Tag: things to do in barcelona

This is a series of blog entries from SkySurf.Travel’s first travel hiree, Romanna.

What type of tourist are you? There is one significant separation in traveling – some people grab a thick guide (or create a google map with a dozen places of interest), others prefer to get lost in a new city and feel it as it is.

Nevertheless, in Barcelona, there are some places worth visiting for both categories. Even if you don’t take a look into a map, you will find them and be amazed.

So let’s discover the Barna! (Do not confuse Barsa and Barna. Barsa in the name of a football team, and Barca is a shortened name of Barcelona)

Everything starts from here – Catalonia Square. There are a Suburb train station, more than 20 bus stops, and a metro station. Aeroexpress from the airport also comes here, and most of the touristic routes start from here. It used to be small before the year 1888, but now it is a vast square with monuments and fountains and a central meeting point.

The biggest attraction here are thousands of doves. There are more doves here than in San Marco Square in Venice and more than in Duomo Square in Milan. There are tourists, artists, running children who try to scare doves and peddlers who work to sell you cold water and beer. Be aware of them and do not buy anything; some of the peddlers cool drinks under the sewer covers!

Just in a few steps from the square, Rambla street begins. It is the most famous pedestrian street in Barcelona, which spreads from Catalonia Square to the cruise port. There are tons of shops, cafes, restaurants and tourists attractions. It is always crowded with tourists and locals and seems nice and bad at the same time; cross it with caution and pay attention to your personal belongings. As I told you in the previous article, there are many pickpockets.

You are now in the old town – the Gothic Quarter. It is the heart of the city where Barcelona was born. Saved in their original appearance were buildings from the 14-15th century. Most of the streets are pedestrian; the only way to see them is by walking through them.

The main sight of the Gothic Quarter is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, also known as Barcelona Cathedral. Thirteen geese are living in one of the chapels of the Cathedral. They are the symbol of Saint Eulalia, who died at the age of 13 years.

One more famous spot in Gothic Quarter – Bisbe Bridge. There are some legends and beliefs about it. The most known one says that you need to stay under the bridge and make a wish while looking at a skull to make it real. Others say that a couple who kisses under the bridge will be in love forever.

If you are interested in art, I recommend to climb the Montjuic Hill and visit the Museum of Catalonian Art. It is an extraordinary place with so many different styles – Barocco, Gothic, Renaissance, etc. You can spend half of the day in the halls of the museum!

Want to rest a little under a tree shade? Make your way to Guel Park. There are two parts of the park – free and paid. Remember, many tourists visit Barcelona every day. That is why in all the touristic places, there was a limit of visitors. Even if you arrive at the entrance, there is a big chance that there will be no more tickets.

Best idea – to buy tickets online or enjoy the free part of the park. Nowadays more than half of paid territory is closed because of reconstruction. So there is no sense to pay 7,5 euros and see the renovation process. Seen from the main entrance are Gingerbread houses, but all other famous mosaic monuments are covered and hidden now.

Sagrada Familia is the main symbol of Barcelona, the most known masterpiece of Gaudi and one of the most unusual European cathedrals. The building process of it started in the 19th century and is still going on today. Antonio Gaudi spent 43 years of his life on a building, and for that time, only one-third of his ideas were brought to fruition. The Cathedral should be finished approximately by 2026.

All parts of it are particular and have sense. You can spend hours focusing on its forms, monuments, and even on a tiny piece!

The first time I came to Barcelona and wanted to visit Sagrada Familia, all tickets were sold out three days in advance! I was so upset. You should see those queues; some people were waiting for hours to get in!

I advise you to buy tickets online. It is much easier and quicker. Use this link – http://sagradafamilia.tickets-barcelona.org/

The ticket price is 17 euros per person. You need to know the ticket is valid only for a selected day and time, so do not miss it. You can easily buy it on the internet for the day you want, skip the queue, and save some time. You can print the ticket or use your phone to pass the checking – you will need to show a QR code for scanning.

Imagine, there are more than three million people who visit Sagrada Familia every year! Part of the ticket price and donations of tourists are the only fundings of construction.

In my opinion, all these places are worth visiting at least once in your life. And of course, I will tell you more about non-touristic and less crowded places in the next article. Do not miss it – follow the blog updates!

– Romanna

Previous post: Freedom, Art, Madness. This Is a Barcelona City!

Next post: Feel like a Local in Barcelona

Romanna’s trip to eight cities (five islands) in Europe cost a total of $815 (flights only).  To build your own cheap multicity itinerary, visit SkySurf.Travel.

View more photos of Romanna’s European SkySurf.Travel adventure on Instagram

To read more of Romanna’s SkySurf.Travel adventure blogs, click here.

