Travel to Barcelona

This Spanish city is set between the seaboard of the Mediterranean and the hills of Montjuic.  And smack within the downtown area are four kilometers of beaches and beautiful beaches at that!  On top of all of this, it’s just a short trip to visit France as well as local areas with gorgeous beaches.  Many mountains, which are perfect for skiing in winter or hiking in summer, are also nearby.

Flights to Barcelona

If you’re traveling from Europe, you might be close enough to drive to Barcelona.  If not, you’ll be glad to know that, because it’s not too far away, Barcelona flights can be booked relatively inexpensively.  While airfare is not the bargain it once was, if you time it right, there are still many cheap Barcelona flights to be discovered.  Some of the best cheap air flights are offered by Air Lingus, Alpi Eagles, Air Madrid, BMI Baby, Blue Air, British Airways, Central Wings, and EasyJet.

Things to Do and See in Barcelona

There’s too much to see in Barcelona for you to reasonably fit everything in to a week, so you’ll probably have to pick and choose. But some of the highlights include:

-  La Rambla, a pedestrian boulevard that’s lined with trees and packed with living statues, mimes, buskers, and itinerant salespeople, with everything from jewelry to food to lottery tickets for sale. There’s also a noisy bird market that’s worth visiting.  Also, check out the Palau de la Virreina, which is an 18th century rococo mansion.
-  Over at the Barri Gotic you’ll find a rich assortment of medieval Gothic buildings.  This is a maze of dark streets, all interconnected, with plenty of bars and cafes nearby.  The majority of buildings you’ll find here date from the 1300s to 1400s.  You’ll also find here the placa de Sant Jaunne, which hosts a busy market.
 - Barcelona’s most-visited museum is the Museu Picasso.  It features works, which trace Picasso’s early years, as well as his impressionist-influenced paintings
 - You’ll be duly impressed by the La Sagrada Familia.  It features the life work of Antoni Gaudi, often regarded as Barcelona’s favorite son. These works include some unbelievable sculptures that seem hauntingly real.
 - If you enjoy theatre, be sure to visit Montjuic, featuring some of the finest when it comes to audio and visual spectacle.  Of these, if you can visit only one, make it Teatre Poliorama.

Dining in Barcelona

Barcelona restaurants, indeed, many restaurants in Spain have a unique taste that you’ll not find anywhere else in the world.  One that’s especially memorable is The Marmalade. It has an interior that is worth visiting, even if you don’t eat.  But their cocktails, along with inexpensive sandwiches, make this a good stop. They have an especially good Sunday brunch with excellent Mediterranean cuisine.

Do you enjoy sweets?  Visit ESCRIBA, an outstanding chocolate shop.  Their hot chocolate drink is unlike any chocolate beverage you’ve ever had; their mendiants are also delicious.

Barcelona’s best tapas can be found at Paco Meralgo, but Pasadis del Pep also does a good job with them.  If you love a good wine with a good meal, try Bar Mut.  While the food is outstanding, it’s the wine that people most remember after a visit.

If you enjoy seafood, experience how the Mediterranean’s do it at Restaurant Passadis del Pep.  While a bit pricey, they have exceptional lobster, sea bass and Cava to drink.

And for the best entertainment with a fine meal, La Luna is hard to top.  They have great steaks at a good price.