Antoni Gaudi's Catalan cathedral is Barcelona's most beloved building site.
Stephanie Holmes' top tips for visiting Barcelona and making like a local.
Book in advance
Of course you'll have booked your flights, accommodation and travel insurance well in advance, so you probably think you're all set to go. But what about all the attractions you want to visit while you're there? Barcelona is one of the busiest tourist destinations in the world, and if you're visiting over European summertime, you're going to face a lot of time in queues. Mitigate some of the waiting by booking online before you go. Many of the most popular attractions — including Sagrada Familia, and Gaudi's other astonishing buildings — allow you to choose an allocated timeslot for your chosen day, meaning you can more or less go straight in (turn up at least 15 minutes before your slot though, as there will still be a small amount of queuing involved). Be wary when booking online; make sure you're using an official site with proper security credentials. If in doubt, make a few inquiries before handing over your credit card details.
Barcelona is a surprisingly sprawling city. Photo / Getty Images
Barcelona is a sprawling city, with many neighbourhoods and districts, so spend some time working out the best location for your needs. If you're in the thick of the most touristy areas, like the Gothic Quarter and La Rambla, you're of course going to be close to the main attractions, but you're also going to face higher prices, crowds and noise. If you're close to the beach, you're going to be a bit of a walk from the city centre.
Neighbourhoods north of the city centre, like Sarria and Gracia, boast some amazing food and quaint old streets, but will you be happy using public transport on the days you want to explore the city? The good news is there's lots of choice, so you'll easily find something that suits you. One thing to consider when budgeting for your accommodation is the Barcelona City tourist tax, which is from €0.45 to €2.25 per person, per night, for the first seven nights of a stay. This is usually payable on check-in. Obviously it's not a huge charge, but if you're on a tight budget it could be the difference between an extra round of tapas.
Avoid La Rambla
If you've never been there before, when you think of Barcelona you probably think first of Sagrada Familia, and second of La Rambla. I was the same. On my first afternoon in the city, I wandered 10 minutes from my hotel in the Gothic Quarter in search of this famed pedestrianised boulevard and when I got there my first thought was "Is that it?" I couldn't see the appeal. There were touristy souvenir stalls; touts selling those annoying toys that light up and fly into the air that seem to be a pre-requisite in European cities; over-priced pavement cafes and bars. But there was no charm; no true Catalonian soul. Of course the August 2017 terror attack, when a van was driven into pedestrians, killing 14 and injuring at least 130 others, no doubt means some people are still staying well away. Though I didn't feel at all unsafe, I did feel seriously underwhelmed by La Rambla as a tourist attraction. Head there once so you can judge for yourself, but I personally wouldn't recommend being a repeat visitor.
You might balk at the idea of taking a tourist hop-on, hop-off bus, but in a city as sprawling as Barcelona, it's well worth the money. There's no way you'll get round the whole city on foot, and though the public transport network is excellent, to see everything would involve many journeys on different lines, eating into your sight-seeing time. The Barcelona BusTuristic efficiently takes passengers on three different loops of the city, past all the major attractions and neighbourhoods, including the FC Barcelona stadium; Gaudi's Park Guell, Sagrada Familia and Pavellon Guell; the Zoo; the Olympic Port; and the beaches. You can choose between one- and two-day tickets, which you can use as many times as you like. I'd recommend getting a two-day ticket and on the first day doing a full loop without getting off the bus, to discover which areas you'd like to return to. This is another service you can book online in advance and along with your bus ticket, you'll receive a voucher book offering more than €250 worth of discounts for other sites around the city.
Tapas at Quimet y Quimet on Urban Adventures Barcelona tapas tour. Photo / Stephanie Holmes
. . . and a train . . .
The Metro system is also a brilliant way to get around and, unlike London's underground, it's also very affordable. Buy a 10-trip ticket for a little more than €10, or if you think you'll be using public transport more frequently, you can get an Hola BCN travel card for up to five days, giving you unlimited journeys on the metro, buses, trams, and regional, urban and funicular railways. Pay attention to warnings about pickpockets — they are a common problem on public transport, but as long as you keep your wits about you (and your valuables and cash well concealed), you should have nothing to worry about.
. . . and a bike
Bikes are available to hire across the city, and there are a multitude of bike paths taking you out of the busy traffic lanes. There are rental shops in many locations, and some hotels will even provide bicycles for guests. Or try Donkey Republic — it's kind of like Auckland's Next Bike and Onzo systems, where you use an app to find out the location of the nearest bike available to hire, book it, then use the provided code to unlock the bike.
When you're done, park it at a drop-off zone and use the app to end your rental. Easy as.
Don't try to hire the Bicing-branded bikes you'll see everywhere though — these are reserved for residents only.
Eat, eat, eat
One of the highlights of my Barcelona trip was the food. There's a tapas bar on every corner, and then some. The city also boasts 24 restaurants with one or more Michelin stars, so it's a foodie's dream.
But if you're not used to the Spanish style of eating, it can be hard to know the rules, and walking into a small, cacophonous establishment full of locals can be quite intimidating.
You're also probably keen to avoid ending up in a low-quality, high priced tourist trap.
But how do you know, if you've never been there before and have no one to ask?
La Rambla, Barcelona. Photo / Getty Images
Enter Urban Adventures Barcelona, a tour company owned and operated by locals that prides itself on giving guests an authentic experience away from the usual tourist haunts.
Our guide Alicia was the perfect host. A late-30s Barcelona resident with a shock of curly black hair and vibrant green eyes, she delighted in showing us some of her favourite spots in El Raval, a red-light district that was gentrified in the lead-up to the 1992 Olympic Games, but which still retains some of its gritty character.
Alicia took care of the ordering at each of our four stops, giving us a couple of tapa dishes to try, accompanied by a drink. We feasted on fresh Santona anchovies, toast with tomatoes and olive oil, croquettes, pungent cheeses, wafer-thin slices of jamon, white asparagus wrapped in smoked salmon topped with shredded fried egg yolk, plump prawns on top of roasted red peppers, dark beers, pink cavas and ruby tempranillos. All the while there was not another tourist in site.
By the end of the night, we felt like Alicia was an old friend — as well as food, we'd shared stories of our cultures, our families, our lives. And over the next few days, I went back repeatedly to some of the places she'd taken us to. I'd started to feel right at home.
Alicia's top tips for drinking like a local
Don't drink sangria "Locals don't really drink it anymore," she says. Instead order a glass of red vermouth, served with ice and a slice of orange. It's sweet, refreshing and a great aperitivo.
Go where the locals go It's an easy rule of thumb for any travel destination, and rings true in Barcelona too. Wander away from the busy tourist streets and find a place filled with locals. If they like to eat there, it's bound to be reasonably priced and high quality.
Don't eat too early
Catalonians will generally go out for tapas at around 8.30pm, as a precursor to dinner, which can be as late as 10pm. If you're in a restaurant any earlier than that, you might as well have tourist stamped on your forehead. But that's ok — it's a tourist city after all, and sightseeing is hungry work.
Tapas bar in Born, Barcelona. Photo / Getty Images
