A Spontaneous 36 Hours in Barcelona

A delay with the plane pushed our 21:15 flight back to 23:15 however, full of energy for our mini adventure this was just a minor annoyance. We left from Bristol airport which is a small international airport in the west of England and little did we know the only place open after 8pm was a bar/restaurant called 'Brigg and Stow' after a mad dash to get a seat we spent the remaining couple of hours there, Mr C pitied the understaffed bar and even put in a shift clearing the tables.

You can take the man out of the pub, but not the pub out of the man!

After a 2 hour flight we landed in Barcelona just after 2:15am local time on a Monday morning. (Barcelona is +1 hour ahead of the UK) We normally opt for local transport however today we treated ourselves to a taxi from the airport to the hotel.

We stayed at the Hilton Alexandra due to its great location, close to the main street and really close to the metro and bus routes. Which was key to getting the most out of our time here.

After we'd caught up on some sleep and had a hearty, caffeine filled breakfast, we took some time to perfect our action plan and put our ideas into fruition.

Top of the list: Get a hop on hop off bus ticket!

I know, I know they are super touristy but this was a great way to quickly get orientated with the city and be able to see the locations of the top attractions.

We went with the multi coloured busses which are 'Barcelona Busturistic'. And we booked these with ‘Get your Guide’. I'll link the exact tickets below. They were about £27 each and we were able to use them for 24 hours which was the perfect amount of time. We planned our sight seeing around the route the bus took to be as efficient as possible.

There are 2 routes which you can use and can switch between them, and also get on and off where and whenever you like, as many times as you like!

 Ride the red route to the gothic quarter and explore  

After spending some time admiring the architecture and parks along this route we decided to disembark at the gothic quarter. It used to be a Roman village and is full of history. The architecture is beautiful and there are shops and restaurants nestled into narrow lanes and small squares. We got told by the hotel it was a "must do" and is one of the main areas of the city that we should to explore.

We spent time here getting lost, stumbling across churches, and visiting independent shops. I would highly recommend going to Basilica of Santa Maria Del Mar a beautiful church right in the heart of the gothic quarter.

Just behind the church is small food shop called 'Casa Gispert', one of the oldest shops in Barcelona and it is like stepping back in time. It sells nuts, dried fruits, oils, herbs, chocolates, jams, wines...the list goes on! A great place to pick up gifts or treats for the journey home.

 Lunch at Sagardi BCN Gotic

This is a small pintxos restaurant (pronounced pinchos) and they are delicious!

 The restaurant was clean, the staff were friendly, and the food was delicious. Pintxos are small bites served on a piece of French bread or on a stick, similar to canapes but bigger. You are able to take what you want, when you want. The cold ones are on the counter and warm ones come around with a waiter straight from the kitchen. Each one has a stick in it and are counted at the end to determine your bill. We paid 2.10 euros for each stick which is great quality for money and quite honestly I could have sat in there all day!

Sight seeing on the way to the market

We admired the Cathedral of Barcelona, a very impressive cathedral on the way to Bishops Gate, Despite only viewing the outside, next time we visit we will be sure to go in and have a tour as its architecture is outstanding. We also noticed it had at least one courtyard which looked gorgeous and was calling us in!

 Mercado de la Boqueria

Markets are a firm favourite with us, with Mr C being a chef and me eating anything and everything we cant walk past one without heading it!

If you walk toward 'La Rambla' you will find 'Mercado de la Boqueria' food market which I highly recommend you stop at to sample some of its produce. It's filled to the brim with fresh fruit, veg, meat, and seafood and loads of restaurants and vendors. If you are a keen foodie then this is one for you.

Back to the hotel for a Siesta

Our hotel was just off of 'La Rambla' so we walked back there for a nap followed by a coffee before heading back out for the rest of the day. If you wanted to getting back onto the tour bus would have been just as easy, if your hotel is in the centre it will likely drop you off somewhere close to where you are staying.

  La Segrada familia

We booked tickets for 'La Sagrada Familia' the same time as we bought the bus tickets, so after our rest we jumped back onto the hop on hop off bus which took us to probably the most famous attraction in Barcelona.

 'La Sagrada Familia' is Antoni Gaudi's unfinished church. The work was started in the 1880’s but wasnt complete by the time Antoni passed away in 1926. The church is under constant construction as they now rely on contributions to get the remaining work complete. Its a fascinating place and the detail is amazing. It is also home to the tomb of its creator Antoni Gaudi.

This is a must visit and I would highly recommend you book the tickets to include going up the tower, The views were incredible and seeing the architecture from this angle was something I wont forget! We booked directly on the Familia Segrada app, this seemed the cheapest option and suited our needs. This included an audio tour which is available on the app and was a great listen as you walk around.

 Blue route tour bus

We decided to spend what was left of the day on the blue route and see what else Barcelona had to offer that was slightly further away from the city centre. The blue route has Camp Nu, Parc Guell, and the cable car. We would love to do these, and are on the list for when we return. 

 Dinner at 'Taller De Tapas'

When we disembarked from the tour bus and on our way back to the hotel we stumbled across 'Taller de Tapas'. It was very charming and seemed like a nice way to finish off the day. We got ourselves 5 dishes of tapas between the 2 of us, sat at the bar and had a couple of cocktails to celebrate a great first day in Barcelona. 🍹

Checking out and visiting the beach

After a late breakfast and checking out at 11 we decided to go to the coffee shop next door to plan out our day (also another excuse to have a fantastic coffee!). We left everything we didnt need at the hotel reception as we knew we had several things we wanted to tick off before we called it time on our taster break in Barcelona.

First stop: Retail therapy!

 Passeig de Gracia

This is one of the main shopping boulevards in Barcelona, it has all of your  mainstream brands and more, and it leads straight to 'Placa ce Catalunya', a square at the centre of Barcelona where there are fountains, street vendors and entertainers.

'Passeig de Gracia' also has a lot of of the famous Gaudi buildings on it like 'Casa Batllo' which is now a UNESCO world heritage site and museum. Also 'Casa Mila' which is another of Gaudis impressive creations. This stretch of road is definitely something you need to see even if you aren't there for the shopping.

 Market number 2 and tapas on the way to the beach

There was a second market that I had heard good things about during my research and that was 'Santa Caterina' market. This market was a lot quieter and had more produce than 'La Broqueria' which was restaurant led. Would be great if you were in self catering.

On our way to lunch we came across a small tapas bar that was still open (during siesta) called 'Bormuth.' A great little spot but very busy! It was situated in 'El Born' and is very quaint and cosy. The Tapas was great and I cant knock it. Definitely pin for when you're in the area!

 Lunch on the beach

One of our musts when planning this trip was to have some paella and where better to enjoy this than overlooking the beach. After a short walk we came across 'Salamanca'. which was right opposite the beach.

On the red route of our tour the day before we learnt that this area was called 'La Barcelonetta'. This area was originally just used by the dock workers and fisherman but has developed to become a lively and desired area due to its nightlife, the beach, and its many restaurants which seem to adorn every street. Although it wasnt beach weather the promenade was still busy and a nice break from the city.