The corners of Barcelona

Hello! I am going to dedicate a blog entry to one of the most popular and visited Spanish cities: Barcelona. What is special about this city that causes it to attract and fascinate so many people?

Come with me to discover a small part of what Barcelona has to offer, through all of the places that I have visited for the first time a few months ago. I keep such a good memory of the trip that this great city returned to be on my list of desires to return to.

Firstly, it seems important to me to tell you about one thing: the steep slopes of the historical centre in Barcelona mean that you should wear sports shoes because going up and coming down will be a constant feature. That being said, I can assure you that it is worth walking the streets of Barcelona and to discover what hides on every corner.

Monuments and places of interest

The accommodation that we stayed in was very close to the emblematic Sagrada Familia by Antonio Gaudí (just a couple of blocks from Plaça de Gaudí, a very well looked after park where there is a beautiful pond). Despite being a privileged place, this spectacular monument is a little far from other areas of interest, although it is possible to go from one side to the other on foot (in our case, we only used the metro three or four times to get us to places that it was possible to reach on foot).

Views of the Sagrada Familia from Plaça de Gaudí.

Detail of the Sagrada Familia

From there, after crossing a few blocks, descending via the Paseo de Gracia, you will arrive at Plaza de Catanluña. On the Paseo de Gracia you will find both the Casa Milá ("La Pedrera") and the Casa Batlló, works of Gaudí and you can visit the inside. The prices, in my opinion, are a little high; despite the small discount that they offer to students in the Casa Milá they are paid 16. 50 euros whilst at the Casa Battló the price goes up to 20 or 21 euros per entrance.

We dedicated quite a lot of time to the Plaza de Cataluña, as it seemed to us like a happier place to spend some time and relax; there are lots of shops there (Fnac, El Corte Inglés, etc. ) and various restaurants. The only inconvenience that we found was that the area was always plagued by pigeons flying around. However, this place can perfectly be the base from which you explore the city. Taking the Plaza as a point from the starting point you can easily reach the places where Gaudí left his mark.

Plaza de Catanluña at dusk

Also, you can go towards La Rambla from the square and it is not only recommendable but obligatory to walk around the street between Bullicio and the street art that floods the route. We found ourselves at the Canaletas fountain at first and finished at the Mirador de Colón, but long before we turned aside, to the left in the Carrer de Portaferrissa, to get to the Gothic Quarter: you will not know where to look. Of course, take a map so you do not miss anything. There they are, for example, in addition to what remains of the Roman Barcina, the well-known Cathedral of Barcelona and Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar. By the way, did you know that in a window of the basilica the Barça shield appears? This is because the Club took care of the payment of a part of the stained glass windows that was destroyed after a fire occurred in the Civil War.

Apart from curiosities, the best time to visit the magical Gothic Quarter of Barcelona is, in my opinion, at night. It left us mesmerized.

A corner of the Gothic Quarter

The Ciutadella Park is also close to the Gothic Quarter. This park, full of life and atmosphere, has large gardens crowned by a huge and splendid fountain, with several sculptures and a staircase.

Fountain of the Ciudadela Park

Night activities

The visits that can be made in a city with such historical and cultural richness as Barcelona cannot be limited to the light of day: the night also offers numerous possibilities to continue getting to know different corners, like the wonderful image that the Torre Agbar offers when illuminated.

I would also like to talk about the night tour we did through the Gothic Quarter, which starts at the Arc de Triomf in Barcelona and goes into different areas and crossings. The tour was a unique experience, it was thematic: it consisted of a "Horror Tour", in which dark legends that supposedly occurred during the Middle Ages are counted in the streets and buildings of this neighbourhood. We paid 12 euros each for the tour, we acquired it online and it's the reduced price for students. It was worth every penny paid, believe me, we had a great time; It's about two hours accompanied by a spirit. If you are curious people and you want your hair to stand on end, you can not miss this tour. Look if I liked it, I am likely to repeat the experience when I return to Barcelona.

As for an area to dine or go out for drinks, we had recommended El Raval, a neighbourhood with a lot of life where you will find people from all over, but the truth is that we only saw it during the day. We ended up so tired that we only went out one night and took something close to the Port. The decision was, without a doubt, a consequence of living in Madrid and not having the sea nearby.

Other tourist areas

For soccer fans

A place that all Barça lovers will want to visit is the temple of the team: the Camp Nou, in which, in addition to accessing the football field, you visit the < strong>Museum, where its history is known and the trophies and the different types of equipment are exposed; other rooms are also visible, such as the press room, the changing rooms, etc. To enjoy the "Camp Nou Experience: Museum & Tour" the entrance online costs a whopping 25 euros per person, but if you can wait and buy tickets there, you will get a discount of 5 euros with a student card.

View from the stands of the Camp Nou interior

Montjuic

As for other places that can not be missed, I will highlight the National Palace of Montjuic (where the National Museum of Art of Catalonia is), absolutely great, the Spanish Village and Park Güell.

The National Museum is a must for lovers of the Arts, as its rooms are covered with great works of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, etc.; As a building, its imposing main dome stands out. There are reduced ticket prices for students, but if you go on a Saturday afternoon... it's free!

For its part, the Pueblo Español, in the Montjuic neighborhood is a highly recommended attraction: its spaces recreate the most famous places in different Spanish cities, which can even go with a detective game like gymkhana (Joc de Sarró). As for the price, this depends on the modality of the visit, since you can also book guided tours or have audio guides. In general, students have an entrance fee of around € 10. The visit at night should be simply spectacular.

The Park Güell

On the other hand, the Park Güell is perhaps the most representative area of Barcelona and your visit (the price of the general admission is about 7-8 €) is absolutely essential for everyone who goes through this city. However, I will warn you about the large slopes that are there until you reach the entrance to the site... there were even escalators in the middle of some streets to get to the top!

Park Güell Terrace

As you can see, the city of Barcelona offers a multitude of places and attractions, of which I only share a small mouthful with you here to wet your appetite. Speaking of bites, we ate great at all the establishments whilst we were there. We did not go anywhere we had been recommended, but we stopped where it suited us best. The truth is that we really enjoyed the bars and taverns that invited us to enter from outside. One last thing in relation to food: the pa amb tomàquet tastes much richer there.

I hope I can come back soon and stay for long enough to see and experience Barcelona as a whole, it exudes a special fragrance with an aroma of light, sea and art.

If you are really intrigued to know many more corners of Barcelona, ​I am afraid that you have no other choice: you will have to take your backpack and get lost in its corners.

And if you don't know how to organise your trip, I recommend you read this post.

You will not regret it!

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