Barcelona
What to do in Barcellona.
I visited Barcelona in late May 2018 to celebrate my birthday.
Before leaving I searched several sites and blogs explaining what to visit this city, so I won’t remind you that the Sagrada Família is a fixed stage to visit, or that La Boquera, more than just a market, seems an explosion of colors and perfumes.
Barcelona is one of those cities that I could call "Four Seasons". Not that I want to compare it to a pizza or a work of Vivaldi, it's just that I consider it a beautiful city to visit at any time of year.
During the winter the temperatures are mild, for example: In December of 2017, the lowest recorded temperature was 4 ° Celsius while in May we had 23 °.
If it's hot you can decide to go sunbathing in La Barceloneta, but in the presence of bad weather, you can decide to visit the famous aquarium.
If you decide to reach Barcelona by plane, you may find it difficult to get out of the airport.
A week before departure, I bought the public transport card on the site Barcelona Turisme, with pick-up at the airport.
To find the information point of TERMINAL 2 you have to: follow the sign with the arrow "EXIT" and walk the corridor along the shops and restaurants until you find on the right the telephone booths and the stairs that descend.
Here, there's the information point to pick up your public transport ticket. Continuing straight there are the subway and trains.
I guess it seems absurd to write, but while I was looking around in search of the exit, I heard many people, Italian and not, who were looking for the same thing.
If you have decided to use public transport, I recommend you download the APP: Amb Mobilitat (suggested by the bus posters) or the classic Google Maps or Here WeGo.
What to see:
There are plenty of interesting museums and attractions to see in Barcelona, but I personally chose:
In Barcelona, there are many shoe shops and specialized shopping malls for the sale of these shoes.
Between Carrer de la Boqueria and Carrer de Ferran you will come across shoe stores, historical and not. There, there is also the Manual Alpargatera sewing shoes at the moment.
I have seen a lot of offers in shoe stores on Carrer de Sants.
If you are in the aquarium area you can visit the Maremagrum Shopping center and if you are passionate about makeup, you will find a great assortment of brands: for example, in the Druni perfumery, I purchased the Ordinary, Bourjois products, Revolution etc.
An even bigger shopping center is Las Arenas with lots of shops, cinemas and some restaurants also with a panoramic visit in front of the Font Màgica de Montjuïc.
Remember that on Sundays all the shops are closed.
I have to admit, I was very upset about the great presence of abusive sellers of big brands, but also of souvenirs of Barcelona to maximum two euros.
In Barcelona, there are restaurants of all kinds and ethnicity scattered all over the city.
What to eat in Barcelona?
If you are fond of Italian espresso coffee (like me), you will not find it very bad, but remember to ask "an espresso". I found that they prefer the longest coffee and many cases the American coffee.
Sweets have a French influence.
Would you like to taste something typical?
To stay light, a Catalan salad can be it for you.
The stuffed peppers, however, are not light but still excellent. The Enpanadas stuffed with meat or cheese. The famous Paella of meat, fish or mixed. The prosciutto crudo.
And to finish in sweetness, of course, the Catalan cream or even the churros, which are served with hot chocolate, of course.
For the nougat there are specialized shops; one of them is close to the Sagrada Família, but you can also buy it at the airport before departing.
Do not forget to taste the wines, red or white, and of course the sangria prepared with red wine, or the quarry with white wine.
Conclusion and personal itinerary:
We landed on May 24, 2018, towards 18.00 with a Vueling.
The first day we didn't see much. After reaching our hotel, we stayed at the Senator Hotel, we reached the center by bus.
After twenty minutes of running, it arrived at "Las Arenas", so we went down to visit the stores.
Dinner at one of the restaurants on the rooftop of the mall and a walkaround the area to see the Magic Font games and the park around.
The second day: Visit to the Sagrada Família (reserved in advance), then walk towards the House Museum of Gaudì. We stopped to have lunch at the Nou Sanllehy, and then continued to the museum. We did not visit the grounds. I was unhappy about it, but I could not do differently since I suffer from allergies.
For the evening we went to the restaurant Destapate, but since we were early and there was a neighborhood party, we stopped to see a Castell, A human tower.
