Barcelona Travel Guide
SUMMARY
*must-do
Restaurants
Condal Tapas Bar
Can Ramonet
Benzina
Sights
Arc de Triomf
La Barceloneta (Beach)
Parc del Port Olimpic
Citadel Park
*Gothic Quarter
Columbus Statue
*Port
*Parque de Montjuïc
Palace of Montjuïc
Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc
Anella Olimpica
Palau Sant Jordi Sports
Calatrava Tower
Activities
*Park Güell
*Sagrada Familia
Museu Etnológic i de Cultures del Mon (Ethnological Museum)
*Museu Picasso
Cafés
Cooofe Bar
La Roseta
Boheme
Demasié
Clubs
Razzmatazz
Hotel
Sallés Hotel Ciutat del Prat
COMMENTARY
Restaurants
Condal Tapas Bar
· Cute tapas bar with mostly outdoor seating right by Sagrada Familia
· Definitely would recommend it for a quick meal pre- or post- Sagrada Familia
· We got the shrimp and patatas bravas, both were good, but the shrimp was AMAZING and the garlic butter sauce was incredible (kind of unexpected hahaha)
· The sangria comes in a FAT glass, but the tinto is better
· Not too expensive
Can Ramonet
· Smaller traditional Catalán food, we loved it!
· The seafood paella was incredible and comes in a giant pan; you can only order for two people but it honestly could’ve fed 3 or more people
· Our desserts were delicious!
· Great atmosphere, more intimate and traditional and cozy
Benzina
· Cool Italian restaurant with a more modern vibe
· Cool drink menu as well, I got the Cocaine cocktail and it was delicious
o I think it was a gin cocktail, with fruity flavors, and a powdered sugar rim
· I don’t remember what I ordered but the pasta was very good
· Not too expensive and great option if you want a dinner that feels more upscale but is still pretty cheap
o Seemed like there were a good amount of locals eating out here
Sights
Arc de Triomf
· A must see in Barcelona
· Pretty lane with lots of palm trees leading up to it
· Easy to stop at on your way to the beach areas
· Also close to Columbus monument
La Barceloneta (Beach)
· Really fun to walk along here!
· It was rainy when Gillian and I went but there were people surfing which was super cool to see
· Pretty walkway and there’s lots of cool architecture along the water
· Also in an area with good restaurants
Parc del Port Olimpic
· Walked here from Barceloneta
· Nothing especially interesting but might as well walk through
Citadel Park
· Bummer we didn’t get to actually see the famous pretty fountain
· BUT enjoyed our walk through nonetheless
· There’s a cool “castle” in there
· Lots of little statues and monuments scattered throughout the park so would recommend a nice stroll on a not-rainy day
*Gothic Quarter
· This was my favorite part of the city, I loooooved it
· Just take a stroll through and take in the sights
· The Picasso museum is here
· There’s also lots of cute little bakeries in this area
Columbus Statue
· Obviously not a huge fan of the guy but the statue + monument were super cool
· Close to the harbor and walkable to the beach from here
· Not too far from the Arc
· There’s also some pretty buildings right by it
*Port
· No clue what it’s actually called!
· But this area was beautiful and I really really enjoyed walking along it
*Parque de Montjuïc
· OMG one of my FAVES
· I absolutely loved this place, it was just magical
· A MUST visit
Palace of Montjuïc
· Right at the front, very pretty
· Easy to see
Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc
· Olympic stadium from the ’92 Olympics
· Just saw the outside but it was still cool
Anella Olimpica
· This is just the term for the all-encompassing plaza with lots of buildings/structures
Palau Sant Jordi Sports
o Didn’t go in, but this is still in use!
Calatrava Tower
o This thing is SO cool
o Good photo opp
Activities
*Park Güell
· Love love LOVED this place so much!
· It felt like a little fairytale world
· It’s a hike to get up there but SO SO worth it!
