September 2025
We took the highspeed train from Madrid to Barcelona and would highly recommend it. We stayed 5 nights at the Lamaro Hotel in the Gothic quarter and walked/took the metro everywhere in the city. Very close to El Born and the Port/Beach.
Activities/Places
- Sagrada Família: Historic, yet modern cathedral. We were blown away by the awe and spectacle. It is a can’t miss attraction.
- Tossa de Mar Kayak & Snorkeling: Day trip up the northern coast to Tossa de Mar with a guide that picked us up in Barcelona. 9a-9p worth every minute and dollar.
- Mare Meva: Cliff top bar with amazing views of the Mediterranean
- Es Congre: Three course lunch, get the Cim i Tomba (fisherman’s stew)
- Parca Güell: Beautiful hill top park designed by Gaudi, we went there before Sagrada Familia and it was nice context for that visit later.
- Picasso Museum: High on our museum list, there is a lot of his art, but also a lot of process work as well (sketches, iterations, etc.).
- Arc de Triomf & Ciutadella Park: Nice park next to the zoo, worthy of a stroll and easy to get to from the Gothic and El Born
- Moco Museum: Lowest on our museum list in Spain, but still fun. It is expensive for not a lot of art, but if you want to nerd out over a Kaws or Banksy art go for it.
- Mercat de la Boqueria: Lively farmers market/small plate vendors, worth seeing, but crowded and not a lot of drink options.
- Montjuic cable car: Great views and easy way to get from Montjuic to the Port or vice versa. Don’t do it just to do it, use it as fun transportation.
- Barcelona Beach: The city beach down by the port was packed with cruise ship tourists, a little dirty, and not great food options. Go see it, but don’t stick around too long, take the cable car up and away, and get to Tossa de Mar for a longer beach day if you can.
Food/Drink
- Paella in my secret garden: Three hour cooking class in a garden tucked into the busy city. The instructor was great, we met nice people (got drinks with them after) and the food was amazing. Learn the history, cook paella, eat tapas, drink wine, and eat paella.
- Tapas tour
- Le Bouchon – 1x Michelin reviewed restaurant in a boutique hotel with Roman wall room in the back if you ask to visit it they let you because the city owns it not them
- La Plata – Wine and fried sardines on the street, busy because Jamie Oliver blew up their spot on a cooking show, but still worth a visit
- Bodega La Tinaja – Great tapas and vermouth
- Capet – 2x Michelin reviewed, great tapas and cava (Spanish champaign)
- L’Àtic at Lamaro Hotel – Rooftop bar with views of Cathedral of Barcelona. This place was at the top of our hotel, so we went three times.
- Cocktail/Beer Bars:
- Strange Drinks: Stranger Things/80s/90s cocktail bar, the vibe is fun and the drinks are cool
- Mariposa Negra: Interesting cocktails served in handmade pottery
- Savannah: Traditional cocktails made well, but a slight club/loud bar vibe on a Saturday
- Bar de Crown Cerveza Barcelona: Good craft beer bar, which seems like a rare find in Spain
- Story – Traditional dinner & tapas + live music
- Espai Puntal – Traditional dinner & tapas
- Euskal Etxea – Basque regioin appetizer dinner, serve yourself
180 Lunches 