Barcelona is one of the most unique cities in Europe and it has something to offer everyone. I have always dreamed of showing my parents around this city since living here 7 years ago, now it was finally coming true! We got to know Gaudi’s architecture, explored the historic city center, and ate some delicious food on the side!
Gaudi’s Barcelona
People all over the world are drawn to Barcelona because of one man, Antoni Gaudi. He not only designed some of the craziest and most jaw-dropping architecture, he is still shaping the skyline of Barcelona today through the continued construction of his final masterpiece. As more tourists flood to the city, many of the sights now strictly require reservations to visit. So be sure to prebook your tickets before heading there!
Sagrada Familia
I hate to admit, when I first saw the Nativity Facade (entrance side) of the Sagrada Familia, I thought it was the ugliest building I had ever seen and that Gaudi must have had a stroke when he designed it… I recently heard someone describe it as a melting cake on the radio. Then I went inside. The moment I stepped through the doors, my opinion turned around 180°, and I became a diehard fan. In order to recreate this experience for my parents, I intentionally avoided telling them too much about the cathedral or showing them photos. I led them all the way around the exterior before heading inside.
Success! I saw the same shock and awe on their faces when we walked through the cathedral doors. They were blown away by how different the interior felt from the exterior, as well as how different it was from a traditional Gothic Cathedral. Even though this was my fourth time visiting, it still overwhelmed me with its beauty from every angle.
The afternoon light filtered through the west side stained glass windows. I could stare at these windows for hours to observe how the colors changed with the light. But I settled for Sam being a blank canvas to be painted with every single color.
Perhaps we will come back to Barcelona again when its construction is finally completed in 2026!
Parc Guëll
If you asked where is my absolute favorite place in Barcelona, the answer will forever be Parc Guëll. This was where I first fell in love with Gaudi. I saw a fairytale land that should exist in the dreams of a child.
The Park used to be entirely free to all visitors all the time. But since 7 years ago, the number of visitors increased so much that they had to enforce limited entries per reserved entry time slots. I was able to book a fairly early entry time and we were able to take photos with the Gaudi Dragon without a crowd!
Parc Guëll is located on a hill northwest of the city and offers a great view of the city all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. The mosaic bench that meanders colorfully around the edge of the market roof was quite empty at 10:00 in the morning, but we found out that it was also still wet from the morning dew.
Casa Milà (La Pedrera)
In the Eixample neighborhood of Barcelona, along the Passeig de Gracia, a number of modernist buildings form the Block of Discord. Here we visited the famous apartment building Casa Milà, otherwise known as La Pedrera (the Quarry) for its stony front.
There are almost no straight lines in the design of this building because Gaudi said that since there are no straight lines in nature, there would be no straight lines in his design. But La Pedrera is most well known for its undulating rooftop and the chimneys that inspired the Storm Trooper helmets.
I had originally scheduled to go to my old school to finally pick up my diploma (yes, it took almost 7 years for it to be ready…) during this time, but found out the school was closed due to a holiday weekend. Since I had to prebook the tickets, I just waited for Sam and my parents outside and caught up on my travel journal. Did you know that even the street tiles were designed by Gaudi? They are supposed to represent sea creatures. I waited under the fanciful street lamp and was entertained by the tiles and my shadow.
Another more flamboyant Gaudi building, Casa Batlló, sits right across the street from Casa Milà. Although it’s not as purely Gaudi as La Pedrera, it is definitely more eye-catching for its colors. I remember being inside felt like being under the sea and would recommend both Casas if time allows.
Historic Barcelona
My planned tour of Barcelona put heavy emphasis on the Gaudi sights because I knew we would be seeing plenty of more historic landmarks during the rest of the trip. Therefore, our visit to the sights of the historic city centre was brief and not as in-depth.
A Stroll Down La Rambla
La Rambla is the most touristic street in Barcelona, notorious for the crowds, the pickpockets, and the numerous beautiful sights connected by inconspicuous side alleys. This tree-lined street was just as I remembered, full of tourists and street artists, but there was noticeably more police presence due to the recent terrorist van attack in August. It’s even more chilling to see news of these atrocities take place where I have walked so many times myself. It also happened to be the Spanish National Day on the day we visited, therefore it was natural to run into a demonstration in support of Spanish unity. However, a few days after we left Barcelona, Catalonia declared independence from Spain…
Of course, we had to stop in Plaça Reial, or Royal Plaza, for a quick photo op and to visit the Gaudi lamps. It would be the first of many Royal Plazas we saw throughout Spain.
