4 Days In Barcelona, Spain (Itinerary)
November 11, 2018
Taking the overnight ALSA coach from Madrid to Barcelona was quite an enjoyable ride. The seats were comfortable and there was even mini toilet attached to the bus (Mind you, there are no toilet attached to any of the busses in Malaysia). However, I realised something different about the highways in European countries compared to Malaysia. There were barely any street lights installed along the highway in Europe, making the journey slightly creepy and dark. After some seven hours of journey, we finally made it to the Barcelona's bus station.
Then we went to the nearest metro which was the Arc De Triomf to get the T-10 tickets that cost 9.90 Euro before heading to our accommodations. The T-10 tickets meant that we were issued with 10 tickets at once and it was way cheaper compared to single ticket each since we were going to use the metro anyways to travel around Barcelona. After dropping our belongings at our accommodations (two of us tried the Couchsurfing app which I will tell in another post while the rest stayed at hostels).
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| Gelatos! |
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| Amazing Paella! |
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| Churros! |
Our first destination was Passeig de Gracia street. It was one of the most famous shopping streets in Barcelona that linked the historic city center to the old village of Gracia. The boulevard consisted of famous high end stores ranging from Ermenegildo Zegna, Burberry, Jimmy Choo, just to name a few. The one thing significant was that the Zara items in Barcelona were filthily cheap as the brand was from Spain itself. I was not talking about 5 euros cheap, but € 10-20 cheaper compared to the exactly same items sold in Asia!
Then we went to the famous Casa Mila. It was also known as the La Pedrera (The Stone Quarry) and the magnificent building is designed by world renowned architect Antonio Gaudi. It's unique building structure, especially the spectacular self supporting stone facade as well as its significant history has made the building being declared as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1984. Since it was so popular, we decided to buy the tickets in advanced (€ 16.50) via the website in order to prevent hours long of queue.
Casa Batllo
Visiting Barcelona was all about appreciating the beauty of Gaudi's works to be honest. Hence, the next place was undoubtedly, another stunning building designed by him, the Casa Batllo. The entrance ticket for Casa Batllo was a little bit higher at €20.50. One thing that captured my attention to the building was its beautifully made roof tiles. The roof was said to depict the scales of a dragon's back. There was this tale where the rounded feature to the left of centre which ended at the top in a turret and cross represented the lance of Saint George which has been plunged into the back of the dragon in order to save the princess.
Casa Amatler
This building was named after the famous chocolatier Antoni Amattler and designed by architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch. I did not choose to visit the museum as I figured that it was not really worth it to spend money to just visit the rooms in specific. The main entrance of the building was the ticket office but at as I walked in to the building I came upon a lavish cafe and a chocolate shop. There were a wide variety of chocolates and best of all I got to taste the chocolates before I decided to buy them. Needless to say, the chocolates were of finest quality but there were lots of tourists in the tiny little shop.
Santa Maria Del Mar Church
We decided to skip Casa Lleo Morera as we were way beyond the schedule (much time spent on taking photos and selfies throughout). Being the icon of Catalan Gothic, this outstanding church was built in the 14th century with it splendid rose window being on of the most prominent feature of the basilica. However, do bear in mind to avoid entering the church anytime from 12 noon to 5pm as you will be charged €3. Otherwise the entrance would be free. The rooftop however, required a €8 charge.
To end the day, we went to the nearby local market to get a taste of their traditional dish, the tapas! Besides that, we also had some of the freshest and amazing seafood meal at the nearby restaurant.
Day 2
Basilica Sagrada Familia
On the second day, we woke up early in the morning to prepare ourselves before departing to our first attraction. It was the one and only Basilica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia (Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family). Another Gaudi's masterpiece, the building was still under construction since 1882 and was said to be completed by 2026 as it had now entered its final phase of construction. Despite the expensive admission tickets (€27) which included a guided tour and view from one of the two towers of the church, the tickets were worth the money as we got to enjoy the interior architecture as well as the magnificent scenery of Barcelona. Without a shred of doubt, there were hordes of tourists and the best was way to get the tickets was through the website in advanced.
Camp Nou
We decided to skip Camp Nou as it was pretty far away from other attractions. Also, none of us were really a hardcore fans of team Barcelona #nooffence. If you were to go there, you could join the tour around the stadium.
Church of Sacred Heart (Temple del Sagrat Cor)
After admiring the beauty of Sagrada Familia, we left the place and caught a bus up to Tibidabo mountain to visit the one and only Temple de Sagrat Cor. The church was gorgeous in every way and from the top of the church (with entrance fee) we got to enjoy some of the most scenic views of Barcelona itself.
