Fast Facts

Coming soon- my Barcelona post on what exactly Nicole and I did! For now, here are some quick tips on how to spend your time in Barcelona!

WHERE TO STAY:

• St Christopher’s Inn Barcelona– My sister and I loved our experience with St. Christopher’s in Paris, so we decided to stay with them in Barcelona as well. By booking directly through their website, you get free breakfast and 25% off food and drinks!

THINGS TO DO/PLACES TO SEE IN Barcelona:

• The Paella Club Cooking Class – The first day in Barcelona, the weather called for rain. Nicole and I would not let it ruin our trip, so we signed up for a paella cooking class, and it ended up being our favorite part of our trip. The staff was so much fun, and we loved that we had our own individual cooking station. We heard a rumor that they are looking to open a D.C. location. You can be sure I will be one of their first customers!
• Palau de la Música Catalana – Wow. Just wow. This place is beautiful. It is definitely worth the admission. Words cannot describe how beautiful this location is. I would recommend signing up for an early self-guided tour, so that you can take pictures without fighting other tourists for the best shot.
• La Sagrada Familia – Again, words cannot describe. This place is incredible, and learning the work that has gone into (and is still going into) building this place was so cool to hear. Again, worth the admission price.
• Wander around La Rambla – Okay, this is tourist central, but still cool to walk around. I wouldn’t recommend eating here, but if you have some time before dinner one night, definitely take a stroll along this street.
• Arc de Triomf – This is a great place to go when you need a break. Directly behind the Arc, there is a cute little park. Nicole and I stopped here to sit and talk, while enjoying the sunshine.
• Mercado de La Boqueria – I love food markets, so I knew I wanted to go here. I recommend trying one of the fresh smoothies! Prices tend to be higher on the stands closer to the entrance, so make sure you walk in for better prices!

FOOD/DRINKS:

First things first- Drink sangria. I don’t care where you eat, just make sure to order some yummy sangria with your tapas.

• Carabela Café – Yummmm. This place is great for outdoor seating. They also have fair prices, and damn good burritos. Nicole and I wanted to eat here twice, but unfortunately we didn’t have the time.
• The Paella Club – They are worth mentioning twice in this post. Not only do you get the awesome experience of cooking your own paella, but you get food, drinks and dessert. This was definitely the best meal we had in Barcelona.
• Bunsen – I ate here when I was in Dublin, and was so excited to see they had a location in Barcelona! Yes, we understand that we were two American girls, in Barcelona, eating cheeseburgers. Cliché or not, those burgers were delicious.
• La Pepita – This place is great for Tapas. The hard part will be deciding which tapas to get!
• DeLaCrem – This place earned it’s name. They are definitely the Crème de la Crème of ice cream shops. Nicole and I went here twice, it was so good!
• Alsur Café Llúria –  This place is right across the street from Palau de la Música Catalana, so I recommend heading there after your morning tour. If you are like Nicole and me, you will leave here ready to lay down, so you might not want to plan anything after you are done eating.
• El Árbol Brunch – This was another great brunch spot. They have amazing smoothies, so make sure you get one with your meal!
• Flaherty’s Irish Pub Barcelona – Nicole and I have a tradition of visiting an Irish Pub in every new country/city. This one was so much fun. They have a photo booth, so make sure you snap a picture with your friends before you leave!

IF YOU HAVE TIME TO LEAVE THE CITY CENTER:

• Telefèric de Montjuïc – Ride a cable car to the Montjuïc Castle and enjoy a great view of the Mediterranean Sea.
• Tibidabo Amusement Park –  Go here and ride the Ferris wheel for an awesome view of the Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Then make sure you go to the top of the church. Nicole and I went here and watched the sunset while talking about life. It was my favorite memory from our trip.
• Park Güell – I have mixed feelings adding this to the list. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I found Park Güell to be underwhelming to say the least. Those cute pictures you see on Pinterest is all you get. One colorful bench with hundreds of people fighting to snap a pic. Definitely not worth it (to me).

TRANSPORTATION TO/FROM THE AIRPORT:

• AEROBÚS – The AEROBÚS connects the Barcelona airport with the center center. It runs every 5 minutes and takes about 35 minutes to travel to/from the airport.