Background
- I stayed in el Poblenou - up and coming place, and a little away from the main tourist areas. 15min lovely cycle from Las Ramblas (the main famous street in Barca)
- Rambla del poblenou is the main street. About 2km of nice restaurants and bars.
- Look out for 'Menu del dia' in any restaurant - which is the main Spanish meal at lunchtime. You can get 3 course meals for 12-18euro each, sometime they give you a bottle of wine with it. These deals are usually advertising on chalk boards on the street outside a restaurant. If eating at lunch as a restaurant always ask if they have 'Menu del dia'
- My fave beach was Mar Bella, although they're all great
- Use the Donkey Republic bikes to get around. It's an awesome city to cycle in, especially near the beach
Activities
- La Boqueria market - Las Ramblas food market
- La Sagrada Familia - the famous cathedral
- Cable car. This starts from somewhere near the beach
- Port Forum - check if there are any concerts on here. Even if not it's cool for a wander.
- Walk/cycle along the beach - you can do this all the way from Barceloneta (tourist area) to Poblenou
- Parc Guell - nice park
- La Monumental - Bull ring. See if there are any music gigs on.
- Gaudi House Museum - look to see if they have tickets with champagne on the roof
- Nou Camp - Look to see if the VIP tickets are on sale - they give access to the Barcelona dressing room, and were hugely reduced last summer cause there were zero tourists
- If you want a day trip, Badalona is also a nice beach area/town outside Barcelona
- Arte bar - boozy paint class. Great fun.
Food
- Ciudad Condal - Tapas. My fave place. Get the bread pudding desert
- Pez Vela - nice but a bit pricey
- Swad - Indian restaurant (I love Indian!)
- Basically ate out on Rambla del poblenou most nights
Drink
- Fabrica Moritz
- Bar del Pi - random nice small bar. Had a piano player when I was there. Cool if you're passing.
- Small bar/kiosk area in Poblenou Park - good to chill if there is nice weather
- Covid restrictions meant bars were shut for a fair chunk of the trip so have v few proper bar recommendations!
General
- Bike rental
- Facebook groups where some events get posted. Went to one English speaking comedy gig which was pretty good.