3 days in Barcelona.
I was well-organised before we visited Barcelona. We knew what we needed to see, how much time it would take us, how close should the hotel be… everything! And I am proud of it because we managed to see almost everything we wanted, in three days!
Knowing above all, that this trip would be a lot about Gaudi’s Architecture, we booked a hotel very close to most of Gaudi’s masterpieces. We booked all the tickets online in advance so we wouldn’t have to worry about long queues.
Barcelona is a vibrant, addicting city. From the very first moment I fell in love! I remember on our way to the hotel, just by looking at the architecture of this world-class city how classy it is! It was love at first sight!
We stayed at Ona Hotels Mosaic, a boutique hotel in the beautiful (and very stylish) district of L’Eixample. The hotel is lovely and the rooms are beautifully decorated. The location is very central and there are also a lot of restaurants and bars around this cute neighbourhood (I wish my home was here!)
DAY ONE
So the first day we just visited Sagrada Familia. There wasn’t any time left as it was already 2 pm so after we checked in at the hotel, we took a walk around our beautiful neighbourhood and had something to eat for lunch. At 5 pm, we had to be at Sagrada Familia so we walked (it was just a 20-minute walk).
One of the greatest masterpieces of Architecture in the world and the most iconic church in Barcelona! Sagrada Familia is under construction for decades now and it is supposed to finish in 2026, that is 100 years after Gaudi’s death.
Construction began in 1882 and the first appointed Architect was Francisco de Paula del Villar. Antoni Gaudi took over as an Architect one year after and until his death. The church has 8 spires for now but upon its completion in 2026, it will have in total 18 spires.
“Gaudi generalised his structural theory in his inverted model. The system of strings represents the inclination and shape of the columns, arches, façades and vaults to support the weight of the building, represented by little sacks full of pellets, each with the corresponding weight of a small part of the building”.
There are no words to really describe how we felt for Gaudi’s Architecture. This unique combination of Gothic and Art Nouveau that make his architecture so distinctive over the world. I mean, we both know very well the history etc. but again… it’s one thing to read it on the paper and another to see it live. Gaudi was pure genius! It completely blew my mind!
After Sagrada Familia and the museum inside the building, we strolled around the city until we reached our destination for beer and dinner. The place is called BierCaB and it is a gastro-pub. Even though I am not fond of beer at-all (my partner is), I really enjoyed this place and the food was also excellent. Also, the waiter that was serving us, was probably the most helpful and amazing guy ever! I simply relied on his choices and I loved this (lazy me!) On the cons of my laziness, I don’t remember the names of the plates we ordered. But all the plates were tasty!
We then took a walk around the old city centre, the Gothic Quarter and the busiest street in the city, La Rambla boulevard. This tree-lined 1.2 kilometres boulevard is primarily pedestrianised with lots of street performers. food vendors and souvenir shops. (So be aware of the many pickpockets and some scam artists)!
Our walk continued in the narrow medieval lanes and courtyards.
I loved Plaça Reial, a beautiful square with several palm trees around. It is a famous place for the locals and home to lots of clubs and restaurants. And as I read somewhere on the internet, “it is a place to love and to be loved”
Our small walk finished in the Port of Barcelona where there is a splendid wavy wooden walkway called “Rambla Del Mar” that leads to a Mall.
DAY TWO
The second day started by visiting Park Guell.
Park Guell is located North of Barcelona and it is a huge public park. The admission is only for the part of Gaudi’s work; the rest of the park is free of charge.
We were running late (we had to be there at 9:30 so we decided to take an Uber. It was just a 15 minutes’ drive.
As soon as we arrived, we were (again) in complete awe of Gaudi’s genius work! It felt like entering in a surreal world, with colourful “gingerbread” houses and mosaic lizards in a grand staircase. An extremely beautiful park with amazing sculptures and colour!
The main entrance is formed by two pavilions, a warehouse, a shelter for the carriages and the main staircase. The pavilions and the warehouse were used to be for the maintenance and the administration of the garden city.
The grand staircase leads us to the Hipostila room. 86 columns support the square above it and they also serve as drains. The roof is covered with brittle and white uniform.
We had some amazing views over the city of Barcelona from the square above the Hipostila room! It was surrounded by long benches shaped like a sea snake.
Gaudí created perfect shaped viaducts in different styles around the park, wide enough to pass the carriages.
