The tiny, winding, dark streets, grand, tree-lined paseos and intimate, ancient squares keep beckoning me back to Barcelona. On every street, around every corner, in every neighborhood, there is a magnificent juxtaposition of old and new, ancient and modern, traditional and cutting edge. This is a city and people that both celebrate and are inspired by their rich heritage. Barcelona is a city and people that inspire its visitors to celebrate and become immersed in its rich heritage.
My husband and I spent two weeks in Barcelona in a lovely apartment at the Placa de Catalunya end of Las Ramblas. We had been warned that it would be really loud and pick pockets would steal our wallets. People recommended that we eat paella and go see flamenco. This was NOT the Barcelona that we would come to experience. Perhaps it was the time of year – it was the end of spring and it was still rather chilly for the musicians to play their stringed instruments. Perhaps it was too early for tourists such that the pick pockets saw no point of rambling on Las Ramblas. Perhaps it was the lure of the tapas bars and late night clubs that prevented us from eating paella and watching flamenco. Maybe we found a different side of Barcelona because we took many wrong turns (and did not get our pockets picked).
There were a few things that we knew we wanted to do in Barcelona: (1) eat tapas at a bar; (2) see Gaudi architecture; (3) drink Suizo de la Granja Viader; and (4) stay up ALL NIGHT because if we couldn’t stay up all night in Barcelona – then we were real losers (Note – #1 & #2 were my husband’s goals and #3 & #4 – mine)! Those were the non-negotiables. I am proud to say that we successfully achieved our four goals. Of course, goals like that are easy to achieve. In addition, we visited amazing museums and galleries, shopped at the wonderful markets, discovered great local fashion designers, wound our way through endless streets and alleys, had delicious meals and drank LOTS of cava (at least I did – lunch and dinner).
Street outside our window in El Raval
As always, the thing that I like to do most is walk, walk, walk, eat, walk some more, stop at a café, walk some more, go home & rest, have a glass of wine (or cava, in Barcelona) then have dinner. Barcelona is perfect for that. We would spend a day or two in each barrio/neighborhood, exploring the sites, finding small shops, sitting on benches and watching the people walk by (my husband was crazy about the way women in Barcelona wear their hair – great haircuts with baby bangs and cool haircolors). On the last day, we were walking around and realized that we had landed in a barrio that we had not yet discovered. What did this mean? We would just have to return to Barcelona because there is so much more walking, eating, visiting, exploring to be done.
I can remember one day, it was a Sunday, and we had decided to explore the Barri Gotic. As we started out the day, we realized that the stores had changed their window displays to reflect the arrival of spring. Winter browns, blacks and grays were replaced with vibrant, whimsical colors. We turned the corner and came upon a group of singers performing opera in a square. After watching for about 20 minutes, we headed on our way. Just around the corner, there was another square in which the city was holding an environmental awareness festival with games, performances, crafts, and information. Within the span of an hour and a few blocks, we experienced the richness and complexity of Barcelona that continues to beckon me back.
The following are some websites that I find to be really for trip planning. Although there is some overlap, I have found it best to look at a few different sites in order to create a full picture.
General Guides and Information
- Barcelona Turisme is an amazing site that I just discovered after researching for several days!
- Barcelona Yellow
- Barcelona Tourist Guide Basic Facts
- Safety Tips
- Barcelona Card I am not one who purchases these cards but it is always a good option.
- Metro Map and Metro info
Neigborhoods and Maps
- Barcelona Tourist Guide Neighborhood descriptions
- Barcelona Tourist Guide Neighborhood map</em>
- Barcelona Tourist Guide Street map
- Frommer’s neighborhoods – I am a huge fan of Frommer’s, which I find to be very clear and easy to navigate. I also love their walking tours and itineraries, which are always a great starting point and resource.
- Streets & squares by Europe-cities.com
To provide an amazing context for your visit to Barcelona, I highly recommend the following book!
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