Mimi’s Top Travel Tips: Barcelona

As I sit in my windowless office in the West of Scotland, I think back to mere days ago when I was sitting outside in 18 degree sunshine, drinking coffee on La Rambla after a glorious day of sight-seeing. Yep, I returned from Barcelona about a week ago and I am already missing this wonderful city. Never been before? Been but want some top tips or recommendations for a re-visit? Read on mis amigos...

Booking the Trip and Getting There

Mum and I booked our flights and accommodation through lastminute.com. Three nights in a 4 star hotel, in a central location, including breakfast and with luggage was around £270pp. It’s worth signing up to Quidco.com or an equivalent cashback site, as we saved an additional £30 off our booking. We often opt for apartments when doing city breaks but when there’s just two of you travelling a hotel is often more economical. I would definitely recommend an apartment if there’s a squad of you.

 Be sure to properly read the airline’s baggage allowances and regulations. We were flying out with Norweigan Air and returning with Ryanair and each of their baggage policies are slightly different- just as well I like to be organised!  

Once we were España-side, we had pre-booked a private transfer with Airport Taxi Transfers. We had used this company in Paris so knew it was a reliable service. Around £70 for a return trip, although taking a train may have been cheaper, having a driver with your name on a clipboard providing a door-to-door service saves time and avoids a whole lot of luggage-lugging.

Accommodation: NH Barcelona Centro 

CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS HOTEL ENOUGH! We were literally a 3 minute walk from La Rambla. A spotlessly clean, good-sized room with a balcony was just the ticket! Looking out over the rooftops in the morning and being able to watch the sunset to the sound of local church bells was a really nice touch. The breakfast at the hotel was out of this world. I love my food (like, probably too much) so it’s a huge part of any trip that I take. The hotel provided a continental breakfast which was the best I’ve ever had. Breads, pastries, cakes, cold meats, cheeses, tortilla, a build-your-own museli bar, juices, smoothies, yoghurts, fruits, salads and desserts were all on offer. In addition you could also order boiled eggs, fried eggs or omelettes. And no holiday would be complete with a wee glass of fizz in the morning, right? Water, red wine and Cava were on tap. Salut!

Things to Do 

As we arrived at the hotel at about 3pm, we spent the afternoon unpacking and stretching our legs down at the Marina. We had however booked a 9:30pm flamenco show at Tarantos, Barcelona’s oldest flamenco club. Trust me when I say that you NEED to see this show and also that you must to book in advance to avoid disappointment.

   

The club is small and low ceilinged which provides a really intimate experience. I can honestly say it was the most intense and expressive thing I have every watched in my life. Like, legit couldn’t speak afterwards for sobbing. This coming from someone who’s never cried at a movie (and yep, I’ve seen The Notebook!), YOU NEED TO SEE THIS. And at 15€ it’s an absolute steal.

The next morning we took the metro to go explore the Gaudi church La Basilica Sagrada Familia where we had booked a guided tour. I definitely recommend taking the metro- not only is it a good 40 min walk from La Rambla, but there’s the added bonus of walking up the steps from the platform, turning 180° and being awe-struck by the Cathedral as it towers above you. You can buy a book of 10 single metro tickets for 10,90€, and considering a single ticket on its own is 2,20€, this is definitely worth it. The tickets last for a month so will definitely cover your full trip. Basic entry to Sagrada Familia is 15€ but for an extra 7€ the guided tour is well worth it. Click the link for tickets.

 

Another interesting thing to do (depending on the day of the week) is to visit the small antiques market at the harbour. It's situated right at the bottom of La Rambla before you cross the bridge onto the Magnum shopping centre. With everything from war memorabilia to art work, jewellery to home-wares, literature to general bric-a-brac on sale most of it is reasonably priced and you may just pick up something quite unique.

Places to Eat

For lunch we grabbed freshly made baguettes form Forns del Pi and some nibbles from supermarket Carrefour Market on La Rambla and enjoyed dining alfresco. Anyone who knows me knows that I drink water by the bucket-load. Five litres of water from the supermarket will cost you 0,49€. We kept one of those bad boys in the hotel room and filled up empty water bottles to carry with us. Probably saved us a good 10€ overall in individual bottles of water.

Also, we dined twice at Les Quinze Nits on Placa Reial (as it happens on the same square as the flamenco club, Tarantos.) Don’t be fooled by it's posh exterior. The food is extremely reasonably priced. Two fish dishes (one salmon, one guilt-head bream), a side of veggies, ½ litre of red wine, water, bread, 2 desserts and a coffee came to a mere 43€. The restaurant belongs to a chain of other restaurants and hotels nearby and the establishments range in theme and price. Would highly recommend Les Quinze Nits for not only the food and the service but also for the location. Placa Reial is a hub of activity and a lovely place to spend the evening eating, drinking and people watching, if La Rambla is a bit too crowded and mainstream for you.

Shopping

Of course, no city break would be complete without some retail therapy. You literally can’t turn a corner without seeing a Zara or Mango. They’re EVERYWHERE. Other partner stores like Stradivarius, Springfield and Pull & Bear are also pretty popular here, as is H&M and C&A (oh hi there 1995!). There are plenty of little boutiques if you venture down the side streets, and a few bargains can be had in chain stores like Floreciana if you are looking for floaty linen tops and wide legged trousers. The only items I did buy were a pair of handmade copper earrings from the market on La Rambla for 15€, an antique Egyptian cartouche pendant from the antiques market mentioned earlier for 8€ (get haggling at this market!), and a funky faux leather embossed shopper from a quirky store called Ale Hop. It reminded me of Tiger Tiger (or Flying Tiger) with lots of little novelty gifts and accessories.

Other useful things to note

Barcelona gets a bad rap for pick-pockets. Truth be told, every European city has an issue with this, so be vigilant. A cross-body bag which a zip fastening is a must, and I would avoid keeping any valuables in your pockets. Just be sensible, as you would do in any city.

We visited Barcelona over the Easter holidays, and with Spain being a Catholic country, a lot of the big stores were closed on Good Friday. Therefore, if you are visiting during a religious period, keep that in mind if shopping is your thing. However, we did happen upon a religious parade for a midnight mass and it was definitely a highlight of our trip.

In terms of eating and drinking I would generally say to avoid sticking to La Rambla if you can. It’s incredibly busy and is really only good for a quick coffee in my opinion as it’s not exactly a relaxing spot. If you want authentic Spanish paella, definitely avoid here. They tend to be frozen and not freshly prepared. You’ll get a far more authentic meal if you walk a few streets inward. Same goes for gelato and the traditional Catalonian nougat stands. If you’re looking for somewhere picturesque to sit and enjoy a shop-bought baguette, or you just need to rest your feet for a few minutes, then there is a small courtyard in the grounds of the old hospital 'de la Santa Creu' just off Carrer de l’Hospital (off La Rambla). It is a little slice of tranquillity in the city where you can enjoy some peace and quiet among the orange trees. You might even spot a parakeet among the pigeons.

I think that Barcelona is such a great city to visit and just wing it but I hope my little nuggets of info have given you some food for thought should you be visiting soon. And if you haven’t been before…what are you waiting for!? Vamos, vamos!!  


Mimi x