikes. Next time. Check out this site for more information.
- When you get back to the city, have dinner and if you still have energy, go for a walk along the Passeig de Gracia. We walked there every day. This street is magnificent.
Day 4
- Go to Sagrada Familia in the morning close to the opening time to avoid lineups. Buy a ticket that includes an audio guide and a ride to the top of the church. You can either buy tickets onsite or online ahead of time. You will spend approximately 1.5 - 2 hours here. Take your time. The view is magnificent. You will see the three facades of the church and hear about a rather sad story of its creator.
- Have lunch
- At this point you will have done a lot of walking. You can go back to the hotel to rest since getting to Sagrada Familia at opening requires you to wake up early.
- After a short siesta, go to Barceloneta, explore this area, walk along the beach, as mentioned previously, have some food here if you would like. I have read reviews that anything close to the water has amazing food (see restaurant suggestions below).
- If you visit Barcelona at a time when swimming is still possible, plan a day at the beach!
- In the evening, we decided to have dinner at Tapas 24 (see below)
Day 5
- Spend the first half of the day at Tibidabo. You have to take an L7 train from Catalonia subway station, then a railway car (streetcar) or bus number 196 (we took the bus because the streetcar works only in summer), then take a funicular to get to the top of the mountain. On the way back down, we preferred to walk instead of taking the bus. The walk is really nice and you will pass by the elegant looking houses in the area.
- Explore the amusement park at the top, visit the church, have some churos to relax.
- On the way down, where the funicular drops you off, have lunch at Mirablau. It has gorgeous views.
- When you get to the centre, explore the Gothic Quarter in more detail, see the Barcelona Cathedral, the countless churches, tiny squares and orange trees. Get lost in little streets and visit the tiny shops and restaurants. See the headquarters of Catalan Government, city hall, first public fountain, Gothic churches of Pi, Sant Felip Neri, Santa Maria del Mar and Church of Santa Anna.
- In the evening, after taking a break, go see a Spanish guitar show. I booked tickets here. Book ahead of time as tickets get sold quickly. This concert was set in a very intimate setting of just under 30 people. It was quite exciting to hear a professional guitarist. At one point, he made the guitar sound like drums!
Day 6
- At this point you have seen the main points in Barcelona. We decided to spend the day in a neighbouring city of Girona. A sleepy town compared to Barcelona, you can explore the streets, walk along the castle wall and just spend a day relaxing! The train ride is approximately 1.5 hours.
- Girona, a sleepy medieval city, is split by the Onyar River. Bring good walking shoes, as the only way to discover the particular charm of this medieval city is on foot. You can wander for hours through the Call, the labyrinthine old quarter, with its narrow, steep alleyways and lanes and its ancient stone houses, which form a chain along the Onyar. Find the information desk and get a map of the city.
- We stopped at Konig for lunch.
- The most appealing shopping street is Carrer Santa Clara
- For you foodies out there, Girona is home to the number two restaurant in the world: El Celler de Can Roca. I was told you need to make reservations almost a year in advance.
- Further north of Girona in a town called Figueres, there is a famous Salvadore Dali museum that you can visit.
- When we got back to the city, we went to see the magical fountains. Make sure to go to the very top for the view.
- Have dinner at Arenas.
Day 7
- On the last day in Barcelona, this will probably be the only day you can sleep in! Spend the day visiting your favourite places.
- Have lunch at Placa Reial
- Relax in the afternoon and go out to dinner on your last night in paradise
Other
- If you have a chance, you can go to La Rocca Village - Outlet Mall
- If you are into cars, Barcelona is located close to the Circuit de Catalunya. You do have to book in advance.
- Museu D'art Contemporani - MACBA - known as "the pearl" of El Raval neighbourhood
- Picasso Museum
- If there is an extra day, it was suggested to take a day trip to Tossa de Mar with and old town and an amazing beach.
Restaurants
Arenas
Barceloneta
- Eat close to the sea. No need to go into any expensive restaurant, most of the bars serve good food with fair prices.
- Kaiku
- Barraca
Other
- Les Quinze Nits
- Rossini
- Tapas 24
- El Nacional, La Taperia
- Other Restaurants at El Nacional
- Mirablau - Tibidabo
Restaurants suggested by friends
(I have not checked these out, some may be more expensive for you foodies out there)- Bodega 1900
- Paco Meralgo
- Omm Hotel
- El Tragaluz