"Barcelona - Europe's MUST-SEE City!" Barcelona by Jetgirly

Barcelona Travel Guide: 9,441 reviews and 21,467 photos

Barcelona - Summer and Winter

Between November 2004 and January 2005 I spent seven weeks in Barcelona while completing a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults. The city is beautiful, it was a warm and sunny winter, and I saw lots of great sights while meeting lots of great people! In August 2005 I returned to the city for a one-week visit with my mother, to see all the big highlights, bask in the heat and eat delicious food!

In my opinion, no trip around Europe is complete without a stop in Barcelona. This cosmopolitan city has it all: arts, culture, haute cuisine, beaches, shopping, nature... what more could you want? Barcelona feels more safe and secure than many other cities of its size, it is exceptionally clean, and locals welcome tourists with open arms. With beautiful weather year round and enough interesting things to keep me occupied for three months, Barcelona is a MUST-SEE city!

Visiting Barcelona

Pavillion Mies van der Rohe

For people planning a trip to Barcelona, I suggest an orientation-day spent riding the official Barcelona Tourist Bus. These double-decker busses take you to all the most important sights, with tour guides speaking English and Spanish and/or Catalan. With your ticket you'll get a fantastic book of coupons that easily pays for the cost of the tour- use it for discounts on entrance at most of the sights and local fast-food restaurants.

If you're wondering about hotels, I suggest staying in the Barri Gotic because you'll be right in the middle of all the action! From this neighbourhood you'll be able to walk almost everywhere and you can really take in the medieval city center. Narrow streets lead to characteristic churches, great local restaurants and lots of entertainment. Hotels in the Eixample area are a little bit quieter, but they're also farther from the beaten path. Barcelona is a fantastic city to explore by foot, so staying in the center really makes the difference.

Visiting Barcelona Alone / Living in Barcelona

Skyline on Passeig de Gracia

When I arrived in Barcelona I didn't know a soul! Taking a TEFL course through International House was a great way to meet people, and they also arranged accomodation for the duration of the course. I found the city to be really safe, and my apartment (near the Sagrada Familia) was close to the school and the center. If you take a TEFL course, don't accept accomodation outside the city center!

There are lots of people from around the world in Barcelona. Getting a part-time job at a language school is a great way to meet people, but also hanging around some of the more "international" bars (preferably not on the Ramblas, where they're full of tourists) can help you meet other locals who speak English. There is an English-language newspaper called Barcelona Connect with information about upcoming events and classified ads. Loquo is a great place for people looking for accomodation (shared or private).

Pros and Cons

Pros:Weather, People, Art, Architecture, Good Value, Good Food, etc.
Cons:Very touristy.
In a nutshell:My favorite city in the world (so far!)

Last visit to Barcelona: Aug 2005
Intro Updated Jun 6, 2006
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Reviews (51)

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The Ugliest Church in Barcelona - Barcelona

Not Worth Your Time or Money! Things to Do (27)

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Comments (27)

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blint Jan 10, 2008 at 5:52 AM

Very good point about the photo ID. I live in Spain and have a residence card, if not there would be problems as I don't have any other photo ID and wouldn't wan to carry my passport with me everyday!
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docgks Sep 4, 2007 at 4:40 PM

docgks--thanks for the bus turistic info. all your pages great. will use your bcn tip and am looking forward to a great trip.
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Kristymamoo Aug 7, 2007 at 8:56 AM

I'm going to Barcelona in January. Will be saving some of your tips for info :-)
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leecouk12324 Aug 1, 2007 at 12:12 PM

Damn cable car wasn't working when i was there :( and i could not walk due to foot injury
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PFrankH Jul 17, 2007 at 1:58 PM

I would agree about Monserrat....a trip well worth the effort and something to incorporate with a stay in Barcelona.....Whether you are religious or not.
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Paolo-Italy May 14, 2007 at 4:19 PM

Going there next saturday... good page, thank you
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jennwerner Apr 11, 2007 at 10:50 AM

Great Barcelona Page. Makes me in a hurry to go there. Thanks, jenn
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Propermark Mar 22, 2007 at 10:13 AM

It's a pity last summer I only spent 2 days in this city! I spent most of my holidays in Lloret de Mar..
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dlandt Feb 18, 2007 at 5:11 AM

I liked Eixample too. I grew up on food like that but just love food in general, loved the paellerias in Barceloneta. Do look at my books. www.lulu.com/dlandt
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bliss7 Feb 17, 2007 at 9:27 PM

Hey Jetgirly, I am writing to compliment you on your photos. You have a real knack for taking beautiful pictures!