5 Things You Will Love and Hate About Barcelona
Barcelona is an incredible city, full of history, art and unique sights.
But, as with any destination, there will be things you will appreciate and things that will definitely stand out to you as a negative!
To help you on your next trip to Barcelona, we have also created an article on all things safety, full of insider tips and tricks to help you on your adventure!
Access the article here, or click the image instead!
So, here is our list of the 5 things you will love and hate about Barcelona!
Let’s dive into our positives list first..
What you’ll LOVE!
#1 The centre of Barcelona is a lot of fun to walk through.
© Sweet Inn
Compared to other large European cities, we found the centre of Barcelona to be extremely easy to walk through.
The sidewalks in particular are impressively huge, especially on the Passeig de Gràcia, which makes it comfortable to walk without constantly bumping into people. This is also a plus point for street photographers, as you’ll have plenty of space to move around and capture your subjects from different angles.
We were surprised by how well maintained the streets where, and especially by how little traffic there was for such a huge city. This all combined to make walking in the city centre a very pleasant experience.
With that said, the size of the city will surprise you.
Be sure to check the distances beforehand, as they can be longer than they look!
For this reason, we opted to purchase two T-Casual Travel Cards for €11.35 each, valid for 10 rides on all public transport (including the train to El Prat Airport).
This T-Casual ticket covers Zone 1 of the Barcelona public transport system, and was enough for us to reach all tourist attractions, including Parc Guell and Montjuic!
These cards can be purchased in vending machines at RENFE train or metro stations, including the train station at Barcelona Airport (Terminal 2). Online purchase is also possible.
We definitely recommend buying this pass, as it also comes in handy when travelling away from the centre or towards the hills, where the streets can be quite steep and tiring to walk.
#2 Lots of calm and green areas to get a break from the city.
© barcelona.cat
Due to mass tourism, Barcelona can get extremely crowded at any point in the year.
Because of this, it can be nice to find a quiet place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.
Luckily, Barcelona has no shortage of green areas and small quiet plazas. These are interspersed throughout the city, and therefore always in reach and easy to find.
Most of these areas, with the exception of a few parks, are free and surprisingly well maintained.
Here are some of our favourites:
Ciutadella Park
The parks around Montjuic
Plaça del Pi
Jardí de la Casa Ignacio de Puig
Check out this map for the exact locations, as well as extra info on these areas!
#3 The beautiful sights and catchy architectural styles.
© Roman Babakin
The multitude of cultures and artists throughout the history of Barcelona have left behind an impressive and unique collection of architectural styles.
Among these you’ll find buildings in Catalan Gothic style, Medieval, Romanesque and, of course, the Modernist architecture made famous by Antoni Gaudí.
It goes without saying that the beautiful architecture will also make for a great backdrop to all of your photos!
The many landmarks in Barcelona are also bound to impress you. From the Sagrada Familia and the Gothic churches, to the Picasso Museum and the colourful Parc Guell, there really is something for everyone!
#4 The seaside and beaches are delightful!
© Thierry Tutin
Walk around the Passeig Maritim and enjoy the sunshine and sea breeze of Barceloneta.
This 1.25km walkway is a favourite among both locals and tourists. You’ll be sure to see many joggers and bikers, as well as plenty of bars and cafes to stop and relax with a drink.
Just remember that Barceloneta Beach is a pretty touristy area, so expect slightly higher prices than the city’s average!
We found this area to be especially enjoyable around sunrise and sunset. Just be sure to pack a jacket, as the breeze coming from the sea can be surprisingly chilly!
#5 There are culinary options for everyone!
© Nature’s Basket
One thing that’s for sure is that you won’t struggle to find a place to eat in Barcelona!
After tasting excellent cuisine in countries such as Italy, Portugal and Tanzania, we were not really blown away by the local dishes, but what did impress us was the multitude of options available.
It’s incredibly easy to find restaurants serving international cuisine, fusion dishes (8th Bowl near Plaça d’Espanya is a must), as well as gluten-free and vegan options. For some reason we didn’t understand, there also seem to be an absurd amount of burger restaurants!
If you’re in the mood for some local food, you’ll also of course find plenty of establishments serving tapas and traditional Catalonian dishes!
