Travel | Barcelona

Possibly the most spontaneous thing I have done all year was to book a girls holiday to Barcelona a week in advance, whilst holidaying in Florida.

My friend and myself booked to stay in the hostel: Backpackers BCN GO! I had never stayed in a hostel before but have fallen in love with them. I met people from all over the world and the best part is that they are so cheap and I think that there's a misconceived correlation between cheap and dirty, this hostel was very clean, so don't worry. We used hostel world (link here) to find the perfect hostel for us!

Must do:

Party on the Beach/strip

The night we arrived, Barcelona was in the middle of it’s Sao Joao festival. Possibly the most dangerous festival I've ever been too, fireworks were being thrown about everywhere, but it was still nice to be on the beach and watch the ones that weren't heading straight for your face. 

The strip has some of the best clubs I have ever been to, although the entrance fee can be expensive, if you get there before a certain time, you can get in for free. Love a good bargain. 

Visit Le Segrada Familia

I would recommend pre-booking online, it's quick and easy to do and saves you from what could potentially be a very long queue. It is such a stunning building, I've never seen anything like it! 

Visit Gaudi Parc

We walked from Sagrada Familia to Gaudi Parc and while it was a good way to explore the city, it took forever! I would recommend just getting the underground, it's really easy to use. 

Also, if you want full access then you should book prior to your visit, I think you can do this online, but you can also visit the park and book a time for later on. 

 

Visit Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Art Nouveau Site

Otherwise known as the 'City Within the City', this was something that I arrived in Barcelona without knowing anything about. The old hospital was built between 1902 and 1930 and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1997 and is architecturally very beautiful! You have to pay to get in, but there is a lot to see and do, so I would definitely recommend going. It's just up the road from Sagrada Familia so if you're in the area you may as well visit!

 

 
 Visit Montjuic Castle

We visited here on our last day and like the majority of the buildings in Barcelona, the castle was beautiful, however you had to pay to get in and my friend and myself couldn't afford to. Cry. 

Close by is the 'Estadi Olimpic de Montjuic' the Olympic Stadium, 'Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya'an art museum and 'Font Magica' The Magic Fountain. We didn't visit the above three, but I really wish we had!

 Check out Casa Milá and Casa Batlló

These are the iconic buildings of Barcelona, you will have seen them on every touristy bit of information, and they really are beautiful, so definitely worth a visit. You can also go inside them, I didn't, but they looked like they would be really interesting inside.

 

Foodie input

I absolutely love trying new foods so for anyone interested, the food in Barcelona is really hit and miss, I've had some of the best and one of the worst meals of my life (so far) there. It really is worth going to a restaurant that looks like it's well established. I ate outside of a small restaurant on the main road close to where I was staying and it literally tasted like sewage. I am not a fussy eater, but I left the whole thing. However I also had two of some of the nicest meals ever! One was literally two seconds out of my Hostel's front door called Lurantia. I ordered a Duck and Pear ravioli with Martini Sauce, it sounded really interesting and tasted amazing! I also ate at an Italian about 30 minutes outside of the centre called Pulcinella and it was just the best food!

Have you ever visited Barcelona? Let me know what you got up to!

Beth x