On our recent trip with WOWair, besides Alicante, we made it to one of the most popular cities in Spain – Barcelona. I was advised by many people that I would like it, but not love it. Oh how they were wrong! Though we only had a few days in Barcelona (a total of 3 whole days), it kind of feels like we got a chance to explore all of the places that were on our bucket list. Although I wouldn’t mind another trip back… I’m always such a sucker for beautiful architecture and anywhere in Europe always gets me!
You’re not going to see any recommendations to visit La Rambla or the best clubs to hit up since Peter and I aren’t those types of tourists. We love to keep it low key and the craziest night for us typically revolves around a bottle of wine atop of a park/hill while watching the sunset. But for adventurers that like to keep things chill while traveling, we have all of the best recommendations for you, including our absolute favourite tapas joint which we were recommended by so many different people! Don’t let the internet’s title of it being Barcelona’s busiest tapas restaurant deter you because a visit is so worth it!
Park Güell
When visiting Barcelona, there’s no way that you can leave without stopping by to visit Park Güell. Designed by Antoni Gaudí, this public park represents his naturalist phase when he enjoyed playing around with nature in conjunction with geometry. As you continue to explore Barcelona, where many of the beautiful buildings bear the mark of Gaudí’s work, you’ll begin to recognize his style of flowing architecture.
This park is a definite must-see but I would advise that you arrive as soon as it opens up in the morning in order to avoid the throngs of tour buses that offload hundreds of tourists. You’ll probably need roughly 1-1.5 hours to fully tour the park as there are so many things to see, but the view overlooking the city is one of my favourite vantage points there.
Sagrada Familia
Everyone who visits Barcelona must absolutely visit the Sagrada Familia. This unfinished masterpiece of Gaudí is a large Roman Catholic church that is still underconstruction and isn’t slated to be finished till 2026. The year of completion is actually planned to coincide with the centennial of his death and will represent the culmination of his career. You can still visit it in the midst of construction, and even go up either of the two facades (though we went up neither because it was too busy). If you end up taking a tour, you’ll have the opportunity to peak into the basement of the church where Gaudí’s tomb is housed. But besides looking down, you should also look up, way up, to admire the beautiful stained glass windows that emit a rainbow of light as the sun shifts across the church throughout the day. It’s actually quite magical.
I would advise that you buy your tickets in advance to ensure that your time slot isn’t sold out! You also have to make sure that you show up on time, because if you’re late for your slot, you won’t be able to get in.
If crowds aren’t really for you, there is a beautiful park directly across the church with a little lookout point between the trees and across the pond where you can nab a beautiful view of the Sagrada Familia that is far away from the hustle and bustle of other tourists.
Quimet y Quimet
We were recommended by three different people on three separate occasions to go for tapas at Quimet y Quimet. That’s some real life TripAdvisor situation going on. But in all seriousness, if you’re looking for a solid place for tapas, Quimet y Quimet is your place to go. This standing room only bar is the prime definition of a hole-in-the-wall, as there isn’t much space. You’ll get that cramped in feeling of being at a club during peak time at 2 AM, but the food is totally worth it. The walls are completely lined from floor to ceiling with different bottles and although it may look intimidating to select from, the bar staff do a fine job of recommending something for you.
The owner (to my assumption), spends the majority of his time behind the glass cases at the front prepping all of the dishes. Some of our favourites were a full plate of raw scallops, smoked tuna, asparagus, and so many others that I can’t even remember them for the life of me anymore. The tapas menu is unlike any other and won’t consist of your basic “spam on bread” type of tapas. The menu is mostly seafood themed, and I have no qualms about that!
There isn’t really much else that I can say for this tapas besides the fact that our experience was absolutely phenomenal, and that everyone should make a point of popping in while in Barcelona. Your mouth and stomach will thank you for it!
Cascada Monumental
Situated deep inside of the Parc de la Ciutadella, this water feature is a bit of walk to get to, but well worth it. While we were there, the monument was undergoing some repairs and the pond had been completely drained, so we were unable to see it in all of its glory, but as the sun set over the top of the structure, it was a magical moment and one of my fondest memories of the trip. Be wary of pickpockets around this park as many of them prey on travelers.
Barri Gotic
Situated in Barcelona’s Old Town, the Gothic Quarter is one of the three neighbourhoods that are part of the area. It’s composed of many different narrow alleys packed with restaurants, cafes, and boutiques. There are so many cute little jewelry and leather boutiques to pop into that we ended up spending so much time in this area! The Gothic Quarter hands down is one of my favourite neighbourhoods, but also keep an eye out for pick pockets here as well!
Café Jaime Beriestain
We accidentally walked into this cafe in the middle of the day while we were completely parched and decided to take a break from our walk to sit down and enjoy some tea. What we had initially intended to be a quick 30 minute break ended up lasting almost two hours because of how comfortable we got. The decor is impeccable, which also made it difficult for us to get up and leave. If you’re looking for somewhere to pop in for a break, I would recommend this cafe purely because of how relaxing it was!
Casa Batlo
Yet another Gaudí creation, and the very first one that we visited since it was on the way to our lunch immediately after we checked into our hotel. We did quite a bit of research before going on our trip, and found that it wasn’t worth the visit to go inside, as what you want to see is the outside wall facing the street. Plus there was also a ridiculously long line up to get inside and we were in a rush so neither of us were in the mood to wait in line. I would say that the outside wall is beautiful enough on its own and you don’t really need to purchase a ticket to access the interior (though some would say otherwise).
El Born Barrio
This little seaside neighbourhood close to the Parc de la Ciutadella and the Arc de Triompf (see below) is a lovely artistic enclave and another area that we instantly fell in love with. Nestled amongst some Medieval monuments and tight alleys, getting lost is fairly easy—albeit a little fun. In between the tight streets are sprawling courts and shared common spaces with lots of outdoor dining for you to sit down and enjoy a sangria on a patio while people watching. If you enjoy the nightlife, but want something a little more subdued, this is an area that you’ll want to hit up.
As we stumbled on this cute little overpass connecting two buildings, I fell in love with the romantic atmosphere of the neighbourhood.
Arc de Triompf
Not to be confused with the arch in Paris (which I’m so stoked to be seeing this weekend!), this arch is just as beautiful and just as popular. The first day that we were in Barcelona just so happened to be a holiday, so it was extremely empty, but since it was so dark we didn’t quite have the chance to take many photos. We managed to make it back the next day but it coincided with Lunar New Year, and unbeknownst to us, a group had booked the space for a festival. While it was fun to experience, it was still super and hectic and we didn’t quite manage to get the perfect photo that I had originally envisioned. It’s all good though because that just means that I’ll have a reason to come back to Barcelona again!
Archdiocese of Barcelona
This beautiful Gothic-style cathedral was constructed between the 13-15th century and is the seat where the Archbishop of Barcelona sits. It’s enormous facade on the front draws in thousands of tourists a day, and is still an active cathedral where locals attend. You can definitely take a tour of the inside but line ups tend to be long so we opted to walk around and admire its architecture instead.
Photography Credits: The Dunk Listt
This trip was made possible by WOWair, however all views are 100% honest and my own.
