If you’d like to enjoy the sun, paella and sangria, Barcelona is the perfect place for you. We spent 3 days there, from February 24th to February 26th. We fell in love with this city.

ARRANGEMENTS:

We booked our flight with EasyJet and we spent 79 Euros per person round trip. Then we booked the hotel and we chose “Hotel Gaudi” (http://www.hotelgaudibarcelona.com/it/) which is in a perfect location. We spent 93 Euros per night. We made the reservation from the website because, even if the price was the same that we found on Booking.com, breakfast was included and it was really, very good! Hotel Gaudi is a 3-star hotel, but we’re still wondering what it’s missing to earn another star. It is very well kept, rooms are large and well-furnished and, as we said, it is in a strategic position, very close to the Rambla. The best part of the hotel is the terrace that faces the city, right in front of the famous Palau Güell.

FROM THE AIRPORT TO THE CENTER:

The best way to get to the city from the airport is the “Aerobus” that leaves from Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and Terminal C2, every 5-10 minutes. It takes 35 minutes to get to the centre and you can choose between different stops; the last one is Plaça de Catalunya, where the Rambla starts. The ticket costs 10.90 Euros round trip and you can buy it online or at the airport.

HOW TO MOVE IN BARCELONA:

On foot! We bought a package-ticket for the metro (10 rides were included) and we almost didn’t use it! Barcelona is to be lived and discovered on foot! If you prefer moving with public transport, there are two main travel cards: -HOLA BCN which is a perfect solution if you are staying in Barcelona from 2 to 5 days and it costs between 13 and 30 Euros. It offers unlimited metro, tram and bus rides and it includes Montjüic funicolar. Please note that HOLA BCN doesn’t include the Aerobus. If you buy the card online you can get the 10% off. -BARCELONA CARD offers the same but it also includes a discount or free entry to many attractions.

WHERE AND WHAT TO EAT IN BARCELONA:

Paella, tapas, patatas bravas, crema catalana and hamon iberico! What to drink? Sangria…obviously! There are many nice places where you can stop for a bite, but the best one is La Boqueria, a market on the Rambla where you can find anything you want. Once you are here, let the flavours guide you! As for the restaurants, we suggest “Los Toreros” and “La Fonda” where we had our dinners. Both are located in the centre, close to the Rambla. Obviously, we had paella and crema catalana with sangria. We usually had tapas for lunch. Many bars offer a 10 Euros menu with 4 tapas and a glass of sangria. Generally, tapas are rich and hearty so you probably won’t need more, but it is always possible to take some extra tapas for 1,50/2 Euros each. The best bars are located in the Barri Gotic. We went to Bilbao Berria more than once and it’s two steps from the Cathedral. Another nice place is “Tapas Tapas”. We stopped there after the magic fountain show, something that you absolutely can’t miss.

 

WHAT TO DO:

There are many things to do in Barcelona. First of all, a walk on the Rambla, the most famous pedestrian street.

It starts from Plaça de Catalunya and ends with Colombo statue. From this it is possible to visit Port Vell and the Rambla de Mer. 

In alternative, from Colombo Staute it is possible to walk along the sea until “El Cap de Barcelona”, a famous statue of Roy Liechtenstein.

From here, if you keep on walking you’ll arrive at the port where there are many luxurious yachts, and finally to Playa de Barceloneta, a perfect place for relaxing and enjoying the sun. 

This has been the journey of our first day with a stop at La Boqueria, a visit to Plaça de Catalunya and a short walk at the Barri Gotic that we visited with more attention the second day. After our dinner at “Los Toreros” we used our last energies to visit Plaça Reial, which is very characteristic and full of bars and restaurants. Having the hotel or the apartment in the centre of Barcelona is very important so you can walk by the Rambla whenever you want to. Our second day started with a nice and relaxing walk in the Barri Gotic, our favourite quarter of Barcelona! It’s very particular and there are many nice shops. Barri Gotic is also famous because there is the Cathedral, dedicated to Santa Eulalia, the patron of Barcelona. You can enter the Cathedral for free.

 After a stop to eat some tapas we moved to Monjüic, a mountain located right in front of the sea. In fact, from the top you can enjoy a wonderful view. One of the most famous attractions of Monjüic is the magic fountain which is located at the base of the Real Palace. Every day there is a 15 minutes show with music and colours. You should check the timetable on the internet because it depends on the time of year. Generally, there are no shows from January 6th to February 16th.

 

Here’s a nice video of the Magic Fountain show!   IMG_3508

Our last day started very soon with a walk on Passeig de Gracia and a visit to “la Pedrera” and “Casa Batllo”. You can reach Passeig De Gracia very easily from Plaça de Catalunya.

Then we moved to Sagrada Familia. We bought the ticket on the web for 13 Euros and this is a good way to avoid the ques.

The last stop was Parc Guell and we reached it with the metro as we were tired and our time was running out. The park is composed by a free entry part and a payment part (7 Euros). It absolutely deserves a visit also because from the park you can enjoy an amazing view of the city and some beautiful Gaudi’s work.

 

After a nice walk around the park we took the metro to get to Plaça de Catalunya where the Aerobus was leaving for the airport. Barcelona is a wonderful city, I have visited it many times and I never get tired of it! There is always something new to discover and to experience. It’s incredible how a walk on the Rambla or a glass of sangria can make us happier, and how the Sagrada Familia always leave us speechless.

Stay tuned…the best is yet to come!