Dreaming of a winter sun destination? With seasonal temperatures above 20 C in November and Spanish wine and tapas on the menu- we had to make an off-season visit to Barcelona.
Trip Itinerary
Approximate Trip Cost Flights to Barcelona from many European hubs are typically less than $100, especially in the off season. Also, it can be relatively quick to get there- due to Barcelona’s recent surge in popularity (they reported the most visitors of any city in Europe at 15 million in 2016) the majority of flights are direct and an hour or two in length. Once in Barcelona, costs are very reasonable. With our flights, AirBnB, tapas tour, and day trip to Montserrat, our approximate trip costs were $1050.
Destination Map
As with the majority of our city vacations, we opted to spend most of our time walking and exploring the city by foot. There are plenty of quaint neighborhoods, and some have different vibes depending on the time of day you visit. Our favorite was Barceloneta- what used to be a fisherman's working area of the city, is now turned into some great seafood and tapas restaurants. We also had some restaurant recommendations beforehand, so we used those as waypoints and stopped at interesting spots during our walking tour.
Park Güell and La Sagrada Familia are a bit further outside of the old city, but you can easily access them via the Metro.
Check out this link to the map of favorite spots in the city! We also decided to get out of the city for one day, and visit Montserrat mountain and a local winery, Oller del Mas. Though we went with a small local tour operator, or you can easily do this trip on your own.
Helpful Links
These guys always inspire me with their blog posts and travel knowledge. This guides gives a great all around list of things to do in Barcelona, with beautiful photos to look at too.
Another blog I consistently follow, Kash always has great recommendations- and his post on pickpocketing and petty crime is Barcelona is very honest. We did not have an incident on this trip, but I would credit reading this post with providing us with the knowledge to avoid some common traps that we saw other tourists falling into.
A local tour company that hires locals to take you on a tapas tour around Barcelona. A bit pricey considering how affordable most food is in Barcelona, but a great way to find some good places and get your bearings in the neighborhoods. Also how we discovered delicious homemade vermouth! Visiting the Sagrada Familia
A must see in Barcelona, this cathedral is strange and wonderful all at the same time. Make sure to book your tickets and time slot in advance, it makes the crowds less cumbersome.
The local company that Winerist sourced for us, focusing on wine based tours from Barcelona. We would highly recommend them for a trip
A touring website that sources local tour operators for wine-specific vacations. We have never been let down by these guys, they always provide amazing experiences.
A historical monastery built into the hillside and a national park all rolled into one. Take some time out from the city and work off those tapas exploring the trails around this beautiful mountain. The monastery gets the morning sun, so get up early to enjoy
1000 year old castle and property, now home to a winery, resort, and golf course this is a beautiful location for wine tasting near Manresa, only about an hour outside of Barcelona.
Incredible food, and excellent service. A great up and coming restaurant in el Raval Dino Gelato
You must try the crema Catelana flavor, its incredible.
The easiest way to get to the airport is to take the Aerobus, which is a private shuttle bus to the airport- and is different from the metro line system. Buy a round trip when you arrive and use the metro locally.
Happy Adventures,
Stephanie