Please sign in to post.

Barcelona Trip Report

A few years ago, the wife and I got tired of trips where we gogogo, check things off a list, and come home exhausted. We decided that seeing one thing slowly is much better than seeing 5 things quickly. We don't like lugging our suitcases on and off trains, and spending all sorts of time just moving from one place to another. We're getting too old for that. So what we started doing was, renting an apartment in one place for at least two weeks and building relaxation into our schedule. We’ve done that in Florence, and Venice, and now, Barcelona.

We just got back from Barcelona. I really loved that place. It has the kind of vibe that makes me want to live there for a lot longer than two weeks. The Eixample is such a beautiful piece of urban planning. The blocks have cut off corners, and wide sidewalks, and tree-lined streets. The buildings are beautiful works of art.

We rented an apartment in the Eixample neighborhood, on Passieg de Gracia, a block and a half from Placa de Cataluna. Our apartment was on the 6th floor, with an elevator, very quiet and full of natural light. Two blocks up the street was the Block of Discord. Two and a half blocks down the street was the Gothic Quarter. The bus stop for the #24 bus, which goes to Park Guell, was right across the street. And there was a Metro stop right in front of our apartment. It’s a beautiful neighborhood, with very wide sidewalks that are great for just slowly strolling around.

Here's what I recommend. Don’t bother with “La Rambla.” The people on La Rambla are tourists, people who are trying to sell stuff to tourists, and of course the pickpockets. And don’t eat there. Don’t ever eat at a place where they have people standing on the sidewalk waving a menu at you.

If you want a street that is great for strolling, looking at beautiful buildings, eating great tapas, and sitting on a bench watching the world go by, go to Rambla de Catalunya, or Passieg de Gracia. I did not like “La Rambla.” I loved Rambla de Catalunya and Passieg de Gracia. We would go out the front door of our building, get some tapas and some Cava or Vermouth, and then slowly walk 5 blocks up Passieg de Gracia, one block over to Rambla de Catalunya, and walk slowly down Rambla de Catalunya, stopping to sit on various benches to watch the world go by. And I kept thinking, "I'd love to live here because then I could do this every day."

Most impressive thing I saw in the two weeks- the inside of La Sagrada Familia Basilica. The outside doesn’t move me that much. It’s okay. But the inside- I was absolutely floored by the originality, the scale, and most of all, the overwhelming beauty of the inside of that place. Wow. The inside of La Sagrada Familia was worth the whole trip.

I like cathedrals, so we also went to the Cathedral of Barcelona, which was really nice, and Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar. Those were both nice quiet places where you could sit and contemplate life, and how lucky you are to be sitting there in that moment.

We took the train to Mont Serrat, which we really enjoyed. We got in line to see the wooden sculpture of the Virgin Mary, which is reportedly the most venerated religious icon in Catalunya. We went through the line and touched the orb. Afterwards, as we made our way down the stairs, we were supposed to exit the basilica, but we got sneaky and merged in with a group of old ladies as they were ushered into the basilica, which, for some reason then unknown to us, was completely full, every seat taken, except for the front row, which apparently had been reserved for these old ladies. We sat in the front row. Then we found out why all the people were in there, because the boys’ choir, which goes back to the 14th century, came in and sang beautifully for about 15 or 20 minutes. What a stroke of luck that was for us.

Posted by
103 posts

We took both funiculars at Mont Serrat: the one that goes up the mountain and the one that goes down the mountain. After taking the one that goes down the mountain, we followed a paved path that was lined with religious statues, and, after what seemed like a couple of miles, came to the cave where the "Black Virgin" icon was originally found. There is a small chapel built into the mountainside there. We went in and sat for a while. There were only two other people in there at first, and then it was only us.

We also went to the Picasso Museum, and the National Museum of Catalan Art. My favorite thing in the Picasso Museum was all the versions he had done of Velasquez’s Las Meninas. When I mentally compared those paintings to the original by Velasquez, I started to understand Picasso a lot better. My favorite thing in the National Museum of Catalan Art was the art that was done during the Spanish Civil War.

Park Guell was fun, but extremely crowded, especially near the lizard. It was still crowded at closing. We walked around the Gothic Quarter a few times. It's full of tourists, but still very interesting and full of history.

None of the fountains in Barcelona are running right now because of the drought. I can’t imagine how beautiful that place would be if the fountains were running.

Hospital de Sant Pau was an unexpected pleasure, and a masterpiece of Modernist architecture. We spent a few hours there on the day we went to Sagrada Familia. We took the Metro to Hospital de Sant Pau and walked from there to Sagrada Familia.

The best food we found by far was at a tapas bar called Ciutat Comtal, in the Eixample district, one block north of Placa Catalunya. I strongly recommend the honey glazed cod. El Nacional, a big place with four different restaurants in it, was across the street from us. We ate there three times, with mixed results- some very good, some just okay. Near the big art museum we found a tapas bar called “Taps.” That was very good.

The worst food we had was Churros. Those are deep fried dough which come with a cup of melted chocolate for dipping. It’s not as great as it sounds. Maybe we just got bad Churros. We were in the Gothic Quarter, so maybe it was because it was a very touristy area, but nonetheless, we said “Never again.” Second worst food was on the top floor of the department store El Corte Ingles. Someone once said, “Don’t ever go to a restaurant with a view.” There is an incredible view up there, but the food was below mediocre.