Tibidabo Amusement Park
Of course, we did visit to the Tibidabo Amusement Park which was just beside the church but we did not enter the park as it would take us a full day. it was one of the Barcelona's landmarks as it was one of the oldest in the world, with over 100 years of history. There were various games available and the admission fee was €28.50 per person.
Automaton Museum (Museu dels Automats del Tibidabo)
There was this museum located in the amusement park which displayed more than 40 unique pieces of antique automatoms and models along with their fantastic internal operations. Having said that, we could play some of the models and it was pretty fun. However, the museum was quite tiny and we spent a good 15 minutes to explore the area and only paid €2 per person. Honestly speaking, some of the models were pretty intimidating as they were dolls which looked quite similar to... Annabelle.
Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria
With our hungry tummies, we went to have some meals at this popular market which was a well worth visit. Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria had everything we could think of, ranging from some of the freshest local fruits, vegetables and seafoods in Barcelona. The smell of the delicious food such as tapas, paellas as well as pastries were all over the market. A useful tip for the travellers, the shops at the front of the markets sold things at a higher price compared to the ones at the back!
La Rambla
Then we went to the La Rambla (it is locally known as Las Ramblas), one of the busiest streets in central Barcelona. There were some live performances on the street, not to mention human art statues, artists selling their arts, Christopher Columbus monument and Erotica Museum (Museu de l'Erotica). The items sold there were quite pricey compared to other places as it was a tourist attraction so we did window shopping mostly. Nonetheless it was an interesting street.
Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi
We made a quick stop at the Basilica Santa Maria del Pi before calling it a day. There was no entrance fee to the church and the church was beautiful. It has a quaint classic design, with a completely understated elegance of the interior with stained glass windows. Compared to other churches, the facade of this basilica was visibly duller.
Day 3
Park Guell
On our third day in Barcelona, we woke up early in the morning to get to our next point of interest, the Park Guell in order to skip massive queues and horde of tourists. We got the tickets on the website as it was way more convenient than buying them on the spot. Without a shred of doubt, Park Guell is one of the major works of Gaudi in Barcelona. With over a hundred years of history, this public park system consisted of gardens and architectonic elements located on Carmel Hill. The most significant works were the beautiful multicoloured mosaic salamander commonly known as "el drac" (the dragon) and the vibrant mosaic work on the main terrace, designed by the man himself.
Placa de Catalunya
Without realising the time, we spent a good whole morning at the place and we even hiked up a small hill nearby the park (Actually we were kind of lost and that was why we came upon the hill). Then we left the place and went back to the city to explore Placa de Catalunya. Basically it was a very nice square with gorgeous fountains, statues and birds and the place was surrounded by big shopping stores. If you are an avid shopper, you will definitely love this place.
I was incredibly sad when I found out that the Barcelona magic fountain show at the Montjuic Castle was closed on that day and it seriously messed up the schedule as it was actually one of the must-visit stops in Barcelona. Hence we decided to skip the Montjuic Castle stop all together with the attractions that were close to the area and spent our remaining day around the city center. Fortunately the group did not complaining one bit as all of us were actually tired from walking around Park Guell in the morning.
Day 4
Arc de Triomf de Barcelona
On our last day in Barcelona, we spent some time in the morning visiting the Arc de Triomf. The place was massive and it was a nice place to walk around.The triumphal arc was built by architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas as the main entrance gate for the 1888 Barcelona World Fair.
Barcelona Airport
After realising we were running out of time, we went back to our accommodation and got ready to leave the place and go to the Airport. We were definitely awed by the beauty of Barcelona and the warm greetings by the locals wherever we went. It was a good four days and I wished we could stay longer. With all of us freshened up ourselves, we were heading to our next country, France! Stay tuned.
Barcelona Itinerary
Visiting Barcelona was all about appreciating the beauty of Gaudi's works to be honest. Hence, the next place was undoubtedly, another stunning building designed by him, the Casa Batllo. The entrance ticket for Casa Batllo was a little bit higher at €20.50. One thing that captured my attention to the building was its beautifully made roof tiles. The roof was said to depict the scales of a dragon's back. There was this tale where the rounded feature to the left of centre which ended at the top in a turret and cross represented the lance of Saint George which has been plunged into the back of the dragon in order to save the princess.
