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| Camp Nou |
Barcelona, a city-jewel of the Mediterranean, famous for its cosmopolitan character, warm atmosphere and hearty locals, if you are a lover of architecture this city will charm you. The way the Gothic style combines with modernism is something unique throughout in Europe. We choose to visit the capital of Catalonia in the autumn and more specifically in September . Our flight from Thessaloniki to Gerona with RYANAIR . From there we would take a bus and in 45 minutes we would be in the center of Barcelona .
When to visit Barcelona?
All year long the city has a large number of visitors. More visitors enjoy the city in the summer, as the city is combined with a summer vacations. I suggest you in the autumn as ideal season More specifically, end of September, beginning of October. This way you will avoid the huge waves of tourists in La Ramblas and other parts of the city, while the weather will be special to explore.
While approaching the city center I was abserving the wonderful cobbled streets, beautiful parks, very special buildings, temples and medieval palaces, mainly with elements from the Gothic architecture. With intense nightlife, high gastronomy, but also distinctive styles of art, Barcelona is the perfect destination for you to start to know Spain!
Where to Stay in Barcelona ?
If you want to feel the pulse of this city you must stay in an area near the city center. One of them is L'Eixample district not only is the most iconic in Barcelona, it’s also the most diverse in terms of shopping, restaurants and nightlife. The gridlike layout is the symbol of the sunny and modern Barcelona we know today. We chose to rent an apartment in Barri Gotic near to Picasso Museum area is also known as the Gothic Quarter and is the area in which the old town of Barcelona is situated. As you will see from the following photos the streets vary considerably in style but the old quarter is generally characterized by narrow cobbled streets with tall old buildings. Another area is El Raval Until more recent years El Raval was often considered to be a no-go area for tourists. However, around five years ago trendy hotels, art galleries and shops began popping up in the area. It is now an area frequented by many tourists in search of the Barcelona that has become famous for art, design and modern culture.
MyTips: If you want to explore the whole city of Barcelona it is necessary to use the Metro as distances are so long for walking. Here is the Metro Map which we used .Τhe ticket for single trip is 2,20E i suggest that you buy a T10 card which allows for 10 trips. Multipersonal (For one person or some. For example if you are with your partner, with this card you can make 5 trips and you partner 5 trips, using the same card).
We only have four days to explore the city. That's why I will not tell you about all the city's attractions but which of these we have chosen to visit and what to look for. In all our travels our main goal is to get a taste of everyday life and habits of the locals. Αvoid spilling our time into archaeological sites and museums without substance .
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| Barri Gotic |
Places you must visit
Barcelonetta
The beach of Barcelona, along which you will see many hotels, restaurants and cafes. The "walk" in Barcelona is a must for every visitor of the city.
La Rambla
The famous pedestrian street that starts from Placa Catalunya and ends at the Old Port, is the most tourist spot in the city. There you will enjoy outdoor performances, tango dancers and clakta and various bands to entertain guests. At the shops along the street you will also buy your souvenirs.
MyTips: :Be careful only with your bags,personal items, the people that are supposed to sell you beers. It is the most tourist spot in the city and that is why they will probably steal you.
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| La Boqueria |
La Boqueria
It is one of the best food markets in the world, paradise every lover of good food! It is located in the middle of La Rambla. Here you will find all sorts of delicacies fruits, vegetables, shells, Corned Cods (which Barcelona is famous about corned fishes "bottarga"), different types of juices, sausages and anything else you can imagine.
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| Park Guel |
Park Guel
The park designed by Gaudi to the west of the city deserves both its peculiarity and the brilliant route to reach it.
MyTips:
Do not make the mistake of paying to enter Gaudí's house because there isn't somethng intersting inside only two rooms and five furniture . Entrance to the Park is free!.
Do not make the mistake of paying to enter Gaudí's house because there isn't somethng intersting inside only two rooms and five furniture . Entrance to the Park is free!.
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| Sagrada Familia |
Sagrada Familia
From Gaunt's epic creations. It is worthwhile to see from the outside. It costs a little more if you want to entry .By the way we did n't get inside beacause there was a long queue !
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| The magic fountain barcelona |
Ciutadella Park
It's really a must. It's always crowded with people, street artists and has a wonderful fountain ("The Magic Fountain")
MyTips:
The visitors could check the days when the show is played I think 3 times a week: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 21:30 and of course go to the area quite early because so many tourists gather.
