Hi all. My husband and I are meeting up with our mid-20’s sons in Barcelona for about a week in late Spring. Do you have any favorite restaurants you recommend? Any side trips? Any off the beaten path activities? The normal touristy stuff is easy to figure out – but would love other suggestions. Thanks in advance!
Jealous!
La Leche de Pantera–bar that husband and son went to. No sandals! I should’ve gone but pooped out.
Found ourselves downtown in business part of town ready to eat lunch. Fortunately the handy YELP app sent us to
Cafe Godot which is down a side street–you won’t find it unless you google it. Fun time.
You HAVE to get tickets to Gaudi park and Sagrada Familia before you go. Son had been to Gaudi Park and never had trouble getting in but when we went which was May we couldn’t get into the main part. They handed out timed tickets and we were too late. Enjoyed walking around the park but missed the main attraction.
The Sagrada Familia was a total zoo. If you sign up for a tour be there ON time (early) and figure out the entrance.
A guided tour is WELL worth it. The lines went around the blocks (notice my plural?).
We went 2 summers ago with kids ages 12 and 14. Agree with guided tour for Sagrada Familia, or at least pre-purchasing tickets. Skipping the line is wonderful! The tower is a lot of steps but we enjoyed it. We also went on a bike tour that went all the way to the beach and hit a lot of the big spots (Fat Tire Bike Tours, it’s about 3-4 hrs but you stop a lot to hear info from your guide). I think a bike tour is a great way to get a feel for the city, and on this one I think the longest stretch of straight cycling without a break was probably 10-15 minutes.
We rode the Telerifico to Montjuic castle (recommend riding both ways as the walk is steep and hot, at least in July). We also took a small group cooking class at a place called Cook and Taste where we made classic dishes and then ate them for dinner; the other family signed up at the same time had 3 college aged kids, and the chef was great about spreading out the tasks (my youngest torched all the crema catalans for dessert)!
Restaurants:
Gaelicbcn: (Barrio Gotico) we stopped in this bar by chance to kill time before our cooking class. It was quiet at the time and the owner Jordi sat down with us and told us more about Catalan history and politics than we learned in any other tour or book. I believe all the beers here are Scottish!
Santa Caterina’s market: (El Born/ La Ribera) we stopped here for drinks and tapas, all good.
Milk Bar: (Barrio Gotico) good for a snack or light lunch, they have breakfast, smoothies, burgers—everyone found something to like here
Can Mano: Small seafood restaurant in Barceloneta–get there early as a line forms. Very popular with locals and tourists alike, simple fare but very good and inexpensive
Cafe Creyon: (Eixample) this cafe was across the street from Fuster Apartments where we stayed. We went here every morning for breakfast/brunch and just loved it. Friendly staff, good food, and they provide pencils and paper to encourage drawing while you wait. Both kids had their art hung on the walls before we left, which they loved. They are open all day so good for a beer or burger for dinner as well. A lot of locals here which I always take as a good sign.
We also hit the beach (very crowded even late afternoon/evening, but it was July) and just did a lot of walking and wandering into places.
Have fun!
Nou Camp. Messi. A chance to see the greatest footballer ever on his home turf.
Thanks for the info so far – this is just what I was hoping for! FYI, the apartment that we’re staying in is in Eixample.
And @STEM2017 – my husband and one son (soccer fanatic) have gotten tickets to watch FC Barcelona play the other Barcelona team. Unfortunately it’s an “away game”, so not at Camp Nou.
When Barca plays Espanyol it’s always very colorful. They will love it.
We had an amazing dinner last September at the Cervecería Catalana : tapas and sangria. Seriously delicious food. We also grazed our way through the Boqueria’s famous market for lunch one day. Also highly recommended: Els Quatre Gats and Ciutat Comtal.
We enjoyed touring via the HopOn/HopOff bus. We had earphones and could listen to English touring info. There are 3 color routes. We did them all quickly in a day, but if we were there longer we would have done 2 days. AND gone back to many places separately - LOTS to do!
We liked the Picasso Museum.
It’s been a couple of years, but loved La Flauta and Paco Meralgo. I also recommend Montserrat if you have the time.