Break in Barcelona

Due to Morocco visa policies, it was necessary for me to leave the country at some point this month. I decided to plan a trip to Barcelona because of the cheap flight and close proximity to Morocco. I spent a few days in Barcelona about five years back in high school, so I was really excited to return and experience the city again. And I was able to time it perfectly and spend a quick couple of days with a good friend from home.

Sidenote: a HUGE shoutout to the lovely Victoria for sending me all of her restaurant, bar, and travel recommendations from her semester abroad in Barcelona! My trip would not have been complete without all of her advice and the amazing places she shared with me.

I landed in Barcelona on Thursday evening and checked into my hostel. I headed out to get dinner at Orac Gastrobar, a Spanish bar in Eixample. They are known for their pizzadillo, a calzone-like sandwich made with fermented pizza dough. I ordered one filled with tomato, Italian spicy pepperoni, mozzarella, and chili oil. It was absolutely delicious and the perfect comfort meal for my first night in Barcelona!

For day one, I headed out early at 7am and took the metro up to Park Güell. I had read on many websites that they offer free entry before 8am, but sadly all the entrances were still restricted for visitors. I was bummed since I was really looking forward to walking through Antoni Gaudi’s famous park again, but I was still glad to be up early for the day. Instead, I decided to wander through the Gràcia neighborhood, a 17^th century district at the bottom of the Collserola mountain range. This area was so quiet and residential, especially in the morning, which was a nice contrast from the overly crowded, touristy streets of La Rambla and the Gothic Quarter. I stopped for breakfast at Bicioci Bike Café, a bohemian café with specialty coffee, sandwiches, juices, and pastries.

From there, I walked to Plaça de la Virreina, a small square filled with shops and a church built in 1884. I grabbed a coffee at Chök, a vegan, handmade chocolate shop I stumbled upon. I had a praline latte which I think might have been one of the BEST lattes I’ve ever had in my life – it was so delicious. I spent the rest of the morning sitting in the square, which was so quiet in the morning, watching locals run their morning errands and the shops start to open.

Next, I took a long walk down to the Sagrada Familia, a Catholic church designed by Antoni Gaudi. I didn’t have tickets to go inside, but the outside of the church is spectacular, with so many unique engravings, statues, and art forms. I sat in the park surrounding the church just admiring the architecture and watching the crowds get gradually more busy as the day went on.

I grabbed a to-go lunch of a salad and an eggplant croquette at Paisano Bistro, a cozy Italian restaurant near the Sagrada Familia. I took my food for a little picnic at Ciutadella Park, a beautiful greenspace containing the Barcelona zoo, the Palau del Parlament de Catalunya, a small lake, museums, and a stunning fountain designed by Josep Fontserè and Antoni Gaudi. The Cascada or fountain was such a beautiful display, and was modeled to resemble the Trevi Fountain in Rome. I found a quiet grassy spot under a tree to enjoy my lunch, and spent an hour or two just enjoying the sights, reading, and listening to music. I wandered around the park a bit more, which was a nice escape from the craziness of the surrounding city.

For dinner, I went to La Bodegueta, a tapas bar recommended to me by Victoria. This place was so small and cozy and had a much more authentic feel to it. I had a glass of wine to start, and ordered the calamari, patatas bravas, and a croquette for tapas. Everything was delicious and the staff was so nice and accommodating even on a busy Friday night.

To end off the evening I needed something sweet, so I researched the best places to find churros and headed to Churreria San Román. I ordered a simple chocolate filled churro which ended up being ginormous but so incredibly delicious. Even just holding the churro in my hand, I was shocked at how heavy and filling it was. Getting back to my hostel, I checked my step count and realized I had walked over 28,000 steps that day! I was exhausted but so content with my first day in the city.

I woke up on Saturday and headed out early once again to try and beat some crowds and enjoy the Gothic Quarter. I grabbed a quick meal at breakfast café and then walked to the Barcelona Cathedral, another beautiful church. While the outside of the cathedral is incredible to look at and so intricately constructed, the huge Samsung Galaxy S23 Series advertisement on the front felt pretty out of place. While a bit of an eyesore, apparently Samsung is financing the restorations of the cathedral, so they clearly took advantage of the opportunity for some adverting as well.

While in the Gothic Quarter area, I did some plaza hopping, sitting in each square for a while just to enjoy the quietness and sights. I started at Plaça del Pi which contains the Santa María del Pi church, built in the 1300s. Next, I walked to Plaça Reial, one of the most popular squares with tons of restaurants, cafes, and lampposts designed by Gaudi. I absolutely loved this area as it was sunny, filled with people, and even had a small artisan market to walk through. Even better, the entire artisan market was filled with little tents of crafts, arts, and goods all celebrating sustainable art and practices! After enjoying a coffee and walking through the market, I walked to Plaça George Orwell, named after the famous 1984 author. This square was also neat as it had more of a grungy feel with quirky shops and bars. I ended my wanders by the water, sitting near Marina Port Vell to enjoy the sea and the sun.

