Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona has been on my bucket list ever since I watched The Cheetah Girls 2. I was so obsessed, I even told my husband he could only propose to me there. And—true to his word—he surprised me with a proposal on a hike through the stunning Montserrat mountains.
The trip didn’t start smoothly (shoutout to American Airlines for our canceled flight and a delayed departure), but once we arrived, the magic of the city made up for everything. From Gaudí’s jaw-dropping architecture to tapas in tucked-away alleys, it was everything I had imagined — and more.
DETAILS
When — July 21 - July 28, 2019
Where — Barcelona, Spain
Highlights — Architecture, markets, and daytrips
Flights
7/28/2019
12:50pm CEST — 3:55pm EST : Barcelona to Philadelphia
6:15pm — 8:47pm EST: Philadelphia to Atlanta
7/21/2019
9:05am EST — 10:35am MST : Atlanta to Barcelona
Lodging
We booked a studio apartment in the El Born neighborhood of the city center. It was a quick walk to all the main sights and the beach.
Transportation
Airport to AirBnB (vice versa) — Taxi
Taxis are not able to get down many of the city center roads so we used Mercat de Santa Caterina as our spot to catch a cab.
Getting Around —Barcelona TMB and walking
Schedule
Day 1: Arrival and explore El Born
Taxi drop at Mercat de Santa Caterina
Breakfast: Vivari Santa Caterina, Carrer d'En Giralt el Pellicer, 24 — While we waited to be able to enter our AirBnB we grab a quick espresso and snack.
Mercat de Sant Caterina, Av. de Francesc Cambó, 16 — The markets of Barcelona are amazing. There are fresh foods, prepared foods, and plenty of wine and fresh juices. After we freshened up and checked-in, we headed to the main market of our area on the city. There we explored all the market had to offer and picked up some cheese, charcuterie, and wine to have a picnic in the park.
Coffee Stop: Coffee Casa, Carrer dels Carders, 25
Parc de la Ciutadella, Passeig de Picasso, 21 — A sprawling park in the heart of Barcelona features the Arc de Triomf and Cascada del Parc de la Ciutadella. We found a nice shaded spot to enjoy our picnic then explored the sights of the park. There is also a Zoo de Barcelona but we opted to skip visiting that.
El Born Centre Cultural, Plaça Comercial, 12 — The cultural center, located in a restored market, features ruins City ruins from the 1700s. Tickets wer 4.50 €
Pastisseria Hofmann, C. dels Flassaders, 44 — We grabbed some pasties at Pastisseria Hofmann to holds us over until dinner. These were delightful!
Museu Picasso, Carrer de Montcada, 15-23 — We were so thankful for the Museum! We were orginally scheduled to visit at 12:00pm that day, but since we were delayed on our arrival by a day, they moved our reservation until later in the day. The museum features an extensive collection of Picasso’s work. It is open 9:00 am to 9:00pm. At the time ticket were €15 each for two collections and a temporary exhibit.
Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar, Plaça de Santa Maria, 1 — Visiting churches is one of our favorite things to do on trips. Not only is the architecture beautiful but you get a chance to rest your feet while you take in the beauty. Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar is a 14th-century, Gothic-style church.
7:00pm Dinner: Pla de la Garsa, Carrer dels Assaonadors, 13 — For our first night, we enjoyed a traditional Catalonian dinner. We were the first in the restaurant as in Europe, dinner is typically much later. The beetroot hummus was noted as a much try and it did not fail. Currently, Google list Pla de la Garsa as temporarily closed.
Day 2: Mountains and Monastery
Breakfast—Not much opens early so we grabbed Starbucks before we headed out for our hiking experience.
8:30am-2:30pm: Montserrat Monastery & Hiking —We booked an AirBnB Experience to visit Monserrat. The experience was a well-organized day trip from Barcelona that included transport, a guided visit of the monastery, and a short hike with great views. We took the funicular down the mountain after to catch our transport back to Barcelona. The monastery is built into the side of the mountain and includes the Black Madonna. Before we started out hike, John proposed!
Playa de la Barceloneta — Upon returning from our day trip to Montserrat we headed to the beach to relax. The beach was a short walk from our airbnb and has public beach access. We strolled along the water and popped in a seaside restaurant for a sangria.
Dinner: La Paradeta, C. Comercial, 7 — This was my favorite place we ate in Barcelona! It is a made to order seafood place. There is no reservations but instead you queue outside. We expected the line to be long so we arrived a little before opening time, 8:00pm. You order at the front and can choose which seafood and amount you would like. You can also choose how you want it cooked. I probably ate my weight in boiled shrimp.
