Mallorca/Barcelona

[orval]

Hi!  We are taking a trip to Spain visiting Mallorca and Barcelona this summer.  We definitely have 5 nights in Mallorca.  How many nights in Barcelona do you recommend?  We have time so any other areas you recommend visiting in the area?  We have been to Madrid, Seville, southern Spain already.  Perhaps somewhere in Southern France?
Also, any recs for apartment rentals in Barcelona.  We will have 3 people. 
Thanks!

[scm1011]

He stayed at this AirBNB in Barcelona and it was fantastic. The roof deck was to die for and the location was really convenient.

www.airbnb.com/rooms/14121260?guests=1&adults=1&viralityEntryPoint=1&s=76&unique_share_id=27c1b69c-0b7f-4027-88f0-4d5ebfffdea1&fbclid=IwAR1xmPwpaOc6cgAHV54EXvJA0EZFgWjRQXFEu86o0t8P46Fx9c5o4zbhV-k&source_impression_id=p3_1708564772_Jb05%2ByPomzqBxkpV

[wise_rita]

You need to pre-book a time at Park Guell in Barcelona!

That had recently changed when we went (I was not in charge of planning) so missed out on going inside. Womp womp.

Timed entry also required at La Sagrada Familia, but that we knew and planned accordingly. Do not under ANY circumstances miss it! Possibly the top man-made thing I've ever seen in my life.

[cheekywife]

we did a full week in barcelona and would still go back in a heartbeat, so i'd plan on at least 5 nights.

we stayed in a hotel but that airbnb looks really cool. ditto wise_rita on sagrada familia. my H and i are agnostic and it's still one of the most stunning places i've ever seen. 

[mrsukyankee]

Barcelona is one of our favourite cities to visit. There are such a great variety of tours (food ones were our fav as was the bike tour).

[orval]

Feb 24, 2024 2:22:44 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

Barcelona is one of our favourite cities to visit. There are such a great variety of tours (food ones were our fav as was the bike tour).

Thanks -- we love a good food tour!  Any recs for a specific one?

[cheekywife]

orval, this is from 2011, so you'll need to see what's still open post-pandemic. hope you have a great trip!


our first day, we mostly walked around the boqueria (awesome market with jamon iberico, crepes, fruit, fish, chocolate), la rambla (touristy, we mostly avoided it after the first day), and the gothic quarter. had dinner at taller de tapas. it was good but it was also a chain, so i wouldn't say it's a must.

the second day, we went to parc guell, passeig de gracia (ie. the fancy shopping street), and then back through to the gothic quarter and el raval. that was actually my birthday so we did a little bar hopping at 33/45 and marmalade then had dinner at biblioteca, which was fantastic. not traditional catalan/spanish but it was one of our favorite meals of the trip. (this restaurant is now closed. womp.)

day three was thanksgiving and our wine tour, it was through spanish trails and i highly recommend it. we went to eudald and felix in the penedes region. felix is owned by the brother of our tour guide and their wines and cava were excellent. we also had our lunch at felix, which was all local jamon, chorizo, cheese, and other dishes made by the family. we learned about the cava-making process and got to label some cava bottles. i loved that we got to visit smaller, boutique wineries. if we'd had one more day in barcelona, we probably would have booked another day trip with spanish trails. they may be a little more expensive than other tour companies but i think we also had a more unique experience. that night we had dinner at cal pep. lots of fresh fish and they just kind of bring you things but given that you sit at a bar with strangers, it was a little pricey given that it's bar stool seating but the fish you are eating was caught that afternoon.

the next day was sagrada familia. there are no words or photos that can describe how amazing this is. josh & i aren't religious at all, it's still and awe-inspiring sight. going up to the top was not as impressive so if you are afraid of heights or claustrophobic, skip that part. we didn't get tickets in advance but we were in line *maybe* ten minutes. i'd book ahead of time since you're going during a busier time. we had lunch in the l'eixample neighborhood at this place called flauta. flauta is the mini baguette so we basically had one sandwich with cheese and one with jamon. both were delish. and i think the patatas bravas there were really good too. we then went to the science museum, cosmo caixa, but that was kind of bust. a lot of exhibits were closed and it was a trek. we had dinner at cafe del born. it was pretty good and had cheap wine but it wasn't anything special. we loved el paraigua for wine after dinner. great art nouveau architecture. wish we'd found it before we'd eaten dinner. we also went to bubo for chocolate that night. do not miss this place. chocolates, macarons, cookies . . .
on day five we had crepes at the boqueria then went the christmas markets and barcelona cathedral. more traditional of gothic churches and totally different from sagrada familia. for the afternoon we went up to montjuic for a picnic. the funicular railway stop is essentially below the hotel we stayed at we took the metro to placa d'espanya to see the font majica (only fridays and saturdays, i think). this is where the catalan art museum is and i definitely want to go there next time. we had dinner at la bodegueta de poble sec. this was more off the beaten path (but close to the hotel) and was really good.

