Last year, following some major health issues, I decided that I will embrace life, travel more and stop worrying about everything all the time. We have been working on the house since we bought it without really taking any time off. We saved money for the next thing for the house and only went away to visit families in Latvia and the UK. Last year I decided, that the house can wait and it was time to make memories, so I did something I wouldn’t normally do – I booked a city break to Barcelona and surprised Shaun for his birthday!
I am usually the person who has everything planned and booked way in advance when we go travelling. I did extensive reseacrh to make sure we went to places, ate at the best restaurants and didn’t miss out on anything. This kind of always turned out to be stressful and I would lose so many hours researching I would actually lose the excitement for the trip. This time I wanted the trip to be less planned and more experienced. We had an idea of what we wanted to see and whilst we had a few must-see attractions planned, some of our favourite moments came simply from wandering wherever the streets took us. I would highly recommend just following the hustle and bustle of the busy streets and living life in the moment. I do say this with a caveat, because, places like Sagrada Família and park Guell (must see in my book!) you should definitely book in advance!
Travel – flights and hotel
I love a good city break. I usually plan the travel and hotel by doing research trying to find the best price and location for the hotel and best time to travel. April in Barcelona sounded amazing as we weren’t set on dates I went with the best price and also avoided the busy Easter break when the schools were off. I booked the flights with EasyJet and found the hotel thanks to my sister-in-law. We stayed at the gorgeous Radisson Blu 1882 Sagrada Família. The Radisson Hotel Barcelona Sagrada Família had the perfect location for exploring Barcelona. It is ideally located within walking distance of the city’s iconic basilica and offers modern rooms, a rooftop pool with stunning city views, a fitness centre and an on-site restaurant.
Day One – The joy of getting lost
Our flight was early in the morning and we arrived in Barcelona around 10am. We got a taxi from the airport and went straight to the hotel. After arriving, our room at the Radisson Hotel Barcelona Sagrada Família wasn’t quite ready, so once we left the bags, we headed out to explore the city with no plan at all. It turned out to be the perfect introduction to the city, discovering lively streets, cafés and hidden corners by chance. Later, we relaxed at the rooftop pool, which was absolutely stunning.
We then decided to go for a meal to the Gothic Quarter, which was around half an hour walk. We walked through the Arc de Triomf saw the Barcelona Cathedral and Plaça Nova.
We had a lovely tapas at Placa de Sant Miquel followed by a yummy gelato before heading back to the hotel to watch the sunset at the rooftop bar and then have an early night so we could be up early to explore the city.
Day Two – Gaudí and the Gothic Quarter
We booked Sagrada Família tickets in advance (probably around 4 weeks before we went to Barcelona) as I heard they can sell out pretty quickly.
We booked early tickets for 9am and so glad we did it as the crowds were getting bigger and bigger as the day went on. We got to enjoy this magnificent place early and it was peaceful and quiet. The highlight of the day was definitely visiting the incredible Sagrada Família, including a trip up the towers for panoramic city views.
Be careful though, if you suffer with vertigo (like I do), give the towers a miss. We went up in a lift but the way down was through a spiral staircase which kept going on and on and on. I made the mistake of looking down to take a photo and immediately my head just went. I had to sit down and ground myself for about 15 minutes when we reached the bottom. If I am honest, I thought the towers didn’t actually add anything to the experience, so if I went there again I would miss them completely and would spend time exploring Sagrada Família grounds instead.
We spent around 2 hours inside the Sagrada Família and I was very reluctant to leave as it was the most beautiful thing I have seen in a very long time.
We decided to explore a bit more and jumped on a Hop on Hop off bus and got off at Ciutat Vella.
We explored by foot and found a gorgeous place for lunch Cuines de Santa Caterina Barcelona Fresh Market Cuisine. Oh my GOD the food was absolutely amazing!
The afternoon took us to La Ribera, Port Vell and the Balconeta Beach before a scenic bus ride around Montjuïc, Plaça d’Espanya, FC Barcelona and L’Eixample.
We finished the day with a beautiful tapas dinner in La Alcoba Azul in Ciutat Vella and a relaxing walk back to the hotel.
Day Three – Park Güell
We started the day by walking to the Hospital de Sant Pau in el Baix Guinardo and had a beautiful walk around, I would definitely highly recommend this place.
Following the visit, we went on the hop-on, hop-off bus which took us to Park Güell, where Gaudí’s colourful mosaics and sweeping views made it another unforgettable stop.
The bus took as back to the hotel visa the scenic route and we got to see Pl. de Catalunya, Eixamplia, Sant Gervasi Galvany and el Parc i la Llacuna del Poblenou.
That evening we enjoyed dinner at a beautiful restaurant La Bendita near the Sagrada Família.
Day Four – one last wander
On our final day we returned to the Gothic Quarter, exploring its narrow streets, visiting the market near the cathedral, spending time in a museum and enjoying a peaceful walk through Parc de la Ciutadella.
We had some food at Honest Greens near Arc de Triomf, which was absolutely delicious followed by some churros.
We decided to have one last drink at the hotel rooftop bar (tonic for me) and had a meal at the same restaurant La Bendita as the night before. We absolutely loved the food there.
We got some lovely gifts for ourselves – handmade leather belts from this lovely family run business recommended by Angie.
Day Five – Time to say goodbye
I was genuinely sad to leave Barcelona, we both had the most amazing time and enjoyed wandering the streets of Barcelona. There is SO much to see.
Final Thoughts
Barcelona has everything – world-famous architecture, vibrant neighbourhoods, beautiful beaches, fantastic food and endless streets to explore. While the famous sights are unforgettable, it was the unexpected moments and unplanned walks that made this trip so special. I absolutely cannot wait to go back one day !
Have you ever been to Barcelona?
