Barcelonadespite recent demonstrations against touristsis one of those cities that should be on any traveler’s bucket list to experience at least once in a lifetime. Full of charm and history in each of its streets, architectural genius and art, irresistible gastronomy and good afternoons of cava, beer and vermouth, it is one of the most visited destinations in Spain. Spain.
Alberto Alcocer (@beco.mx) is a photographer specializing in destinations, wildlife and motor sports, as well as Sigma Photo ambassador in Mexico. He lived several years in Barcelona, where he constantly returns. From his perspective and experience, he shares with us his Recommendations to explore the Catalan capital, whether you are planning a first-time trip or a return one.
It is always good to stay in some central area, where the magic of the city usually happens. For this, there are three neighborhoods that have it all, from hostels from 30 euros a night, to hotels, such as the Mercer, in an old cardboard factory, whose nightly rate is around a thousand euros. These are the Gothic Quarterthe Raval and the Old City (Old City); all three, on the sides of the Ramblas.
The streets of old Barcelona. Photo: Alberto Alcocer (@beco.mx)
He airport del Prat is incredibly well connected to the city centre by all means of transport. public transport. My favorites are:
1. Taxi. It costs around 50-60 euros to the city centre and is perfect when two or more people are travelling together.
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2. Aerobús. Travels directly to Plaça Catalunya with just two stops for 7.25 euros per trip; and 12.50 euros for a round trip ticket. From there, it is very easy to connect to anywhere by Metro, in a more local taxi or even on foot.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish tourist traps in Barcelonabut the city defends its classics tooth and nail. These can be restaurants with long tablecloths with so much tradition that they are, without a doubt, part of the city in their own right, like the 7 Portes, near Barceloneta; or bares small but emblematic, such as Bodega La Puntual or El Xampanyet, both in the Gothic Quarter, with its labyrinthine alleys.
Photo: Alberto Alcocer (@beco.mx)
Some classic neighborhoods, not so in vogue, keep their squares clean of speculation and with great service to those who sit at their bars or tables, like those around the Revolution Squarein the traditional Gràcia neighborhood, around the old Barceloneta neighborhood or around the Citadella.
The state-owned company transport Barcelona’s TMB is responsible for operating all public transport in the city: Metrobus and tram. The same charging system is used for all of these. This brings advantages for everyone, for example, integrated trips are considered a single trip as long as you are on the system regardless of the line or means of transport, within a period of one hour and 15 minutes; that is, if you take line 1 and then get off to take a bus, it is still a single trip, as long as you do not exceed one hour and 15 minutes.
Your card system prepaid It may seem a bit complex at first, but in the end, it is very easy. The three options I always use are:
1. T-Casual: a card that includes 10 trips. It is very convenient for when you are only travelling around the city for a few days. It costs 13 euros.
2. T-Usual: a card that includes unlimited travel for 30 days, starting from the moment you swipe the card at the ticket office for the first time. It costs about 23 euros.
A beer in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter. Photo: Alberto Alcocer (@beco.mx)
3. T-Group: a card that includes 70 trips in 30 days. Unlike the previous ones, it can be used by several people at the same time. Each person must register their trip. It costs 85 euros.
These cards can be purchased online (and used from your phone) or from vending machines at all Metro stations.
In some cases, the Barcelona Card can offer savings for those looking to see everything in the city in three, four or five days. It includes access to several museums and cultural spaces, as well as unlimited transportation on the Metro, bus and tram.
For me, Barcelona in October It has a special magic: there are not so many people, the sunsets before winter illuminate the city with a very special light and the humid heat of summer in the playa does not harass us during the day.
There is a tradition of honoring establishments that have been part of the city for many years with a plaque on the sidewalk in front of the entrance door: “in recognition of years of service to the city.” This is how bookstoreswatch shops, jewelry stores, hat shops and a host of other stores neighborhood, special for locals, have been recognized with this plaque.
View from the Sant Pau Hospital towards the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia. Photo: Alberto Alcocer (@beco.mx)
Outside of those places that are all over the city, I would personally recommend these:
- 1. Admiral House: One of the oldest places still in operation. Entering this bar is like travelling back to mid-19th century Barcelona, in the Raval district.
- 2. Altaïr Bookstore: one of the most impressive travel bookstores I have ever seen. The shelves are divided into two: above are placed all possible travel guides that exist anywhere in the world; below you find the literature of and about the area. For example, above you find the guides to New York and below the work of the writer Paul Auster; or to Barcelona itself, with the Routard or Lonely Planet, above; and the books of the Shadow of the Wind saga, below.
- 3. The Hospital of Sant Pau It is recognised as the most important work of Catalan modernism, and was not conceived by the genius Antoni Gaudí, but by Lluís Domènech i Montaner. In 1978 it was declared a Historic Artistic Monument and in 1997 a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
- 4. Enter a concert in the majestic Palau de la Música CatalanaBuy tickets in advance to avoid access problems. If there is no show on, opt for a guided tour inside the venue.
Book a guided tour of the Palau de la Música Catalana, a modernist work by the architect Lluís Domènech. Photo: Alberto Alcocer (@beco.mx)
- 5. Barcelona is a place of encounters, of cultures that converge in the same space, and this is not a thing of recent years; it is a fundamental part of Barcelona as a gateway to and from the Mediterranean. An unorthodox, but very honest suggestion is to enjoy the delicacies of the foreign, interpreted by local chefs: the spectacular hamburgers of Foc i Oli in l’Eixample or the curries of Casa Masala a few blocks away; the shawarmas of Cuiner de Damasc; and one of the few restaurants Mexicans abroad that make me feel at home, the Tlaxcal, next to the Mercat del Born. They are all consciously mentioned as reference points for many Barcelonans. They are not upstart tourist traps.
I add one more to this list: the Centre Cultural del Borna space within the Mercat del Born where archaeological finds from the area are presented, representing several centuries of the city’s history, in a space open to the public.
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Those places sought after by tourists but which are part of the essence of the city:
- Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar and then get lost among the alleys of the Barrio Gothic for a day.
- Parc Güell and La Pedrera, both from Antoni Gaudí.
- Saint Pau Hospital.
- Walk of the Plaza Catalunya towards the cathedral via Passeig de l’Angel.
- The Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona (MACBA).
- Montjuïcits castle and the Miró Foundation museum.
- The Basilica of the Holy Familyalso by Gaudí.
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