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I visited Barcelona with my friends in the summer of 2019 – way before anyone knew what the Covid-19 pandemic was! We spent a week exploring Barcelona and had such a fantastic time. Before going on the trip I researched about where to stay, what to do and how much everything would cost. This travel guide is designed to put all that research into one place so that you have everything you need for your trip to Barcelona!
Accommodation
We stayed in an AirBnB
· Passatge de Flaugier
· Close to La Sagrada Familia
· Cost £1181 for the week
· Spacious apartment with two bunk beds, two single beds, one double bed and a sofa bed
· Large kitchen and good sized bathroom
Other recommendations for where to stay (price for one person for one night for 2/11/20)
· Aparthotel Silver – located in the Gràcia neighbourhood - £53 per night – highlighted for its good location and price.
· W Barcelona – Marriott hotel – Plaça Rosa del Vents – 4 star rating - £198 per night – located near the beach, stunning views of Barcelona and a luxurious hotel.
· Novotel Barcelona City – Avenida Diagonal 201 (enter via Granada street) - £63 per night – known for its roof terrace with stunning views and good customer experience.
· Hostal Martinval – located in the Eixample neighbourhood in the city centre – 2 star - £23 per night – 15 minute walk away from La Sagrada Familia with its central location meaning there are lots of restaurants, shops and cafes nearby.
Food
The best tapas restaurants in Barcelona:
· Los Bellota – located just 0.1 miles from La Sagrada Familia, this tapas restaurant is a must visit when in Barcelona. The price of the food ranges from £11-£32 and there are vegetarian and gluten free options too. Some of the most popular dishes include the seafood paella and the crispy squid.
· Rao – located just 0.2 miles from the Plaza de Cataluna in Carrer de les Sitges, this tapas restaurant has a five star rating on TripAdvisor. Although slightly more expensive than Los Bellota with the price of food ranging from £23-£36, Rao has been praised for its great atmosphere and amazing food and service.
· Colom – located in Escudellers just 0.2 miles from Las Ramblas, this tapas restaurant offers authentic tapas dishes at a reasonable price. Rated 4.5 stars on TripAdvisor, Colom is best known for its paella and they currently offer a special which includes paella and three tapas of your choice.
Top 5 Things To Do in Barcelona
· Visit La Sagrada Familia – although still unfinished and under construction, La Sagrada Familia is without a doubt a must visit when in Barcelona. It was designed by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí and it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has been described as a masterpiece of art and architecture which has made it extremely popular amongst tourists from around the world.
· Walk around Park Güell – Park Güell is one of Barcelona’s largest public parks with large gardens and architectural structures. Located on Carmel Hill, Park Güell is one of the most popular attractions in Barcelona and from the top it gives you the most stunning views of the city. Like La Sagrada Familia, Park Güell was made a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, in 1984.
· Casa Milà – if architecture particularly interests you then I’d recommend visiting Casa Milà. It is more commonly known as La Pedrera and is one of Barcelona’s modernist buildings. It is known for its unique structure and design and once again was designed by Gaudí after being commissioned in 1906. It therefore comes to no surprise that it was also made a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984.
· Las Ramblas – Las Ramblas is the most popular street in Barcelona, similar to Oxford Street in London. The street is 1.2km long and has become extremely popular amongst tourists. However, be aware of pickpockets as this has become an increasing issue over the last few years as the popularity of the street has grown.
· Plaça de Catalunya – The Plaça de Catalunya is Barcelona’s main square. It is considered Barcelona’s ‘city centre’ with some of Barcelona’s most important and busy streets meeting at Plaça Catalunya including Las Ramblas. It is most well-known for its many fountains and statues and is 50,000 square metres big.
Travel
We flew from Bristol to Barcelona with Easyjet which is by far the quickest and most convenient way to get there! The prices of the flights are very much dependent on what time of the year you are travelling. For example, a flight departing 1/1/21 at the moment costs just £30.99 one way. However, a flight departing 1/7/21 at the moment costs £70.99 one way. There is significant variation in the prices which makes it difficult to give an overall judgement on the price of flights.
With regards to the travelling we did whilst in Barcelona, we mainly walked or used the metro. The price for a single metro ticket is 2.40 euros but if you are staying in Barcelona for more than a few days, I’d recommend getting the T-Casual Transport Ticket. This particular ticket costs 11.35 euros for ten metro trips which ends up saving you 12.65 euros.
I hope you find this travel guide useful! As ever, this information has been put together using my personal experience and research online. There is no guarantee that the information is 100% accurate, especially now due to the global pandemic. Nevertheless, if you are planning to visit Barcelona one day I hope you can use this guide to help you during your time there!
All information accurate when the article was written – 25/10/20.
