Barcelona is a beautiful city to get yourself lost. Scattered throughout, its Gaudi architecture
is the closest I’ve seen to a real life fairytale come true. Yet its Gothic Quarter
hosts some of the best preserved medieval streets in Europe. This, coupled with a picturesque
coastline, year-round weather, and mouth watering food, make Barcelona a great long weekend
away. In this video, we’ll be guiding you through our time here, places we would recommend
and ultimately how you can make the most from your visit. If you’re new here, my wife
and I make travel movies from around the world, hoping you might just find your next holiday
inspiration. This is Suitcase Monkey spending 3 full days in Barcelona.
Our first full day in the city would be a busy one. We had an early morning wake up
so we could begin with La Boqueria Market. Often described as “The Worlds Best”,
the market has been dated back to the 1200s. Before we had time to fully explore this space
however, we made a bee line to El Quim. This counter top restaurant was the perfect hot
breakfast on a mild November morning. And this omelette in particular was excellent…
“OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME!” …with several flavours bursting with every mouthful.
Links for most spots we visit in this video will be linked in the description below, along
with our socials so please follow us for future trips as they happen.
Originally starting life as a meat market, its name derives from the Catalan word for goat: Boc. Spilling out
over 30,000 square feet, its 250 plus traders will offer you everything from local fresh
cuisines to international foods. This is a must visit and I’d advise the early morning
wake up to experience before its peak.
(RELAXING PIANO MUSIC)
(INSPIRATIONAL PIANO MUSIC)
I apologise for the hyperbole I am about to use. But The Sagrada Familia, was the most
spectacular man made wonder I’ve ever seen. Each of these sculptures and carvings tell
their own story and all amount to a work of art. Work began 130 years ago and still continue
to this day. Making it the only process that lasted longer than Brexit. The man behind
this project was the modern architect and visionary, Antoni Gaudi. His one of a kind
style somehow seems both grounded in nature and physics but also coming straight out of
a fairytale. And heading inside was the closest this atheist has had, to having a religious
experience.
(PIANO MUSIC BUILDS)
(PIANO MUSIC FADES)
The rest of our day was a case of hopping around from one place to the next. Following
a quick lunch just outside Sagrada Familia, we made our way to the Gothic Quarter, a large,
mostly pedestrian area, perfect for getting lost. Although now filled with trendy bars,
restaurants and boutique shops, its history encompasses the oldest parts of Barcelona.
It was the end of the 1st century when the city itself was founded by the Romans. The
colony was named Barcino and parts of the original Roman wall can still be seen today.
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
We eventually found ourselves at the coast line. Here you’ll find a cable car ride,
the famous W hotel if you really want to spend some money, and of course plenty of bars and
restaurants. We rested over a beachside sangria in order to continue ticking off those Spanish
to-do’s. Not content with just the drink, we found this close-by restaurant and dug
into the other Spanish staple. The word Paella translates to frying pan and is a mouth watering
mixture of rice, shrimp, prawns and muscles and this particular dish was about as good
as it gets. This is obviously a must eat dish in Barcelona and we went to bed,
after a busy first day.
Our hotel was pretty much in the centre of the city, within walking distance to Sagrada
Familiar, one train line away from the airport as well as some good local restaurants for
lunch and breakfast. I’ll link to the hotel in the description below so you can check
it out yourselves but for us it was just what we wanted and I’d certainly recommend it.
Our main stop today would be another of Antoni Gaudis designs. After being initially impressed
with his Sagrada Familiar, it was Park Guell that turned me into a bit of a fanboy.
(UPBEAT MUSIC WITH BEAT)
Originally built as a private residential park in the early 1900’s, it became public property
soon after. Being outdoors, the architecture felt loose, organic and playful, and is a
more unique, enchanting place because of this. This was when I started to associate fairy
tales with his designs.
Although most of the park space is free to enter, the centre is paid access and based
on a time slot entry.
The view from here looks out over the city, making one of the postcard
shots of Barcelona.
I plan on doing a separate video specifically covering practical tips for visiting Barcelona.
So please subscribe for that and I’ll link the video here once
it’s completed.
The remainder of our day was spent once again meandering around the Gothic Quarter. Whilst
doing a bit window shopping, we stumbled across what would become my favourite lunch spot
on this trip. In some random alley, this local bar/restaurant felt really authentic and rural.
Without an English menu, we somehow managed to order this chorizo, cooked right in front
of our very eyes. Accompanying this was a rather large serving of mature hard cheese
and these portions of bread, lightly soaked in oil and tomato. All 3 flavours mixed in
various combinations were amazing on the palette, and it was great just soaking up the atmosphere.
Now full of cheese, we burnt some calories wandering up and down La Rambla. Stretching
over a kilometre, this tree lined pedestrian street is bursting with markets, live performers,
food, souvenir kiosks, and unfortunately, pick pockets. It is a very busy place, now
full of tourists, but has been a central hub of activity for centuries.
Something we hadn’t planned on doing for our last day was to visit Casa Batlló. By
now, we were top level Gaudi enthusiasts and, only a 5 minute walk from our hotel, it almost
felt rude now to not say hello. This is a private building that was renovated by Gaudi
and sits as a showroom for his Modernism style. Nowadays, it looks like the set from the Wizarding
World of Harry Potter and once again, it was a joy to explore.
(ACOUSTIC GUITAR PLAYS)
But they haven’t just rested on their laurels here. Numerous rooms have had augmented reality
added in, literally bringing the house to life. This would either show you what the
house would have looked like fully furnished or highlights its themeing.
Considering all of this is basically just a house, it is a worthwhile attraction. Although upon exiting,
you will feel shame for all those purchases you made from IKEA.
We had 2 more stops before our time in Barcelona would be almost over. The Montjuïc Cable
Car climbed 750 meters in under 10 minutes, providing great views of the city below.
Then, for our dramatic finale, was The Magic Fountain. With a surprising lack of card tricks,
it was a fitting climax to a magical long weekend. If you want information around transport,
how to beat the queues, more dining suggestions and money saving tips, then stick around for
our follow up Barcelona video. And subscribe for more travel inspiration coming this year
from London, Japan, Canada and Vietnam. Thanks for watching Suitcase Monkey.