Travel to... | Barcelona

Barcelona has been the one place I've wanted to go to for so long, so I was super excited when my parents told my sister and I we were jetting off with them for a long weekend in April.  As my birthday and my mums birthday is in April it seemed like the right time to go and the weather would be just right to do lots of walking through the city.

 I have the travel bug, I've had it for a very long time and I love being able to have the opportunity to go away regularly and I am super grateful to be able to do so. Barcelona has really got my heart and I would go so far to say that I could see myself living there for a period in my life. And that really does show that it's a city that's really had an impact on me because I completely and utterly adore London so I used to be convinced only America could take me away! Barcelona is so clean, bright and has the same buzz of London.  When we arrived we hopped onto the areobus which is a 30 minute bus journey into the city which costs only €6 for a ticket therefore a much more cost effective way to get to the centre of Barcelona. We got off the bus at Place de Cataluyna and out hotel/apartment was only a 5-10 minute walk from  there. We stayed at the Splendom Suites Pau Claris which were super beautiful. The lovely receptionist who checked us in was so helpful and made the check in process nice and smooth.  We stayed in one of their two bedroom apartments with two kingsize bedrooms and what's even better is they have a rooftop pool! The suites were decorated with some really on trend soft furnishing, including a copper table and lamp which you'll know by now I'm obsessed with!

It was time to get some brunch so we headed out and came across a really nice little place on a side street called Arlecchino Restaurant, I was told that when heading out for food to try stay away from the central strip as they can overcharge for no really reason. This place didn't look much from the outside but it was such good service, great price and food! Across the city I think they have many little tapas places like this, the Spanish are doing it right! I love tapas, it's my kinda food as I'm so indecisive when having to choose just one course so being able to pick at different things is ideal.

Time to be tourists we headed to las Ramblas and walked round and then headed towards the beach. I think that's what I loved about Barcelona as well, the fact they have a beach and great weather. I love visiting Brighton but English weather is super unpredictable whereas Barcelona is lovely most of the time so heading to the beach after work would be a viable option. When we got to the beach we noticed they have cable carts that take you across some of the city with views across the whole of Barcelona. We were so keen for this and even though we were told it would be an 80 minute wait we thought it would be worth it. The time went fast and the sun was shining so there were no complaints. The cable cars cost €11 each for a one way trip. The views are breathtaking;

When we finished taking in these views we walked back down the hill to find the metro and go back to our apartment to freshen up for dinner. For dinner we went to a place called Attic on a family friend’s recommendation. This is actually on Las Ramblas so was great to see how buzzy it is a nighttime, bright lights and busy atmosphere similar to Leicester Square! Attic was really modernly decorated and the food was good. We started with some tapas to share and then each got a main meal. I had the steak tartare which was to die for and they served it with chips but they were basically like crisps. I'm not sure what they seasoned them with but it completely complimented the dish.  Walking round Barcelona at night is so nice, there is so much going on it gives off such positive vibes. Just be careful and vigilante of pickpockets and people trying to sell things. It's like most cities you go; you just have to be careful.

Day 2, we wanted to head on the tour bus today as we were only there for 2 and a half days we wanted to fit in as many sites as possible.  We used the Barcelona Turistic Bus by Citysiteseeing. It costs €28.  I don't always opt for using a tourist bus but there was so much we wanted to see and this was the fastest way to do so.  We headed to Camp Nou and did the tour round there. And as I'm not football fan I was worried I wouldn't enjoy this part as much but it was incredible. The stadium which is where Barcelona play football is huge, they're slogan is 'more than just a Club' is completely right. You get to see all there trophies, the changing rooms, a museum of all their history and the tunnel where the players enter the pitch. It is well work the €23 entrance fee and if you're going on a trip with your boyfriend, you'll earn brownie points by visiting here!!

It was time to get some lunch and a place I has on my list to visit while we were there was a restaurant called Catalana which apparently have the best tapas in Barcelona and wow, that is more that right. It was outstanding, the only thing I would say is be sure to book if you're going at night as I imagine it being super swamped. We headed there around 2pm and we had a 30 minute wait. If you go you MUST try their bacon and Roquefort baguette and Patas Bravas - they were to die for. For a place that has such a buzz around, it isn't overpriced at all. We were pleasantly surprised how reasonable it was and their house white is fab!

More site-seeing it was after lunch, we headed to the Sagrada Familia it is such a beautiful building and Gaudi was such an impressive architect, it's so amazing to go round the city seeing his work. I love that the building isn't finished they are still going to add more spires and work is expected to finish by 2026. It's truly breathtaking. The queues to go inside were ridiculous so next time, yes we are already planning our next trip, we will book a time slot to avoid the queues.  We then headed on the red route of the bus and took in the sites of the north part of the city, from the Olympic park to Port Vell. It so was beautiful to and we watched the sunset whilst riding around and I loved Port Vell, it had some crazy huge yachts parked up that were insane!

Place for brunch:

Granja Petitbo  

Place for dinner:
Catalana 

Other photos:

I really hope you enjoyed reading about my trip in Barcelona. I vlogged part of this trip so head over to my YouTubeChannel here to watch! Where should I go next on my city break?

Lots of love, 

N x