Barcelona

BARCELONA OVERVIEW

• Architecture: Sagrada Familia, Casa Batlló or any of Gaudi's buildings
• Things to do:  Plaça de Catalunya, La Rambla, Mercado de La Boqueria, Plaça Reia, Gothic Quarter, rent bikes and cycle around the city
• Places to eat: tapas on Carrer de Blai, restaurants around Carrer d'Enric Granado, brunch at Brunch & Cake
• Foods to try:  Tinto de verano, calcots, empanadas

I've been to Barcelona a few times now, and it's probably one of my favourite European cities. It's got that great combination of beach and city, which is pretty rare when it comes to cities within Europe. Fun fact; I received my Leaving Cert results while I was in Lidl in Barcelona. My memory is unfortunately not one of my strong points (shocking right?), so this post will largely focus on my experience in Barcelona in March 2022. Other than that, I think I graced it's borders around August 2015 and March 2018. 

ACCOMMODATION

The first thing I will say about anywhere to stay is that Barcelona has an excellent transport system. For that reason, as long as you're generally close to the city and a metro line you shouldn't have any issues going around. The underground is so handy, and we were never waiting for more than 3 minutes for a train. 

Most recently, we stayed on a street called Carrer de Rocafort, which was just beside the Rocafort metro. As it was only a three minute walk to the metro, it was very simple for us to get around the city. The immediate area itself wasn't amazing in terms of options for eats and things to do, but as it was close enough to the city center it didn't make much of a difference. Taxis are also pretty cheap if you're travelling in a group and they were safe to hail off the street (at least in our experience), so it worked out pretty nicely. A general rule of thumb would be to check how close you're accommodation is to La Rambla (one of the main streets), and then go from there.

ARCHTECTURE

A lot of the tourist attractions in Barcelona are centered on Gaudi's work with unusual architecture throughout the city. It's definitely worth a look around a few of them in particular. In terms of getting around to them, you could do a few of the closer ones on foot or jump on a metro in between. During one of my stays we rented bikes and cycled around to all of the attractions - I would highly recommend this if it doesn't sound like torture to you. You end up covering a lot more ground and it's much more liberating being able to bounce in between the sites at your leisure.

To kick things off, it would be a crime to go to Barcelona and not at least go and have a look at Sagrada Familia. Even if architecture isn't your thing, it's an impressive structure to sip a coffee beside and admire. It's also central enough so it shouldn't be too much out of your day. Take some inspiration from Aran here, enjoying a Bocadillo and soaking up the culture. We opted to not actually go inside but I'm sure it's just as impressive in there. 

Another place I would recommend going to is Casa Batlló. When I first went to Barcelona I was on a budget, so I only marveled at it with the other plebs on the outside. However this time I decided to treat myself to an official €35 ticket (in fairness that is a fair chunk of change). You get an audio guide included in that and pro tip alert if you pre-book online you can save yourself about €3 and a good bit of time queuing. That's the equivalent of half of Aran's bocadillo. It's pretty big on the inside and they have a very cool rooftop garden designed by the big man himself. If you find architecture interesting I'd say it's worth the cash for this one. Also it's located on Passeig de Gràcia which is a lovely and wide shopping street too, so you don't have to venture too far off the beaten track.

There are a lot more Gaudi buildings in Barcelona too, such as Casa Milà and Güell Palace. Both of those are quite close to the center too so should be easy enough to make your way to. They're all pretty cool buildings but for me seeing a few of them was enough. It really depends on how much of an interest you have in that kind of thing. You could mark a few of them on a map and keep an eye out for them, although it's likely if you pass them you would notice them as I'm fairly sure Gaudi was not trying to blend in to the surrounding area.

THINGS TO DO 

One of my favourite things to do on any city break is just go for a general stroll and see where you end up. A good place to start off is around the area of La Rambla. This is probably the most well known and most visited streets in Barcelona. It's pretty nice to stroll down and you have Plaça de Catalunya at the top of it which is a good place to kick off. There are a few monuments and things inside there and it's nice to have a roam around. 

There's a few stops off La Rambla that are worth visiting. The first one of these is Mercado de La Boqueria, which is a food market with an entrance going onto La Rambla. Definitely go here with a bit of an appetite, there are so many different food options here from local sellers. It's extremely colourful, with so many options from fresh fruits and juices to empanadas which are a Spanish pastry with a filling. This is the ideal place to grab something to tide you over between meals.

Another stop to make off La Rambla is Plaça Reia, which is a famous square in the city. There is a fountain in the center and it's enclosed by a lot of different restaurants and eateries. The lampposts were also designed by Gaudi, interestingly before he became well known. We didn't actually eat here so I can't personally vouch for any of the restaurants, but the overall ambience is really something. I would recommend coming back at night when the place is well lit, there are a lot of different lights around and it's a really nice place to have dinner or a drink.

If you turn off from La Rambla you can take one of the smaller side streets down towards the Gothic Quarter. This is a pretty lively area where you can stop in any number of cafes or bars. It's known as the more party district. We stopped off in one outdoor bar and tried some "Tinto de Verano", which is a cold wine-based drink. It's so delicious and really refreshing if you're visiting in the summer as it's served on ice.  

PLACES TO EAT 

As we were on a pretty quick trip, we didn't do too many sit down meals. My main recommendation though is if you're going on a trip over the weekend, take some time to book somewhere before for Friday or Saturday. We had a tough time trying to get tables in a bigger group, and the city seems to be really buzzing on the weekend so it's hard to get something last minute. I heard from a local that while the beach area is quite pretty, as a rule of thumb try to avoid eating down there as it is very touristy so they hike up the prices and it can often be lower quality. There is a restaurant app called Fork which could be worth downloading, it allows you to book tables in the area and sometimes there can be discounts offered too. 

One of the nights we strolled down Carrer de Blai, which is a pedestrianized street that has a lot of different tapas restaurants dotted along it. It has a nice atmosphere as there are a lot of tables on the street too.  If you stroll down there you shouldn't be short of options, and we found it quite reasonably priced too. 

On Saturday night, our local friend managed to get us a table in a restaurant called Via Granados. It was along a street called Carrer d'Enric Granado, where there were a lot of nice restaurants that came local recommended. I would say you're reasonably safe trying anywhere within that vicinity. Again it's a really nice setting inside, and they did lovely cocktails too.

Between November and April, calcots are in season. These are a member of the onion family and are traditionally served grilled. Trying these ended up being one of the highlights of our trip, as they give you bibs, gloves and show you how to eat them like a local. Refer to Rob above if you want to see how to really rock the calcot bib and gloves combo.

For all you brunch lovers, we did hit one brunch spot that came recommended by a friend. There was quite a long queue, so be warned as you may have to wait. The food was pretty tasty though. I opted for a pretty non controversial avocado toast, but it didn't disappoint. They also have really nice juices and smoothies to set you up for the day. If you're in the mood for a healthy and colourful breakfast, definitely head here. They have a few different branches around the city so head to whichever is closest to you.

Overall thoughts are that you won't be short of things to do in Barcelona. Depending on the weather you can also spend some time on the beach if you want a break from the city. It was a great place to go in a group, and there were plenty of places to stop for a drink or a quick bite to keep us entertained. Special shout out to all my pals Rianna, Conor, Cristina, Aran, James, Rob and Conall for making this trip such a good one. Hope the above helps you with your visit to Barcelona!

GALLERY