Oh where to begin with this beautiful city! I have such a love for this city, it never fails to disappoint, every time I visit, I never want to come back home to the UK.
I have now been to this wonderful city approx 7 times, I started travelling to here on my own November 2016, and I haven't looked back ever since. It was the first place I went outside of the country on my own as a solo traveler, the city just felt like home immediately, as all my friends and family know I shout from the roof top how incredible I believe this place to be, how much I recommend anyone to go on a solo trip here, or just a trip here in general if they haven't already.
I have spoken too & met multiple solo traveler, groups & couples who have all had different experiences within this city - some good and some bad. Just like anywhere in the world, every place you visit has crime and unfortunately sometimes it's us traveler's who become the victims. I speak from my own experience here, but I would never let the one experience in 7 times stop me from going back to the city, in fact I actually went back 2 months after the incident. If it taught me anything it was that I had become too confident and that I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings as much as I probably should, but then again I'm still guilty of this - I get submerged into the city so much I just can't help it.
I always said I would be brutally honest with my experiences in the countries I visit and I stand strong by that, which Is why I share the good and the bad. It's all a learning curve, and not everything is supposed to go perfectly all the time. Anyways, enough about that.. If you haven't already been - you must go at some point! It will not fail to impress you, and leave you with memories which will continue to take your breathe away years down the line. Barca has so much to offer, every single different type of traveler, & no matter what you think travel should be like, you'll get immersed in this city without fail. If I was a gambling women, I would happily put money on it to say you would want to come back for sure.
Throughout my site I have reviewed multiple places to eat, drink, dance, and visit, so I wont list everywhere on here but here are a couple that are must see's: Camp Nou
Sagrada Familia
Parc De Montjuic - The Light Show
Palau Reial - Its a Garden with loads of pretty flowers & Fountains Arc De Triomf
It's amazing seeing how much the city changes every single time I've visited, especially pre and post covid. I still find it crazy that going to all the places which would've had active fountains are currently turned off, and the fountains emptied, which is a shame, but hopefully they will turn them back on soon.
Covid changed a lot, not just in Barcelona but in the world in general. It's hit every countries economy massively, some more than others. Luckily I don't think you can see how much it effected Barcelona, hopefully now their boarders are reopened properly the tourism back to this beautiful city will return - I know they will always have me as a frequent flier haha!
The weather here throughout the year is reasonably warm, during the summer months it reaches the mid 30's which is fantastic, in the winter months it gets a bit colder with lows of 7 at times however throughout the day when the sun is out, it can feel quite warm still, I recommend a jacket in the evenings during winter, and some would recommend closed toed shoes, however I wear flip flops all year around.
Travelling through Barcelona is reasonably cheap, you can also buy multi day passes which works out well if you are doing a long weekend, as this works out the cheapest option instead of having to buy a new ticket every trip you decide to take. The Metro is also very easy to figure out how to get around, during the summer months I highly recommend taking a bottle of water on there with you, as it gets very warm in the underground. The Metro, buses and Trams all run very frequently, and continue till the early hours of the morning. The Metro itself on certain days does not close, and runs 24 hours.
Barcelona is a city with everything, if you want a city break you've go it, if you want a beach holiday you've got it. If you want to use the city as a hub and travel out to other areas you can.. You can also travel to all separate parts of Europe from the cities main train station, or the airport. You can get to all different parts of Spain very simply, at a reasonable price. I once stayed in Salou, and got the coach up to Barcelona for a day trip, which didn't take no where near as long as expected.
I've also flown into the wrong airport once and then travelled into the city via the train from Girona. When flying into Barcelona, you want the most simple access route to the city which is via BCN - Barcelona El Prat. The easiest way to get from the airport to your accommodation if you haven't hired a car is via Uber or Taxi, however you can use the metro or the buses.
Like most cities in the world, when you arrive at your accommodation you have to pay a city tax, which on average is approx 3.00 euro per person per night. Depending on the country you are travelling from you do not need to apply for a visa to enter Barcelona, you can get a tourist visa on arrival from the airport free of charge.
Luckily for most they speak English in the city, however I highly recommend trying the language, or if you speak Spanish to use the language as a sign of respect to the people. I myself do not speak any Spanish yet - but I have just started a course! I find the language so beautiful, but they also speak Catalan which is a mixture of both Spanish and French combined. Always worth a try right? What could go wrong? Even just knowing the basics, or a few little words..
Hello - Hola
Thank you - Gracias
Goodbye - Adios
Yes - Si
No - No
Please - Por Favor
The Bill Please - La Cuenta, Por Favor
I'm Sorry - Lo Siento
Do you speak English? - Tu hablas inglés??
If you are thinking of learning a bit more Spanish, I recommend the Duo Lingo App, or Babbel.
I almost forgot, the food! now this is a city I could just eat, eat and eat even more, I absolutely love tapas, but there is just something about it being authentic instead of my home made version haha! I recommend Tapas Tapas restaurant, if you love seafood I highly recommend The Chiperon, in Port Vel - you can dine in with some beautiful marina views, and a sunset which will take your breathe away. If you just fancy some drinks but want a view at the same time I highly recommend 1881 per sagardi, its based at the top of museums d'historia de Catalunya, A couple of the pictures above were taken from the Terrace in the evening.
There is so much which could be said for this beautiful city, but honestly all I can say is - you need to experience it for yourself, and you'll understand.
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