Jared and I just finished a fun 2.5 week trek around Europe and are now back in Rome, trying to adjust to “real life” again, haha. The last part of our trip was spent in Barcelona. Neither of us had been to Spain before, but were both equally excited for it. Why did we decide on Barcelona? Well, easy…it’s on the coast so we knew we couldn’t go wrong with a beach nearby.

During our time there, we stayed with a married couple in their home that we found through airbnb. They were very welcoming and friendly and had a ton of recommendations on what to see/do while we were there and were also extremely helpful on transportation methods on how to get to all these places.

How we got to Barcelona: we looked at various methods of transportation from Nice to Barcelona and finally settled on flying with Vueling airlines. The flight was only about an hour and a half long and the tickets were cheaper than taking a train so it was the most reasonable way to get there. I don’t think I mentioned this before, but a friend recently told me about Rome2Rio, which is a site that searches how to get from A to B whether it be via plane, train, bus, etc. It has come in handy during our travels to research the most cost efficient way to get to our destinations.

Upon arriving to Barcelona, we went to a restaurant that the host recommended called Palermo Bosque, which had raving reviews on their paella, one of the dishes Spain is known for. We tried the seafood paella, and although we weren’t sure how to eat some of the shrimp and oysters on the plate, it was still pretty tasty and the rice did not lack seasoning whatsoever.

The following night we decided to check out Festa Major de Gracia, which is a block party that the neighborhood of Gracia puts on every year around mid August~so apparently we came at just the right time! The parties started at around 8pm and lasted till about 2am everyday for a week. My favorite part about the party was the decorated streets that were all done by the residents living there. It was wildly impressive to say the least, and every street and corner you turned to was completely different.

I’m not necessarily the biggest sports fanatic, but being in Barcelona, the city of the world’s best futbol (or soccer) team-although some may argue with that-we had to take advantage of that. So, we got some tickets to attend Saturday’s game at Camp Nou. The experience and atmosphere of the crowd was truly special and exciting. We experienced a great win by Team Barca and I am proud to say my first professional soccer game was at none other than, Camp Nou!

One thing we were really excited to check out while in Barce, were the beaches as Barcelona is known to have wonderful beaches. Sunday morning was spent at the Barceloneta Beach, which is the most popular beach in Barcelona. It was nice to have a couple of hours to relax under the sun with all the walking we’ve been doing. A great brunch/lunch spot to eat at the beach is Maka Maka. Their milkshake infused with Bailey’s is super delicious too!

If you are ever in Barcelona and are looking for a good tapas bar, I highly recommend Ciudad Condal. They had the best tapas I tried while in Spain (and ever in my life, for that matter). The wait can be a little long, especially if going for dinner, but it is definitely worth it. Locals and tourists can be found eating here. The selection to choose from is a bit overwhelming because there are so many options but my favorite part about a tapas restaurant is that the plates and portions are small so you can taste several different types of dishes.

One of the main tourist attractions in Barcelona is the Roman Catholic Church, La Sagrada Familia. We visited this Basilica Sunday evening and were blown away by the appearance of this church from not only the outside but the inside as well. The most interesting fact about the Basilica is that construction of the church started in 1882 and is not expected to be done until 2026!! Can you imagine what it will look like once it’s finally done?

The morning after, we took a guided tour via New European Tours around the Gothic Quarter neighborhood of Barcelona.This FREE, guided tour was recommended to us by our airbnb host. We learned about the history of Barcelona and it was really interesting to find out things about the city, we wouldn’t have known otherwise.

Our last day in Barcelona we ventured out into the West side of the city where Park Guell sits overlooking all of Barcelona. All over the park you will find Gaudi and Guell inspired architecture that is reflective of the overall architecture you will find among all of Barcelona.

I think that pretty much sums up our trip. We saw a lot, ate a lot, laughed a lot, and gained memories that will last us a lifetime. Now that we are currently back in Rome, our travels will slow down quite a bit.

Have you been to Barcelona or visited any of the places I mentioned above? Would love to hear your experience below.

All my love,
Estrella