Barcelona Travel Guide
Barcelona is a city I have always wanted to visit due to one reason- The Cheetah Girls. In September 2019, two of my best friends and I headed out to Spain to drink sangria and escape our busy lives for a week. I didn’t know too much about Barcelona before doing some research. All I knew was pickpocketing is at an all time high there, people stayed at the clubs all night and the endless amount of tapas.
From Boston, we were able to have a direct 8 hour flight, which was great -because the thought of potentially missing the next flight is beyond stressful for me. Our trip was mid September as we wanted to have one last week of sunshine before the fall and winter started to roll in. The weather in September was still high 70’s low 80’s but it was pretty humid. But the crowds weren’t that crazy and you were still able to enjoy the nice weather.
In this travel guide, I will give my recommendations of things to do, where to eat and some general tips about the city. If you are thinking of taking a trip to Barcelona, bookmark this for later! All of the links to our Airbnb and tours will be located at the end of the post.
WHERE TO STAY
Deciding where to stay in any city can always be tricky. Safety is THE most important factor and it is necessary to do your research before booking any accommodations.
We stayed in the L'Eixample neighborhood, which is pretty central in Barcelona. The area is residential, very safe and away from the big crowds of tourists. For most of the part we did walk as much as possible. For when we were lazy, Uber was nonexistent there and had to get transportation the hard way- taxis. Which actually wasn’t bad at all. We never had to wait too long to flag one down and our fares were never over 10 euros. I would fully recommend staying in the L'Eixample neighborhood!
THINGS TO DO
LA SAGRADA FAMILIA
The La Sagrada Familia church is Barcelona’s biggest tourist attraction. The church was designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. It was his biggest and most famous work that shows off his unique Gothic Art Nouveau style. The construction of the church started in 1882, but Gaudí passed away in 1926 leaving La Sagrada Familia unfinished. Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it as a basilica in 2010 so construction can continue. It is estimated to finish construction in 2026, a century after Gaudí’s death.
Being the top tourist attraction, La Sagrada Familia is something you will need to purchase tickets in advance for. You will have to select a date and time for you to enter and that time only. It is only this way to help with crowd control. When purchasing the tickets on the website, there are a couple of different options. We selected the Sagrada Familia with Towers tour. This included a self audio guide and access to the top of the Passion facade or the Nativity facade. We chose the Nativity side due to the fact after doing some research the views were better. Which one fact- the nativity side was finished while Gaudí was still alive. Highly recommend buying the same ticket we did! And the best part is you take an elevator to the top and walk down.
Address: Carrer de Mallorca, 401, 08013 Barcelona, Spain
Hours: 9 am to 6 pm everyday of the week
Ticket Prices: 20-33 €
PARK GUELL
Barcelona’s Park Güell was intended to be an apartment complex for the wealthy, commissioned by Eusebi Güell. But due to the land inability to withhold building structure, Güell then hired Gaudí to turn the 42 acres of land into a whimsical public park.
Do not make the mistake that we made- not all of Park Güell is free.
We read quickly online that the park was free and did not look into it much more. Until we got all the way there and realized the part we wanted to enter is ticket entry only. There are zones at Park Güell, the Monumental Zone and the Free Zone. The Monumental Zone is what you see below- while the Free Zone is more of a public walking garden. The entrance into the Monumental zone was only 10 euros. Our tickets were for 7:45pm and it was the best choice we could have made. It was during the sunset and just got dark after we finished exploring the park. Nothing better than golden hour looking over the city of Barcelona. It truly was magical.
Address: 08024 Barcelona, Spain
Hours: 8:30 am to 7 pm everyday of the week
Ticket Prices: 10 €
KAYAKING AND SNORKLING IN COSTA BRAVAS
Our favorite thing we did during our trip- kayaking and snorkeling in Costa Bravas. We booked this excursion through Viator.com and wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. While traveling, I like to at least spend a day or two outside of the city to see some more of the country side. This was an eight hour excursion and took most of the day, if you have the time to do this you will not regret it. We spend less than two hours on a bus heading north. We arrived at the beach, got changed into wet suits and into our kayaks with help of our guides. We kayaked across the ocean, explored caves and coves in the crystal clear water of the Mediterranean Sea. It was one of the best days I have ever had.
Ticket Prices: $88.00
SANDMAN’S NEW EUROPE TOURS
On any trip in Europe, Sandman’s New Europe Tours is one of the first excursions I book. I have been using these tours since I studied abroad and never been disappointed. I like to start any trip with a walking tour of the city to see the major tourist attractions and to learn about the history behind it. And the best part- THE WALKING TOURS ARE FREE!!! You just tip your tour guide at the end of the trip. Each tour guide I have had spent time after the tour to answer any questions and give us recommendations.
On our walking tour we went through the Gothic Quarter, learned about the city’s Roman heritage and ruins, talked about Pablo Picasso and his life in Barcelona and heard about the Catalan identify and their history. I didn’t have a lot of knowledge of the history of Barcelona and was interested to know more about the country I was staying in.
Along with the general walking tour, we also booked a Tapas and Wine tour. This one we did have to pay for, but it was only around 20 euros. It was a great opportunity to try food hand picked from locals and to meet people from different parts of the world.
Ticket Prices: Free for the walking tour and 20 € for the tapas
WINERY TOUR
Being a HUGE wine drinker, going out of the city to a winery was the top of my list. We booked our winery tour through viator.com and went to the Penedes region of Spain for a cava and winery tour. The winery is family owned and has been growing vines for grapes for over 2,000 years!! Along with a tour of the winery on a 4 x 4 Jeep, we got an in depth understanding of wine production and of course drank a lot of wine.
Ticket Prices: $88.00
BARCELONETA BEACH
One bit of information that surprised me was Barcelona’s beaches are NOT natural. When the Olympics headed to Barcelona in 1992, the city was inspired by the French Rivera and built their own beaches to bring beauty into the city and to increase tourism for the future. We headed to the beach one afternoon to soak up the sun one last time before the winter came.
But let me tell you, I am not a beach person to begin with. Being very pale and constantly getting sun burnt is not ideal for me. But while in a tropical location, I can suck it up and admire the beauty. However, this beach just wasn’t it. Don’t get me wrong- Barcelonata beach itself is gorgeous. Blue water and gold color sand. But the people there ruined it for me. Every second we had a strangers come up to us trying to sell us anything and everything. From drinks, clothing, water bottles, umbrellas, towels and even massages. If you made eye contact with them, they would not stop asking you to buy something until you had to yell at them. Barceloneta beach is a total tourist trap. It great to walk around and see- but not to actually spend time to lay out and swim.
Major piece of advice- if you want to spend a day lounging out in the sun, head to Platja Del Bogatell instead. We walked by this beach on the hunt for paella later on the trip and it’s way nicer, less crowded and has more locals there. This is the one biggest things I wish I researched more before going.
ARC DE TRIMOF AND PARK CIUDELLA
Park Ciudella is Barcelona’s version of Central Park. If you want a moment away from the hustle and bustle of the city, this park is a good way to relax and enjoy some nature! The Arc de Trimof is located near the entrance of the park and is a look like to the Arch of Triumph in Paris.
CASA BATLLO
Another one of Gaudi’s famous works. We didn’t get the chance to go in- but totally would have if we had more time. It’s located in the I’Eximale area where we were staying so it was a close walk for us- but is also on a street with tons of shopping. Def worth a visit!
LAS RAMBLAS
Las Ramblas was one of the top things I was excited for our trip. But ended up spending a good 10 minutes there. I mainly wanted to go because it was in a montage scene from Cheetah Girls where they are running up and down singing. It was mainly filled with shops, most being touristy stores. The restaurants in this area were extremely overpriced and probably all not very good. It was really busy with tourists and we left immediately. It is equivalent to going to Times Square in New York City. Cool to see it once, then never wanting to go back.
Some things we didn’t get a chance to do but would have if we had time:
Olympic Stadium from the 1992 Summer Olympics
The Bunkers- also known as Bunkers del Carmel, El Turó de la Rovira
La Boqueria- big market place with tons of different food and drinks
Magic Foundations
Montserrat day tour
Camp Nou and Barcelona FC if you are a football fan
WHERE TO EAT
The food in Barcelona is on another level. Every place we went to was unbelievable, except a couple of tourist traps we got sucked into. But that’s going to happen a few times on any trip you to on. Some restaurants I don’t have any pictures for, mainly because we couldn’t wait to start eating.
CASA LOLEA
Everything on the menu is to die for, recommend calling ahead for a table since the restaurant is very small. We wanted to go back a second time, but it was too busy. Casa Lolea also sells their own bottle sangria that you can get in the states as well!
BRUNCH AND CAKE
This place was recommended by so many people who have been to Barcelona before and was something people made it seem like it was a must go. And they were right. We went back twice because we needed to try everything on the menu. It is a typical Instagram place and will most likely have a line, but moves quickly.
TOC DE GRALLA
We stumbled into this place in the L’Exiample area where our Airbnb was. We didn’t discover it in our research but so glad we found this place! The restaurant had a family owned feel to it and the staff were so kind and friendly to us. We probably order 10+ different tapas and left feeling like we needed to be rolled out of there.
L’EXCAMARLA
Our original plan was to head to El Xringuito Escriba for lunch on the beach but they were only accepting customers with a reservation. Which was a bummer, but we walked a minutes down the beach and found this place! We got the paella for lunch and of course some patatas bravas too.
THE SERRAS
We didn’t get the chance to eat here, only had drinks but wanted to mention it for the cute rooftop bar they have that looks over the ocean!
VINITUS
For tapas!
SEGONS MERCAT
And more tapas!
Some places we didn’t get a chance to eat at but looked great:
7 Portes- need a reservation and we couldn’t get one so that’s why we never went!
Cal Pep
Els Quatre Gats - Picasso’s favorite
Da Greco
Cera 23
Rosa Negra
Set Portes
Other tips to keep in mind:
Barcelona is known for pick pocketing. Our first night out to dinner, we had our phones on the table and our waitress noticed and told us right away to put our phone in our bags and bags on our laps. During my time there, I never felt unsafe or in a situation where I left I was going to be pick pocketed. But of course like anywhere you travel, keep track of your belongings at all time, use a cross body bag and pay attention to your surroundings.
Most places take credit cards or cash but cash is always easier.
Tipping is not expected. Tip if you like- but not necessary.
Thanks for reading-
Arrivederci
xo Jenna