All Things Barcelona, Spain
This was my first time visiting Spain and I am already planning a trip back to this beautiful country. My bff and I only had 48 hours to explore Barcelona and we made the most of our time.
Any questions? As always, feel free to message me. happy reading (& Traveling)!
Getting to and from Barcelona El Prat (BCN) airport…
This is the option we took and in my opinion the best option. The transfers take about 30 minutes and come every 5 minutes. The roundtrip ticket is 10.20 euros. Make sure you buy your ticket online or you have cash to pay the driver in person. It will drop you off in the center of town at Placa Catalunya (city center).
I wanted to provide you multiple public transportation options to get from the airport to the city, however, the easiest public transportation choice in my opinion is to take the Aerobus.
This option will save you a bit of time but will be the most expensive costing you around 30 - 35 euros one way.
Where to stay…
It was my third time staying at @motel_one (previously Frankfurt & Vienna) and first time at Motel One Barcelona - Ciutadella. As always with Motel One I was super impressed - the perfect location, chic, clean, comfy + budget friendly. They have locations ALL over Europe too!
Other things to consider…
It is worth it to see if the City Pass will work for your trip. It is a super saver, depending on what all you want to see. We opted out of this choice.
We personally did not choose this option, but you can take 10 trips on the metro for 10 euros. This is a great option but you will need to purchase it at the metro station once you arrive in Barcelona.
We walked 26,000 steps and 12+ miles in a day so we decided to treat ourselves to a taxi. Taxi’s are normally expensive but we rode from our hotel to La Familia Sagrada for 8 euros (4 euros each).
BRUNCH alona:
Pictured Above: Thai Eggs Benedict
the best eggs benedict I’ve ever had
Pictured Above: Red Velvet Protein Waffle
an athlete’s protein brekky dream
Oh my gaudí…
Antoní Gaudí, an incredibly talented Spanish architect, helped influence and design the city of Barcelona during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Gaudí’s fingerprints are all around the city. Below is a list of some of his worldwide famous work in Barcelona.
Also known as the unfinished church, La Família Sagrada is absolutely breathtaking. I am in awe of the thought and details that went into designing and planning every inch of this cathedral. Gaudí’s intentionality in everything he designed is something I admire. 3 million visitors step inside to tour the unfinished church each year. This means 3 million people get to learn about the Christian faith and Gaudí’s vision for having a place of worship where everyone felt like family. It’ll be finished in 2026 in anticipation of opening on the 100th year anniversary of Gaudi’s death. The audio tour was engaging, informative & I am thankful I was able to learn all about Gaudí and his incredible work. My favorite detail was that the tallest tower once finished will be cm’s below the highest hill in Barcelona because Gaudí believed that no man’s work should surpass the work of God.
This ticket included admission, audio guide and visiting the top of the Nativity Tower. You are given a time to go up the tower. If you are not done with your audio guide tour you can pause it and finish after. You will go up an elevator, then cross a very short bridge (see picture to the left) and then back down spiral stairs (see below).
I would recommend booking about 1-2 hours before sunset. Golden hour was absolutely stunning with the sun hitting the stained glass windows perfectly. You can stay at the Cathedral for as long as you want (during operating hours).
Don’t forget to book this ahead of time as tickets do tend to sell out quickly.
La Família Sagrada photo gallery…
Park Güell is a park full of life, history & city views. This is a touristy spot, but I promise you won’t want to miss it. The pass into the a portion of the park (pictured right) is 10 euros and worth every dime! There are also areas you can walk for free.
November is during the off season so there weren’t many people trying to get pictures on the beautiful benches.
Don’t forget to book this ahead of time as you will be given a time slot to enter the park with your ticket and it does sell out!
From left to right are more work by the famous Gaudí. We received mixed recommendations on whether to tour the insides of each house. We opted out of them due to time and expense. If you are going to tour one of the 3 houses, we were told to tour Casa Batlló.
I HATE TO RAMBLA ON BUT…
What a fun night we had experiencing Flamenco. The dancers were fabulous and a drink was included in our ticket purchase (18 euros for the show + drink). I definitely recommend it. It’s only an hour long, which makes it quick entertainment before you call it a night or decide to go somewhere else.
On the night of the show you can grab a student ticket sitting in any open seat for only 20 euros anytime between 5pm - 8pm. The show begins at 8pm and there are english subtitles by your seat. This was my first opera experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it! If you are not a student, tickets can cost anywhere from 50 - 200 euros.
Think Pike Place Market (Seattle) or the Borough Market (London). This market is one vibrant place with the freshest fruit juice, seafood and paella (a typical spanish dish)
