Barcelona tips and restaurants please

[bendmeoverbackwards]

Arrived in Barcelona yesterday, having a great time so far. We’ve done Casa Batilo, had ice cream on La Rambla and done a bus tour.

Got Sagrada Familia booked tomorrow and will prob do Parc Güell afterwards.

Any tips for other must sees? And also good restaurants? We are based near the bottom of La Rambla.

Wanted to do the cable car but it’s closed for maintenance ☹️

For an evening meal, definitely Arcano
Have a drink at Bar Marsella
See Jardins de les 3 Xemeneies
If you don’t mind a hike, you could climb to Bunkers del Carmel. You can see the entire city with the sea in the background.
Pop into the Forest of the fairies (El Bosc de Les Fades). It’s right next to the Wax Museum and is very easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. I’d never heard about it before visiting with our guide for beers and the décor is absolutely fantastic and whimsical.
Boqueria Market is great for lunch and for getting a variety of amazing food to take home.

raobcn.com/ Rao is fab but might be too late to get a table. El gats 4gats.com/ is a beautiful building and great for brunch. 2nd the Boqueria. Walk to the beach via the Museum of Catalan history. There's a cafe on the roof with fab views (you don't need to go in the museum). Boat trips from opposite the Colon monument. We've done all the free walking tours now.

www.elcerclerestaurant.com/en/#elcercle and the roof terrace at el Cercle, but not sure how warm it is.

Seconding 4gats particularly as its such a wonderful surprise! The restaurant is hidden behind a scruffy sandwich shop and walking through that and into the atmospheric main restaurant on a bustling Sunday night was amazing.

We are going in the Easter holidays and have had this place recommended by a local. www.boscdelesfades.com/en/
Would be interested in the highs/lows of your trip.

You can go up the Columbus monument! It’s got a lovely wine tasting bar in the bottom too.
Palau Musica is just off Via Laietana. Bonkers theatre Gaudi style. Good cheap cafe opposite or a smart modern restaurant and bar inside.
Casa Mila is brilliant. Much prefer it to Batlo as it’s got more to see.
The Carrefour on the Ramblas is also bloody amazing. Fabulous food and very cheap wine/ cava if you need to take any back. Mine didn’t last that long.

www.museupicasso.bcn.cat/en/ Picasso museum. I've been trying to find the company we did the free tapas evening tour with - it was amazing. You just tip the guide at the end. You have to pay for the food and drink of course. We also did the gothic tour and the modernism tour with the same people. All really good quality and you learn lots about the history of the city.

Montjuic Castle. My favourite place we visited. Go on a nice clear day.

If you want a posh meal Cinq Sentis is amazing

Thanks, I’ll check all these out, some great tips here.

One more question - do you need to book in advance for Parc Güell or can you get tickets there?

• Taverna Basca Irati in the old town was a great pintxos bar/restaurant. It was my 1st intro to pintxos and i've been hooked since.

• Churrería Laietana- I love churros and this was a small place, cheap but friendly for a morning snack and apparently one of the best churros shops in Barcelona

• The marijuana and hash museum. Surprisingly informative about the vast amount of products that can be used from hemp and its use around the world over the centuries

• Mercat de la Boqueria- a fascinating fresh fruit/veg/meat market just off Las Ramblas. Lovely to walk around and get produce from the stalls, but I don't recommend eating at any of the cafes inside the market. Expensive, poor service and mediocre food.

The two restaurants I'd recommend are Los caracoles and Les quinze nits

Without wanting to piss on anyones chips, Cinq Sentis is pretty much like any posh restaurant anywhere though.

The TripAdvisor travel forum had a post last Sunday about best “ non touristy” restaurants. We’ve just been to the one in Barceloneta. Couldn’t get more Catalan if you wanted p. Little square in the backstreets, tick, tiny place with wooden shutters, tick,, small Spanish owner with moustache, tick. Locals, seafood and fantastic wine. Tick,tick,tick.

this thread

Ours was La Cova. From the main road leading right to the beach, cross over into Barceloneta and take the road that’s by the police station, goes right to it.

Definitely book in advance @bendmeoverbackwards. We missed out on going because when we got there it was fully booked and we didn’t have time to return during our holiday.

Did you go into the indoor market just off La Rambla? DD loved it, you can get amazing fresh juice and smoothies and then sit and have seafood at one of the stalls

Placa Reial for eating

Font du majic is lovely

Taverna El Glop. Bit of a walk down loads of back streets and the outside looks likes its closed. But, open the door and a waiter will beckon you down to the basement. Bloody amazing. elglop.com/en/welcome/

Book everything in advance. If a cruise ship is in you’ve got 5,000 additional tourists you are only in town to see the same sights as you.
You can check the ships that are coming in advance. Just to give you an idea,