The last city on my epically normal trip to Spain was…Barcelona! Several years ago, I spent two days in this city. It was so enjoyable that I vowed to myself that I’d visit again one day. That one day happened to be almost a week in December of 2019.
Barcelona is quite possibly one of the best cities in the world to visit. It has everything that a tourist could want and more. Unfortunately, this city is over-touristed (including myself in this problem, btw). If you can, visit during an off month. The weather is still OK…maybe not as warm or sunny as summer but still pleasant. And it’s still crowded! But not nearly as crowded as the peak travel seasons. This won’t solve the over-touristing issue in Barcelona, but it might help a little bit.
OK, enough sad stuff…
LA SAGRADA FAMÍLIA
What can I say…this Antoni Gaudí masterpiece is unbelievably stunning. There’s no way to describe it, and no pictures do it justice. The interior of the church is light and airy, yet the lighting is surprisingly dark. Tripods are not allowed, so the photography situation is a little challenging (for me, anyway). But it’s all good…just experiencing La Sagrada Família is enough for me!
PARK GÜELL
Another Antoni Gaudí masterpiece, Park Güell was originally planned to be a housing development. The housing part didn’t work out, but the park part sure did. I visited right when the park opened and was able to experience a hazy sunrise from the top. Within a half hour, the park was filled with other people, enjoying the sun and saying hi to the many stray cats in the area.
THE CASAS
No visit to Barcelona is complete without visiting at least one of the casas – Casa Milà, Casa Battló, Casa Amatller or Casa Vicens. I’m sure there are more, but these are the big ones.
CASA MILÀ
Also known as La Pedrera. Also known as the apartment building with only one resident…the rest of the space contains the museum and commercial space. Also known as the building with the slightly creepy, human-like sculptural elements on the roof.
CASA BATTLÓ
The local name for Casa Battló is Casa del ossos, or “House of Bones”, because of its skeletal quality. That might sound creepy, but the house certainly is not! Among the highlights are the blue-tiled central atrium and the hypnotic spiral detail decorating the living room ceiling.
CASA VICENS
This casa is a bit outside the center of the city, but is well worth visiting. Of all the casas, Casa Vicens was my favorite. The history of its architecture is super interesting, if you’re into that kind of stuff. I liked the layout – part is the restored house and part is a museum featuring many of Antoni Gaudí’s buildings. There’s even a video on loop showing the restoration process…I watched it three times. The work that went into restoring this casa is indredible.
PALAU DE LA MÚSICA CATALANA
An icon of modernist architecture, Palau de la Música Catalana is well-worth the visit. The only way to view the concert hall and insta-famous balcony is by going on a tour. It’s pretty strict on photography “times” so be prepared!
MACBA
If you need a break from moderniste architecture, MACBA may be the perfect place for you. The architecture is just as engaging as the exhibits housed within. Out of respect for the artists, no exhibitions are shown in this section. You’ll just have to visit for yourself!
CITY WANDERING
As always, I did a lot of walking. Like, A LOT. But, that’s my favorite thing to do, so it’s all good. I covered the Gothic Quarter, El Born, Gracia, Barceloneta, El Raval, Poble Sec and El Carmel (that’s what I can remember, anyway). Here are a handful of photos from those walks.
