If you visit Spain and don't travel to Barcelona then you will have missed out on a big Spanish experience!
I love Barcelona for the mix of old and new architecture, the same reason I love Chicago too :)
My family traveled to Spain for 9 days during the Labor day weekend this year. During that visit we were in Barcelona for two and a half days. You can read all about our Spain trip planning here.
July and August are the hottest months in a mediterranean country like Spain. So if you are traveling to Barcelona, travel after August. We traveled literally on the last day of August and enjoyed pleasant temps of 80 degree F in Barcelona. However we weren't that lucky as we traveled south towards the Andalusian region where temps were 100 degrees F and above! eeks!
Day 1 in Barcelona
We landed at the Barcelona airport and caught a cab (right outside the airport terminal) to our charming, boutique hotel. I would recommend this hotel for families and individuals alike. We chose this as it was centrally located and the staff members were friendly and caring. More info here.
Our first sightseeing stop was Catalunya Plaza. It is a large square and takes a while to absorb all the activities around you. You can find several, large flocks of pigeons in the square, hawkers and visitors like you at any given point of time. There is a nice fountain with lovely flowers and several statues dotted the square. You can feed the pigeons too!
Next stop was Barcelona Cathedral. It's a massive Cathedral with beautiful facade. Difficult to capture in a single frame! Old wrought iron chandeliers hang from the ceiling and don't miss the beautiful organ pipes. Open for visitors from 12.30pm - 7.45pm. 7 euros per person. More info here.
The entry price includes a roof top view which I highly recommend. The elevators are on the left hand side once you enter the Cathedral. The views are amazing from the roof top!
On our way out, we also saw some ducks which were quite popular with the visitors.
A short walk from there led us through the streets of Gothic quarter to Placa Reial to see the Gaudi lanterns. The plaza is open and beautiful space with musicians playing and restaurants lining it. The two sets of lanterns stand out as unique pieces in the square.
On the way to Plaza Reial in the Gothic quarter, we saw Carrer del Bisbe (Bridge in Gothic quarter) which is at a stone's throw from Martyr of Independence (Monument als Herois del 1809). Lots of tourists at these spots and street performers too. The Bridge in Gothic quarter has a wonderful design. Walk right up to it and look up when you are there for a closer view.
We cut across from that plaza into La Rambla to walk to our next stop, the Mirador de Colom (Columbus Monument). We didn't spend a lot of time on La Rambla which is very crowded street and we wanted to avoid tourist traps which we had heard a lot about. Lots of vendors on either side of the street. The street itself has a wavy surface to represent the water that used to flow through it a long time ago. There is also a bird market here which we didn't see. At the end of this street is the looming 60m tall Columbus monument.
Columbus monument is a beautiful commemoration of when King and Queen Ferdinand welcomed Columbus home. Don't miss the view from up top of the Mirador de Colom (Columbus Monument)! Open 8:30 am – 7:30 pm. Adult 6 Euros. The elevator that takes you to the top barely holds 4 people. Up top too there is hardly any space to stand side by side (and there was no air conditioning!!) but the views make up for all these shortcomings! Note if you are claustrophobic, I do not recommend this for you. You can instead spend time at the base of the monument admiring the lions and other plaques. More info here.
After this, we took a leisurely stroll through Rambla de Mar which is across the street from Mirador de Colom. The most striking feature is the floating gangway with its unique wavy design. When we were going over it, suddenly a loud horn starting tooting. We made it across the gangway just in time to see it open up midway to let a boat cross over to the other side! You can spend a lot of time here just relaxing and gazing out to sea or visiting the iMax or shopping complex - Mar e Magnum.
A short cab ride later, we proceeded to the Telerefic at Montjuick. This is the cable car ride up to the Montjuick Castle on the top. Telerific operates 10am to sunset. You can purchase single ride tickets or return. Recommend getting a return ticket. The cable ride is fun and you get sweeping views of Barcelona. On a bright sunny day this is well worth the money!
Montjuick castle is really a fortress and watchtower and had also served as a prison. The grounds are beautiful and you can enjoy great views of the city and the coastline. The castle is free on Sundays after 3pm. There is an entrance fee on other days of 5 Euros. The castle is usually open from 10.00am to Sunset. Sunsets are beautiful from this vantage point.
We had fun exploring the grounds and enjoying the breathtaking views from all directions. When we were tired out, we grabbed a few bites at the cafeteria.
After we had rested up, we took a bus to Poble Espanyol, the Spanish village. Note, we had to wait a while for the bus. So if you are short on time, arrange for alternates. Entry is 14€ euros per person. Poble Espanyol is a great place to spend the evening. It has over 100 replicas of structures from around different regions of Spain. So in a way if you cannot make it to different parts of Spain, visit this place to at least get a feel for it. The village is nicely laid out. We covered the village at a brisk pace as we were running short on time but enjoyed everything it had to offer. We visited the Fran Daurel Museum of Contemporary Art where we saw some works by Picasso, Dali etc. The village has beautiful shops and we dined at a restaurant in the main square on a course of Paella and Patata bravas. More info here
From there we walked down to the Magic Fountain (Fuentes de Montjuic) to catch the spectacular light, sound and water show. We witnessed a proposal right before the show and the merriment of the couple and their friends continued through the evening! Pro-tip: Arrive atleast 30-40minutes before the show starts as it gets very crowded. There are 2 shows each day. Check here for showtimes appropriate for the time of the year you travel.