After Park Guell, we headed to another masterpiece of Architecture. This time a minimalistic one. And we were extremely moved when we visited the Barcelona Pavilion by Mies van der Rohe!
And again, it brought back so many memories from the University! Mies van der Rohe established a new architectural style, stated with extreme clarity and simplicity. He is also often associated with the phrase “Less is more”.
Back to the pavilion: This pavilion was the German Pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona and it was used for the official opening. The materials used are marble, red onyx and travertine and it is one of the most important buildings in the history of Architecture. It is mostly known for its simplicity and high-priced materials. The furniture were designed specifically for the pavilion by Mies, and the “Barcelona Chair” remains even today, one of the most iconic chairs in history.
The Pavilion was built temporarily for the exhibition only, and it was torn down in early 1930. However, it was carefully reconstructed by a group of Catalan Architects, thanks to the original plans and some photos.
The people visiting it, were so few, we bet they were all associated with Architecture. The admission was 5 euros I think and I couldn’t be happier to have ticked that off of my list!
Within a walking distance to Barcelona Pavilion, there is Poble Espanyol (Spanish Town)
It is a recreated village and it consists of 117 full-scale buildings that represent the architecture and the culture of 15 autonomous communities of Spain. This open-air architectural museum was built in 1929 for the Barcelona International Exposition. The idea behind was by two architects, an art critic and a painter. They, visited over 600,000 sites in Spain to collect and bring together the main architectural characteristics and the way of Spanish living.
Besides the traditional restaurants the coffee shops, and the artisan shops, there’s also the wonderful Museum Fran Daurel that holds works of Picasso, Dalí, Mirò etc. The “town” also hosts many events from time to time. Totally worth it!
You would think that our day finishes somehow here, but no! It is a long but such a beautiful day!
Heading back to the city, we stopped at Txapela tavern for some a quick lunch. The menu was in the place-mat with all the tapas pictured, and a brief description below. We had a selection of 15 tapas and they all tasted good. The staff was very friendly and the place is in a central location. I would say it felt like a tapas fast food. Recommended. for a quick food.
Our last admission for the day was another Gaudi’s masterpiece,
Casa Batlló. The colourful façade of the building was designed as it was from skulls and bones. The skulls are the balconies and the bones the supporting pillars. The roof looks like the back of a dragon. Another stunning design by Gaudi that almost hypnotised us by his great unique way of creating Architecture.
Time for some paella now! We had our dinner at Taller de Tapas, a really lovely restaurant, close to our hotel (we fell in love with this area), We ordered a lobster paella for two and some starters including patatas bravas. Overall it was great food, and I loved the ambient!
DAY THREE
For our last day in Barcelona, we visited Casa Mila or La Pedrera as is also known by the locals. Another great masterpiece of Gaudi that is close to Casa Batlló. Home to wealthy married couple Pere Milà and Roser Segimon, The curvy exterior resembles the sea waves while the balcony railings resemble the seaweed. On the terrace of the building, it has unique twisting chimneys with human characteristics. Once again, we were completely in awe by Gaudi’s architectural mind!
Even though today Gaudi’s works are widely known and admired globaly, back then it wasn’t the case. Gaudi didn’t follow the City Council’s building codes and the Milas had to pay a fine of 100,000 pesetas to legalise the building . Casa Mila was also often subject to satire and public ridicule. because of its unique structure.
Our last coffee in Barcelona was in the beautiful Restaurant-Café de la Pedrera (where else?)
You would think that this might be too much for a trip, or that our three days in Barcelona would be exhausting. But it wasn’t at all. We weren’t forced to do anything we didn’t want to. For some long distances or whenever we felt we didn’t have time, we used Uber. Although in general, Barcelona is a very walkable place, and many attractions were close to our hotel. Having booked in such a nice neighbourhood we didn’t lose our connection to the beautiful city and its architecture while visiting everything else.
Before visiting Barcelona I had some great suggestions regarding where to eat and drink from some dear local friends of mine that live in London. But we decided to go to the restaurants and coffee shops that are close to where we would be at the specific moment. And it worked great!
We had booked everything in advance, and we bought the Barcelona Pass for our convenience. This way we skipped the lines and our trip was very organised. For more info regarding the Barcelona Pass check here.
Until next time!
