Time flies faster than one could imagine and we are now near the end of the lovely pink of Spring. The exuberant people of Barcelona are now in the midst of welcoming the long awaiting hot sunny weather.

Over here, summer is the happening season for many, regardless of age or residency; be it the locals or tourists. It is a great time of the year to wander around this beautiful city that never sleeps without the need to wrap yourself up like a ‘Chinese dumpling’ in winter clothing.

Dressed in light weight casual clothing with matching slippers, euphoric beach lovers will be heading to the beaches of Barcelona to replenish their year’s supply of Vitamin-Sea while the affable fashionistas will begin to indulge in stylish in-trend ‘dress to kill’ new fashion arrivals at the shopping belts in the city.

If you are planning to spend some time in Barcelona to soak in the warmth of the mediterranean heat this summer, BOOK YOUR FLIGHT NOW! Flights to any part of Europe are the most expensive during summer season between the period of June to August. The same goes for accommodation due to high demand, prices per night can hike incredibly.

So planning your trip carefully and well in advance will allow you to have a comfortable and memorable trip.

Now I’m going to give you a few tips on how you can plan your trip in Barcelona, so that you can keep your pocket safe and have an enjoyable trip!

Airbnb

As Barcelona is a well sought after destination of travel, hotels can be quite mean on your pocket, especially those in the city and touristic centres. Hotels located in the city centre would easily cost around €110 per night and above while those outside in the neighbourhood will hit you at around €70 and above depending on the travelling period and stay.

Airbnb is my first choice when it comes to planning my accommodation. Not only is it wallet friendly, but the location and room/flat choices are also its plus points. It gives me the flexibility to find somewhere logistically strategic yet equipped with clean basic facilities within my budget.

As I will be spending most of my time outside pampering myself with all the touristy activities and itineraries, I do not need a princess suite. All i need is a comfortable bed in a clean room and a clean en-suite bathroom to prepare for a good night sleep at the end of the day.

Accommodation listed on Airbnb can be as low as €35 per night per room for a single stay.

T-10 Travel Ticket

The most preferred travel card among tourists.

The T-10 travel ticket is available at all metro stations and can be purchased with cash without fuss at the ticket machines, including El Prat Airport metro station, Terminal 2. The ticket machine has multiple language selection to cater to tourists from across the globe and is easy to navigate.

A T-10 travel ticket costs €9.95 and it entitles you to a 10 journey ride on Renfe train and TMB buses across Zone 1 of Barcelona, which covers the city centre and most places of interests.

Since Barcelona is a walking city, I do encourage you to go on “foot” sometimes. Some of the attractions are located in close proximity to one another. Being on foot gives you the privilege to explore more hidden treasures that you will never see or expected to find while in the subways. Barcelona is a beautiful city full of intricate architectures designed in neo-gothic styles that is sure to keep your selfie stick busy.

Bus Turístic

The most convenient way of exploring Barcelona!

Bus Turístic, the city’s sight-seeing hop-on hop-off double decker bus, have you covered without needing to work out where to visit yourself. These buses travel on three different routes across the city, allowing you to alight and board the buses anywhere or even change the route as and when you like. 

Route 1:
From Placa Catalunya to Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, taking the road along the famous shopping belt, Passeig de Gràcia heading towards the gorgeous Sagrada Família, passing by the village of Gracia, magical Park Güell, beautiful Tibidabo, Pedralbes in the neighbourhood of Les Corts and the ‘must-see’ Barcelona football stadium for all FC Barcelona Fans.

Route 2:
Say hello to the golden horses in Parc de la Ciutadella, followed by a drive along Barcelona’s broadest and most important road – the Diagonal, passing by Barcelona’s largest train station – Sants Estación, and last but not least, experiencing the breathtaking Montjuïc and Port Vell.

Route 3:
A breeze tour by the spectacular views of the beaches of Barcelona along the Olympic Harbour, through Poblenou to the Forum district.

Bus Turístic tickets can be purchased at any Bus Turístic stops and tickets for sale are for 1 or 2 days of travelling. A one day ticket costs €29 while a two days ticket costs €39 and it comes with an audio guide with 16 languages. A booklet of discount coupon worth up to €200 also comes with the purchase of the bus ticket, with benefits of savings on other attraction tickets and dining options. 

This is definitely a good deal to consider.

Website: https://www.barcelonabusturistic.cat/en/home

Ciutat Vella Tour

This experience is best if you go on foot.

A paradise for modernisme architecture, Barcelona has many captivating buildings and street decor designs that will catch the corner of your eye each time. Starting from the Arc de Triomf, this beautiful stretch of road will lead you straight unto the Parc de la Ciutadella, home of the golden horses of Barcelona. Sitting right next to it is the Zoo of Barcelona for those eager to see local “wild life”.

After exiting Parc de la Ciutadella, enter into the El Born neighbourhood, which is just across the road. Head towards the famous Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar. You can move on from here to the Barrio Gótico, where the historical treasures of Barcelona are hidden. The street of Carrer del Brisbe, also known as Bishop street is most popular for its neo-gothic and Instagram worthy bridge designed by architect Joan Rubió. Just around its corner, you will find Placa Sant Jaume, the City Hall of Barcelona.

As the tour of the old town comes to an end, you have the option to continue down to the famous street of La Rambla that will take you down all the way to the Colombus Monument or walk towards Placa de Catalunya for a stroll in the park.

Visit Free Museums

Beside being famous as a historic city, Barcelona is also a ‘people’ city. Thus, there are many museums offering free museum days on a specific day of the week or month for the general public. And yes, this includes tourists. This day is also known as the “free Sundays”.

