In May of last year, I was sitting at a cafe in the Old Venetian Harbor of Chania, Crete when my cousin from Greece announced that she had booked a solo trip to Barcelona to practice her Spanish. One thing led to another, and, the next thing you know, 6 girls from 3 different countries (and 2 U.S. States) descended upon Barcelona for an epic girls’ weekend. We packed a lot of activity into those three days, but I am not sure how much Spanish got practiced!
Barcelona is the capitol and the largest city of Catalonia, a province of Spain. If you and your tribe are #ISO food, culture, and art, look no further. This city has it all. But first, BRUNCH!
Despite that we were literally coming in from all over, we all managed to arrive within an hour of each other. Our first order of business was brunch (obviously), and so we headed to the very cute Brunch and Cake. So cute. SO Instagramable!
After we ate everything in sight, we made our way to the Picasso Museum. This little museum resides in five adjoining medieval palaces, so the exhibition space is just as cool as the art. It is one of the most extensive permanent collections of Picasso’s work at 4,251 works of art.
We spent the afternoon admiring the architecture of the city, including the Barcelona Cathedral;
Barcelona’s version of the Arc del Triomf; and
Side note here: You have probably seen these gorgeous pillars and wondered, where in Barcelona are these beauties?!?
They are in this amazing concert hall. BUT, if you want to see them, you HAVE to take the tour. The tour is about an hour and only 20- 25 Euro, so I recommend it, but we didn’t get to take it because we arrived 5 minutes after the last tour of the day. BOO!
That’s okay. We left a little something for next time. Plus, there is no disappointment that a little retail therapy can’t cure, so we headed off to La Manual Alpargatera, the first workshop that made fashion espadrilles! I mean, the Pope (and several other celebrities) gets his espadrilles from here (the Pope wears espadrilles?!?), so it’s legit.
Here is my advice: get there early. Either early in the morning when they open, or right after they re-open in the afternoon after siesta. We were the first ones there after siesta and were able to get in and out. It is a small store, so people often line up to get in. As we were leaving it was starting to get pretty packed in there and the services tends to be lacking as it gets more chaotic. Also, don’t forget to get your VAT tax forms when you buy your shoes! In my Paris post, I teach you all about tax-free shopping in Europe (all over the world really), so you are welcome!
We topped off our first day with the probably the best tour we took while we were in Barcelona: the Tasting Barcelona Tour that we did with Spanish Trails, which we did on a private basis. Our guide was excellent. Not only did he take us to great local spots, he also gave us great recommendations for dinner places during our stay and even made the reservations for us!
On the tour, we got to stroll through the city at night while tasting a variety of local tapas, cava, Vermouth, and, of course, dessert! It was a great introduction to Barcelona.
The next day was devoted (mostly) to Antoni Gaudi as we explored Barcelona’s essential points of interest with Spanish Trails on a private tour. If you don’t know who Gaudi is, you will quickly learn once you are in Barcelona. You literally cannot spit in this city without hitting something Gaudi.
Guadi was a Spanish architect from Catalonia. Most of his works are located in Barcelona. You will know them when you see them: mosaic, colorful, ornate, and almost Dali like.
We started with Park Guell. While it is now public park, the original idea is that it would be a housing development that would combine nature and art. The entrance of the park showcases more of the natural elements with stone columned structures.
The heart of park features the artistic elements with beautiful mosaic structures and sculptures. It is a fantastic park. Probably my favorite in the world.
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His most famous work is the Sagrada Familia, which is the most visited monument in all of Spain!
It began construction in 1882, and it is still not done. That’s right. NOT done. Longest construction project ever. 136 years later, and they are still building. But, to be fair, it is in its final phase of construction and should be completed by 2026!
The inside is just magnificent. A kaleidoscope of color, really.
Also, go back at night to see it all lit up and with hardly no other people!
We took a Gaudi time out to explore the Gothic Quarter. Not only is the oldest and probably most charming part of the city, it also has some of the city’s best eats!
The Gothic quarter is also home to the Jewish quarter. Inside the Gothic quarter is a beautiful old synagogue.
We ended at Casa Batllo, considered one of Gaudi’s masterpieces.
On our last full day in Barcelona, we embarked on a private day trip with Spanish Trails to explore the medieval town of Girona and the Dali Museum in Figueres.
Figueres is the birthplace of Salvador Dali, so it is only fitting that his museum is located here. He is actually buried in the museum!
The Dali Museum is certainly interesting both inside and out. But, I have to say, the more I learned about Dali, the less I liked him. He was severely disturbed, and that is a polite way to put it.
There is a jewelry museum that has a separate entrance (but is included in your ticket), and that is worth a visit. Actually, I think it was my favorite part. Dali put all that crazy to work and made some stunning pieces of jewelry!
After a tour through surrealism we headed to Girona.
Girona Cathedral was used in season 6 of Game of Thrones. Actually, a lot of GOT was filmed in Girona, so if you are a GOT fan, you may want to stop here just for that reason alone.
Girona’s Jewish Quarter is one of the best preserved in the world. There is a a great Jewish Museum in the center of the town.
There are also a ton of cute little cafes and shops to explore.
We returned to Barcelona for one last fantastic meal before our girls’ trip came to an end!
I feel like there was so much me of this city to explore! If you have been to Barcelona, I’d love to hear about your favorite spots. Leave a comment or send me an email! Until then, adios!
