In high school, I was fortunate enough to travel to Barcelona for Spring Break with my high school.  Not only did we visit Barcelona but we got to travel to Bilbao, Pamplona, Sitges, and San Sebastian.  Barcelona is a beautiful city with a whole different vibe than the rest of Spain.  It is a bilingual city and is filled with many foreigners and the locals speak both Castilian Spanish and Catalan, which is the official language of Cataluña.  The architecture in Barcelona is different from most because it ranges from gothic to mosaic from the famous Antonio Gaudí.  Since we were here for a week, we had a great tour guide named Enrique who came along with us for the entire trip.  You could tell he really loves Barcelona because he was so passionate when showing us the famous sights such as La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell.  

Accommodations

  • I don't remember what hotels we stayed in exactly because we moved around quite often 
  • I have friends who have stayed at Hostel Plaza and Sant Jordi Hostels

Restaurants

  • For a great brunch, go to Brunch and Cake
  • Eat at cocktail bars La Luna and Milk
  • For a good bocadilla, go to Bo D Be
  • La Cerveceria is a good tapas bar
  • Try the colorful Rosa Negra
  • For good sushi, try El Japones

Cultural Activities

  • La Sagrada Familia is the famous cathedral in Barcelona that is not completely finished yet.  Make sure to go early in the morning because the line is insane
  • Close by is Park Guell and Casa Batlló, which were also designed by Antonio Gaudí
  • You can also visit the Picasso Museum
  • In order to see a beautiful view of Barcelona, go to Montjuic and enjoy the cable car ride up
  • You can also window shop on Passeig de Gracia
  • Take a day trip to Sitges 
  • Las Ramblas is a main street that is a popular tourist location but beware of pick pocketers!
  • Boqueria is a huge market in Barcelona where you can get food and drinks among other things

Clubs/Bars

  • Since I went in high school, we didn't really go out but I have friends who visited Barcelona and recommend the following:
  • Check out Dow Jones, Ovella Negra, Chupitos, The Room, Le Cyrano, and Piperments
  • Hit up the Opium, Shoko, Catwalk, CDLC, Sutton, and Bling Bling

Sneak Peek