Cocktails: Paradiso, C. Rera Palau, 4 — This was a fun and unique speakeasy behind a sandwich shop.
Day 3 : Architecture
Breakfast: Alsur Café (El Born), Plaça de Sant Cugat, 1 — American style brunch place. The avocado toast was to die for!
1:30PM Park Güell, Carrer Olot, 7 — Located in the Gràcia neighborhood, Park Güell blends Gaudí’s unique architect and nature. Highlights include the famous mosaic dragon, the serpentine bench, and stunning views of the city. Originally planned as a residential area, the park is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a symbol of Barcelona’s artistic identity. The park opens as early as 8:00AM and at the time tickets to the restricted area were €10. You can take the Barcelona TMB Lesseps or Vallcarca and then it is just a short walk uphill to the park.
Explore Gràcia — We opted to walk back to our AirBnB slowly and explore sites along the way.
Shopping along Carrer de Verdi
Casa Vicens Gaudí, Carrer de les Carolines, 20-26 — While you can tour this grand home, we opted to just walk by to admire the architecture.
Shopping along Carrer de Torrijos
Nabucco Tiramisu, Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia — We took a short snack break and enjoyed sitting in Plaça de la Vila de Gracia.
Explore L'Eixample
La Pedrera - Casa Milà, Pg. de Gràcia, 92 — Gaudi's Catalan art nouveau period building.
Casa Batlló, Pg. de Gràcia, 43 — Curving dragon-roofed apartment created by Gaudi.
Plaça de Catalunya — Central square of Barcelona.
8:30PM Dinner: La Vinateria del Call, — Gothic Quarter old world wine bar known for esqueixada. While we were not bold enough to try esqueixada, we enjoyed the vibe, wine, and tapas so much we ended up going back on our last night.
Day 4: Church and Cava
Breakfast: Citizens Café, Plaça d'Urquinaona, 4
10:15am Sagrada Família, Carrer de Mallorca, 401 — Another Gaudi masterpiece, Sagrada Família, is a church under construction in the Eixample district. It is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. We booked the Sagrada Familia with Towers tickets for €30 at the time. This included a self-guided tour of the church and one of the towers. We selected the Nativity side tower with views of the eastern side of Barcelona. The Passion side has views of the city center. It is tight quarters going up and quite a bit a steps but worth it!
1:30pm-6:00pm Wine Tour — We booked a vineyard tour and cava and wine tasting at Can Bas Domini Vinícola. We booked this tour through AirBnB. It included transportation, the tour, tasting, and food. Cava is a traditional sparkling wine from Spain. This was the first time we have booked a vineyard tour and was one of my favorite experiences. We have started always booking one on a trip.
Day 5: Paella
Breakfast: La Masala Café, Carrer d'En Mònec, 6 — This is now Vera Cafè. The coffee and avocado toast was amazing!
Walk the La rambla startinh at Plaça de Catalunya
12:00pm-2:30pm Sangria, Paella, Catalan Cream Class — If there is one thing I would suggest you must do when you visit a foreign county, it is a cooking class or food tour. We opted to do a cooking class in Barcelona. We learned the traditional way to make sangria, how to prepare paella, and the traditional creme Catalan dessert. The best part was we received the recipes via email to have after. On special occasions we make these dishes.
Visit Mercado de La Boqueria, La Rambla, 91 — One of the largest public markets in Barcelona and arguably the most popular. After our class we headed here to shop for snacks and purchased some of the paella ingredients to bring home.
Wander Gothic Quarter — After freshening up we wandered our favorite part of the city again. We tried churros with chocolate and ate them on the steps of the Cathedral de Barcelona, Pla Seu, 3. We then walked down to the beach one more time before dinner.
Dinner: Bacoa Kiosko, Av. del Marquès de l'Argentera, 1 — Unfortunately this place is no longer open but they were known for their gourmet burgers.
Dessert: Pastisseria Bubó Born, Carrer de les Caputxes, 10
Day 5: Final Day
Breakfast: La Masala Café, Carrer d'En Mònec, 6 —We loved it so much we came back again!
Montjuïc Castle, Ctra. de Montjuïc, 66 —Montjuïc Castle is an old military fortress, from 1640, built on top of Montjuïc hill. You are able to walk up the hill but we opted to take the cable car (across from Funicular de Montjuïc, Av. Del Paraŀlel, 59) up. The standard admission fee was € 3 at the time and your ticket was good from 10:00am-8:00pm. The castle has beautiful views of the city and the Mediterranean Sea. After touring we walked down the hill and back to the Gothic Quarter stopping for snacks and shopping along the way.
La Vinateria del Call — One more glass or wine.