Unfortunately, La Boqueria was closed that day. This was such a happy place for me because of the colorful produce stalls, the smells of the tapas and seafood bars, and the racks of hanging jamon. Knowing my dad is also a foodie like me, I was really hoping to take him around this historic market.
Barri Gòtic
If you accidentally turn down a side street on the east side of the Rambla, you’re more than likely to end up in the Gothic Quarter. Here you will find many remanents of the Medieval past such as the Cathedral of Barcelona, a.k.a. Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia. We admired its beautiful Gothic façade and moved on.
But we did go inside another cathedral, Santa Maria del Mar. This was part of a school project and we studied almost every single crack on its ceiling and even visited its rooftop. The church was preparing for a wedding. Beautifully dressed people were beginning to gather and mingle but the wedding didn’t seem like it would be starting anytime soon.
With the help of my guidebook, a physical map, and my phone GPS, we managed to find the Roman Temple of Augustus. It’s hidden away deep in the residential buildings behind a tiny alley. The first time I came here was by accident on a random walk, and I was never able to find it again because I didn’t know what it was called! It was much more crowded this time around.
Last but not least, no visit to the Gothic Quarter would be complete without seeing Pont del Bisbe. What a glamorous way to cross an alley! Don’t be fooled by its Gothic architectural details though, it was actually built in 1928.
What to Do On An Extra Day
If you have a spare day to spend, I strongly recommend taking a day trip to Montserrat, Girona or Figueres. Because of jetlag, we opted out of a day trip to Montserrat and spent some relaxing time at the Barceloneta Beach and the Ciutadella Park.
From the end of La Rambla we could see the figure of Christopher Columbus atop the tall monument. We took a left at Passeig de Colom (Columbus’s name is Colom in Catalan) and checked out the more monumental buildings. There was a giant shrimp/lobster looking sculpture that was not there when I last visited.
Across the port is one of the local’s favorite hangout places, the Barceloneta Beach. I remembered the days when a few friends and I would come with a picnic and spend an afternoon eating and reading. Sam has this weird habit of dipping his toes in the water at every beach he visits. While he did that, we haggled unsuccessfully with a vendor of the tie-dyed blankets. But we really didn’t plan on stopping here anyway.
Turning away from the beach, we made our way to the Parc de la Ciutadella. I didn’t know before, but apparently, the fountain was an early design of Gaudi’s, too! The Arc de Triomf located at the entrance to the park was built for the Barcelona World Fair in 1888.
Trial By Fire In Gràcia
I booked an Airbnb in one of my favorite neighborhoods in Barcelona — Gràcia. It’s known for its bohemian vibes and as a small village in the city. It is much less touristy but is easily accessible by Metro lines and buses with a location central to the historic city center as well as the Modernist attractions. The best thing about Gràcia is that there are always fun events going on in the area.
We chanced upon a most exciting event that we still don’t know the name of! Teams of residents dressed up in fire-retarding outfits, played heart thumping beats on the drums and pushed floats of devils and monsters around the neighborhood.
Then one by one, the floats lit up! It turned out that they were full of fireworks! We got too close to one when the sparks started flying and the air was full of smoke. Everyone screamed and ran but we were trapped by the narrow street and the crowd! I wrapped a scarf around my head and Sam took home a couple of burn holes on his t-shirt as a souvenir.
Eating Is A Big Deal
There are plenty of good restaurants and bars in Gràcia. We had amazing tapas at La Pepita and excellent traditional Spanish and Catalan dishes at Taverna el Glop. The individual portions of paella at El Glop were more than enough for two! I’m terrible at remembering to take photos before the food is devoured… so just take my word that they were good!
A must-do activity when visiting Spain is to have beer and tapas on a plaza, any plaza! Snack, sip, people watch and just let time slow down to the Mediterranean pace. Estrella might not have been our favorite beer, but we got hooked on Pimientos de Padrón.
Another must is Churros and Hot Chocolate. But be careful, not all churros are created equal. Check the reviews to avoid soggy and cold churros!!
Revisiting Barcelona brought back so many memories of a younger and more fearless me embarking on a solo journey. I hoped that my parents fell in love with it as much as I did even in just three short days. Sharing this experience with them made it that much more special!
Next stop, Madrid. Stay tuned!