Destination: Barcelona

It’s nearly 9pm as our slightly delayed easyJet flight taxis away from the gate. Astrid and I enjoy sitting down for a change after four days of very active sightseeing. For us, this means seeing as much of the city as possible using our own power - walking, cycling, and running. We averaged over 25,000 steps per day and yet had plenty of time to rest at several cafés and eateries along the way.

Biggest Takeaway: Airbnb Experiences are awesome!

Shortly after we booked our Airbnb in the Gracía neighborhood we started receiving emails from Airbnb about things to do on our trip. At first I dismissed them as typical blog posts about the same old tourist traps. Then I took a closer look. Things like a photo walk with a local photographer popped up. Then small group cycling and walking tours caught my attention. They even have running tours if you want to see some sights and get some real cardio work in.

After some more research and brainstorming, we decided to book a few of these options to help give structure to our time there. At the time they seemed a bit pricey ($16-50/person per experience x 3 experiences = $$$), but they all ended up being well worth the investment. These are the 3 we went with:

Paella Cooking Class (€45/person - included 3-course meal with sangria)

First up was a paella cooking class with @foodieexperiencebcn. We wanted to start our trip off with this evening cooking course to get a hands-on take on this traditional dish. Anyone who knows Astrid knows just how much she loves cooking. I think it’s safe to say this experience exceeded her expections in so many ways.

The hand-on experience had everyone in our 12 person group taking on a key task. From chopping veggies to cleaning mussels, dicing fruit for sangria to smearing tomatos on bread for the appetizer, there was always action going on and a great conversation among a group of like-minded travelers.

In the end, we walked away happy, full, and with 4 incredible recipes we plan to recreate at home. The appetizer was tomato bread. This simple dish was incredibly tasty with garlic around the edges of crispy, thinnly-sliced bread topped with home grown tomatos. The paella was more elaborate with mussels, prawns, veggies, rice, lots of broth, and spices. It was the most complex of the evening and probably the last recipe we will recreate from the evening (it’s a bit of an undertaking and I’m being realistic here). The sangria recipe we actually used again on our trip (more on that below). That will certainly be used again soon. Finally, the catalan creme was an incredible discovery. Creme brulee is hands down Astrid’s favorite dessert. Catalan creme ends up being very similar with much less work. We didn’t do the hands-on part for this in our class, but it seemed pretty approachable. I’m sure we will attempt this one once we return to the states.

Cycling + Photography + Tapas (€50/person - included bike rental, digital photos, and tapas)

The Cycling + Photograph + Tapas experience with Martin was the perfect way to spend half of our second day in the city. We scheduled this for 10am on the first full day of our visit. We hoped this would help give us a lay of the land and a mental checklist on which sites we wanted to revisit to further explore.

It was amazing to have a photographer around as we toured the city. It’s nearly impossible to get good shots of both of us on our trips. I’m usually the one behind the camera. So we end up with lots of scenery and b-roll photos, and photos of Astrid of course, but rarely are we together in a shot. With Martin as our guide, we got to explore the city in two wheels, visit many of the top sites, and get our photo taken together many times along the way.

Martin is also a world traveler himself and such a fun person to spend the day with. Most people recommend doing something with a local to get the local story behind something. But I found his perspective really interesting specifically because he was not a local trying to pander a message to tourist. We could talk about the city and compare it to other places in Europe or the US that we were all familiar with.

Walking Tour through Born (€16/person)

The “El Born” neighborhood popped up a few times in our research as well. So we decided to take the Escape the Tourist Traps Old Town Tour to learn more about the history and get some recommendations on not-so-touristy places to grab a drink or bite to eat.

El Born is a nice little neighborhood with countless cozy looking cafes, bars, and restaurants to be found in it’s narrow, winding streets. We also found the history completely fascinating. I couldn’t recount it back to you myself, but our guide Paulo made just the right amount of stops to tell the story of the city and the conflicts it’s seen over the centuries.

We ended up loving the area so much that we came back that evening to do more wandering through it’s streets. Along the way we popped into a craft beer bar that had amazing nachos and spicy olives. Then we continued on until we found a dark, cozy bar to grab a nice glass of wine and tapas (pulled pork tacos and a shrimp scampi-like dish). If I only had one night in Barcelona, this is where I would want to spend it on a date with the wife.

Short List of Must-See Places

La Sagrada Familia (of course)

I’m always a bit annoyed/skeptical when all my research for a city points to the same #1 sight over and over again. This is particularly the case when that site an old church. I’ve been to Europe several times now and always go into these super old churches. They are impressive for sure, but they all blur together.

But this masterpiece by Gaudi truly stands out. When you first see it up close it’s hard to wrap your head around its massive scale. As I write this post at the end of 2019, it remains far from complete. Just 8 of the 18 tours stand. They plan to open it fully in 2026 for the 100 year anniversary of Gaudi’s death - a lofty goal in my opinion!

