Barcelona Spain tourism travel tours attractions

Why Barcelona in Spain is very popular tourism destination ?

What to do in Barcelona?

This day we packed our backpack and flew to one of the most popular destinations from the city of Stuttgart. And why do you think traveling to Barcelona is so popular? simple... it is that according to our experience it is the destination with the cheapest direct flights, you can find flights in advance for up to 60 euros, and last minute around 200 euros, and in high seasons around 300 EU.
And in just two hours you are already landing at the Barcelona airport.

Landing at the airport, mobility through public transport is quite efficient and dynamic in Barcelona, take into account that currently it can only be used with a credit or debit card, not in cash, also here it is common to combine what are the buses with the train lines..

As for accommodation, the variety is extremely large, you can even consider staying in neighboring areas such as Hopitalet de Obregat, a residential but also a commercial neighborhood that, although it is next to Barcelona, is theoretically separate, but currently it is very well connected. that you don't feel any difference, and any bus ride is an opportunity to get to know the city. In this way you can find complete apartments on Airbnb at a very good price, around 125 EU per night for a group of 4 people. Yes

. In the city of Barcelona, unlike Germany, renting an airbnb is quite competitive since hotel prices are generally higher, and of course, what is to be valued between quality and price. An important recommendation is that if you travel in summer, make sure you have air conditioning, otherwise it will be difficult for you to rest.

The gateway to the most touristic highlights is Plaza Cataluña, one of the most important squares in the city, its train station is one of the busiest, and it is undoubtedly the meeting point, one could even say that it is the heart of the city. Its sculptures, its fountains, its surrounding buildings, everything makes it just perfect.

Before starting our tour, we took the opportunity to have breakfast at the El Corte Ingles restaurant, which is located on the top floor of a shopping center next to Plaza Cataluña, the place has a spectacular panoramic view, and despite being a very elegant and comfortable, the prices are very accessible, definitely recommended! The food is a buffet, you can choose between several options and then choose your seat, logically next to the windows is the best, you can also use the internet, and as you can see, enjoying the view is a great experience.

Catalunya Square Barcelona

Finally ready, we start with the bus tour, the hop on hop off tourist bus. You can find these buses right in Plaza Cataluña, in a corner in a basement is the tourist information center where you can buy tickets. They carry out two different routes and basically in these routes you have covered most of the city and the tourist areas.
The price is between 20 to 30 euros per person, and it is a very good experience, very practical to have a complete base of what you can find in the city, its audios give you the general base tourist information of each of its destinations. Barcelona is a relatively large place and these buses will help you move easily in the areas you need, its main squares, and depending on where you are staying, they could even serve as an alternative to the traditional lines of public transport. Take into account that in summer the sun on the terrace is strong and you need sunscreen, and in the cabin, even if you have air conditioning, the heat is exhausting, but these are discomforts that you will have to put up with at that time of year, but in general The walk is extremely pleasant and recommended, especially if it is your first time in the city. Much more if your accommodation is close to any of the stops.

Another of the emblematic places to visit is Plaza España. One of the most striking and attractive in the city, a place far from the Plaza Cataluña area where we can see another facet of the city. On one side is the old bullring and in the background the impressive Barcelona Art Museum. The square is a roundabout with a really beautiful and elegant monument of sculptures in the center.

The original infrastructure of the Plaza de Toros was built in 1900, this old bullring was completely transformed into a modern shopping center in 2011, on the outside it still retains much of the original design, making it very striking with its tall arches with an ancient Mediterranean style and by entering its modern environmental design adapted to the old infrastructure, it makes it a somewhat strange but unique place, interesting to visit. Its main attraction is its upper terrace, where you can go up paying a small fee for the use of the elevator of one euro fifty, and you can appreciate a very good panoramic view, as well as a wide variety of restaurants, very popular to visit at night. from here you can see a good angle at the bottom of the city's art museum. Which was our next destination.

Having toured the entire terrace of the square and appreciating the views, we went down again and walked to the bottom until we reached the art museum. The place is at a certain height that there are even electric steps to get there on foot. It is impossible to stop missionary that its fountains and waterfalls are an impressive attraction, it is difficult to capture on camera the magnitude and the imposition of the place, the sound of the water falling in its waterfalls and fountains is resonant. And logically as you go up you begin to appreciate another view of the city and at the bottom again of Plaza España.

A short distance from the museum we find the Olympic stadium, another nice place to visit, especially for those of us who like sports or soccer in particular first, but also architecture, since it is always interesting to see infrastructure of this magnitude. This stadium was built in 1929, but its latest renovations were for the 1992 Olympic Games. Admission to only an internal part to see the facilities is free, where a cafeteria is also open to the public.

Plaza España - Barcelona

We continue our tour until we reach another very interesting place. And this is the cable car where you can take the gondolas that take you to Munjuic Castle. One of the highest points on the coast of Barcelona. To get to the Castle you can also do it walking if you are in good physical condition since the climb has its degree of difficulty, and the other way is using the cable car to enjoy good views from the air, but you must take into account that you will usually have to queue and wait.

The castle being at a high point on the coast, you will be able to appreciate very good views of the sea, both of the port and of what is the tourist port, the sea raft and the beaches in the background.
The castle is now a small museum that you have access to for a fee of 9 euros, it is a purely military fortress dating from its beginnings as a watchtower and quadrangle in 1640, and over the years has been the scene of many important historical events of Catalonia. Being a military fortress, this castle belonged to the Spanish army but was finally transferred to the Barcelona city council, now turning it into a public place and a tourist attraction.

