Sunny Barcelona
Barcelona may be our favorite place we've visited so far. I'm not sure if it was the boost of Vitamin D or all of the cava sangria. Either way, Barcelona is at the top of the list. Beautiful architecture, delicious food and vibrant culture make Barcelona an ideal year-round weekend getaway.
Day by Day
Thursday 10 December
We arrived late Thursday night and took a quick bus ride to the city center, where we switched to the metro to get to our hotel.
Av. Diagonal, 161-163, 08018 Barcelona
The hotel had a decent room and breakfast, and the price was right (thanks to points). The hotel was conveniently located near two subway stops, making it easy to get around. Barcelona is so spread out that we were likely to need transit no matter where stayed, so we were happy with the location.
Friday 11 December
10am, 11am, and 2pm, three hours*
Meet your guide just outside the Jaume I Metro Exit at the square Plaça de l’Àngel in front of Hotel Suizo. Just look for the guides in red SANDEMANs NEW Europe T-shirts!
Our guide was one of the best we've had on a Sandeman's tour (I can't believe I forget her name!). She was knowledgeable, funny, and best of all, had great food recommendations for us.
La Boqueria Market
8am-8:30pm, closed Sundays
Les Rambles, 91, 08001 Barcelona
Food markets are a highlight of most trips, and La Boqueria did not disappoint. It was a short walk from the end of the tour, and we wandered around, salivating at every stand before we settled in for lunch at one of the restaurants inside the market. We had to do a bit of creeping to snag a seat, but when we did, we ate fantastic fried artichoke, croquettes, and grilled veggies at El Quim de la Boqueria. We then wandered the market some more and sampled empanadas, meat on a stick and chocolate (save your money and buy candy at the stand out on Las Ramblas instead of in the market).
To walk off our lunch, we wandered up and down La Rambla and went all the way down to the water.
We then walked back up towards the Catedral de Barcelona and explored the Christmas market outside it. Barcelona has an interesting Christmas tradition featuring a "Shit Log." The kids drum on the log, and then he poops out presents (we can't make this stuff up - our tour guide told us about it and the stalls at the market confirmed that this is indeed a major part of Christmas in Barcelona!
Sinagoga Mayor
10:30am-6:30pm Mon-Fri
Carrer de Marlet', 5, 08002 Barcelona
We made a Jewish heritage stop at the Sinagoga Mayor, one of the oldest synagogues in Europe. It's a tiny site that's been well excavated and preserved, and we were given a short tour and history of how the synagogue was recently re-discovered.
Tapas bar hopping
After relaxing at the hotel, we went back out to the Born District for tapas bar hopping. We arrived at Bormuth around 8pm and were seated in one of the last available tables. We
shared a few delicious tapas and indulged in our first dangerous cava sangria. By the time we left, the place was packed.
The next stop was Euskal Etxea where they had tapas at the bar for people to grab. Each tapa has a toothpick in it, and at the end of the night they count up your toothpicks to know how much to charge you. We didn't really know what we were eating at this place, but loved the grab and go style. We ended the night at a tiny no-name bar in the main square in the Born District.
Saturday 12 December
Winter (from October 15th to March 31st) 11:00 AM daily
Spring-Summer (from April 1st to October 14th) 11:00 AM and 4:30 PM daily
Meets at the Plaça Reial (by the water fountain) and lasts 2.5 hours. Guides will be holding a big green umbrella at the meeting point until just before the start of the tour.
We enjoyed that the tour took us around a few different neighborhoods (we rode the metro twice) and showed us a variety of Gaudi's buildings. The guide had photos of the interiors, which was helpful because we knew we didn't have time to visit the inside of them all. The tour finished outside La Sagrada Familia, making it convenient for our visit there.
La Cantina Mexicana
Carrer de València, 427, 08013 Barcelona
This was one of our Sandeman guide's fantastic recommendations. Before this meal, we hadn't had Mexican food since we moved to London, and we'd been missing it. A gem of a place with delicious nachos. Get there quick because this block will likely be demolished by the time the Sagrada Familia is complete!
Carrer de Mallorca, 401, 08013 Barcelona
We got great advice to pre-book our tickets and to make sure to show up on time, as they do not let you in if you're more than 15 minutes late. We got there a few minutes early and had the chance to wander around on our own before joining a guided tour. We were a bit toured out at this point but really enjoyed seeing Gaudi's workshop and the trip up the Passion facade. We spent about 2 hours there total, and were very impressed and pleased to have seen it.
Magic Fountain at Montjuic
Avinguda Rius i Taulet, 1, 08004 Barcelona
Fridays and Saturdays from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Music sessions: 7:00 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:30 pm.
We relaxed for a bit at the hotel, and then went back out to see the Magic Fountain show. We weren't sure if it was going to be worth the hype, but were thoroughly impressed with the light and music fountain show. It was in a totally new part of the city that we hadn't yet seen, and the area was alive and packed. Definitely a worthwhile trip, and I imagine it would be especially fun in the summertime.
Carrer Botella, 11-13, 08001 Barcelona
This trendy restaurant seems to come out of nowhere amidst a run-down, shady looking neighborhood. We made a reservation for 8:30pm and would not have been seated otherwise. I took a gamble and ordered paella, but quickly learned paella isn't for me. Josh was also underwhelmed with his meal, so it wasn't the best dinner for us.
Sunday 13 December
8:30am to 6:15pm (last entry time at 17.30)
Carrer d'Olot, s/n, 08024 Barcelona
Similar to Sagrada Familia, it is recommended that you pre-purchase tickets and arrive on time. Parc Guell was Gaudi's attempt at residential architecture, but the development didn't take off as expected. Nonetheless, it's a beautiful outdoor space with incredible city views. We spent about a half hour exploring and enjoying the sunshine.
Barceloneta
With a few hours left before our flight, we decided to take advantage for the sunshine and head to the beach! We walked around the boardwalk and Barceloneta and sat at a no-name beach bar for some sangria. The drinks weren't anything special, but we were just so happy to be sitting outside in December that it was a definite highlight. We grabbed a quick lunch at Bar Bitacora for some final tapas before heading to the airport.
Rose-Thorn-Bud
On every trip we share our rose (highlight), thorn (lowlight), and bud (what we're looking forward to).
Rose - the sunshine! (Becca), cured meat (Josh)
Thorn - paella for dinner on Saturday (Becca), over-paying for chocolate at the market and then seeing it cheaper across the street (Josh)
Bud - having Josh's family visit from America (both)
If you go...things to know
How long should you stay? You could easily spend five days exploring all that Barcelona has to offer, but we were able to pack a lot into three without feeling too rushed. We would love to see what it's like in the summer when it's beach weather, but we had long sunny days that felt warm compared to London.
Barcelona is huge, so budget plenty of time for getting around. We saved some money buying 10 packs of metro rides that we used throughout the weekend, rather than individual tickets. The metro is cheap and efficient and was our primary way of getting around. The tickets stay good through the year, so if you plan to return or know friends who are going, you don't have to worry about having extra rides at the end of the weekend.
Tapas, tapas, tapas. Why try one restaurant when you can try three? We recommend hopping around from place to place to try the different style of tapas.
When to go? We found the city to be vibrant and lively even in December, but friends of our stayed by the beach a week earlier and were surprised at how quiet it was. I imagine in the summertime that's a great place to stay, so just plan accordingly depending on the season.
*Opening times and meeting points are subject to change -- double check before you go!
Have you been to Barcelona? What are your favorite tapas bars and Gaudi buildings? We would love to hear your comments in the space below!
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