Now, the part that you were all looking forward to..
What you’ll HATE!
#1 The smell can be enough to send you packing.
© Eric Fischer
Barcelona is a big city, and it is reasonable to expect a little bit of trash here and there, along with some pollution in the air.
What we did not expect was the overwhelming smell of sewage that permeates many of the main areas of the city. Some blame it on its geography, others say the reason is antiquated pipes and drains.
Whichever it is, some parts of Barcelona are real stinkers.
#2 The tap water tastes awful.
© oddviser
We have long ago forsaken plastic bottles, and only use them if we are unable to fill our canteens with safe drinking water. Or, as in the case of Barcelona, if the water coming out of the tap is awful enough to make you thirstier than before.
Water from both taps and drinking fountains has a terrible, strong metallic taste, and you really need to push yourself to drink it.
Unsurprisingly, the locals almost exclusively use bottled water from the store and, after fighting it for three days, we bowed our heads in shame and did the same.
#3 The price of some of the sights will push you over-budget.
© Maria Carrer
Barcelona is undoubtably a beautiful city, and the sights you will see are certainly unique in the world.
We were shocked, however, at the extremely high ticket prices for some of the main sights.
Take the three houses designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí as an example:
Casa Milà (starts at €25)
Casa Batlló (starts at €35)
Casa Vicens Gaudí (starts at €16)
Visiting all of them would cost you at least €76, and that is just for one person!
For comparison, the entrance fee for The Louvre Museum in Paris (one of the greatest museums in the World) is only €17.
Even the world-famous Sagrada Familia church costs €26 for a single ticket. In this case this is more understandable, as part of the revenue serves to finance the construction of the building. Still, it remains undeniably expensive.
These high prices can make it very difficult to visit the sights if you’re on a tight budget, so what we would recommend doing is purchasing the Barcelona City Pass. This gives you free access to Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, 10% reductions on other main attractions and more.
However..
Only do this if you’re positive you will be visiting all of the sights, otherwise you won’t be saving money!
As far as our visit, we opted to enjoy the amazing Spanish sunshine and admire these beautiful sights from the outside. Even though we might pay for a ticket on a second visit, we don’t feel like we missed out by not doing so the first time.
#4 It can be a hard city to navigate.
While the narrow alleyways and beautiful avenues are a sight to behold, there is a sense of déjà vu that settles in after a while. The streets tend to look very similar to one another, which can make finding your way around the city quite challenging.
We often found ourselves disoriented and having to rely heavily on Google maps, much more than any other location we have visited in the past.
#5 Restaurant kitchen schedules can be problematic.
© No Garlic No Onions
If you’re picky about your lunch schedules, you might encounter some difficulties in Barcelona!
In Spain, lunch is the main meal of the day. You’ll see that most restaurants will not open before 13h00, so you shouldn’t expect to eat before 13h30/14h00. This is because the Spanish do not put an emphasis on eating heavily in the morning, and rely mainly on a strong coffee and a pastry to get them through until lunch.
To avoid starving while you wait for restaurants to open, we recommend:
See if your hotel offers breakfast, and if so try to book it!
It will save you some money on the long run, and you’ll be able to eat enough to last until lunch.
If you rent an accommodation, opt to buy groceries from the supermarket and prepare your own breakfast. It will be a much cheaper option than eating out.
Markets are great places to get a quick bite to eat!
Just remember that some, such as La Boqueria, cater especially to tourists, and can therefore be a touch more expensive. Nothing that will break the bank, but it’s something to keep in mind. If you want a more local experience, check out the Santa Caterina Market.
Brunch restaurants are a new addition to Barcelona. Lately they have become very popular with tourists looking for a bite to eat in the morning, and they are definitely worth checking out!
One place that we can recommend is Ugot Bruncherie. It’s located in the central neighbourhood of Eixample, and on the same street you will find many other brunch restaurants!
When it comes to the evening, luckily, most restaurants operate until late at night after opening, so you’ll be able to have dinner whenever you wish!
These were some of the things that really surprised us about Barcelona, both positively and not so much.
All in all, it is amazing destination, and one we absolutely recommend!
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Until next time, we wish you safe travels,
Ana & Luca
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