This is a series of blog entries from SkySurf.Travel’s first travel hiree, Romanna.

Sunny, loud and wild, Barcelona attracts thousands of tourists every year. They come in winter, in spring and much more come in summer, during the best time of the year. People dream of staying here longer, of returning next year or even of moving here.

So what is the secret of Barcelona’s popularity?

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia. If you had never been to Spain, I need to explain to you more about this. There are 17 autonomous communities, which has their own rules, traditions, and even languages! So, Barcelona and three more provinces (Tarragona, Girona, and Lleida) are parts of Catalonia. They speak a Catalonian language which is different from Spanish. Oh, that was shocking to me!

Geographically Barcelona is situated on the north-west of Spain, right on the seashore of the Mediterranean Sea. At the same time, the city lays on five hills, and some areas were named after them. That is why you can find mount Monterols hill, and the entire region around will be called the same.

Did you know that Barcelona is one of the five most popular European cities?

Despite the fact of extremely high temperature, a vast amount of people come during July and August. At this time almost all locals are trying to leave the city and go on vacation. Prices are growing. Flights, hotels, hostels, and apartments. So if you do not want to melt from the heat with thousands of tourists and pay a few times more, I advise you to visit Barcelona some other time. During spring and autumn, the weather is still lovely – more than 20 degrees and fewer tourists at the same time. Even in winter, the temperature is over 10 degrees, usually, so you can not be afraid of the cold.

How to get to Barcelona

The easiest and the quickest way to get to the capital of Catalonia is by plane. It is the easiest way for other people, who live far, and me. But there are options like bus, train, and ferry – whatever you like!

El Prat airport is one of the biggest in Europe. It is enormous – I almost got lost a few years ago during my first visit. There are two terminals located out of the city. The significant fact – lots of buses are working day and night. So you can cheaply and quickly get almost anywhere even if your plane arrives late. It takes 30 minutes to get to Catalonia Square, which is the city center. Moreover, there is another way to get to the city – a Metro line.

Transport

Imagine 82 millions of people; this is the number of tourists who came to Spain last year! At least one-third of them visited Barcelona, and this number is growing all the time. It will not be possible without a sound transport system.

Well developed public transport consists of metro, buses, trams, ferries, trains, and cable car. I lived out of the city in a small town, Castelldefels. Every day I used Renfe – Barcelona Suburb trains or buses to get to the city. In my opinion, the metro is the most convenient transport to move through Barcelona. There are 11 lines and more than 200 stations! That makes Barcelona’s metro one of the biggest not only in Europe, even in the world! Do not be afraid to get lost; it is almost impossible also if your knowledge of Spanish and English is low. There are intelligible maps and signs in wagons and all stations.

Budget tip – buy a universal T-10 pass. You will get ten rides for all kinds of transport per 10,2 euros. By comparison, for one bus or metro ride, you need to pay 2,2 euros!

Except for public transport, there is a variety of private options. Cars are not the most useful transport in Barcelona, but still, you can catch a taxi or rent a car. Otherwise, you can rent a bicycle, scooter or even a moped!

Where to live

The hardest thing about searching for a place to stay is choosing something from thousands of options! And I am not talking about expensive hotels; you can find so many cool budget apartments and hostels! Try Booking, Airbnb and Hotellook or Couchsurfing if you want to spend more time with locals and dive into the real Barcelona life.

Safety rules

There are many tourists in Barcelona and many pickpockets. Few times I witnessed how a phone, purse, and camera got stolen from people.

What to do to save all your things with you?

1. Always pay attention to your things. Luggage, backpack, bag – remember about all your stuff and keep an eye on it no matter how beautiful everything is around you.
2. Use a card, not cash. Same with documents – better to carry a copy of your ID with you, than the original one.
3. Do not keep valuable things in pockets – usually, there are too many people around you, and you will not feel it when they are pulled out.
4. Like to wear a bag or camera on your shoulder? Hold it stronger. The strap could be cut within a few seconds!
5. Always keep some small amount away from your purse to pay for transport, bars or museums where there’s a big crowd of people. Pickpockets pay attention to where you put the purse and can easily steal it and run away through the crowd.

Hope I did not scare you. These rules are just for your safety and for a good mood while traveling.

In the next article, I will tell you about the best places in Barcelona.
See you soon!

– Romanna

Previous post: My Best Destination – Madeira Island

Next post: Feel like a Tourist in Barcelona

Romanna’s trip to eight cities (five islands) in Europe cost a total of $815 (flights only).  To build your own cheap multicity itinerary, visit SkySurf.Travel.

View more photos of Romanna’s European SkySurf.Travel adventure on Instagram

To read more of Romanna’s SkySurf.Travel adventure blogs, click here.