Placa de Catalunya- For many people, Placa de Catalunya is the center of Barcelona. It is where many cultural events, as well as many protests, take place. Many tourists will feed the pigeons there, so watch out for the after effects falling from the sky. Passeig de Gracia- One of the most beautiful streets I have ever walked, Passeig de Gracia leads from Placa de Catalunya up to the Gracia area. Casa Battlò- Located on Passeig de Gracia, Casa Battlò is a beautiful building. It was designed by the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, and was formerly a home to the Battlò family. It is an icon of Barcelona, and is decorated with roses for Sant Jordi, the Catalan equivalent of Valentine's Day. Tours of the building are offered, but in my opinion the best way to get the most bang for your buck is to go for one of the summer concerts. For one price you can get the augmented reality tour of building (that highlights some of Gaudi's inspiration), a drink on the rooftop, a rooftop concert, and beautiful sunset views overlooking Barcelona. This building holds special significance for me because I visited it on the night I got engaged to my wife, and we were fortunate enough to catch a view of some of the fireworks from La Merce from the rooftop as well. Casa Mila (La Pedrera)- Another one of Gaudi's masterpieces is Casa Mila, or as it is more commonly known, La Pedrera (meaning "the stone quarry"). I was able to take a tour of the inside on a field trip with the school I was teaching English at in Vilanova i la Geltru. Some of the rooms of the unique building are still being rented as apartments, while others have been converted to things like a gift shop, cafe, and offices. Like Casa Batllò, La Pedrera also hosts a rooftop concert series. Yelmo Comedia- For watching English language movies (Original Version) in the center of Barcelona, it doesn't get much better than Yelmo Comedia. While not one of the more impressive movie theaters I have visited, it is very economically priced, and extremely well located. I caught Marvel's Infinity War and Endgame there, among other films. Egyptian Museum- I was able to visit the Egyptian Museum during a night when they offered free entry, but in retrospect due to the hour+ of waiting in line I think it would be worth paying the €12 entry fee. The museum, while not as big as the Egyptian museum in Turin, does have some interesting artifacts and was a very nice place to check out. Apple Store- I stopped at the Apple Store in Barcelona after my iPhone was stolen. While I was unfortunately was unable to locate it, I was able to do a mobile wipe of the data. FNAC- If you need to pick up phone chargers, cables, or other electronics, FNAC is a good place to look. It is a store similar to Best Buy that sells a variety of electronics, as well as things like books and comics. There is one centrally located in Barcelona next to Placa de Catalunya. Where I ate and drank:Satan's Coffee/Libertine- The main Satan's Coffee location is in the Gothic Quarter, and is an OG of craft coffee in Barcelona. They have since opened up a spot inside the hip Casa Bonay hotel near Plaza de Tetuán. The beans they use are roasted by Right Side Roasters in Castelldefels just outside of Barcelona and they offer a small food menu as well. Also located in Casa Bona is Libertine cocktail bar, which serves some of the tastiest cocktails I've ever had, and in a cool, relaxed setting. Bacoa Burger Universitat- Bacoa has a few locations in Barcelona, and they offer quality burger (and veggie burger) options, as well as limited craft beer options. Bobby's Free- Appearing as a barber shop from the outside, Bobby's Free does not actually cut hair. It is instead a quality speakeasy that serves excellent drinks and offers live music on select nights. Flax & Kale à Porter- With a few locations in different areas of Barcelona, Flax & Kale offers some delicious, healthy food and drink options. One of their locations is actually inside an H&M clothing store at the intersection of Passeig de Gracia and Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes. The cafe there on the 2nd story offers views of the pretty fountain in the center of the intersection. Milano Cocktail-Bar- Located around the corner from Placa de Catalunya, Milano offer quality live music and serves up excellent cocktails. Dow Jones Bar- Like its namesake drink prices at the Dow Jones Bar fluctuate based on how many people are purchasing them. When a particular drink is purchased, its price goes up. If a drink is not purchased for a while, its price goes down. It is a fun little gimmick, but wouldn't be a great place to find any craft drinks. Woki Organic Market- Similar to a very small Whole Foods, Woki Organic Market offers food to eat in its cafe as well as groceries to take home. Hammock Juice Station- If you feel like sitting in a hammock while eating tasty, healthy food and drink, Hammock Juice Station is the place to go. For those that tend to feel unstable in hammocks, they do offer some more stable seating options. Les Gens Que J'Aime- If you are looking for a quite place to chat and get a good cocktail, Les Gens Que J'Aime is a nice place to check out. The Growler- The Growler has some excellent craft beer options. ImaginCafe- When I need to work on wifi, ImaginCafe was one of the places I tended to go. The food and drink are good, but not amazing. However, there are many places in ImaginCafe to work or even have meetings, and the wifi was good. Wer-Haus- Unfortunately Wer-Haus has closed down, but it used to be one of my favorite cafes in Barcelona. It also double as a clothing/home goods store, and was an excellent place to get great craft coffee and tasty, healthy food. Their website says "Be back soon," so hopefully they will reopen again. Chocolates Brescó- Set in a beautiful building, Chocolates Brescó offers delicious artisanal chocolates. Billy Brunch- Sporting an amazing name, Billy Brunch offers some very quality brunch options. Bar Centro- Bar Centro offers some great craft beer options as well as some tasty sandwich options. Firebug- Part of a small chain of restaurants that also includes Milk in the Gothic Quarter and Marmalade in El Raval, Firebug offers a very similar menu to its sister restaurants. My favorite part of their menus are their brunch offerings. Bonavida- Bonavida is a hip, stylish place with great cocktails. La Menuda- Their motto is "craft beer and crazy food," and they live up to that. The drink options are great and the food is very tasty. CocoVail- Started by Catalans that went to university in the US, CocoVail is a beer hall that is my favorite place in Barcelona to watch things like NFL games, college football games, or NCAA basketball games. They have about 40 craft beers on tap, as well as some good food options and a fun environment. Other Places I visited: Granja Petitbo- good food options La Esquina- good espresso drinks and good food The George Payne- I watched my first Eurovision there Super Coffee & Food- some good healthy options, but most are microwaved Somewhere Aragó- I had a nice "menu del dia" there Perluo Cafe- craft coffee and tasty treats Where I stayed:St. Christopher's Hostel-
My first time in Barcelona I stayed at St. Christopher's Hostel. It was very nice and clean, but did not have the same community feel I have felt at other hostels. That being said, it is typically very well priced and very centrally located. Also, there were curtains on the dorm beds and sizable lockers.
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About MeWelcome to the Healthy Explorer Blog. If you like travel stories have a look around my blog and check out my podcast— maybe you'll find an extra spark for your own adventures.
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