For lunch I headed over to El Bosc de les Fades a super unique restaurant bar on La Rambla. Walking inside, it looks as if you’ve entered a magical forest with trees, fountains, and colorful lighting filling the space. There was even a simulated thunderstorm in the middle of lunch, which was funny and felt a bit like rainforest cafe.

I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the streets near La Rambla which were filled with lots of bustling restaurants, shops, and crowds. I walked through the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria a popular public market with endless stands of fruit, meats, seafood, tapas, and baked goods. This market was absolutely packed with people, making it so hard to walk through, so I just took a brief look and wandered around the perimeter which was much calmer.

For dinner, I ate at Belladona, a tiny tapas bar with great drinks. In the evening I was finally able to meet up with Kendall and enjoy the fact that we could both be back in Barcelona together after our trip years ago in high school. We went for drinks at Hemingway Gin and Cocktail, another incredible suggestion by Victoria. This basement cocktail bar had incredible mixology-inspired drinks and we had one of the best espresso martinis I’ve maybe ever had! It was so nice to catch up on the past few months and get excited about the rest of our trip.

The next morning, I headed back to Plaça Reial for coffee and breakfast, an area I’ve really enjoyed. I love being able to sit at a café facing the square and enjoy the quieter space in the early morning. I decided to fuel up with one more coffee at a small side café on La Rambla, which was a prime spot for just sitting and observing all of the busy sights and crowds of people strolling by.

In the afternoon, I had tickets to the Picasso Museum, which holds an extensive collection of incredible pieces of Picasso. It was an amazing tour through the formative years of his life as an artist, and displayed moments in his life and his surroundings influenced his art and his style. It was so neat to see his artwork transition throughout time and how he used moments in his life to create beautiful paintings. You could spend forever just looking at all the obscurities and little details in his work.

In the afternoon wandered some more around the Gothic Quarter, stopping to peek inside other small museums and interesting restaurants. I really love how spontaneous this area feels with so many winding alleyways and streets that hold little hidden gems of sights if you dig to look beyond the obvious attractions.

Kendall and I met up again in the afternoon went for a pre-dinner drink in Plaça Reial at Glaciar. We enjoyed our cocktails overlooking the square and then headed to 7 Portes for a long-awaited paella dinner. 7 Portes is a traditional Catalan restaurant founded in 1836, and one of the oldest and most symbolic restaurants in the city. Picasso was even a popular diner! We enjoyed a pitcher of sangria along with the most spectacular lobster paella. This was such an amazing treat and we couldn’t stop talking about how amazing the food was. We ended our night with a walk by the water and stopped to split some churros for dessert. The perfect end to the day!

For my last day in Barcelona, Kendall and I had booked tickets to Casa Batlló, the Batlló family home designed by Gaudi. The façade of the home is colorful with curved windows and roofs, looking as if it’s almost flowing into the surrounding buildings. The inside was just as spectacular. I’ve never been in such a uniquely designed home with endless sunroofs, archways, mosaics, irregular colorful windows, and animal-inspired décor. Each room evoked such a special atmosphere, simulating everything from being under the sea to inside the belly of a monster. It was hard to capture how beautiful the house was through photos. The rooftop was an amazing spot with tiles modeled after the spine of a dragon and seating to enjoy the sun and views of the city. This museum was so amazing and definitely the highlight of my time in Barcelona. It so perfectly displays Gaudi’s creative talents and I have such an appreciation for his architectural and design work and how it’s influenced the city of Barcelona.

After the museum we had a coffee at Artisa, a café we discovered and loved while in Barcelona five years ago. We enjoyed one last lunch and round of tapas at Tapas Gaudi, before strolling a bit longer and seeing Barcelona’s Arc de Triomf.

My four days in Barcelona was such a wonderful trip! While I adore Morocco, it was fun to switch things up and be in a European city for a moment. During my time alone I really feel like I was able to reconnect with the excitement I feel in new places and rediscover the passion I feel for exploring and wandering. I view researching, planning, and crafting the perfect itinerary as such a fun challenge while travelling, and it’s the BEST feeling in the world to be able to test it out and try all the places you’ve worked to discover. I always make it a goal to maximize my experience in a new country and it certainly pays off. Barcelona is filled with such incredible architecture, art, and undeniably delicious food and I’m thankful to have been able to experience it all. And I’m more than grateful to have been able to enjoy it with familiar face from home and create even more fun memories in Barcelona. Not a bad visa trip at all!