Barcelona

[Jambounchained]

Off for 4 nights on Sunday.

Anybody been before and have any tips on where to visit/eat?

Thanks in advance!

[bedfords]

Trip advisor

[Roger Mellie]

Depends what you're looking for of course, but I'd recommend;

Bars & Restaurants in the Gothic Quarter and further down to El Born. Great One called My Way on Carrer de les Heures that I visit every time I'm there with Mrs Mellie.

Port Olimpico for the beach and some very nice bars & restaurants.

Metro good for getting around - get a BCN card and you can hp on and off for buttons in the duration of your stay.

I actually really like the Zoo in Parc Cuitadella too !

Just get off the Rambla quick !

[Jambounchained]

Thank you!

Our hotel looks to be about 950m from the zoo, so that's a must for me.

I'll check the restaurant out too.

[MACCA]

If it's the Hotel I'm thinking of its actually 936.5m from the zoo.

[Jambounchained]

H10 Montcada?

[minnieclaret]

Too much. Google "things to do in Barcelona".
If you are walkers get up to the castle(bus or cable car available) then after taking in the fabulous views you can stroll downhill through the park to the Olympic Stadium(free + cafe). Then on down to the Museum National De Catalunya and down to Placa D'Espanya.
If you pick up one of the turistica bus guides the map shows you where they stop. Always a good guide to what is worth seeing.
Fantastic city.

[alwaysaclaret]

Great place to be, lots to do all over Barcelona, beware of the pickpockets, but do visit the stadium it's quite an experience, and just don't expect fantastic temp'so but should be warmer than the UK atm.

[Roger Mellie]

..couple of other tips.

For lunch pretty much every restaurant does a Menu del Dia which is usually fantastic value and great quality. Pascha on Port Olimpico's a good example of this ( if a bit flash harry ). If you're near the park its a short stroll to Port Olimpico..

Someone's already mentioned the tourist bus - if this is your first time its a must, just make sure you know what route you've got on !

You'll love it - have a great time.

[minnieclaret]

If you like Italian there is a great restaurant in the plaza reial, near the bottom of Las Ramblas.
Can't remember it's name but it dominates the port end of the square.
Found it. Restaurante Italiano Rossini.

[Shipandpilotdevon]

Wtf, why would you travel to Spain to then eat Italian??? Am I missing something here?!??

[IndigoLake]

Hi Jambounchained. I live in Barcelona so hopefully I can provide you with some useful information

First of all, I have to recommend the typical tourist sites. They're always busy but obviously they'll be quieter now than during the summer holidays etc. Sagrada Familia, La Rambla and Parc Guell are all popular places to go. Take a look at TripAdvisor for Barcelona and you'll see that there are so many things to see and do - it's really down to what you're interested in.

Some of the restaurants on the centre (particularly those on Passeig de Gracia and La Rambla) are aimed more at tourists and charge more as a result. Simply wander off the main streets and there are so many good restaurants to be found. While some are touristy, I particularly recommend you walk along Barceloneta (it's near the beach) - there you can find a lot of good tapas and seafood restaurants if that's your thing.

Getting around Barcelona is really easy. Buy a T-10 each (ticket machines have various language options) and this will allow you 10 journeys. You can change metro lines without having to exit and thus it would only count as one trip. You can also use the tickets on buses and trams. If you take one metro and then a bus (or vice versa) within 1 hour it will only count as 1 journey as it's seen as a connection.

Try to get up to Tibidado theme park if you can. It's located on the top of Collserola which is the hill range that overlooks the city. If you do go, give me a wave. My apartment has good views of the hill where it's located

Oh and take a walk around the neighbourhood of Gracia (green metro line, metro stop Fontana). It's a sort of Bohemian area with a lot of cafes, independent shops etc. More like a village than a city.

I could write on and on but I'll try to save you having to spend all day reading Just give me a shout if you have any questions. Have a great time.