· Make sure you set aside lots of time to walk through and see everything
· Definitely see the little houses, the mosaic lizard, and the cool cavern-like areas
· Everything is just SO cool
*Sagrada Familia
· STUNNING
· Also big fairytale vibes, it’s just so beautiful
· I just walked through for a while looking up with my mouth open in awe
· Take advantage of the free audio guide in the app
· MAKE SURE TO MAKE A RESERVATION AHEAD OF TIME
· Kind of expensive for a monument but absolutely worth it
Museu Etnológic i de Cultures del Mon (Ethnological Museum)
· This place was cool, definitely not a must-see
· BUT we had time to kill before the Picasso Museum
· Different exhibits on each of the continents besides Europe
· Loved seeing all the artifacts and art though
*Museu Picasso
· LOVED the Picasso Museum!
· One of my favorite museums I’ve been to
· They do a really awesome job of weaving storytelling through the art
· Definitely use the audio guide for some insight and good stories
o Has some of Picasso’s most famous paintings
· There is a stunning room inside
Cafés
Cooofe Bar
· Gillian and I stopped here for a quick breakfast, would absolutely recommend for this
· I got coffee, a croissant, and some fruit
· The Nutella stuffed croissant was delicious
· Cheap!
La Roseta
· Super adorable cozy little bakery near Barceloneta
· Definitely would recommend!
· There’s not a lot of seating inside, but everything would be easy enough to take with you
· The banana bread was amazing and really hit a craving I didn’t know I had
· We each got a sandwich with avocado, tomato, and mozzarella and both loved them
· Not expensive! Also great coffee
Boheme
· Stopped here for a quick lunch pre-Picasso Museum
· In the Gothic Quarter
· Nothing super unique but my sandwich and cookie were very good and this provided a much-needed pick-me-up
Demasié
· Adorable bakery in the Gothic Quarter
· Staff was extremely friendly and very nice
· Lots of really cool + extravagant little pastry options
· We got little pizza flatbreads to-go for dinner and they were delicious
o The one with mushrooms was soooo good omg (I also just love mushrooms)
· I also got a Nutella cookie that admittedly was kinda underwhelming but still very good
Clubs
Razzmatazz
· We had lots of fun here!
· The club was really cool and big enough but not like overwhelming
· Different rooms which was great, so you could kinda choose the vibe
· I was expecting like wild crazy, and it was definitely fun, but I was honestly just a little bit underwhelemed
o I think maybe if we would’ve gone with a big group it would’ve been more fun..?
Hotel
Sallés Hotel Ciutat del Prat
· Mom and I stayed in this hotel the night before our flight and it was super nice
· Great location, like 10 minutes from the airport
· You can book shuttles to + from the airport!
· Very nice and new (probably remodeled recently) and clean
OVERALL ADVICE
Transportation
· The metro is great and super easy to use with Apple maps
o The grid looks complicated but as long as you plug things in, it’s easy
o Metro goes basically everywhere
o It’s a big/spread-out city, so some of your metro rides can be like 20-30 minutes
o Gillian and I took the 5 euro bus from downtown to the airport, which was super convenient
· Cabify is the Uber-like app
o Safe and easy to use
o Works just like Uber
o Would definitely recommend this instead of just doing a normal cab
· Taxis are available but are a little less reliable
o I taxied in from the airport both times; felt super safe and the fares were pretty fair (ha!)
o BUT I would recommend Cabify in the city because it’s usually around the same price and just more secure
§ Maddie (who was in Barcelona for the whole sem, hi Maddie!) one time got scammed by a cab driver who tried to make them pay more, was rude, and freaking threw her phone out; also tried to drive off with her friend inside because they didn’t wanna pay his marked-up price
City Itself
· Most of Barcelona is set up in a grid system which makes every street look basically the same, that’s the less exciting part of the city
· BUT the Gothic Quarter is beautiful, the areas by the beach + port are so pretty, and I absolutely loved the monuments
· Be prepared to walk and take the metro because the most popular sights are pretty spread out (ex: Park Güell, Montjuïc, Sagrada Familia, Picasso Museum, beach/port, etc)
· Take in and enjoy the aspect of the Catalan culture; it’s a really cool cultural aspect of the city that I think really sets it apart from other cities, especially in Spain
· The city just has a cool, quirky, eclectic vibe and the aesthetics are just very cool
· I wish I would’ve had time to do this, but make time to see all the cool various “Casas” around the city that the rich + prominent in the city used to use as a way to showcase their wealth through architecture
Also wish I would’ve been able to go into Güell Palace!
