5 Days in Barcelona
Barcelona Olympic Park
Exploring Barcelona in 5 Days
The taxi driver talked up a storm on the ride from the airport to Las Ramblas. He showed us pictures from his hometown on his mobile phone and made a short cut taking us by the Olympic Stadium. He also gave us a few pointers about the city. Nice guy. Almost too nice and he apparently gave himself a 10€ tip. Welcome to Spain. Wake up!
Arriving in Barcelona
Again it proved a bit tricky to check in with our Airbnb. We could not get wi-fi at the airport to let her know we were on the way and she wasn't at the apartment when we arrived. We were also meeting a friend of Emma's, Lauriane, who was spending a few days with us.
We headed to Starbucks, the designated meeting spot, sent another message to our host and the story ends well as we met up with our super friendly host minutes later.
The apartment we rented was in a lively area of Barcelona near Las Ramblas. I would say it was borderline shady but you adjust to the tempo and sounds of the city fairly quickly.
Striking a pose at Plaze Espanya
Barcelona Sightseeing
Let us get this out of the way right away. You gotta love the weather! It was near perfect for the five days we were there. On the first morning, we headed for the beach with picnic items purchased at the market. After lunch and coffee, Plaza Espanya was next with the Magic fountain and National Art Gallery.
Lauriane suggested we should see the Greek theatre at the stunning gardens of Jardins de Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer. This outing was well worth our time.
View of Barcelona from the gardens of Jardins de Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer
Gothic Quarter, Sagrada Familia, Plaza Espanya
The next day Lauriane's friend Catherine joined us for a guided walking tour of the Gothic quarter and lunch along the harbor front. We navigated the metro to the Sagrada Familia.
The Basilica has been under construction for more than one hundred years. We rebelled against the long lineups and high ticket prices so we did not see the inside of it.
After a brief rest at our apartment, we ventured back to Plaza Espanya and took in the impressive light show at the Magic Fountain.
It was great to meet Catherine and certainly, we have to thank Lauriane for her excellent Spanish skills, tips, and ideas during our first couple of days in Barcelona. It was Lauriane's last day with us as she was on her way to Bruxelles the following morning.
Gothic Quarter of Barcelona
Park Güell
Park Güell was the destination for day four and we decided to walk there. Park Güell is the work of Antoni Gaudi located in the upper part of Barcelona, which has wonderful views of the city. Emma was getting a cold so we decided to take things easy and took the metro back and had an early night and a home-cooked meal.
Final Thoughts and Travel Tips - Barcelona
Here are a few short points about Barcelona:
Loved the weather
You cannot get water with dinner, you have to buy it
The bread/baguette is better in France
Great beach
The amazing metro system saved our legs
Bring your earplugs. The streets are loud at night and it was hard to sleep on the Friday and Saturday nights
Nice to have an apartment so we didn't have to eat all our meals out
Watch your stuff. Barcelona is bad for pickpocketing. We had no problems but we were also very careful
The covered market, La Boqueria, along Las Ramblas is a must see
More from Barcelona:
After five days in Barcelona, we took a bus to Montpellier, France, where we rented a car. First destination, The Arena of Nîmes.
Travel Photography From Barcelona
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The photos in this article are made using a Fujifilm X-Pro2. Lenses: XF 14mm f/2.8 R - XF 23mm f/1.4 R - XF 35mm f/2 R WR - XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR (links to my camera and lens reviews). Editing was done with Lightroom and I have made use of Fujifilm’s film simulations in some of the photos.