[MACCA]

Wtf, why would you travel to Spain to then eat Italian??? Am I missing something here?!??

I went Manchester last week for an Italian, think there popping up everywhere now it's not ilegal to eat food from different counties.

[NottsClaret]

Mount Tibidabo is a bit of a trek but worth it for the view.

[winsomeyen]

Hi Indigo, Thanks for the info you gave me before Christmas as to finding a bar for the WBA game. One of the bars you recommended was just round the corner from our hotel. Shame about the result. Cheers W

[IndigoLake]

Hi Indigo, Thanks for the info you gave me before Christmas as to finding a bar for the WBA game. One of the bars you recommended was just round the corner from our hotel. Shame about the result. Cheers W

Hi winsomeyen! No problem, I'm glad I could be of some help Hope you enjoyed your visit.

[Jambounchained]

Thank you everyone!

I really appreciate the input and will try and check out some of the aforementioned activities/eateries!

[ecc]

Picasso Museum.

[what_no_pies]

My favourite city, been 3 times now.

If you're doing the Gaudi architecture trail I can't recommend the audio guide at Casa Mila highly enough. Do this early in the trip and you'll understand/appreciate Gaudi's work so much more as you see Parc Guell and Sagrada Familia (climbing the tower up the spiral stairs is an unbelievable experience).

Have to agree with suggestion of Gothic quarter for the bars, there's some absolute belters to be discovered around there. Can't go far wrong for food (eat where the locals eat is best advice). Definitely watch out for the tourist traps which often advertise grub at seemingly reasonable prices then have your trousers down for drinks.

Speaking of trousers down, I got lucky in the contemporary art gallery at the bottom of la ramblas and can highly recommend that experience. 10 years on I still smile about it.

If you do Camp Nou be warned it closes at lunch time on a Sunday - or at least it used too.

Do keep your wits about you. I've seen allsorts including fake police being arrested by real police (stop and search by the fakes is a scam to empty your wallet). My brother and his mate had pockets emptied by some lads that wanted to talk English football. Don't be daft and you'll be fine, drop your guard and the threat is very real - much more so in the tourist areas.

Enjoy!

[Jambounchained]

My favourite city, been 3 times now.

If you're doing the Gaudi architecture trail I can't recommend the audio guide at Casa Mila highly enough. Do this early in the trip and you'll understand/appreciate Gaudi's work so much more as you see Parc Guell and Sagrada Familia (climbing the tower up the spiral stairs is an unbelievable experience).

Have to agree with suggestion of Gothic quarter for the bars, there's some absolute belters to be discovered around there. Can't go far wrong for food (eat where the locals eat is best advice). Definitely watch out for the tourist traps which often advertise grub at seemingly reasonable prices then have your trousers down for drinks.

Speaking of trousers down, I got lucky in the contemporary art gallery at the bottom of la ramblas and can highly recommend that experience. 10 years on I still smile about it.

If you do Camp Nou be warned it closes at lunch time on a Sunday - or at least it used too.

Do keep your wits about you. I've seen allsorts including fake police being arrested by real police (stop and search by the fakes is a scam to empty your wallet). My brother and his mate had pockets emptied by some lads that wanted to talk English football. Don't be daft and you'll be fine, drop your guard and the threat is very real - much more so in the tourist areas.

Enjoy!

We're staying in the Gothic quarter which is sounding pretty ideal.

Thanks for your information, it's very much appreciated.

[No Ney Never]

Gothic quarter is my favourite area of Barcelona. Great architecture, restaurants, and near to the port and beach.
If you go for a walk up the ramblers, near the top on the left hand side, there is a food market. Take a look at the fantastic food available where you can sit and eat at many of the stalls. Many visitors to Barcelona miss this, but it's a must everytime I go.
There are three different routes to take on the sightseeing buses, each one takes you to a different part of the city, are great, and gives you a good feel of the place.
A fantastic city, you'll love it. Enjoy.