I would say that it was fortunate to have booked the restaurant (without knowing it) right in the street adjacent to the event. In the evening we had dinner at the restaurant El Rincon.
Third day: La Rambla and around the nearby streets to reach the aquarium.
If you are passionate about Manga and Anime, I recommend you cross Carrer de la Portaferrissa, where you will find the gallery with several shops on the sector and a shop dedicated to Harry Potter.
The quick trip to the beach: too bad for the wind and the cold water, but someone was still bathing. I just got my feet wet.
Back at the hotel after another tour of the city, we had dinner at the restaurant Can Pescallunes. I think that of this restaurant I will undoubtedly remember the sauteed beans; It was all good, but the beans even more!
Fourth day: Visit Camp Nou. Duration of the visit about an hour here too, then we went with the subway to the stop in front of the Casa Batlló. We moved to the Arc de Triomphe, stopping to eat a snack. We reached the cable car and the castle.
Fifth day: Return to Italy with delay on the return flight of Ryanair. Practically I spent all my birthday at the airport waiting for the retour flight, but let's say that I had already celebrated before and in conclusion it was equally a nice birthday.
Before leaving I searched several sites and blogs explaining what to visit this city, so I won’t remind you that the Sagrada Família is a fixed stage to visit, or that La Boquera, more than just a market, seems an explosion of colors and perfumes.
Barcelona is one of those cities that I could call "Four Seasons". Not that I want to compare it to a pizza or a work of Vivaldi, it's just that I consider it a beautiful city to visit at any time of year.
 |
| Sagrada Família |
During the winter the temperatures are mild, for example: In December of 2017, the lowest recorded temperature was 4 ° Celsius while in May we had 23 °.
If it's hot you can decide to go sunbathing in La Barceloneta, but in the presence of bad weather, you can decide to visit the famous aquarium.
Exit Barcelona Airport.
If you decide to reach Barcelona by plane, you may find it difficult to get out of the airport.
A week before departure, I bought the public transport card on the site Barcelona Turisme, with pick-up at the airport.
To find the information point of TERMINAL 2 you have to: follow the sign with the arrow "EXIT" and walk the corridor along the shops and restaurants until you find on the right the telephone booths and the stairs that descend.
Here, there's the information point to pick up your public transport ticket. Continuing straight there are the subway and trains.
I guess it seems absurd to write, but while I was looking around in search of the exit, I heard many people, Italian and not, who were looking for the same thing.
If you have decided to use public transport, I recommend you download the APP: Amb Mobilitat (suggested by the bus posters) or the classic Google Maps or Here WeGo.
What to see:
There are plenty of interesting museums and attractions to see in Barcelona, but I personally chose:
- The Sagrada Familia is a fixed stop to see during your trip.
The visit lasts approximately 1 hour with advance booking through their site. For some it is worth visiting, for others it is a waste of money and for me, it was a good visit.
- The Gaudì Museum House.
You can buy tickets for the presale on different sites. As for the visit to the Sagrada Familia and the Gaudì Museum I always used the site where I bought the transport ticket (Barcelona turisme).
- The Aquarium Barcelona.
This aquarium has a great vastness of fishes and interactions for children, in order to teach them information about the various marine species.
During the scheduled days and times it is possible to watch the feeding of sharks, penguins and other species.
The visit to the aquarium lasts about an hour. Nearby is the Maremagnum shopping center.
 |
| Dragon at the aquarium |
- The Camp Nou.
For the most avid fans, I recommend the virtual experience at the Camp Nou. It is possible to purchase the ticket during the visit to the football field and through the goggles, you will have the sensation of being in the stadium during a game (I carry over the experience of my companion who has been satisfied).
The overall visit takes about 1 hour, with the option of buying personalized gadgets.
 |
| Stadium carpet |
- Castell de Montjuïc.
The transportation ticket also includes the Montjuïc cable car.
I must say it was a pleasant discovery.
To reach the cable car you have to get off at the Metro stop "PARAL.LEL ", follow the signs to reach the train (also included in the ticket of the vehicles) that, starting from underground, climbs up to the cable car. The view from the cable car on Barcelona is really beautiful. If you are afraid of heights, you can also reach the castle by bus or walk through the park. On May 27th the visit to the castle was free. Triumphal arch with adjacent parks.
 |
| view from the cableway |
 |
| Arc de Triomphe |
- Arc de Triomphe with adjacent parks.
