Barcelona, January 2015 & September 2018

January 2015 

It's easy to see why Barcelona is so loved as a city break; There really is something for everyone! On my first visit, we mostly visited art attractions (and the obligatory visit to Nou Camp - A must-see for football fans!) but I left feeling like I couldn't wait to get back and explore everything else; Two days isn't enough to see everything you might want to! There are loads of food and drink options around, and it's good to know that Barcelona caters really well for vegetarians. I'd recommend keeping an eye out for a pintxo restaurant, which is basically a piece of bread topped with an endless variety of food combinations... you can't go wrong! Cava Sangria is another must-try if you get a chance.

Personally, my favourite part of our trip was visiting the Sagrada Familia, and I can't really put across accurately enough how amazing the building is. It really is breathtaking! We visited at around 4pm and I had booked the tickets online meaning we could pretty much walk straight in. The sun was setting at this time which lit up the huge stained glass windows - we also went up Passion Tower (At an extra cost, but worth it) to get some amazing views, along with some near-death experiences crossing a pretty high bridge... All part of the fun.

The second day we visited Park Güell which is another one of the tourist attractions created by Gaudi, and it includes the mosaic salamander that is pictured everywhere online! If you are interested in Gaudi's work there is plenty more to see in Barcelona, including his house museum which includes lots of furniture items along with many other things which we, unfortunately, didn't have time for on this trip.

On our last day, we did a day trip to a place called Figueres, which is famous for being Salvador Dali's birthplace. It has a big museum dedicated to his work and it is packed full of amazing things and is something you shouldn't miss, even if you don't consider yourself an art lover! The train journey there was relatively simple and took around an hour and a half, with lots of great countryside to view along the way. The town itself felt much more traditional than Barcelona itself and full of lots of nice bakeries. The highlight of the museum itself was one of the chambers having a huge painting the full size of the building in; something you just can't picture until you're there. You can get a rough idea of what the painting looks like by giving it a quick google, but it just doesn't do it justice. There is plenty to explore including a cool modern art installation in which to view the overall picture you have to view it through a special lens.

September 2018

Nearly 3 years on and I managed to fit in my second trip to Barcelona. Unfortunately, I often feel like I don't want to revisit a place I have already been to, as there are so many new beautiful cities and countries to discover. Barcelona, however, was one of the few places so far that I did feel I wanted to go back to. I really felt as if there was quite a lot I ended up not being able to see on my first visit so I made sure for this trip I made a list of what I had missed and made a plan of how we were going to fit everything in... pushing my organisational skills to the max! 

Looking back I am also really pleased about how my photography has improved - I feel like I have managed to capture the city a lot better this time!



The two main areas I wished I had explored more in my last trip were the beachfront area and taking the cable car up to the top of Montjuïc. I am happy to say I did both this time, and that neither disappointed me. The beach really is beautiful and it is a lot bigger than I imagined. There are loads of bars and restaurants dotted around and, let's face it, you really can't beat an evening meal overlooking the sea. I was surprised at how busy and lively the seafront areas were, and it seemed that on every street you turned there was another small market filled with all sorts of cool and interesting things. There is something so refreshing about being able to stroll around these stalls at 9 in the evening, without needing a jacket! 



Montjuïc definitely delivered on the breathtaking views over Barcelona and opting for the cable car means you get some great views whilst saving yourself from becoming the sweaty mess you would be if you walked up the hill to the top! When we got to the top we visited the Castle which was interesting. We walked to the cable car station from the center of the city however it did take us ages to get there - we had to invest in a taxi to take us back so we could make our booked slot to visit the Sagrada Familia but it was relatively well priced for the length of the trip, so I can't complain. I don't feel like I undertood how massive Barcelona is as during my last trip we relied on the metro a lot, rather than walking around as we stayed quite far out of the city center. It was enjoyable walking around as I felt like I could absorb more of the atmosphere but it was tiring walking such long distances every day - make sure you are smart about grouping what you want to visit together on the map. 





Moving onto the Sagrada Familia, my second visit here, but still as breathtaking as my first visit. There really is something so magical about the way the sun seeps through the huge stained glass windows, filling the building with colorful reflections all over the floor. Make sure you definitely book a slot in advance as you can only enter with pre-booked tickets now, and it will definitely sell out. We only booked upon arrival but during the four days we were there there was only one time slot option left so we had to snap it up quickly as I didn't want my Mum and Brother to miss out. To explore Gaudi a little more we also visited Casa Mila which offers some lovely views over the city from an amazing rooftop garden, filled with somewhat creepy sculptures. 



If you're looking for evening entertainment then I would recommend booking a flamenco show, we booked one at Tarantos which was cheap but really delivered. The reviews online are a little hit-and-miss but this is because they have different dancers quite regularly so it might be worth doing a little research about how highly regarded the performers are. Another great thing to do on an evening is to visit the Magic Fountain which has specific times the light and music show starts so make sure you check online before heading out there. It really is worthwhile seeing and there is a great atmosphere during the show because there are so many people there - if you do want a seat you'll need to get there pretty early, but standing is pretty fun too. 







I was also previously intrigued by the idea of visiting Montserrat, a beautiful mountaintop that has been carved into amazing shapes by the wind. I did my research and read up about a boys choir who perform a few songs in the Basilica there on certain days, and booked a half-day tour on Viator to co-inside with the performance days. It really did feel like a magical experience and one I would like to repeat. There are quite a lot of hiking trails you can do around the area so if you did have time to do a full-day trip I would probably recommend doing it so you can make the most of the stunning views.