MyTips:
The visitors could check the days when the show is played I think 3 times a week: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 21:30 and of course go to the area quite early because so many tourists gather.
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| Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya |
Camp Nou
Being a Barca's Fun , I had to check out the Camp Nou. We did a typical non-guided tour of the stadium. A must do for any football fan. Being pitch-side is great, but the best part is sitting in the press box area and admiring such a fantastic view!!
Food Time
Οn our first day, we have been struggling to discover local traditional tavernas because we have been hurried from our hunger, leading us to deceive us like most tourists!! From the next day , asking other visitors and locals, we found some nice places in the city where we tasted genuine local flavors combined with normal prices! Τhe best way to choose restaurants is always from the TripAdvisor and Google Maps Ratings
What should you try?
Escalivada: Traditional salad with fish.
Pà amb omàquet: Catalan bread with tomato and olive oil.
Butifarra amb mongetes: Traditional sausage with legumes.
Crema catalana: The best known Catalan sweet. It is a white cream coated with caramelized sugar.
Mel i mató: a variation of the queso fresco-Spanish type of cheese - served with honey.
And if you are in Spain, you can not try chocolate con churros, a hot hot chocolate drink accompanied by syrupy fluffy dough sticks.
What to drink?
Sangría! , Also delicious is Tinto de Verano - wine with lemon
For beer fans Mahou is cheap, tasty and available everywhere.
Night Life
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| Paella catalonia |
Food Time
Οn our first day, we have been struggling to discover local traditional tavernas because we have been hurried from our hunger, leading us to deceive us like most tourists!! From the next day , asking other visitors and locals, we found some nice places in the city where we tasted genuine local flavors combined with normal prices! Τhe best way to choose restaurants is always from the TripAdvisor and Google Maps Ratings
What should you try?
Escalivada: Traditional salad with fish.
Pà amb omàquet: Catalan bread with tomato and olive oil.
Butifarra amb mongetes: Traditional sausage with legumes.
Crema catalana: The best known Catalan sweet. It is a white cream coated with caramelized sugar.
Mel i mató: a variation of the queso fresco-Spanish type of cheese - served with honey.
And if you are in Spain, you can not try chocolate con churros, a hot hot chocolate drink accompanied by syrupy fluffy dough sticks.
What to drink?
Sangría! , Also delicious is Tinto de Verano - wine with lemon
For beer fans Mahou is cheap, tasty and available everywhere.
Night Life
The nightlife in Barcelona is intense. The city is full of bars and clubs.Ιn most places the drink's prices are low and often lower than our expectations. We din't go out for a drink in all of these places, however, we asked other visitors and locals of the city, resulting in an our overall impression of the nightlife of the city.
MyTips:
Ideal exit time: 23: 00-24: 00,
an ideal return time: when the sun rises!
Where are you going?
As more tourist areas are considered to be Paseo Marítimo, de la Barceloneta and la Villa Olímpica. There are Zona Alta (Aribau), María Cubí and Santaló. Finally, Eixample is the most central neighborhood, full of bars and clubs.
Specifically club to choose:
Apolo and Razzmatazz bring decent DJs of international reputation and live every weekend. The patrons are mostly tourists, especially everyday. As far as bars are concerned, the must-go area to go is Joaquin Costa in Raval, where everyone starts in Barcelona.
Don't lose!!!! Barcelona's best Sangria in the Manu Chao Bar in the neighborhood of El Gotico. The bar is called El Mariatchi and you will find it difficult because it is considered the "secret" of the locals.
Ideal exit time: 23: 00-24: 00,
an ideal return time: when the sun rises!
Where are you going?
As more tourist areas are considered to be Paseo Marítimo, de la Barceloneta and la Villa Olímpica. There are Zona Alta (Aribau), María Cubí and Santaló. Finally, Eixample is the most central neighborhood, full of bars and clubs.
Specifically club to choose:
Apolo and Razzmatazz bring decent DJs of international reputation and live every weekend. The patrons are mostly tourists, especially everyday. As far as bars are concerned, the must-go area to go is Joaquin Costa in Raval, where everyone starts in Barcelona.
Don't lose!!!! Barcelona's best Sangria in the Manu Chao Bar in the neighborhood of El Gotico. The bar is called El Mariatchi and you will find it difficult because it is considered the "secret" of the locals.