Thus ended a long and fruitful Day 1 at Barcelona.
Day 2 in Barcelona
Day two was reserved for Antoni Gaudi!
Next day, we started bright and early as we had a lot of ground to cover.
First stop was Casa Batllo. We had reserved the Gold tickets and highly recommend reserving tickets online in advance. Pro tip: At the door there is a large crowd and you don't want to be disappointed if the tickets are all sold out. Most monuments and gated building throughout Spain follow crowd control by means of selling only certain number of tickets that are timed throughout the day. I cannot stress this enough - buy tickets online in advance of your trip. It saved our skin several times throughout the rest of our trip.
The Gold tickets were well worth the money. You can enter as soon as you arrive and get a few more extras too like a 3D overlay for the rooms to show you what the architect must have imagined when designing the rooms, vintage photo session, private rooms not open to rest of the visitors and free cancellation. More info here.
We thoroughly enjoyed all the eccentricities the architect, Antoni Gaudi had to offer in this building. Not a single stiff or straight line in the building. All smooth edges and soft curves. If you have time for just one Antoni Gaudi building then make it this one!
Next, we stopped at Casa Mila also known as La Pedrero. No straight lines on this building either. More info here.
We skipped Casa Vicens even though it was on our list as we were running short on time. More info here. As we had booked Parc Guell and Sagrada Familia tickets in advance we had to reach those places at a certain time.
Next stop was Parc Guell. Here too we had purchased tickets and made reservations online. You must arrive at the entrance gate at the allotted time. Once you enter the free area of the park, you have to walk to the ticketed area. So ensure you have allotted some time to get you there. We didn't explore the free area of the park as much and headed straight for the "monumental section" i.e. ticketed area. As the day progresses it only gets crowded. So recommend going there early in the day. A must see! Enjoy top attractions such as Hall of 100 columns, Perfect Arcade, Gaudi's ergonomic benches. More info here.
From Parc Guell we cabbed it to Sagrada Familia. Here too we had reservations but as we had arrived early we had some time to kill. The neighborhood is lined with diners and cafes. So we had our lunch and also tried a Spanish omelette which is made with potatoes and eggs. Delicious!
You are not allowed to enter more than 10 minutes before the time indicated on your ticket. The security line looked big but moved fast. Once inside, you have to go and collect the audio guides if you have purchased one from the lower level. The audio guide is pretty good and you can walk around at your own pace and listen to the history and meaning behind each motif/relief/structure in the church. It truly is an architectural marvel and you will see wonderful use of natural light and height of the building to accentuate the colors etc. It has been in the making for over a century and still unfinished. Would recommend this place highly for a visit. More info here.
Our next stop was very relaxing and pleasing to the eyes. It was the splendid Arc de Triomf. The day was gorgeous and the arc framed the sky so well. It looks good from afar and beautiful upfront. More info here.
The road leading away from Arc de Triomf connects to Ciutadella Park which is a leisurely 15 min walk. It has a beautiful fountain and other sights. More info here. This park is a lovely green space to walk around and enjoy the surroundings. Unfortunately we went on a really hot day and had to hot foot it out! Ice creams were literally melting between bites!
From here we went back to La Rambla to see a small fountain - Font de Canaletes. Biggest draw of this place was that it is said those who take a sip from this fountain return to Barcelona to visit again. Needless to add, I had to see it and drink water from this fountain! Unless you are looking for it specifically you will walk right past it. The locals use it a lot.
The last thing for the day on our agenda was to see the Picasso Museum. However as luck would have it, it was a free day and all tickets were sold out for the day. Lesson learnt - book tickets in advance. More info here.
From here we headed for dinner and a train to Madrid.
Day 3 in Barcelona
We spent Day 3 in Barcelona on our way back home.
La Barceloneta - Sandy Beach along boardwalk and good food. More info here.
La Boqueria Market. It is easily Barcelona’s best market. - Try the 1 euro smoothies. You will also find fresh fruits and other produce. More info here.
Botero’s Cat - In Rambla del Raval - final home for this giant metal cat. More info here.
Camp Nou - 2nd largest football stadium in the world. More info here.
With that we ended Day 3 in Barcelona and said adeu to Spain!
Day trips from Barcelona
Tip: If you have additional time, consider some day trips from Barcelona to the following places.
Montserrat - This place is just an hour inland and then you take the cable car up the Monastery. - Rewarding day trip from Barcelona. The monastery has a small wood statue of black virgin - 800 years old
Figueres - Has Salvador Dali Museum. Depicts his life work, dreamscape and other art installments.
Cadaques - Fishing Village
Barcelona City pass and hop on and hop off buses
Tip: We did not buy the Barcelona city pass primarily because we heard that sometimes people just waited at the hop on and hop off stops for ages before crowded buses showed up or worse they were stuck in traffic. For this very reason we decided to cover most everything from pt A to B via cabs or if it was a short distance on foot. If you go during off season, this pass may be worth it - More info here
Hope you enjoyed this journey with us. Will update the post with more pics soon.
For cost of the trip, refer to my main post on Spain.