Planning for Spain – Barcelona:
Barcelona, Spain is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia. Euro is the currency used in Spain.
I Visited Spain in July 2007. Revisited Barcelona, Spain in July 2023.
- Places in Blue above are the Places I Visited.
- Places in Orange are Places I didn’t Visit because of time constraint but are of Tourist Importance.
- In Purple above are transit points like Airports, Bus and Subway Terminals
Flights:
I came to Barcelona on a Flix Bus from Nice, France. Leaving Barcelona was by Azores Airlines to Toronto with a stopover in Ponta Delgada, Azores.
Transportation on Ground in Barcelona Spain:
I Left in Flix Bus from Nice Airport Terminal 1 in Nice, France to Barcelona, Spain. The price of Flix bus ticket was 60€.
Bus Terminal NORD in Barcelona was where Flix Bus dropped me off. I needed a transfer from NORD Bus Terminal to Sants Bus Terminal to catch my Bus to Andorra La Vella. There is also “DIRECT BUS” available from Terminal 2 at Barcelona Airport to Andorra. More details on my trip to Andorra could be found here.
I took 10 trips ticket in Zone 1, during my stay in Barcelona. The ticket works on TMS BUS, Metro, BIS, FGC, TRAM and Rodalies de Catalunya. I paid 11.35€ for 10 ride ticket on public transit in Barcelona.
Accommodation:
I stayed at Holiday Inn, Sant Cugat in Barcelona by paying 18,000 IHG points per night+1.75€ in city tax for my stay. This Hotel is almost 1.0 hour by train from Plaça de Catalunya Station (City Center) in Barcelona. But this was the only points hotel available during my stay time in Barcelona. As my stay was spontaneous, I couldn’t find a hotel close to the city center.
Boots on the Ground:
Barcelona is well visited city in Spain. So, the places I visited or revisited were mostly the places of tourist interest in Barcelona. Generally, there are Hop on and Hop off buses available in Barcelona. These buses are definitely worth the money as most of the Buses drive you to the attraction. The boulevards and streets are very wide and spacious.
Placa de Catalunya is the City Center square from where I got all my subway trains, Airport Buses. Sightseeing buses also start from here.
Basilica de la Sagrada Familia:
Sagrada Familia is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. The construction of this church began in 1882. Antony Gaudí created a unique gothic architectural piece very artistic and innovative because of which UNESCO declared it as World Heritage Site in 1984. Tickets to enter La Sagrada Familia have to booked on the App called Sagrada Familia official or on official website here.
Casa Mila/ La Pedrera:
Casa Mila is another master pieces of Antony Gaudi in Civic Architecture. Particularly its famous for its self-supporting stone facade, meaning that it is free of load-bearing walls. The facade connects to the internal structure of each floor by means of curved iron beams surrounding the perimeter of each floor.
Tickets start at 25€ for a self-guided audio tour. More information could be found here.
Casa Batilo:
Another one of Antony Gaudi’s iconic works as he created an exuberant and marine-inspired façade, adding involuntary sculptures, recycled materials and decontextualised objects, converting them into art.
The self-guided audio tour tickets start at 29€. More information could be found here.
Gothic Quarter Barcelona:
This is the historic center of the old city of Barcelona. It stretches from La Rambla to Via Laietana, and from the Mediterranean seafront to the Ronda de Sant Pere. This is a part of Ciutat Vella district. It has the oldest parts of the city of Barcelona and this cannot be missed.
Torre Glories:
This is tall tower which has 38 floors and is a business center. Jean Nouvel, the architect of the Torre Glories visioned the tower to intend to recall the shape of a geyser rising into the air. It was inspired by Montserrat, a mountain near Barcelona. The subway station is right by the tower, if you choose to visit this splendid structure.
Beaches:
There are several beaches as we walk to Marina in Barcelona. Bogatell beach and Barceloneta beach are right next to the Marina.
Aquarium Barcelona:
There is an aquarium quite big at the Marina, with sea animals like penguins, sharks, whales. The entrance ticket is 10€. More information on the aquarium could be found here
La Barceloneta:
Seaside neighborhood of La Barceloneta is where one could surf and sunbathe on Sant Sebastià Beach. Also, there are seafood restaurants and traditional tapas bars to dine out at al fresco. Posh yachts fill glitzy marinas like the Port Olímpic complex, which is connected to the beach by a long, palm-lined promenade. I did get some Paella to-go from a restaurant on the Promenade.
Piccaso Museum:
Located in Gothic quarter is Piccaso Museum where the paintings and artwork of Picasso are displayed. Paintings from his younger days could be seen here.
Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, Camp Nou FootBall Stadium are places I had visited during my 2007 trip. I did not revisit them this time. But I would recommend then to any visitor of this city.
Parc del Laberint d’Horta and Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya are nice places of touristic interest.
Conclusion:
Barcelona is a vibrant city with very wide boulevards, Casas with inspiring architecture, Churches, Beaches and Good Food. This city should be on everyone’s must-see destinations.