- La Boquera.
 |
| Boquera |
Shopping
You can't leave this town without buying at least a pair of Espadrillas!In Barcelona, there are many shoe shops and specialized shopping malls for the sale of these shoes.
Between Carrer de la Boqueria and Carrer de Ferran you will come across shoe stores, historical and not. There, there is also the Manual Alpargatera sewing shoes at the moment.
I have seen a lot of offers in shoe stores on Carrer de Sants.
If you are in the aquarium area you can visit the Maremagrum Shopping center and if you are passionate about makeup, you will find a great assortment of brands: for example, in the Druni perfumery, I purchased the Ordinary, Bourjois products, Revolution etc.
An even bigger shopping center is Las Arenas with lots of shops, cinemas and some restaurants also with a panoramic visit in front of the Font Màgica de Montjuïc.
 |
| View from the Las Arenas shopping center |
Remember that on Sundays all the shops are closed.
I have to admit, I was very upset about the great presence of abusive sellers of big brands, but also of souvenirs of Barcelona to maximum two euros.
 |
| Las Arenas |
Food
In Barcelona, there are restaurants of all kinds and ethnicity scattered all over the city.
What to eat in Barcelona?
If you are fond of Italian espresso coffee (like me), you will not find it very bad, but remember to ask "an espresso". I found that they prefer the longest coffee and many cases the American coffee.
Sweets have a French influence.
Would you like to taste something typical?
To stay light, a Catalan salad can be it for you.
The stuffed peppers, however, are not light but still excellent. The Enpanadas stuffed with meat or cheese. The famous Paella of meat, fish or mixed. The prosciutto crudo.
And to finish in sweetness, of course, the Catalan cream or even the churros, which are served with hot chocolate, of course.
For the nougat there are specialized shops; one of them is close to the Sagrada Família, but you can also buy it at the airport before departing.
Do not forget to taste the wines, red or white, and of course the sangria prepared with red wine, or the quarry with white wine.
 |
| Empanadas, Catalan salad and stuffed peppers |
Conclusion and personal itinerary:
We landed on May 24, 2018, towards 18.00 with a Vueling.
The first day we didn't see much. After reaching our hotel, we stayed at the Senator Hotel, we reached the center by bus.
After twenty minutes of running, it arrived at "Las Arenas", so we went down to visit the stores.
Dinner at one of the restaurants on the rooftop of the mall and a walkaround the area to see the Magic Font games and the park around.
The second day: Visit to the Sagrada Família (reserved in advance), then walk towards the House Museum of Gaudì. We stopped to have lunch at the Nou Sanllehy, and then continued to the museum. We did not visit the grounds. I was unhappy about it, but I could not do differently since I suffer from allergies.
For the evening we went to the restaurant Destapate, but since we were early and there was a neighborhood party, we stopped to see a Castell, A human tower.
I would say that it was fortunate to have booked the restaurant (without knowing it) right in the street adjacent to the event. In the evening we had dinner at the restaurant El Rincon.
Third day: La Rambla and around the nearby streets to reach the aquarium.
If you are passionate about Manga and Anime, I recommend you cross Carrer de la Portaferrissa, where you will find the gallery with several shops on the sector and a shop dedicated to Harry Potter.
The quick trip to the beach: too bad for the wind and the cold water, but someone was still bathing. I just got my feet wet.
Back at the hotel after another tour of the city, we had dinner at the restaurant Can Pescallunes. I think that of this restaurant I will undoubtedly remember the sauteed beans; It was all good, but the beans even more!
Fourth day: Visit Camp Nou. Duration of the visit about an hour here too, then we went with the subway to the stop in front of the Casa Batlló. We moved to the Arc de Triomphe, stopping to eat a snack. We reached the cable car and the castle.
Fifth day: Return to Italy with delay on the return flight of Ryanair. Practically I spent all my birthday at the airport waiting for the retour flight, but let's say that I had already celebrated before and in conclusion it was equally a nice birthday.