Some of these are well known museums located in the favourite locale of Barcelona like the Barrio Gòtico and the Montjuïc. Examples are the famous Museu Picasso with tons of art collections, the gorgeous Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), Museu d’Història de Barcelona (MUHBA) where the historical ruins of Barcelona is being preserved since the Roman empire and the Palau Güell, one of the building designed the local architectural modernista, Antoni Gaudí.

Housed in five adjoining medieval palaces in La Ribera, Museu Picasso is an art museum with an extensive collection of 4,251 pieces of talented artworks by renowned Spanish artist, Pablo Picasso. It is located in the hippy, vibrant and artsy neighbourhood of El Born.

Free admission is on every First Sunday of the month and every Sunday after 1500 hours onwards.

Address: Carrer Montcada 15-23 Barcelona 08003 Spain
Contact: +34-932-563-000
Website: http://www.museupicasso.bcn.cat/en

“One thousand years of art in one museum”.

Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) is located at the foot of Montjuïc. It is a Catalan art museum with a wide collection from the 10th to 20th century ranging from Romanesque and Gothic art, Renaissance and Baroque art, modern art, photography, and drawings etc. A building that bedazzles in the day, you can take a stroll around the museum to take check its stunning surroundings after your museum visit and maybe, hatch some of your own photography masterpieces for your Instagram.

Free admission is on every Saturday, 1500 hour onwards and every First Sunday of the month. 

Address: Palau Nacional Parc de Montjuïc Barcelona 08038 Spain
Contact: +34-936-220-376
Website: http://www.museunacional.cat/en

A city museum seated in the old town of Barrio Gòtico, underneath the square of Placa del Rei, Museu d’Història de Barcelona (MUHBA) is the conserved archaeological site of ancient Barcelona during the Roman empire. This underground historical museum will definitely bring you back into the past millennia with a glimpse of interesting facts and details on the lifestyle of the Romans and how it evolved locally.

Free admission is on every First Sunday of the month and every Sunday after 1500 hours onwards.

Address: Placa del Rei s/n Barcelona 08002 Spain
Contact: +34-932-562-100
Website: http://museuhistoria.bcn.cat/ca

Palau Güell or the Güell Palace, is a UNSECO Heritage mansion designed by Spanish architectural genius, Antoni Gaudí for industrial tycoon, Eusebi Güell, in the late 1800. It is located along Carrer Nou de la Rambla in the El Raval neighbourhood. The mansion has a very impressive magical rooftop garden with many colourful ‘ice cream cone’ designed chimneys.

Enjoy the wonderful works and try to decipher the cryptographic symbols and works of art of Gaudí before you see the Sagrada Família – the ultimate Gaudí’s Cryptogram.

Free admission is on every First Sunday of the month.

Address: Carrer Nou de la Rambla 3-5 Barcelona 08001 Spain
Contact: +34-934-725-775
Website: http://palauguell.cat/en

Museu d’Història de Catalunya is located at Palau de Mar, just right at the edge Barceloneta overlooking the alluring scenery of Port Vell. This historical gem tells the story of prehistoric Catalonia journeying into this present day.

At night, for those looking for a watering hole with a view, try the sky bar at the rooftop if you’ve got extra Euros to spend. Try the strawberry mojito and you’ll come back for more.

Free admission is on every First Sunday of the month.

Address: Palau de Mar Placa de Pau Vila 3 Barcelona 08003 Spain
Contact: +34-932-254-700
Website: http://www.mhcat.cat/

El Born Cultural Centre, also known as Ciutat del Born, is housed in the former El Born market located in the El Born neighbourhood. It exhibits the Siege of Barcelona in 1714 under the old Catalonia kingdom and openly displays what is left of the old Catalan town.

This museum is a preserved archeological site of the early day city’s street, Vilanova de Mar, a street that was demolished by the Spanish King, Philip V, after Barcelona’s defeat in the Spanish War of Succession. Here visitors can see the whole exhibit from above with brief historic descriptions along the sides of the walkway and on the walls. 

Free admission is on every First Sunday of the month and every Sunday from 1500 to 1900 hours.

Address: Placa Comercial 12 Barcelona 08003 Spain
Contact: +34-932-566-850
Website: http://elbornculturaimemoria.barcelona.cat/en/the-center/

Affordable Food

With so much local delicacies and foreign embodied cuisines to offer, filling your stomach with delicious food can be a pain to your pocket. So, when its comes to food, try to stay away from the touristy places.

Most markets in Barcelona sell a varieties of local dishes below €10, and you can easily find something decent to your liking. Examples are the Mercat d’Hostafrancs located near Hostafrancs metro station and the La Boqueria located at the La Rambla.

For breakfast or brunch, many cafes and bakeries also serve sandwiches and cheap breakfast sets below €10. But one of my favourite places is none other than this tapas shop called Txpela. Txpela serves a wide variety of tapas, with a slice of baguette below like a bruchetta, which I find very unique and of course filling as well.

For a comfortable dinner meal, there are actually several good places that offer good food with affordable price but are located a little distance away from the city centre.

For cheap and good paella, head down to Citrus which is located along Passeig de Gràcia. This is a good and value for money paella in a very posh restaurant with nice ambiance although not the best paella I have tasted. The seafood marinara is the best pasta I had in Barcelona at Mo Te Magno located at Carrer de Provenca. The portion is really huge.

There are many more good places to share and if I were to continue listing down everything here, this blog is not going to end.

So, before I end, should anyone need any advice or information on Barcelona or needs a hand in planning your upcoming Barcelona trip, do feel free to drop me a line and I will be happy to assist.

If anyone is heading to Barcelona soon, I wish you an enjoyable trip! 

XOXO.