Barcelona

Barcelona was a city I had always wanted to visit but somehow never chose it as my first destination. We actually decided to go there to visit the city and meet up with some friends.  It is a city with unique architecture and lots of things to see. We were there for a couple of days and picked out some things but there is definitely more to explore. When looking at the sights of the city I recommend taking the tour bus. They all have headphones with commentaries in different languages. It is also a convenient way to get around and stop at all the important sites. You buy a ticket for a day or two and it is great for taking pictures from the top of the bus.

Place de Catalunya

When booking a hotel, it is best to be on one of the main streets. We stayed at the Hotel Majestic on Passeig de Gracia which is actually one of the main shopping streets. The price was a little lower than usual because it was August and there was renovation going on. It really was not very noisy disturbing our sleep. Some parts of the hallway were being painted and rooms were being refurbished but that did not bother us at all.

View from the roof top bar of Hotel Majestic

Before choosing the hotel location and hotel, I asked a few people who had already been to Barcelona. From the Passeig de Gracia, where the hotel is located, you can walk down to the Placa de Catalunya, which is the main square. 

Typical black/yellow Barcelona taxis

Former Bull fighting arena, now a shopping mall

Passeig de Gracia

The Passeig de Gracia is a shopping road with boutiques such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc.

Passeig de Gracia

Building on Passeig de Gracia

Gaudi Building, Casa Milà

On the Passeig de Gracia you can see one of the famous Gaudi buildings. You can go in for a tour but we did not bother waiting in a queue that day. The Passeig de Gracia is also a good tip if you want to go into tapas bars or just for a drink. It is much calmer than Las Ramblas and most bars are ok. I would recommend Basque tapas bars. You can small tapas for 1-2 Euros each and drinks. 

Las Ramblas

When looking up Barcelona, you probably find Las Ramblas street. This is a very busy street full of shops. There is also a market somewhere at the side, which we did not visit though. On this street you really have to beware of pick pockets. It is quite busy and I have heard of people who were robbed there, especially at night there is a certain danger of that. If you are cautious however, you should be fine. You can walk down this street on the way to the harbour area. There are also many restaurants and bars on Las Ramblas which should be avoided. They are all tourist rip offs and not very good quality. You can read about this in my Barcelona bars and restaurant post.

Harbour area

At the harbour area, there are also a couple of restaurants and bars at night. There is also a beach. 

Cruise ship at the main harbour

There are also cruises available to go to the Balearic Islands. We did not do that though as it takes a while.

Old ships at the harbour

Pedestrian zone at the harbour

At night, there are a couple of bars and restaurants right at the beach. There is a long path along the beach which seemed to be where the night life is. During the day there are also some restaurants there which I would recommend only for a quite bite.

Sagrada Familia

This is the famous church in Barcelona with perpetual construction which was started in 1888. Nobody knows how many towers are supposed to be built and when the church will be complete.

Sagrada Familia

We did not go inside as the queue into the church was very long. If you do want to see it, I suggest coming very early.

Tibidabo

The Tibidabo is a mountain in Barcelona. It is located 512 metres above sea level. 

Tramvia Blau

The most traditional way of driving up to the mountain is by using the Tramvia Blau. This is an old tram which drives up and down the mountain on one track. We took a taxi up because the tram was not in sight and we were told that it was out of order. When we went back down, we did take the tram which costs more than a taxi for two people.

Mirablau Bar

At the op of the mountain, you can go for a drink and/or small tapas at the Mirablau bar. This bar has a great view and is really worth the visit. The waiters are also used to taking pictures of everyone and won't mind taking a couple of pictures of you. 

View from Mirablau Bar

View of Barcelona from Tibidabo, Mirablau

Park Güell

Park Güell

Park Güell was built by Antoi Gaudi in 1900 until 1914. Its size is 17.18 hectares. We went there with the tourist bus. In August it was extremellhot and there were masses at the Park Güell. It is very difficult to take pictures of everything you want to take pictures of.

Salamander at Par Güell

Ceiling ornaments

View from the Park Güell

The park also has some cafes which you can stop at. When you go down there are a couple of souvenir stores where you can buy little souvenirs which is what we also did. There are a couple of restaurants near the park and loads of people right outside trying to lure tourists into them. They all did not look very good and seemed like tourist rip offs. Needless to say, we did not go there.

Montjuïc

We took the bus up to the top of the Montjuïc which another mountain in Barcelona which is 173 metres above sea level. On the way up, you pass by the Olympic stadium of Barcelona.

View from Montjuïc

View from Montjuïc

From the Montjuïc, you have an incredible view of the city. There also cafes and galleries. 

FC Barcelona stadium

Barcelona stadium

FC Barcelona is the pride of the city. You will see FC Barcelona shops all around the city where you can also buy fan merchandise.

For fans of FC Barcelona, it is possible to buy tickets all over the city. You can buy tickets at FC Barcelona shops with or without transfer. The hotels can also assist you organising a visit on a match day.