Eat, Sleep, See, Do: Barcelona

The view from the top of Montserrat

love Barcelona. I don’t know that I could live there, but I will visit any chance I get. From the beach, to the mountains, to the big city, it has everything, making it perfect for a vacation.

My friend Kristen visited for a week, and since no trip to Spain is complete without a visit to Barcelona, we decided to go for the weekend.

This was my third trip here, so for the most part we arrived without a plan. This worked out perfectly and we were able to easily mix tourist attractions with less common finds to have an amazing weekend.

Eat:

Brunch. If you don’t already know this about me, brunch is my favorite meal. This past trip to Barcelona we brunched at both Brunch and Cake (a “basic” girl’s dream) and at Milk. Both were incredible. Brunch and Cake’s plating was BEAUTIFUL, and they serve acai bowls in pineapples. Milk’s food was so fresh and absolutely delicious. Surprisingly, both restaurants also had amazing service which is rare in Spain.

Brunch at Brunch&Cake (yes I took my camera out at the table)

Mercat de la Boqueria. This market is super overwhelming when you first walk in, but as you head deeper into the market, the crowd starts to thin and you can begin to appreciate the market more. Here you can get anything from tapas to a full meal, or even just a fresh juice. This is a must see spot in Barcelona, so why not eat here?

The entrance to Mercat de la Boqueria

Rosa Negra. On my last trip to Barcelona I came here with friends and loved it so much that I came back on my next visit. Spain tends to disappoint with their Mexican food, so finding good tacos is too rare. The menú del día here is huge and cheap, so stop by for lunch if you’re hungry.

Tacos and REAL guacamole

Sleep:

Sant Jordi Hostels. I stayed with Sant Jordi on my last two trips to Barcelona, and had an amazing experience both times. These hostels are super social, with friendly staff and great free dinners / bar crawls. First, I spent the weekend at the Gracia location, my favorite neighborhood, and this past time I stayed at the Rock Palace hostel, which was more central and allowed us to walk everywhere.

See:

Park Güell. Another amazing construction by Gaudi, I love getting lost in here. After visiting, make sure you climb the stairs all the way up to the mirador de Joan Sales for one of the best views of Barcelona.

View from the park

Sagrada Familia. I absolutely love seeing this church. I’ve been three times now, and can’t get enough. The church has been in progress since 1882, and isn’t expected to be finished until 2016. I love Gaudi’s architecture, and this is obviously one of his most famous, can’t miss works.

The Beach. No matter the weather, you can’t miss the beaches of Barcelona. As touristy as it may be, the beach is beautiful, and it is one of the best attractions in the city. While here make sure to walk on the boardwalk and stop to sip sangria while enjoying the view.  

Looking back, this sangria was a very questionable color…

Do:

Climb Montserrat. I can’t believe it took me three visits to make it out here. I am still amazed by how beautiful this hike was, and want to go back as soon as I can. The hike to the top was challenging, mostly because we climbed millions of stairs, but I would definitely say it was worth it.

I kept climbing things that I shouldn’t climb, and almost fell off the mountain once or twice…
I couldn’t get over this view.

Wander. My favorite way to discover a city is by wandering through less visited neighborhoods. For me in Barcelona, that means hours of exploring Gracia and El Raval. The culture of Gracia is unlike any other part of this city, and El Raval has a cool, up and coming feel to it. I love exploring away from hordes of tourists, and these areas are what made me fall in love with Barcelona.

The streets of Gracia covered with Catalonian flags and independence slogans on my last visit

Take a Food Tour. On my past two trips to Barcelona I did a different kind of food visit. The first was my tour of Gracia with Devour Barcelona, which I blogged about here, and this past time my friend Kristen and I did a cheese tasting at Formatgeria La Seu, an amazing cheese shop run by the sweetest Scottish woman.

No pictures allowed within the cheese shop, so this doesn’t do the store justice.

Side Note:

On my latest trip to Barcelona, Kristen and I ran into a Catalunya independence rally. The region of Catalunya is planning to hold a (illegal) referendum on October 1st 2017. This means that they will vote and see if they will try to leave Spain and form their own country. This topic is SUPER controversial, especially within Madrid. It was so cool to see Spanish politics in action and to hear a different story from that of the madrileños.

Right before celebrators/protestors flooded the street

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *