Barcelona, Spain

If Barcelona isn’t the chicest, artsiest city in Europe then I don’t know what is! There are no shortage of museums, stunning architecture, trendy window shops, and phenomenal cuisine. I felt safe as a female traveler, had an easy time communicating (everyone we met spoke English), and the public transportation was great and easy to navigate. Barcelona is definitely a must visit city at least once in your life! Of all major European cities I have visited, Barcelona by far had the best food. I hadn’t had much experience with Spanish cuisine but it blew my expectations away! Everything from the tapas, sangria, and traditional dishes were cooked to perfection and every restaurant we tried delivered an exceptional experience! I only spent three days in the city, and would love to go back and see even more! Here are some Barcelona MUSTS: What to See: No doubt Barcelona’s crowning attractions are the works of Antoni Gaudi - namely the Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, and Casa Batllo. As an art historian buff, I could not have been more enthralled with the unique, surrealist buildings I used to learn about. Even if you don’t care much for art history, these three sites are all worth your time. The Sagrada Familia is a towering, world famous cathedral that has become an icon of the city. Parc Guell offers stunning views of Barcelona with a great combination of nature, playful buildings, and stunning colors. Color is rampant throughout the city of Barcelona. Tiles and ceramics, murals, and flowers are at every corner. For some of the most ornate and stunning colors, head over to the Palau Musica Catalana. Tours begin at 16 euro, but if you are lukcy enough to see a show there, definitely go for it. Even if you take an hour to look at the dazzling interiors, it is quite a spectacle worth seeing. View of Parc Guell in Barcelona Montjuic is a hill section of the city that offers great views of Barcelona, the Mediterranean, is home to the famed Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Botanical Gardens, and more. Just take the subway to Plaça d’Espanya and spend the day exploring. El Born: This is the neighborhood that I stayed in during my trip. It was a great, centralized location that felt safe and chic. I was super impressed by the cool shops, vibrant art scene, and incredible restaurants and museums that were just a few minute walk away. It also felt a little tucked away and not over crowded with tourists! Walking the streets definitely made me feel like a local. It is bordering the Gothic Quarter, and amazing to wander the little side streets that offer hidden gems you might not find on other mainstream travel blogs. My El Born recommendations! Syra Coffee Metro Cuadrado Shop Tapeo (book a reservation in case!) MOCO (Museu of Contemporary art) Tablao Flamenco, Palau Dalmases Nonna’s Brunch (go here for breakfast!) There were so many window shops that didn’t have names- I recommend just strolling the streets and seeing what you stumble across! Just keep in mind that some stores were only open later in the day or during the week. Flamenco Show: Can you even go to Spain without seeing a Flamenco show? Even if these are a ‘tourist trap’, it was one of my favorite things we did! We went to the evening show at Palau Dalmases - a historic theater right by our Airbnb. Shows are about an hour long and were very entertaining. We purchased the tapas and drink combo as well and were very pleased with the food! Great show and dinner all in one. Tickets were about $45 for the show + dinner, so a pretty good deal! Where to Eat: I know there are so many great restaurants in the city I didn’t make it to and I want to go back and find more! Luckily, all of the ones we did eat at were AMAZING, included the ones we tried on our local food tour. Tapas Tapeo - Order the skirt steak and tomato burrata if nothing else. Life changing. Located in the El Born neighborhood. We got lucky and were able to get a spot at around 4pm on a Saturday, but every other time we walked by there was a huge line out the door. Reservation just in case! Tosca Palau- A fantastic option for dinner with several tapas options (vegetarian friendly as well). Also located across the street from Palau Musica, so hit both! Some of the highlights were the Tuna Tartare, Vegetable Lasagna, and Steak with Almond Sauce. Los Juanele, Tast, and Pepa Tomate: These local restaurants were part of the Food Tour we did (booked under Airbnb experiences!) Our tour guide, a Barcelona native, brought us to these spots that locals frequent. You get a true taste of the authentic Barceloneta cuisine! Side note, I always recommend doing a food tour the first day you visit a new city. It is a great way to familiarize yourself with the city, try amazing food, get recommendations from the tour guides, and meet other people! Coffee/Breakfast Syra Coffee El Avocado La Estrella Bakery Nonna’s Brunch - A trendy option for breakfast/brunch. Familiar western dishes and coffee options that remind you of home while providing Public Transportation Barcelona has a great public transportation system that will get you to all of the places you will want to see! I recommend purchasing the Barcelona Card- on top of getting you into the Gaudi sites, it includes a 72 or 96 hour subway pass. This was really helpful to have as Barcelona is a large city and some spots were 45-60 minutes walk from each other! TIP: Learn from our mistake! If you purchase the Barcelona card online, it will send you an email confirmation with a QR code/what appears to be your ticket. This is NOT your ticket! You have to show this code to one of the kiosks in the city (we went to the one at Plaça de Catalunya). We had one scary incident where we had used the subway before activating our card (completely unaware our ticket didn’t count). We were stopped at the exit ticket check and once we showed our “online ticket”, were immediately met with demanding workers saying we needed to give them our passports and pay the hefty fines for illegally riding the train. Luckily another worker stepped in and explained we just have to go upstairs and activate the card to continue using it… anyway, now we know! I felt like I was able to hit a lot of the main points of Barcelona in a few days, but there is still so much I want to go back and see! There are so many other towns and coastal areas to venture out too- I can’t wait until I get to go back. The Spanish people are very welcoming and I look forward to spending more time in Spain!