Allie, Tesha Barcelona
““I don’t need to ask Mom! I’m a grown man!” ”
Continuing on the month-long travel adventure journey from the summer 2018, my friend Allie and I headed from Iceland to Barcelona.
Here some helpful hints on traveling around the city, places to stay in Barcelona, and restaurants to try.
Tip #1: Fly the ‘Spanish Spirit Airlines’ … at your own risk
Vueling airlines – is what we flew from Iceland to Barcelona. It’s a cheap airline similar to those other budget airlines where you have to pay to use the overhead bins, and the seating is like being squeezed into a sardine can, but it is the most inexpensive airline to fly around Spain. Both of our flights got delayed slightly as well.
Sunrise over Barcelona
Tip #2: Don’t Fly in Early on a Sunday
We took an overnight flight from Iceland which got us to Spain around 5 am. We had to wait for the subway to open at 6 am and then took the train into the city. It’s really easy to take the train into the city from BCN – but a lot harder to navigate the subway systems (more on that later).
Flying into Barcelona early in the morning
We arrived in the neighborhood of our Air Bnb to find that literally, NOTHING was open. It was like wandering through a zombie apocalypse ghost town – even though by this time it was 7 am. We couldn’t check into our Air Bnb until 9 am so we found a lone coffee shop that was open which brings me to my next tip…
Tip #3: Try the cappuccinos and croissants – they’re amazing!
When we first arrived in Barcelona we luckily found one place that was open. It was a little cafe called Dino Pan. When we walked in, the clientele seemed to be a potpourri of old men, homeless and or/sketchy people, but we had no where else to go. Thankfully, they had the most delicious chocolate croissant and cup of cappuccino I’ve ever had – and all for 2 Euro! And they had free wifi which is how we figured out that our Air Bnb was literally right around the corner.
The most delicious chocolate croissant and cappuccino.
This started a week-long trend of me ordering cappuccinos and croissants every morning for breakfast. Sorry, not sorry – they are delicious. It could have been the lack of sleep and exhaustion but my favorite cappuccino and croissant of all of my travels throughout Spain is this one at Dino Pan.
Tip #4: No customs or passport stamps in Spain
That’s right. For most flights in and out of Spain, we did not go through customs and have no stamps in our passports from Spain. No legal proof we were even there.
I do not have a stamp in my passport that says “Spain”
Tip #5: You can purchase phone SIM cards for your Iphone for 20 Euro
Then you don’t have to use your international data. You get 10MB for 20 Euro. The company we used was called Orange. We walked in the store and bought the cards and had the customer service gal install them. Make sure to keep your own SIM card in a safe place though so you can switch them out on your way home!
Tip #6: Get lost walking around the city
Wandering around the Gothic Quarter
There is something so romantic about simply wandering around a city and exploring neighborhoods on your own. Spain felt very safe to us so we felt comfortable just moving to wherever our feet wanted to go. It was also nice to have a day with no agenda except to explore. We started in one of the more touristy areas called Las Ramblas (largely because even at 2pm on a Sunday very little was open) and then made our way through the gothic section of the city down to the waterfront, the beach and finally to
Parc de la Ciutadella. At that point, we had walked 20,000 steps and we were just too tired to explore the park but it was beautiful with the Arc de Triomf framing the entrance which was built for the 1888 Universal Exhibition.
The beaches of Barcelona are really crowded.
Here’s looking at you
We found the beach
Arc de Triumf
Gothic Quarter, Barcelona
Tip #7: Drink Sangria. Lots of Sangria.
Fresh Burrata Cheese and Sangria
Spain is where sangria was invented and boy do they do how to do it right. Sangria is made with either red or white wine, brandy, and chopped fruits We had sangria with most of our meals while we were there but learned quickly that splitting one drink was PLENTY for the both of us. They are served in large, goblets.
Tip #8: Try the paella and the cheese.
Paella is a traditional Spanish dish that is made with rice, saffron, seafood (or chicken) served in a cast-iron skillet. This makes the rice a little crispy around the end. It is delicious!
Is there anything better than fried cheese?
Spain is home to one of my all-time favorite cheeses: Manchego. Manchego is a mild sheep’s cheese with a firm, compact consistency, and a buttery texture. Spain also has a lot of burrata cheese – which is the creamier cousin to Mozerella. You can either eat it fried (yes please!) or served soft and either way is heaven.
Tip #9: The subway systems are confusing!
I consider myself to be a pretty savvy traveler. I have taken public transportation in Hong Kong, Argentina, Peru, and Portugal but for the life of me, I could not figure out how to use Barcelona’s subway system. (I also speak Spanish). There are no signs telling you where to go or which side of the subway track to be on. There are only very confusing maps. In short, we tried to use the subway twice, and gave up both times when we couldn’t ascertain which direction we wanted to go in.
Side note: It could have been the jet-lag and exhaustion too. If anyone has better tips, I’m totally open to hearing them!
