A long weekend in Barcelona

Those who look for the laws of Nature as a support for their new works collaborate with the creator.

Antoni Gaudi

As part of my series of European long weekend breaks, we’re off to Barcelona! I know, I know, I’ve said it before however, Barcelona is one of my most favourite cities on the planet!

A weekend in Barcelona is perfect for a short European getaway. Beach lover, hill walker, city dweller, bar hopper, art aficionado or history buff – Barcelona has you covered! Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia in the North East of the country and is nestled fortuitously between the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees Mountains.

Famous for Gaudi, the 1992 Summer Olympics, modern art and of course football; Barcelona is the most visited city in Spain. It is also armed with Spain’s second most visited site – The Basilica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia – we’ll get to that later!

Flying out Saturday morning, returning Sunday evening isn’t going to do Barcelona justice, ideally, you want to arrive late Friday afternoon flying back late on Monday and even then, you’re not going to cram everything in!

One of the things I LOVE to do when I first visit a new city is a walking tour, in Barcelona there are loads, you can choose a paid tour such as one of the Devour tours, (they do lots but I’ve been on a couple of their food tours and they’re fabulous!), or there is a plenitude of free walking tours, now when I say free, a tip is appreciated, I usually pay between €10 and €20 depending on the length and quality of the tour.

I usually try to fit a walk in from the get go, why – You will learn the history and culture about a place and get first hand tips from locals about restaurants and bars. That alone is worth the money but hopefully, if you’re on your own, you’ll find others on the tour who you get on with and grab an Aperol Spritz or three together!

The name Gaudi is simply synonymous with Barcelona subsequently, you can’t visit Barcelona without taking in the brilliance of the man. You will see evidence of Gaudi all over the place so, a self-guided Gaudi tour isn’t too onerous!

My suggestion would be to start at the Placa de Catalunya, from there, walk NW along Passeig de Gracia. Both Casa Batllo and Casa Mila can be found on Passeig de Gracia, Spain’s most expensive street. If you have time I’d also suggest Park Guell which is were Gaudi lived for a time.

Now you have a taste for Gaudi, you really should go see his gift to human kind, his Masterpiece – Sagrada Familia. Gaudi’s undoubted magnum opus is the world famous Sagrada Familia. When you’re finished at Casa Mila, take a twenty minute walk up Carrer de Provenca to be wowed by Barcelona’s centrepiece!

Only Granada’s Alhambra attracts more visitors as Spain’s most visited site. The Sagrada Familia showcases Gaudi’s architectural evolution, it’s a sight to behold and without question it has to be visited at some stage of your weekend in Barcelona.

It’s not even finished yet (there are more towers to add to the top) but its uniqueness is astounding. Gaudi didn’t like straight lines or edges, he based his designs on the swirling curves of nature. Less than a quarter of the project was complete at the time of Gaudi’s death in 1926. The building has an estimated completion date of 2026 – which would be the centennial of Gaudi’s death, no pressure on the builders and architects then!

Now here’s the thing, don’t expect to simply rock up and join a short queue for tickets, oh no!You have two options really, either get your timed tickets on line or, join one of those “jump the queue tours”, the other thing to keep in mind is that this is a working Catholic Church, so check out the dress code on the official website here

Okay – so in a few simple paragraphs, I’ve given you an entire day of exploration and believe me, you’ll be ready to take it down a gear or two and really get into the Spanish way of life. Take a metro back to Jaume 1 and spend the rest of your evening (and night – if you’re up for it?!) eating, drinking and dancing!

The Gothic Quarter or El Gotic is the center of the old city of Barcelona and is truly a remarkable area, full of quaint restaurants, shops, medieval reminders of the Roman settlement and picturesque labyrinthine cobbled streets.

Tourist sites such as the Jewish quarter, Barcelona’s Gothic cathedral and the remains of the Roman wall are in the Gothic quarter and are all walkable. As you aimlessly amble around you can eat at some of the oldest restaurants, drink at dive bars or upmarket cocktail bars and dance the night away as it ramps up into the early hours – honestly, the atmosphere is tangible!

Day two should be spent at a much slower pace, enjoying the other side of Barcelona. After a hearty carb heavy breakfast to soak up the previous night’s wine, jump on a metro and head to Paral-lel where you can switch to the funicular included in your metro ticket which takes you to the top of Montjuic Hilltop Park.

At the top you’ll find the likes of Montjuic castle, several botanical gardens and the Olympic arenas & outdoor pool for swimming in summer. But it’s all about the views over Barcelona city from the top, simply breath-taking!

It’s funny, talk to people about the amazing beaches in Barcelona and the uninitiated will look at you with their head on one side and say; “there’s a beach in Barcelona??!?” Well, there are several and are all beautiful! As it’s rare to have a huge and popular tourist city that also has a decent beach I suggest you take your tired feet to the waters edge, have a little paddle before sitting down with a nice glass of cava at one of the numerous bars and restaurants.

Right, back on your feet, we’re off again! We’re heading over to the world famous La Rambla. One seen as the key destination in Barcelona after the Sagrada, my personal feeling is, is now lost it’s top billing to the Gothic Quarter – just my opinion. But it’s still worth a look! La Rambla is a 1.2km long vibrant and lively promenade. It connects Plaça de Catalunya (the centre of Barcelona) and Port Vell. Until 1440 it was a sewage-filled stream and rainwater drain. The city walls were extended and diverted the stream away from what is now the tree lined Las Ramblas.

It’s packed full with tourists day and night, shopping or eating and drinking into the early hours and has subsequently become synonymous with pickpocketing and being a tourist trap, but can still be fun to people watch with a glass of wine or a beer, although be careful as this beer will be outrageously overpriced! One of my fav little watering holes, for obvious reasons, is an Irish bar called the Irish Pub Temple Bar, not really worth seeking out but, it does the most fabulous Tapas which you can wash down with a Guinness, which actually, was pretty good!

You could stay and eat at one of the numerous restaurants however, personally, I’d rather head back to the Gothic quarter!

If you’ve just got two days, you could just about fit all that in, my advice, take an extra day and take it easy!

What’s on this week?