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13 Frugal (and not so frugal) Tips for Travel to Barcelona

My mom just came back from Barcelona and they had a wonderful time. She tried to convince me to take the kids there soon but our next trip will be to Australia and since we married for love….

She had so many good bits of advice that I asked her to write them down for all of you so they don’t go to waste. So enjoy Barcelona!

 

  1. Majestic Apartments is in a most desirable area on Paso de Gracia. Clean, modern, full kitchen, washer and dryer, dishwasher, flat screen TVs. It’s across the street from the Majestic Hotel…you have use of all their facilities as the hotel owns and operates the apartments. Perfect for families and everyone else. I’d choose this over a hotel any day. It’s very cost effective.
  2.  If you like museums, the articketBCN is a bargain.
  3. Taxis are fairly reasonable, particularly if you are more than 2 people. Otherwise, consider a Metro card.
  4. Take a tapas tour. It’s pricey, but a lot of fun.
  5. Make sure to see as many Gaudi buildings as possible. The most famous is La Sagrada Familia. If you are interested in an architectural tour, try Forever Barcelona.
  6. Visit La Boqueria—enormous food market off La Rambla. El Quim is supposed to be wonderful, but didn’t get a chance to eat there.
  7. Try to catch a concert at the Palau Musica—an extraordinary venue.
  8. Take a day trip to the Dali Museum and the Costa Brava. If you have an interest in Jewish history, add the town of Girona to your list. Urban Cultours will guide you through the Jewish Heritage in the area. Pricey, but they will provide you with a car and driver and guide. Well worth the money.
  9. Park Guell—It’s hard to describe. Designed by Gaudi. Probably the most unusual and amazing park you’ll ever visit.
  10. Take the funicular up to Montjuic. It will take you to the Miro Foundation and Montjuic Castle—both well worth the visit.  Spectacular views of the city from the castle.
  11. So many wonderful restaurants. Casa Calvet stands out because it is in a Gaudi designed building with Gaudi furniture.
  12. This is a wonderful site for concert tickets. Even if the music doesn’t appeal to you, some of the sites are spectacular, most notably, the Palau Musica.
  13. If you have a lot (I mean A LOT) of money and plan well in advance (months), try to go to Tickets or 41° Experience. These are Ferran Adria’s (formerly of El Bulli) places. Tickets is the tapas bar. Experience 41° is a fixed menu restaurant. We were unable to get into either. Very disappointed as we had eaten at El Bulli and that was a once in a lifetime experience.

Casa Batllo: Gaudi Building

Gaudi Building

Government Building

Dali Museum Figueres

Girona

Casa Calvet Restaurant in a Gaudi Buliding

La Sagrada Familia Gaudi Cathedral