Barcelona!

[Tadpoletoatoad]

Going out in a few days for three nights. Anything I simply must do or see?? TIA

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Definitely Park Guell. Also, if you're looking for places to eat, this small chain is great: www.tallerdetapas.com/

Enjoy! Barcelona is lovely

Ooo, thank you. Was looking at Parc Guell and tapas is always good

As you go up the main road to parc guell (theres elescaters) in between then on your left there is a court yard to the church that you cant miss when you walk up its very pretty plus there is a chapel (seprate building) with a little shop run by nuns the courtyard have some lovely statues

Thank you Stars

Seagrada Familia. It's an amazing building. We found a place called El National ( I think) which was a converted building with about 6 little tapas bars/ restaurants which were lovely.

Sagrada Familia - the Gaudi cathedral is a must. I would also recommend Casa Batlo and La Pedrera - the rooftop is stunning at the latter, the former has beautiful interiors. Both are Gaudi. Pop into La Boqueria market off Las Ramblas. Do watch your pockets/bags etc. pickpockets are good and someone in our group fell victim to them in parc Guell. Don't be put off though it's a great city. Enjoy.

Gaudi's house! A psychedelic Rivendell!

Go on a bus tour - the one that goes via neu camp is best. The less famous Gaudi architecture is best viewed from a bus and you can hop on and off at the key sites. Also visit the food hall at the large El Cortes Ingles in the main square. Important to note though that not much is open on a Sunday (shops).

On sunday at midday outside the barcelona cathdral (different to the guadi one) there is trandional cataloina dancing by the locals with a large band if go to the cathdral at 11 go in look around its free then also very pretty also there are geese that live in there there is a market there also i love barcelona

Also recommend Sagrada Familia, but top tip book online in advance and print off tickets as it's on a timed entry so you can find if it's busy once you've bought tickets your entry time is later. Nou Camp stadium tour was good if anyone in your group is into football. Also enjoyed the aquarium. Beware of canny restaurant owners especially down by the marina. A group of five of us last year ate well, but they are very good at plonking down baskets if bread, oils, olives etc and you discover on paying the bill that that was about 5 euros each!

Thank you everyone! Some great ideas and will def try most of them.
Anymore?

I'm leaving my dc's(5&2) for the first time for more than one night so getting a bit nervous and trying to take my mind off of it

The massive food market just off the rambla

Oh and we went earlier this year leaving DS (then 18m) properly for the first time, it was fine and we loved it

Of the Gaudi stuff I'd recommend Casa Batlló.

Sagrada Familia is weird (don't get locked in Gaudi's crypt like I did )

Parc Guell they charge for and you have timed entries for all the different parts, much to my shock and disgust, wasn't like that a few years ago

Many museums are free on the first Sunday of the month.

Cerveceria Catalana is a great central restaurant (from plaça Catalunya go up Rambla Catalunya, about 6-7 blocks, turn left on C/Mallorca, it's the first place).

I'd 2nd/3rd/4th theBoqueria market on the Rambla.

Then I'd just wander around the Barrio Gotico.

Metro and bus fairly cheap and very easy to use.

Enjoy.

I like the look of Barrio Gotico!

Anyone recommend somewhere cheap to stay for dh and I for long weekend. Have been before and loved it but stayed with friends that time.

I am just back having been there this week. Sagrada Familia was amazing but be sure to pre-book a time slot. We also had booked to go up the Nativity Facade tower - bloody hell it was high and claustrophobic but I could imagine if you're not a wuss like me you might like it! We went to a champions league match at Nou Camp - was incredible. Amazing place. We also went to the cathedral, various other beautiful churches, the museum that has the ruins of the underground City, the marine museum and the zoo. All were good.

La Boqueria is the food market off la rambla and it is worth a visit for sure. We had a posh lunch at the Michelin starred Roca Moo in the very fancy Diagonal district which was great. Check out La Plata on the edge of the Barri Gothic and El Born. It serves wine from barrels (choice of red, white, rose, that's all the detail you get!) for 1 euro and small plates of fried fish for 1euro. We also went to Barceloneta (the beach area) one evening and it was a great wander along the beach full of bars underneath the prom.

Be careful of pickpockets, touts, the usual European city stuff. And even in April, bloody hell it is busy. But have a wonderful time - we certainly did!

We stayed at sunotel central. Cheap but clean and nice rooftop area with a small pool and jacuzzi. It's near the universitat metro.

I can't believe you have to pay for park guell now.

Go on a "free" (you tip at the end) walking tour with Runner Bean Tours. The guides are really informative and friendly. If you go to the Sagrada Familia (and you should) you can time your visit to get an English-language tour but you have to book online quite a bit in advance - we didn't find out about the tours until we were in Barcelona and there were no spaces available that week. Look on the Sagrada Familia website to sort it out.

Barca is amazing. I've been dying to go back since I went a few years ago. Park Guelle is a must. I would also thoroughly recommend this restaurant: www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187497-d1083636-Reviews-Restaurant_Me-Barcelona_Catalonia.html where I had one of the best steaks I've ever eaten and some amazing grey goose and ginger cocktails. Although the chef will not cook a steak more than medium (this shocked me but when I ate it I totally understood why!).

montjuic, you can get a cable car up and the view over barcelona is incredible! There is also an interesting museum of catalan art (lots if medieval sculpture and painting) and a park, when I was there last September there were lots of tiny lizards everywhere, it was fun just sitting overlooking the city watching the lizards scuttling about!

casa battlo is a must see, the bus tours are also a lot of fun, Barcelona Is small enough that you can see a lot on the bus tour in one day

Thank your everyone and some fabulous ideas. Getting very excited now!

Dementedma - we are using airbnb which had some really great places.