day six we went to the barcelona history museum (very cool) and the museu frederic mares (quirky but so interesting!). for dinner we went to xaloc. i hadn't read about it in any of my guides but we saw it our first night and snapped a photo to remember it. it is in the gothic quarter and we thought it was a great find amid places that seemed touristy and overpriced. the jamon was some of our favorite and the bombas (chorizo & potato balls) were also delish. we had some dessert with cinnamon fritters and ice cream that we also loved.

on our last day we went to casa battlo (more gaudi, also amazing but in a totally different way that sagrada familia) and mostly wandered around and shopped. that day we had lunch at tapac 24 and if we'd gone sooner, i probably would have had lunch there every day they were open. their patatas bravas ruled, they had a special chimichurri steak that was so good, and their bikini commerc was essentially a mini uber-grilled cheese (jamon iberico, truffles, and mozzarella). we ordered a second round of that. it's bustling at lunchtime but it's sister restaurant is crazy expensive so were were cool with the cheaper option. we had some cava and tapas at bubo (there's a little bar next to the chocolate shop) and then went back to xaloc for our last dinner. they remembered our names, so big points for that.

you can easily do more or less than we did. barcelona is an amazing city to wander. seeing gaudi's buildings in person is such a cool thing to experience. i was worried about not knowing spanish or catalan but we were fine.

[mrsukyankee]

Feb 25, 2024 15:33:35 GMT -5 orval said:

Feb 24, 2024 2:22:44 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

Barcelona is one of our favourite cities to visit. There are such a great variety of tours (food ones were our fav as was the bike tour).

Thanks -- we love a good food tour!  Any recs for a specific one?

The one we went on is no longer listed (it's been a while) but we've used With Locals and found their tours to be fabulous.

[cheekywife]

orval, +1 for with locals. we did a private walking tour in antwerp and it was excellent.

[mrspez07]

We had good luck with a rental company called click & flat through Vrbo, we had an apartment for 4 of us in the Gracia neighborhood near Passig de Gracia and Avenida Diagonal. It was a great location and quiet. I can’t find the exact listing online anymore. They regulate rentals in Barcelona and require companies to register, one off individuals are likely illegal.

[mrspez07]

More:
We did Thanksgiving week in 2022 in the Barcelona area and could have easily stayed longer just to enjoy wandering around the City.
We did 2 day trips, one to Girona (which I loved) and Tarragona (which I also enjoyed, but the charm of the old part of Girona was my fav of the two). Easily accessible by train.

In Barcelona we did Parc Guell, Sagrada, the soccer stadium (my kids love soccer), a night tour of La Pedrera (fun way to see this), Picasso Museum, and lots of time wandering neighborhoods, parks, Joan Miro museum, and a bit of time at the beach. I enjoyed everything and felt I could stay forever. We tried to keep museums to a minimum with a 10 and 13 yo.


Also check out this post:
pandce.proboards.com/thread/638118/barcelona-tips

[majesty318]

Feb 25, 2024 15:33:35 GMT -5 orval said:

Feb 24, 2024 2:22:44 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

Barcelona is one of our favourite cities to visit. There are such a great variety of tours (food ones were our fav as was the bike tour).

Thanks -- we love a good food tour!  Any recs for a specific one?

Devour Tours is excellent - I have used them in Rome, Lisbon, and several cities in Spain

[mrsukyankee]

Mar 13, 2024 8:13:15 GMT -5 majesty318 said:

Feb 25, 2024 15:33:35 GMT -5 orval said:

Thanks -- we love a good food tour!  Any recs for a specific one?

Devour Tours is excellent - I have used them in Rome, Lisbon, and several cities in Spain

Agreed, they are good. I've used them a bunch too.

[nellywilk]

I would stay in Barcelona for another 3-5 nights. Lots to see. My daughter loved Park Guell, we spend almost the whole day in there. I am lucky to say that i visited more than 100 countries in the world, thanks to the modern communication tools like this one clerk.chat/integrations/intercom/ and my freelance job. Spain is definitely in my top 10 and i even consider moving there for good one day.