Being a rather large city, there is so much to see and do. No matter what road you walk down, you're sure to never be disappointed. Full of beautiful buildings, cultural landmarks and incredible food, the city is a must-visit for everyone.
The Hotel
Myself and my boyfriend flew from Heathrow airport with Vueling (who were amazing) on Friday 29th July, arriving late at our hotel in Barcelona. We stayed at the beautiful Granados 83 for 4 nights, in the Eixample district, which couldn't have been a better choice in my opinion. It's quite hard to define a location as central in Barcelona, as there is so much spread around all different areas. In terms of one of the main tourist hotspots, La Rambla, our hotel was around 20 minutes walk away. To some this may seem quite long, but honestly walking around the city was so lovely we didn't mind. Something we had been made aware of by quite a few people was safety within the city (pickpockets), so when we first arrived we were slightly concerned about the walking distance, particularly in the dark. I have to admit I am a cautious person, but not for even one moment did I feel un-safe. Just make sure you have a good cross-body bag, and you're good to go!
Definite Must-see's
So, with my recommendations of things to visit and experience within the city, I have tried to avoid discussing the generic and main tourist areas that everyone knows about (e.g. Barcelona Cathedral, La Sagrada Familia, Park Guell etc.). All absolutely incredible, but I'm almost certain you'll have read about them countless times!
Magic Fountain of Montjuic
One of my favourite things we did whilst in Barcelona, was visit the Magic Fountain of Montjuic. We spontaneously decided to do this the evening of, having heard about it before we quickly jumped on Google and were lucky enough to find there was a light show on that evening (you can find the timetables here). We took a taxi from outside our hotel (you never need to worry about ordering taxi's as there will always be a few driving past), and within about 10 minutes arrived at the fountain. I was shocked by how magnificent it was, and the vast amount of people that crowded the area - it all adds to the ambience though. The show is completely free to watch, and lasts around an hour. It is definitely something I would fit in to your evening schedule, and head for some tapas afterwards!
Rooftop Bars
Rooftop bars are essential in any city, and in Barcelona you will find plenty of them. Lucky for us, our hotel had it's own, which was perfect to grab a drink whilst the sun was setting, before heading out for dinner. Our hotel had a lovely street view (the photo below doesn't do it justice), however it wasn't quite that idyllic city view. A rooftop which was on my list, but unfortunately we didn't get the chance to go to, was on top of a lovely hotel named Hotel Duquesa De Cardona. I'll have to save that one for when I next go back!
(side note - the H10 is a lovely hotel too)
Parc de la Ciutadella
If you're someone that enjoys a bit of chill time and doesn't necessarily want to be in the heart of the tourist areas, then you will love Parc de la Ciutadella. This is a huge, green area in the city where we spent a few hours laying on the grass reading our books and having a row on the lake. This is one of the areas in the city that we found particularly peaceful. And hiring a rowing boat is always great fun!
Camp Nou
Another must-see on my list is something I wasn't exactly 'desperate' to visit in Barcelona, however my boyfriend managed to drag me there. If you haven't guessed, I am talking about Camp Nou, Barcelona Football Club's stadium. To my surprise, this was a day out I particularly enjoyed. Of course the whole experience is very football orientated, but it was much more interesting than I could've ever imagined. The best part of course was going out into the actual stadium and viewing the pitch. Being the largest football stadium in Europe, it was quite exhilarating being sat right up in the VIP seats where you had a complete panoramic view. Even if you're not interested in football, this is a really fun and different day out (plus it gives you brownie points with the boyfriend!).
The Food
Trobador Ferran
Barcelona of course is famous for its tapas. So, it was inevitable that we would eat plenty of it whilst there. One of our favourite places we went for tapas was at a lovely restaurant in the Gothic Quarter called Trobador Ferran (left image), we sat in the outside seating area and stuffed our faces at around 11pm (after the fountain show). We never usually eat that late, however it was perfect because the area was much more peaceful and a nice, calm temperature at that point. The food was delicious (as well as the Sangria), I would 100% recommend it for that authentic tapas experience!
Surf House Barcelona
As delicious as the tapas was, my definite favourite restaurant that we visited, has to be Surf House Barcelona (right image). The California style restaurant provided to-die-for food and incredible cocktails, especially the Strawberry Daiquiris! Surf House Barcelona is situated right on the beach front, which is particularly lovely in the evening. We were lucky enough to have a front row view of a group of locals salsa dancing right next to the outside seating area, where we were. That made the evening all the more special! But even without the dancing, the restaurant is certainly worth a visit.
St Joseph Market - La Boqueria
I am a big food lover (if you can't tell), so visiting this well-known and well-hyped market was on my to-do list. This food market has a bit of everything, full of glorious fresh food and the best ice-cream I have ever tasted! If you love watermelon as much as me, you have to try the watermelon ice-cream, it was so good I went back for more on our last day!
Further Advice & Recommendations
Shopping
Being the shopping addict that I am, I of course have to mention what it was like in Barcelona. A one word answer would be, amazing. The best area I found for it was La Rambla, it was full of all sorts of high-streets stores, including most of my favourites (e.g. Mango, Pull&Bear, Zara). Extremely busy, but oh so worth it!
The Beach
Barcelona beach is quite a walk from the main areas of the city, albeit a very enjoyable walk. If you love the beach (like I do) then it's worth a visit, as the weather is always fabulous in the Summer months. However, if you aren't the biggest fan of crowded areas then I would steer clear, as the beach was incredibly crowded and honestly not the most relaxing.
Money
I would suggest saving up for a trip to Barcelona, especially if you're visiting in the Summer. We definitely didn't spare money where we could have, such as taxi's, but food and drinks are expensive like most European cities.
So, hopefully now you will see why I love Barcelona so much. And if you are planning a trip there anytime soon, I hope I have provided you with some useful recommendations. I honestly can't imagine anyone not loving this city! This Barcelona city break was in fact part of a longer Summer holiday for me. On our last day in Barcelona we flew back to Heathrow airport, stayed overnight and then hopped on a plane to another destination the very next day! Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming blog post all about the rest of my 2016 Summer holiday...
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