As you enter the basílica you are once again struck by the scale. Everyone strains their neck to see just how high the ceiling goes, following the tree-like columns up from the floor as they stretch into the sky. The colors are also stunning. The stained glass windows have complementary colors that were meticulously chosen based on where the sun would shine throughout the day. One side glows with blue and green hues while the other warms the expansive space with reds and yellows. Pictures can simply not do it justice - but that doesn’t stop the tourist (present company included) from trying.

It’s worth the price of admission. You need to go in so don’t check this one off your list by just seeing it from the sidewalk. I also recommend going up a tower. And FYI - you get to go up with an elevator but must walk down on a narrow spiral staircase that lacks an interior railing. It looks and feels like you could plummet hundreds of feet to the ground floor.

Parc Güell

I know most people are not early risers, but there are two reasons you should get up early just one day to see this park. First, the paid section of the park is free if you arrive 15-30 minutes before they open. At this point, the crowd control gates and ticket counter are not yet in place and you can just walk right in. This allows you to see the famous mosaic benches, dragon, and walls up close.

The second reason is the view. Getting there early means you get this stunning panoramic view of the sun rising out of the Mediterranean and over the city. You can see all the major landmarks from this park - La Sagrada Familie, Montjuïc, Tibidabo, etc.

I recommend seeing this one after you’ve had a day or two in the busy tourist spots. This will be a nice place to rejuvenate before taking on the crowds again.

La Boqueria

This is another must-see just to check it off the list. The market is huge with all kinds of local seafood, meats (lots of ham!), produce, and cheese. You can buy little samples at almost all the stand. I don’t recommend planning to fill up here since it can get pricey. I think this is better for a little appetizer before finding a meal somewhere off the beaten path.

La Boqueria is located somewhere just off the famous La Rambla street. People recommend that as a site to see as well, but I don’t. It is overrun by cheap touristy kiosks and overpriced meals and sangria. I find it better to do an Airbnb experience or two and get specific recommendations from a local you connect with and trust.

Final thoughts

In the final hours before starting our trek out to the airport we cleaned up the apartment. This included figuring out what to do with a not so great bottle of wine we only halfway consumed. After a quick stop at the fruit stand across the street, Astrid was able to whip up some amazing home made sangria to enjoy on our balcony. It was absolutely the perfect way to top off the trip.

On the flight back to Berlin it occurred to me that I have now visited 7 European countries. This includes the very popular cities of Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Venice, Copenhagen, and Prague. Barcelona is my favorite destination yet. The city has the perfect combination of waterfront views and hilly terrain. The weather was also amazing - even in December! The Metro is quick and easy to navigate and everyone we met was super friendly and accommodating. We heard the city is becoming tired and intolerant of tourists, but in all our travels we only saw a single sign to this effect.

Overall, the city was an incredible winter getaway for us. I think 4 days/3 nights was the right amount of time for our pace. If you want to be more relaxed about it I could see making it a 5 or 6 day stay. Any longer than that and I think you would be better off hopping around to another nearby destination in Spain or even France or Italy. Given how cheap one can get around Europe once you are here I can easily us see coming back for a summer experience of the city. I need to jump in that sea!

Post Script: Our Airbnb apartment

Choosing an apartment on a map before visiting a city is tough. You never really know what the neighborhood is like or where you will want to hang out while you are there.

We ended up absolutely loving our Airbnb in Gracía. It was less than 1 kilometer from Parc Guëll, so I ended up doing morning runs there regularly. La Sagrada Familia was a nice 15-20 minute walk away and we were less than 5 minutes from the Lesseps metro station. This stop on the Green Line connected us to just about everywhere else we wanted to see in the city. Our apartment was the perfect spot for a couple to stay while visiting the city.

The apartment itself was super cozy. The main room had the bed, a sofa, and a small table to sit at. The table came generously stocked with breakfast supplies that lasted us all 3 mornings we had there. It’s nice to save that money on one meal so you don’t feel bad about eating out and on the go for lunch and dinner all the time.

The kitchen was also great. From outside it was clear that the kitchen is a small room addition built out on to the balcony area. It felt like tiny home living to do anything in there, but we loved it!

Last is the balcony. When we read the description on Airbnb we thought surely this feature would go unappreciated by us given our December timeline. But the nice weather made this the perfect place to enjoy our last afternoon sangria (see photos above).

Of course the price was great too. So altogether a great combination of features, functionality, and easy access to a fabulous city. When we come back this will certainly be high on our list for places to stay again.

Well, if you’ve read this far then perhaps you’re planning a trip to Barcelona. If so and if you have any questions, please leave a comment/question. I’d be happy to help!

Cheers,

Chris