I went to Barcelona on a girls trip with my mom and it was one of the most memorable vacations I have ever been on. Below you can find a list of the best things to do in the city including places to see, where to eat and where to stay! Happy travels!
Where to Eat:
Brunch & Cake by the Sea: This was probably the best brunch I have had in a really long time. I pretty much order eggs benedict anywhere I go so I ordered the avocado benedict (they give you a ton of avocado that replaces what usually is the English muffin) and my mom got the avocado toast which was incredible. Their entire vibe is perfect for any type of occasion.
Mercado de La Boqueria: This is one of the most visited places in Barcelona. When you are walking around it kind of reminds of you of the Mercado Little Spain in NYC. There are endless vendors selling the most incredible jamon and cheese that you will ever taste. They also have sandwiches, fish, meat, desserts, and anything else you can think of.
El Nacional Barcelona: We went to this restaurant straight from the airport and it is definitely an experience. There are several places to eat within in and we ate at the first one on the left right when you walk in. My favorite dish was the octopus! We also ordered huevos rotos (my favorite Spanish dish which I wrote a blog post about it here) and croquetas.
Panorama Brunch and Cocktails: We found this place when we were walking back to the hotel to get our suitcases to go back to the airport. I looked up the reviews (4.4 stars on Google) and they have a nice outside area so we gave it a try. The brunch was delicious! I ordered the eggs benedict with avocado and bacon, and my mom got the nachos.
Experiences:
La Sagrada Familia: You need to get tickets in advance and it’s worth going to. The architecture is breathtaking and you are able to listen to an audio guide on your phone at your own pace (you need to download the app). There is a bit of construction going on but it doesn’t take away from the experience.
Casa Batlló: It is an architectural gem that was created by Antoni Gaudí that should definitely be on your list. I highly recommend buying tickets in advance. The one minor issue I had with the experience was that I felt like there were way too many people allowed during our time slot so it felt very crowded on the inside. Note there are a lot of stairs!
The Paella Club: They offer different options and we chose the Appetizer Experience which lasts about 2.5 hours. You are paired into groups of two and each team makes their own paella. You learn how to cook it step by step while enjoying some refreshing cava wine and listening to upbeat music. When all of the paellas are done, everyone sits around a long table and is able to taste all of the paellas that were made. You also get an amuse bouche and a dessert.
Museum of Illusions: This museum is a hoot! You go throughout the entire museum and take photos from where they tell you to stand and it creates an illusion as if you were part of the photo. It took us about 25-30 minutes to do the whole thing. It’s fun if you have some time. It’s right next to The Paella Club so we went right before our Appetizer Experience.
Where to Stay:
Le Méridien Barcelona: This is one of the iconic hotels in the city that most people like to stay in. It was very packed in the lobby at all times, it was a great experience overall but a bit pricey.
Hotel One Shot Aragó 257: We stayed here for two nights and I was very pleasantly surprised. The hotel showcases stunning art throughout the room, it has a TV that works as a mirror when it’s turned off (think.. Samsung’s The Frame but a mirror instead of an art piece). We also had a really nice balcony!
Check out some of my other travel guides: Savannah, Charleston, Austin, Lisbon and Santorini.
Xo,
Kika
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