A few weeks back I headed to this beautiful city with my lovely other half and what a few days it was. From start to finish I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I may have shed a little tear in the airport on the way home. 

First the boring stuff.. We flew with both Monarch and Ryanair and stayed at lovely Hotel Medium City. All travel and accommodation was fantastic and it didn't break the bank either so if you're on a budget I'd highly recommend. 

When we got to BCN Airport we simply hopped on a train into the city, offloaded our bags and were on our way. For the first few days we thought we'd take it easy and walked everywhere.... (while we got to enjoy the absolutely gorgeous street views we were also knackered by the third day). If you've got the time this is absolutely doable but the city is enormous so bare that in mind.

If on foot the views are a treat. It's the most stunning city. My jaw was on the floor for most of the trip. I can't do them justice with words so here are the sights that should take your breath away...



Things To Do

First things first, there's a crazy amount of things you can do. It all depends on your budget and the amount of time you're there for. 

Chances are you'll want to see the Sagrada Familia. Knowing what I know now, I would've booked them online. If you arrive early you might get lucky but we had to buy tickets for the day after when we went. Fail. Book in advance and enjoy is my advice. This is one not to be missed (unless you've already been that is) it is too beautiful for words. It's everything I thought it would be and so much more. I'd highly recommend a trip up either of the towers too. The views are surreal and it's nice to get a bit closer to the architecture that's higher up. 







Next up is Park Guell. This is another must see and it offers views of the city that are unrivalled. We didn't visit the monument itself but the parks surrounding areas are worth the trip along. There's an amazing rock you can climb on up the hill on the left and it's an experience not to be missed. Magical. 




The only other really touristy thing we did was the Magic Fountain at Placa d'Espanya. I thought this was going to be cheesy as hell, which it is but it's also quite the sight when it's dark. I'll hold my hands up and say that we both had a wonderful night perched on the grass watching the display. My only tip would be to get there early because all the good spots get filled fast. 



On our non-touristy occasions we could be found chowing down at the Hard Rock Cafe, perusing the port with an ice cream in hand or in the local watching the World Cup. 


What We Ate

Tapas seems the obvious choice here but it depends on your budget. Being in the city we found the price of food to be quite extortionate so we stuck to fast food quite unashamedly. There are two places that stood out for me Pan's and Company and Wok to Walk. Delicious, healthy fast food can be done and these two are the business. Wok to Walk is the stand out though, their cute little venue on Las Ramblas is perfection. Fresh noodles while watching the world go by... Doesn't get better for me. Although I did find a Dunkin Doughnuts.. Mmm. 



Our staple for dinner seemed to be the Hard Rock cafe and there are no regrets. The food and drinks are delicious and not crazily overpriced either. Win.

On the last night of any holiday we try to go out for a nice dinner. We did in Barcelona and boy did we regret if. On top of the Las Arenas shopping mall is a 360 viewing gallery which also has restaurants. We thought dinner with a view would be just the ticket to top off another amazing trip together. Not so much sadly. The food was overpriced and just generally awful. I've never been so disappointed with a meal before this one. Food aside though my company and food were fabulous. Every cloud eh...



So would I recommend putting Barcelona on your list of places to visit? Absolutely. I had an amazing time and I've been itching to book flights to go back ever since. Hopefully it will happen around November time. Fabulous.

I'd love to know where you guys have been travelling to this summer and if you'd recommend your destination. As always please feel free to leave links and comments down below.

Kirstie