When we rent a place for two weeks like this, we try to eat out a lot, but also, go to the grocery for fresh fruits and vegetables, so we stay relatively healthy. El Corte Ingles has a big grocery in the basement. We got everything we needed there.

Here’s another piece of my OPINION you can take or leave. Paella is just rice, with a few things thrown in. Sangria is okay, I like it, but what I liked more was Cava or Vermouth.

We never encountered a pickpocket or saw anyone else get pickpocketed. Probably because we were careful. If you’re on the subway, put your valuables, including your phone, inside your jacket and zip up your jacket.

We did a lot of just slowly walking around. Very slowly. And sitting on benches on Rambla de Catalunya, admiring the beautiful architecture and watching the people walk by. It seemed like mostly locals there, but some tourists. People walking their dog, or old folks out for a slow evening stroll. That was my favorite part of Barcelona- that slow, relaxed vibe. No one was ever rude to us, or impatient. It’s a place where I wouldn’t mind living.

Posted by
1287 posts

Don't confuse the people trying to pickpocket tourists on Las Ramblas with locals. They're not.

Posted by
103 posts

Good point, GerryM. I have edited that.

Posted by
1287 posts

I like a bit of paella whenever I'm in Spain :) Paella can be tasty and filling as long as you're not overpaying for it, in my opinion.

I'm kinda fond of sangria too. A big pitcher when you sit down with your paella, or cartons of Don Simon from the fridge at the grocery store to drink on the go. Cava is good too, I've gone all in on cava when I've been in town in time for Sant Joan. Estrella Damm is the local beer, you used to be able to buy cans from sellers with a cooler in some squares in the evening for €1. Not sure if inflation has pushed that up these days.

Posted by
3567 posts

Marty, appreciate your report and perspective, but be careful telling people what they should be drinking. I’m sure cava is great, but if I want a sangria, so what?

Posted by
779 posts

Thank you, Marty, for posting your trip report. I enjoyed reading it and was impressed that you spent 2 whole weeks in Barcelona! We enjoyed a day trip to Montserrat, too.

Posted by
103 posts

Tammy, thanks for the advice, I have edited the offending passage.

Posted by
2317 posts

I will be in Barcelona in October and enjoyed your trip report. Only have four nights in Barcelona before I do a Mediterranean cruise. It is simply not going to be enough time. I will have only two full days and I might try to use one of those two days to tour Montserrat which only leaves me one full day to tour Barcelona.

I will be staying at the Hotel Continental Barcelona on La Rambla. My hotel offers 24/7 snacks so perhaos I will not be needing to eat on La Rambla.

Spending two weeks at one place sounds like a good way to travel. You relax as well as get to know a place.

Posted by
6713 posts

Nice report, thanks, Marty. You have the right idea -- two weeks in a big interesting city, with time to see the sights, rest up between them, get outside the tourist zones, eat in and out, and take some trips out of town. I hope you can do this dozens more times because Europe is full of candidates for you.

Your appreciation of Picasso's takes on Las Meninas resonated with me. I thought the Picasso museum was excellent, and seeing so much of his early art helped me appreciate his later art. His Meninas also helped me appreciate the original Velasquez when I saw it a few days later in the Prado. One of those works that accumulates meaning the longer you look at it.

Posted by
23635 posts

Good report. What was your perception of police activity on Las Ramblas? The last time we were in Barcelona was pre-pandemic about four years and thought the police presents was extremely high compared to prior years. This was our fourth visit to Barcelona in the past 20 years. Almost felt like I could have left my billfold on a bench and it would be there hours later --- almost. Years ago on prior visits we seldom saw police and watched a lot of con games with dice, cards and bottles. During our last visit we saw several pairs of officers -- both male and female -- just wondering along speaking with (I assume) were local people, all over the Ramblas. No con games. It felt liked like Barcelona was making a big effort to clean up Las Ramblas. Wonder if that has continued????

Posted by
103 posts

Hi, Frank, this is the only time I've ever been to Barcelona, so I have no other times to compare it to. I did not notice any kind of heavy police presence. It felt perfectly safe everywhere, but I've heard and read so many reports about pickpockets in Barcelona that maybe I was a bit paranoid. I've been to Europe many times, and I have never encountered a pickpocket. But I do play it safe.

One thing I saw in many places was people with goods laid out of the sidewalk on a blanket or sheet. Purses, scarves, whatever. And the interesting thing was they had attached to each corner of the blanket a string and they held all four strings in their hand. I assume it was so if the Police came around, they could snatch the whole thing up and leave within seconds.

Posted by
103 posts

BostonPhil7, if you have a whole day at Montserrat, I recommend buying the ticket that includes the black virgin and the two funiculars. I especially enjoyed the lower funicular, which takes you to a paved path that winds around the mountain to the chapel where the Black Virgin was supposedly found. Also, ask for the times when the boys' choir will sing in the Basilica. And also, leave Barcelona on the train to Montserrat as early as you can, because it takes about an hour and a half to get there.

Also, if you are going to see La Sagrada Familia, be sure go online and book your timed-entry ticket at least two weeks in advance.