5 Things To Do in Barcelona

I took my mom to Spain and our first stop was Barcelona. My favorite thing about this city was the people. Their passion, their accent, and their hospitality all made the city come alive. Here are some things to do in Barcelona, some of my favorite highlights from my trip to Spain.

Go to the beach!

That’s right. There’s a beach. As soon as we dropped off our things at the hotel we headed to the water. Barcelona is fairly walkable but my mom and I took a taxi from our hotel and chose a drop off a few blocks away so we could walk around a bit. My mom immediately bought her first souvenir–a polka dot ribboned sun hat. It was her signature look in Spain.

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There are a lot of vendors and people offering massages on the beach. We opted out of their sales and just laid down for a while after sipping on some cocktails and our first plate of tapas by the shore.

Eat Paella and Tapas

Speaking of…there are so many delicious things to eat in Spain. Paella and Tapas were our staple diet foods in Barcelona. We really emersed ourselves and ate nothing but paella and tapas.

If you’ve never had paella, make sure you find a restaurant that makes it fresh, in a large skillet. The little individual skillets you’ll see advertised around the streets of Barcelona are usually frozen and aren’t made fresh.

Tapas are like appetizers. In Barcelona, they’re the main course. If you get 3-4 tapas for two people, they’ll usually fill you up. Tapas are usually eaten for dinner but that doesn’t mean you can’t eat them for lunch too.

Find Flamenco

Flamenco is a must in Barcelona. We saw a show that was a ticketed event and my one regret was not walking around at night and just stumbling upon a street performer or finding a cave performance somewhere. The dance is passionate. It’s a dance from gypsies. They use their feet to stomp and their hands to clap to a beat. It’s a cultural experience that you cannot miss.

Get Your Gaudí Fix

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Antoni Gaudí is a Spanish architect who envisioned and built timeless pieces throughout the city. You might know him as La Sagrada Familia or El Park Güell. His work really spoke to me and reminded me to pave your own creative path. In a world filled with rules and judgment, just keep doing you.

Take a Day Trip To Montserrat

This was one of my favorite things to do. I don’t think I’ve ever been this high up. High up in the mountains, Monserrat holds a monastery and a lovely view. It looks like a pop-up storybook in the middle of some Spanish mountains.

There is a museum, coffee shops, a cathedral. It has your European staples hidden away from all the tourist crowds. Not to say tourists don’t come here, but it was a nice break from the busy streets of Barcelona. I would stay here and write a book if I could. I probably should.

These were just a few highlights of my time in Barcelona. We spent three nights here and explored the city as much as we could. For the people alone, I would go back. Maybe even live there. Who knows where my travels will lead me. Spain was special to my mom and I, after Barcelona we made our way to Madrid and found the house where her mother, my grandmother lived before the Spanish Civil War.