Barcelona, Spain

chadhorn01
Aug 23, 2016
4 min read

Barcelona marks our last stop in Spain as well as our last large city of the trip. Last time I visited Barcelona, my stay was short, making it hard to explore the entirety of the city. This time we were able to spend a little less than a week in Barcelona and got the full experience. The great part about Barcelona is there are so many different things you can do with your time. We were able to do a little bit of everything and stay busy whole time. If you haven't visited this beautiful city, please do. Although it's insanely touristy and busy, you will definitely enjoy your time in Barcelona. It has it all: a wide variety of cuisines, beautiful beaches, plenty of museums, a melting pot of cultures, and so much more.

Location: Restaurante Rosa Negra, Barcelona

On our very first day, it was fairly overcast and not too hot so we decided to do a hike up to a spot called Bunkers and ended up having an incredible view of the entire city. Prior to that hike, I wasn't aware of how big Barcelona really was. After getting to the top, I was blown away.

Location: Bunkers, Barcelona

After our hike, we decided to go check out Park Guell. Park Guell is roughly 17 acres big and was designed by Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí is one of the most famous architects of all time and a lot of his work can be seen in Barcelona. Since we had such a long day prior to arriving, we didn't spend a whole lot of time exploring the whole park but nonetheless it was beautiful and would definitely recommend going if you are fascinated by architecture.

Location: Park Guell, Barcelona

One of the more memorable nights of our Euro trip was going to an FC Barcelona fútbol game. We happened to be in town for a game and instantly had to buy tickets. We had some killer seats at mid-field and got to see Lionel Messi score two goals as well as FC Barcelona pull off a win! If you are in town for a game, you must go. The stadium is unbelievable and the fans go crazy the entire game. Below are a few shots I got during the game.

Location: Camp Nou, Barcelona

In Barcelona, you will find restaurants and food EVERYWHERE. I swear there was food everywhere I looked. Restaurants are generally pricy but it's easy to find delicious affordable food as well. Below are a few things I enjoyed eating.

This one is for my brother John C, a fellow banana bread enthusiast. Above is some insanely tasty dark chocolate banana bread that I ate way too fast.

Cappuccino.

Pre-gaming Italy with some pesto pasta.

Grilled salmon.

Luckily, we were able to find some tasty Mexican food right near our hostel. Chicken fajitas pictured above.

Mexican chicken salad too. I was hungry.

Location: Restaurante Rosa Negra, Barcelona

Chicken paella. Best I've ever tasted.

We stayed at Kabul Backpackers Hostel right on La Rambla: one of the busiest streets in the city. Right near us was this large food market called La Boqueria. It had all types of food and was always packed with hungry customers. If you are looking for some exotic fruit, this is the place to find it.

Location: La Boqueria, Barcelona

A must visit in Barcelona is Sagrada Família. It's an incredibly detailed and beautiful church that is an architectural masterpiece to say the least. It is the work of Antoni Gaudí and was started in 1866. The church is projected to be finished by 2026 and has been an on going project since it's start date. It is the most impressive architectural work of art that I've ever seen. Check it out below.

Location: Sagrada Família, Barcelona

On one of our last nights, we got to meet up with our good friends Nick Bondelli and Daniel Holl. They had been traveling a few weeks prior to Barcelona and luckily our trips ended up aligning in Barcelona. We had an amazing dinner in Plaça Reial and all went out together to a few bars and clubs shortly after. Below are a few photos from our night.

Luke ordered a $10 calzone that ended up being bigger than his head.

Barcelona is known for it's wild nightlife. There are tons of clubs and bars everywhere in the city. One of my personal favorite bars is called Espit Chupitos. The bar only serves shots and has around a hundred shot options to choose from. Usually the shots have a show to go along with them as they are served. Below was a round we ordered that happened to be covered in fire.

Location: Espit Chupitos, Barcelona

Another unique bar is Icebarcelona. It's an ice bar and everything is made of ice, even the cups! When you arrive, you are given a jacket and gloves. They had a star wars theme the night we went and we ended up having such a blast together. Definitely stop in if you have the chance, such a cool experience.

Location: Icebarcelona, Barcelona

On our very last night, Luke and I decided to hit the W Hotel rooftop bar for a drink. The W hotel in Barcelona is spectacular and wish we could have stayed there; maybe someday. The rooftop bar was a great experience because of the amazing view it has of the Barceloneta Beach as well as the wide variety of exotic drink choices. If you are near the W, definitely stop by for a drink and enjoy the view!