When Ali and I moved to the UK one of the things I was most excited about was the prospect of short haul, cheap travel opportunities to Europe and beyond. We have certainly taken advantage of that and in the last three years explored Paris, Stockholm, Greece, Iceland and Morocco and MORE. Barcelona was on the list right from the beginning and this incredible city did not disappoint!

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Day one

We decided to travel in February. Winter may not seem like a classically great time to travel but we weren’t going to Barcelona for the weather, and frankly we don’t like crowds. So traveling out of season suited us just right! We landed late into the city, flying direct from Bristol on EasyJet, and then hopped on the bus from the airport, checking into Casa Elliot. I don’t usually book package trips, but we booked this particular break through Voyage Prive because we found a great deal on here. The service with Voyage Prive was excellent and I’d certainly use them again.

Day two

After breakfast at our hotel we set off on foot to explore the city. After three years studying interior design in college I was desperate to see Gaudi’s famous work in Barcelona and first off was the stunning Casa Batllo. And whilst Gaudi certainly inspired this walk through the city his was not the only fine work on display; I could have spent all day just wandering the streets with my neck craned up!

From Casa Batllo we wandered up to Casa Mila, bumping into some friends from the UK en route (and very unexpectedly!) and grabbed a takeaway lunch from a nearby vendor - no sitting down and stopping here; we had a lot to cover!

Our final stop on the Gaudi walking tour of Barcelona was the iconic Sagrada Familia. We were on a budget and for the most part very happy to observe Gaudi’s work from the street. But I’m so happy we paid the entrance fee for this incredible work of art! We explored inside Barcelona’s most famous basilica and I made a point to put my camera down and soak it all in. The distances between Batllo, Mila and Sagrada Familia are vast so be sure to wear comfortable shoes and you might be tempted to hop into a cab, but if you do you’ll miss so much!! I’d definitely suggest toughing it out and walking.

At this point the sun was going down and we were in desperate need of a drink!! So we took a cab down to the waterfront and propped up the table at what is, still to this day, the coolest bar I have ever been too - Crepes al Born. Google it, go there. No regrets. With fuel in our bellies our next stop was El Bosc de les Fades, a seriously cool hidden fairytale cafe.

Day THREE

We had an evening flight back to Bristol, so we stored our bags at the hotel and hit the streets of Barcelona’s Old Town. This incredible part of the city feels like travelling back in time and we couldn’t get enough of the hidden shops and cafes. We stopped for lunch at a tapas bar and ate ourselves silly, before parking off with a glass of sangria (okay, several glasses of sangria) to see off the weekend.

As far as city breaks go, Barcelona is up there as one of my favourites! The combination of art, history, incredible food and rich culture makes this one of my absolute favourite cities!

KEEP EXPLORING…