Barcelona
We learned that there should never be a short visit to Barcelona. With the size of the city and the amount of sightseeing - and exploring to do, I would recommend a minimum of 5-6 days in Barcelona. If you just want to get a taste of the spanish way of life, any shorter amount of time is still worth it. We spend 3 days in Barcelona before we moved on to Sidges, but I wish we could have stayed in Spain all together forever. I visited Barcelona years ago and it always counted under my favourite cities ever visited but this time I fell in love with Barcelona all over again. I know, lots of travellers dedicate just a short portion of their trip to one city, so I will cover a few highlights that are a must-see in beautiful Barcelona.
Firstly, instead of staying in a chain hotel, I highly recommend to spend your nights in an Airbnb or apartment that is traditionally Spanish. The architectural features are just stunning and so different from the North American style... or even the more western part of Europe. Notice the small details like wall panelling, crown mouldings, tile in bathrooms - so much inspiration to draw for your own home and maybe bring a little bit of Spain home with you.
Here is were we stayed:
- Apartment via AirBnb
- walking distance to La Sagrada Familia
- walking distance to Passeig de Garcia for luxury shopping
- residencial feel with grocery, bakery, restaurants, public transit
Tourist Things
Barcelona Must-Sees
Also walk down La Rambla and enjoy some Sangria, old cafes and some of the most beautiful buildings you have ever seen. Visit the harbour, but I would not recommend eating there - its overpriced and not that delicious.
I am not a fan of packing your day with all the tourist stuff, but Barcelona definitely has some incredible monuments worth visiting. Some of them include La Sangrada Familia of course - a world famous church (if you want to enter, make sure to buy tickets beforehand!), Arc De Triomph - bring some lunch and have a little picnic here.
The thing about Barcelona is that you will never have enough time. Try to plan less, get lost and explore the city without much of an agenda. You will find hidden markets, tiny cafes, delicious gelato, hidden bars and more. It is truly the perfect place to spend in early spring or fall - the temperatures are around 20 degrees, very walkable or well connected with transit. Also use Barlona as a starying point to explore more of Spain - there is a lot to explore.