Tip #10: La Sagrada Familia is lives up to the hype! [But schedule a tour in advance]
For those of you who have seen La Sagrada Familia, you understand how amazing it is. But I was unprepared for the intricately detailed sculptures, the columns inside that branch out like trees in a forest, or the stained glass that radiates blue and green light on one side of the cathedral and red and orange on the other side. There was so ugh thought and planning that went into the creation of this church, that it’s no wonder it’s not scheduled to be completed until 2026! We took an elevator to the top of Tower de Pasion where we enjoyed panoramic views of the entire city of Barcelona that stretched out to the sea.
Construction of La Sagrada Familia is scheduled to be in 2026.
All the crazy details of La Sagrada Familia
The columns of La Sagrada are meant to look like tree trunks
Looking out on Barcelona at the top of the Basilica
The “Glory” side of the cathedral has stain glass that’s all greens and blues while the “Passion” side is stained reds and yellows.
Allie summed it up best when she said “I get the hype now.”
There are several ticket options: but I recommended the one that we did which included a tour of one of the towers. From the towers you have the most amazing views of the city. You can find the link to the tickets with audio guide and tower included here: link
Tip #11: Gaudi’s Parque Guell is also awesome! [But again, buy tickets in advance.]
Standing outside the entrance to Parque Guell
Parque Guell sits atop the west side of the city on a hill with panoramic views of all of Barcelona. Our goal was to arrive before the park opened and began charging people to see the Gaudi house and monuments, but alas we arrived right at 8am and all security had already been set up. However, we still got to walk around the park – and see everything – we just didn’t get to see any of Gaudi’s famous houses called the “Monumental Core’, or ‘Serpentine Bench’ up close. We were glad that we arrived there at 8am, however because the morning was still somewhat cool. As we hiked up to the top of the park to see the whole city spread out before us, light filtered in through some of the uniquely curving columns and bridges designed by Gaudi. The air smelled of lavender, eucalyptus and olive trees. Since it was “so early” for Barcelona-time we were virtually the only people there for the first hour and it was heavenly.
View from top of Parque Guell
Arriving early at the park allowed us to have it almost all to ourselves
We didn’t buy tickets, but in retrospect I would have. To purchase tickets in advance click here. This is because the tickets usually sell out a few days in advance. However, we did get to see all of these things from different viewpoints in the park for free.
Tip #12: Wander around (or opt to stay in) La Gracia neighborhood
La Gracia is also known as the “hipster part” of Barcelona. It is a neighborhood with enchanting tree-lined streets, apartments that all seem to have flower boxes, and adorable shops and restaurants seemingly straight out of Shabby Chic. Every few blocks that we walked through, there would be a square with restaurant tables set outside, children playing soccer and the smalls of delicious things to eat wafting through the air. Allie and I ate in this neighborhood three times and each time found little cafes that sold delicious food. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the food here???? After completely stuffing ourselves, we decided that we also deserved dessert. We found a charming Gelateria and split the best pistachio ice cream I’ve ever had. We also tried the the “signature dessert of Barcelona” which is churros con chocolate – but were disappointed. Disneyland still wins for best churros!
Almost all the buildings have flowerboxes on the windows
La Gracia
So many cute street cafes
This is a restaurant only a few blocks from the Arc di Triumf. My favorite restaurant that we ate at for the entire trip to Spain was restaurant called The FireBug. Allie and I shared tapas of humus with pita bread drizzled in honey, garlic-butter shrimp, a delicate mango and fish ceviche and papas bravas. It was heaven! Their cocktails are also delicious.
Delicious Ceviche at Firefly
Tip #14: Research the neighborhood that you plan on staying in.
Stopped at the local grocery story to eat some delicious freshly cut watermelon while wandering around.
Our Air Bnb was located in a neighborhood called El Clot – which we had chosen for it’s proximity to the subway and also for it’s proximity to La Sagrada Familia. Honestly though, the neighborhood, and our Air Bnb was nothing to write home about. If I were to go again, I would either stay in La Gracia, by the beach in a neighborhood called Barceloneta or in the Gothic Quarter. I think we would have had an easier time getting around in any one of these neighborhoods. Barceloneta has a beachy, laid-back feel with really cute streets where everyone seems to be carrying a surfboard.
Tip #15: The People in Spain are nice.
Allie and I have been so impressed so far by how friendly, helpful and kind the people of Barcelona are. From our taxi drivers to our waiters, everyone has been so pleasant and honest, and that makes our experience all the better.
Some local graffiti flair
Side note #1: I do not know what Spanish people do for exercise, but I don’t know if I’ve been in a country with more good-looking people!
Side note #2: Allie and I have been thoroughly impressed by how clean everything has been here in Spain. The streets are clean and there have been virtually no homeless people – apart from the cafe on our first day, Dino Pan.
Barcelona is just the beginning of our tour of Spain.
Next on the travel part of my blog: Southern Spain
““There are no straight lines in nature. Therefore, buildings must have no straight lines or sharp corners.” ”