The infrastructure is very well preserved from its beginnings, its cobblestone paths and walls, panoramic views and ancient cannons, the design in general gives you the almost immediate impression of feeling like you are in a military barracks, its corridors and halls that house historical exhibitions, always built with ancient stones, and the main patio where it is clearly felt was a place of training and meeting of military troops.
The castle also has a rear area with public access, practically a park or garden, spacious and pleasant, but without a doubt the best images of both the fortress and the landscape can be found inside and especially on its upper terrace next to the main tower. The view of the entire city is impressive, from here you can really capture the entire city of Barcelona, from its mountains to the north, the center, the beaches and the entire port.

Going down from the Castle on the way you manage to capture perhaps the most pleasant images of the route, not only of the city, but especially of the sea, the port, its boats, huge cruise ships, and cargo ships, after a few minutes we finally arrived at the very popular Portal de la Paz square, where the statue of Christopher Columbus stands out at the top of its column, very popular, which is where the ranfla ends, which is the most popular pedestrian zone in the entire city, and begins what is known as the ranfla del mar, the tourist port, and the boardwalk, with its boats, shopping centers, museums, and at the end the buildings of the Olympic village, its palm trees, avenues and sidewalks for cyclists, pedestrians, and skaters next to the water, the sea breeze, kiosks and restaurants, this whole area in general is largely what makes Barcelona stand out from many other cities.

Castle Munjuic view - Barcelona

Another of the main attractions of the city, perhaps the most impressive infrastructure that you manage to highlight in all the panoramic views, the impressive church of the Sagrada Familia. A whole work of art designed by Gaudi, the great artist, local architect creator and precursor of the modernist school of Catalonia, a school that has been in charge of designing the most representative monuments of the entire city. The church began to be built in 1882 and Currently it is still under construction, and this is intended to be, upon completion, the highest church in the world, and without a doubt the most beautiful of all. And that design and details are really impressive, a work of art in every inch of construction, a design that you can easily identify with all of Gaudi's work. To enter the church you must make a donation, but you will have to make it online from one day before and specify the exact time of your arrival. Outside the place you will find a cafeteria, and many tourists looking for the best photo, but remember if you want to enter you will need to pay for your access and make your appointment one day in advance.

Sagrada Familia Church Barcelona

After having done the bus tour in the surroundings, you will have time to walk in the very popular ranfla, the most important pedestrian street in the entire city that runs from Plaza Cataluña to Plaza Portal de la Paz directly in front of the port.

La Rambla is a little over a kilometer long, and in it you can find everything, this is the main root of innumerable streets and alleys of the most touristic area of Barcelona. Walking along the ranfla you will find cafes, bars, restaurants, urban street artist expressions of all kinds, innumerable stores of various articles, art galleries, among boutiques, antiques, souvenirs, crafts. You really find everything on your tour among its old buildings with the classic Spanish designs of the late 19th century, its balconies and windows with its decorative iron defenses, a real beauty, when you get out of the ranfla you can enter the Gothic quarter, a whole experience, between narrow alleys, corridors linked in a totally asymmetrical way creating a labyrinth, joining secondary squares such as Plaza Garibaldi, where you will find a wide variety of restaurants and cafes, but in general getting lost in this area of the city you can find a without number of curiosities, a place that inspires anyone.

An obligatory stop also starting from the boulevard is the La Boquera market, the most indigenous market in the city, a very special place for many reasons, from its historical importance that has made it an attraction for tourists and residents. Inside the market you can find a wide variety of products, from sweets, fruits, and above all seafood, fresh seafood, a wide variety of fish and shellfish, but also a lot of fruit, natural drinks, a lot of Spanish ham and chorizo, the classic smoked pork feet from Spain, in addition to bakeries where you can find baguettes with sausages, you also find spices, seeds, more fruits and vegetables, places of course to buy and take away, but also places where you can taste both drinks and famous ones right there Spanish tapas.

To continue touring this area of the city and the Gothic Quarter, you can look for the path to the Metropolitan Basilica Cathedral of Santa Cruz and Santa Eulalia, a beauty with a Gothic design, originally built in the year 599, but which the current one has It has been rebuilt since the 14th and 15th century, but you still find some vestiges of the ancient ruins. The entrance to the cathedral is not free since you need to make a contribution to appreciate its beauty in detail, its stained glass windows, its sculptures, the crypt of Santa Eulalia, patron saint of the city, its chapels and its altars. The old civil registry, in general, the place and its surroundings are part of the visit to Barcelona.

A few blocks from the cathedral you will also have the opportunity to visit the town hall square where you can appreciate the well-preserved classical architecture, always within the labyrinth of alleys, a very inspiring place, contrasts between romantic and aggressive, a touch of mysterious Dreary and decadent in some places, but alive and artistic around endless corners, one leads to the other, surprising you on every block you walk, losing yourself with great ease and charm.

Undoubtedly, there is no more suitable place than to see the sun go down on the beach, for this it is recommended to take a walk to the Rambla de Mar, that boardwalk next to the sea that extends from the end of the Rambla in the Plaza de la peace until you reach the famous Barceloneta beach and the Olympic village.

And the fact is that the Mediterranean Sea is beautiful, the route from the Rambla de Mar is extremely pleasant, the boardwalk that you can walk or bike is several kilometers long, next to the sand a great variety of places where you can enjoy drinks and food from all. At either end you can see the modern buildings on one side of the port and on the other the Olympic route with its tall buildings, an area recovered for the Olympic games after being an abandoned industrial area, now one of the most exclusive, and the neighborhood of Barceloneta with its old buildings that were once an exclusive housing area for local fishermen, has now become a very popular tourist center, highly recommended to find accommodation if you are looking for a beach vacation.