Casa Amatler
This building was named after the famous chocolatier Antoni Amattler and designed by architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch. I did not choose to visit the museum as I figured that it was not really worth it to spend money to just visit the rooms in specific. The main entrance of the building was the ticket office but at as I walked in to the building I came upon a lavish cafe and a chocolate shop. There were a wide variety of chocolates and best of all I got to taste the chocolates before I decided to buy them. Needless to say, the chocolates were of finest quality but there were lots of tourists in the tiny little shop.
Santa Maria Del Mar Church
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| Image Source: citybook.es |
To end the day, we went to the nearby local market to get a taste of their traditional dish, the tapas! Besides that, we also had some of the freshest and amazing seafood meal at the nearby restaurant.
Day 2
Basilica Sagrada Familia
Camp Nou
 |
| Image Source: fcbarcelona.com |
Church of Sacred Heart (Temple del Sagrat Cor)
After admiring the beauty of Sagrada Familia, we left the place and caught a bus up to Tibidabo mountain to visit the one and only Temple de Sagrat Cor. The church was gorgeous in every way and from the top of the church (with entrance fee) we got to enjoy some of the most scenic views of Barcelona itself.
Tibidabo Amusement Park
Of course, we did visit to the Tibidabo Amusement Park which was just beside the church but we did not enter the park as it would take us a full day. it was one of the Barcelona's landmarks as it was one of the oldest in the world, with over 100 years of history. There were various games available and the admission fee was €28.50 per person.
Automaton Museum (Museu dels Automats del Tibidabo)
There was this museum located in the amusement park which displayed more than 40 unique pieces of antique automatoms and models along with their fantastic internal operations. Having said that, we could play some of the models and it was pretty fun. However, the museum was quite tiny and we spent a good 15 minutes to explore the area and only paid €2 per person. Honestly speaking, some of the models were pretty intimidating as they were dolls which looked quite similar to... Annabelle.
Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria
With our hungry tummies, we went to have some meals at this popular market which was a well worth visit. Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria had everything we could think of, ranging from some of the freshest local fruits, vegetables and seafoods in Barcelona. The smell of the delicious food such as tapas, paellas as well as pastries were all over the market. A useful tip for the travellers, the shops at the front of the markets sold things at a higher price compared to the ones at the back!
La Rambla
 |
| Image Source: free-barcelona-tours.com |
Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi
We made a quick stop at the Basilica Santa Maria del Pi before calling it a day. There was no entrance fee to the church and the church was beautiful. It has a quaint classic design, with a completely understated elegance of the interior with stained glass windows. Compared to other churches, the facade of this basilica was visibly duller.
Day 3
Park Guell
On our third day in Barcelona, we woke up early in the morning to get to our next point of interest, the Park Guell in order to skip massive queues and horde of tourists. We got the tickets on the website as it was way more convenient than buying them on the spot. Without a shred of doubt, Park Guell is one of the major works of Gaudi in Barcelona. With over a hundred years of history, this public park system consisted of gardens and architectonic elements located on Carmel Hill. The most significant works were the beautiful multicoloured mosaic salamander commonly known as "el drac" (the dragon) and the vibrant mosaic work on the main terrace, designed by the man himself.
Placa de Catalunya
Without realising the time, we spent a good whole morning at the place and we even hiked up a small hill nearby the park (Actually we were kind of lost and that was why we came upon the hill). Then we left the place and went back to the city to explore Placa de Catalunya. Basically it was a very nice square with gorgeous fountains, statues and birds and the place was surrounded by big shopping stores. If you are an avid shopper, you will definitely love this place.
I was incredibly sad when I found out that the Barcelona magic fountain show at the Montjuic Castle was closed on that day and it seriously messed up the schedule as it was actually one of the must-visit stops in Barcelona. Hence we decided to skip the Montjuic Castle stop all together with the attractions that were close to the area and spent our remaining day around the city center. Fortunately the group did not complaining one bit as all of us were actually tired from walking around Park Guell in the morning.
Day 4
Arc de Triomf de Barcelona
On our last day in Barcelona, we spent some time in the morning visiting the Arc de Triomf. The place was massive and it was a nice place to walk around.The triumphal arc was built by architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas as the main entrance gate for the 1888 Barcelona World Fair.
Barcelona Airport
After realising we were running out of time, we went back to our accommodation and got ready to leave the place and go to the Airport. We were definitely awed by the beauty of Barcelona and the warm greetings by the locals wherever we went. It was a good four days and I wished we could stay longer. With all of us freshened up ourselves, we were heading to our next country, France! Stay tuned.
Barcelona Itinerary
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