Barcelona, Spain • Travel Guide
After visiting Ireland this September, we traveled with our friends (Andy and Rachel) to Barcelona, Spain! We spent the week there looking at art, admiring architecture (Andy’s an architect!), eating lots of cheese, charcuterie, and other tapas (patatas bravas, baby), and drinking wine on the rooftop of our Airbnb. It was really special to visit this city with friends - to be in such an incredible part of the world that felt so new, with such a familiar friendship made each place we visited feel even more memorable. We love those two dearly and are extra grateful that they invited us to travel there with them!
See below for a list of general advice and recommendations based on how we enjoyed our visit to Barcelona!! Cheers!
General Advice:
Barcelona doesn’t permit Uber or Lyft so we took a taxi from the airport and then learned the metro system to save money on transportation throughout our visit. It’s pretty simple to figure out with google maps!
Almost all shops + restaurants close on Sunday and a lot close on Monday - if you’re in town on a Sunday or Monday, I’d recommend making these days into beach or monument days.
Buy tickets online at least a week in advance for popular sites. Places like La Sagrada Família and Park Güell sell out regularly!
Bring a swimsuit if traveling in warmer months!
The nicest beaches are further up the coast, 20 minutes outside of the city center by metro and totally worth it on a warm, sunny day.
Try the patatas bravas!
Barcelona doesn’t allow bottles of wine/liquor or cigarettes to be sold in stores after 9pm.
The metro closes at 12:00am.
Water costs extra at restaurants and the tip is built into your check.
Barcelona’s locker services are really useful if you need to check out of your Airbnb or hotel in the morning, but don’t fly out until later in the evening! We used Locker Barcelona and it worked out perfectly.
The metro is a really simple and cheap way of getting back to the airport at the end of your trip. Just keep in mind that it’s about 45min and you’ll need to buy an airport ticket at one of the ticket machines.
Spots to check out:
Coffee:
Satan’s Coffee - both locations are so gooood - the food at their Gothic location is incredible. Get the the croiffel!!!
Nomad Coffee - both locations
Sweets:
Demasié - cinnamon rolls
Food:
Flax & Kale - (great for brunch, lunch or dinner) soooo good, sit upstairs outside
La Fabrica - Empanadas Argentinas
The Green Spot - beautiful restaurant with lots of GF, Vegan, plant based options
Augat Gastrobar - super pretty tapas spot!
Arume - incredible paella and an amazing experience all around! This is a must for a nice dinner out, but reservations are necessary so plan ahead!!
Koku Kitchen Ramen - Might have been my favorite meal in Barcelona or a very close tie with Arume. Go downstairs for the Ramen here!
Cheese/charcuterie/ wine for dinner - we visited local shops to gather these and bring them all to the rooftop of our Airbnb!
Shopping:
Working in the Red Woods - a talented ceramicist’s studio/ beautiful shop
Sights + Activities:
Joan Miró Foundation (Miró Museum) - Joan Miró worked closely with his friend, architect and city planner, Josep Lluís Sert, to design this space which highlights an extensive collection of Miró’s work. It’s a work of art in it’s own right, and an amazing place to check out.
Barcelona Pavilion by Mies van der Rohe
Museum of Natural Science - we came here for the architecture, but the museum was super cool as well!!
Platja de Llevant - a nearby beach!
Park Güell - If you can’t get tickets, the park is still gorgeous to go walk around or enjoy a picnic in!
What I Wore
(These are not affiliate links - just a round-up of the things that I enjoyed wearing in Barcelona!)
Every day, I wore my Reebok Club C 85 sneakers - they were so comfortable for walking all over the city.
I brought a lightweight t-shirt dress for warmer days - this one from Jenni Kayne.
I loved wearing my pleated Sezane skirt (that dressed up and down so well!)
Some custom Ma Ma Osa high-waisted pants, paired with their Linen Flutter Sleeve Top.
I wore a lot of plain white and black t-shirts, and button-ups for layering/ mixing and matching. 2 of them were from Tradlands - they’re a go-to of mine for quality staples.
And finally, my Medium Transport Tote - the purse I quite literally take with me everywhere. It’s been the perfect size for traveling!
T-Shirt Dress by Jenni Kayne + Madewell’s Medium Transport Tote
Franndddsssss <3
