Barcelona

Sad I didn't get FC Barcelona tickets sooner :(

Man alive do these take awhile to do but I got it in with 2 days to spare before our train to Barcelona. I might go back and update the maps I’ve already made with versions of what we did but that is a job for September.

For now we Barcelona. I thought I’d finally stumbled upon a city where the official names are what places are called and it nearly is. They neighborhoods overlap with the official areas but they just break them into smaller parts which is understandable. I’ve only labelled areas that I saw in tourist articles but this article goes further if you’re a student or moving to Barcelona.

Barcelona is a whole bunch of Gaudi, who was a famous Catalan architect who lived from 1852 - 1926 so I separated his main buildings (and park) out then a separate section for beaches (yay! very excited for beaches!) and then other random stuff (emphasis on the random this late in the trip).

Here is the selectable list:

GAUDI ALL THE TIME

1. La Sagrada Familia:This largest unfinished Catholic Church was designed by none other than Barcelona’s favorite architect, Antoni Gaudí. Tickets are 26€ to 40€ for adults depending on whether you want a guided tour (audio tour is included in the base price) and if you want to go up in the towers. Children 11 and under are free.

2. Park Güell: A private fantastical park in the hills of Barcelona. Admission is 10€ for adults, 7€ for 7-12 and over 65 and free for kids under 7. Tours are available for slightly more. 

3. Casa Milà/“La Pedrera”: Unconventional apartment building now turned museum. Adults start at 25€, €12.50 for 7-12, and free for kids under 7 but there are also tours with “mixed reality glasses” and night tours that start at 35€.  

4. Casa Batlló/“Casa dels ossos”: Another Modernist/Art Nouveau Guadi residence known locally as “House of Bones” on the “Mansana de la Discòrdia” of Block of Discord. Adults 35€ and children 12 and under are free.

5. Güell Palace: And lastly a palace (mansion) built by Gaudi for industrial tycoon and apparent art patron Eusebi Guell (I was wondering why that name kept coming up). Adults are 12€ (but there are a slew of discounts for teachers, single parents/large families [no idea what this means, no explanation given]), 5€ for 10-17 and under 10 is free. 

*You bet your bottom euro that there are more Guadi places but I’m capping this portion at 5. 

BEACHES

1. Platja de Bogatell: The beaches are listed in order of preference. The first two are most often recommended for families which is what I have so despite being a little farther away, it’ll be our first stop.  

2. Platja de la Nova Icària: Right next door to the first beach is another family favorite apparently so I’ll get back to you with any differences.

3. Platja de Llevant: This is the newest of Barcelona’s beaches. It seems nice but is the farthest away. 

4. Platja de la Barceloneta:I’ve seen this beach described as “the high school jock’s beach” which says a lot and makes me want to head to the other’s first. 

5. Platja de la Mar Bella:This one’s a nude beach and there’s nothing wrong with that but it might be too much for an 11 year old girl and a 7 year old boy to handle.

BEST OF THE REST

1. Torre de les Aigües de l’Eixample: This one may not exist so I apologize to anyone reading this and my family but I saw this rooftop pool on another blog and if it does exist it could be pretty cool. 

2. La Rambla/La Boqueria: This is Barcelona’s famous tree lined street with market stalls and art exhibits. I’m including La Boqueria which is Barcelona’s largest market whose entrance is on La Rambla. 

3. Papabubble: A candy making store where you can watch the employees make the candy. The kind where they put large ropes of sugar together and join it and roll it to the width of a pencil and when they cut it there’s a tiny masterpiece.   

4. Picasso museum: Another museum! I realize now I might have been a little confused because there is a Picasso museum in Paris as well but this one concentrates on his early work. Admission for adults is 12€ and free for kids. 

5. Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar: A church from the 1300s, I’ve seen multiple people call it a “hidden gem” in Barcelona. Everyone wants to go to Sagrada and the Bascillica but this looks more interesting to me. Admission is 5€-10€ depending on if you want to go up in the towers.

6. Kids & Cat Tours: Family friendly tours of Barcelona. We booked a Barcelona: City of Dragons but they also have architecture, grafetti, Columbus and chocolate and history tours. Private tours for 129€. 

7. Ciutadella Park: Barcelona’s central park with a zoo and lake. Mostly on here as a marker in relation to other parts of the city.

8. Parc del Laberint d’Horta: This park is outside my map up to the north but it’s got a hedge maze. I can’t tell if it’s one of the short meditational hedge mazes or a tall The Shining one but it looks interesting.

9. Plaça del Tibidabo: An amusement park on the hill in Barcelona. Admission for people over 120cm (3’9”) is 35€ and for 10.50€ for everyone under. Passes may come with a funicular ride to get there. 

10. Camp Nou: Bonus points because I made it #10 for Messi! This is FC Barcelona’s stadium and I’m bummed because I thought we’d be able to get tickets for a game but we missed out on the affordable ones. 

11. Magic Fountain of Montjuïc: Giant fountains with lights and sounds and choreographies. Shows start nightly at 9:30pm. 

12. Jardins del Mirador: Terraced gardens close to Montjuic Castle with lovely views of the city.

*Originally when I published this I had messed up the numbering and in the end I’ve deleted Museum of Illusions because it looks more like a tourist trap than I’d imagined but here is the description: Museum of Illusions: My family might not be able to take another elaborate church or world renown art museum but a weird trompe l’oeil photo place? Maybe? 17-22€ no difference in prices for adults and kids is a bit steep.