5 Reasons You Should Holiday in Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona in Spain is an excellent vacation destination for tourists because of its rich history, places of attraction, museums, churches and sunny beaches. Here are five top reasons tourists flock to Barcelona in large numbers.

1. To Enjoy the Great Weather and Beaches -The sun shines in Barcelona for most of the year, and the best time to visit Barcelona is during the months of May, June, July, August and September. Moreover, Barcelona has miles of attractive coastline and plenty of sunny beaches, the most famous of which are Barceloneta Beach, Icaria Beach, Mar Bella Beach and the Sitges Beach.

2. To See the Sagrada Familia by Antonio Gaudi – The Sagrada Familia, designed by Antonio Gaudi, is still under construction. Tourists can visit the place where Gaudi has been laid to rest and view the museum, which relates the tale of this master architect and the history of Sagrada Familia. Although exhausting to climb, the towers of the church present a splendid view of the entire city.

3. Visit the Barcelona FC Museum - Barcelona FC Museum, which attracts over 1,000,000 tourists per year, is a place that football fans simply should not skip; even people who do not like football can have a great time touring this monument. Tourists can purchase a ticket to the museum and view the stadium or they can buy a ticket, which permits them not only to view the museum, but also the changing rooms, press conference zones, VIP lounges and other interesting spots. The museum has on display trophies, statues and pictures of great football stars.Learn about buying FC Barcelona football tickets.

4. Make trip to the Barcelona Zoo - Barcelona Zoo, located in Parc de la Ciutadella, is a great attraction for animal lovers. Tourists can first visit the Ciutadella Park and then go to the zoo, which shelters a wide range of animals. Besides the animals, the Barcelona Zoo presents a restaurant, a shop, ponies, picnic area, electric cars and a mini-train. In other words, the zoo can keep the entire family happy and amused for hours.

5. Watch the Magic Fountain - Constructed in 1929 for the Universal Exhibition on Montjuic, the fountain springs to life during summer events and draws huge crowds of excited tourists. The shows which last for 15 minutes each are a delightful blend of lights, music and water. During the shows, the Palau National is also brilliantly lit. The Magic Fountain springs to life every half an hour, and the best time to view it, is in the evenings.

Barcelona’s Shopping Hubs

Barcelona is often described as ‘un gran botiga’ (one big shop!) and that’s not far off the mark. The standard of shopping here, from big name luxury boutiques to small artisan shops is astounding. Add to that two great sale seasons (July-August and January-March) when the discounts can often start at 50% and you see why visitors often return with their credit cards slightly worse for wear. To help you on your way, here are some of the city’s best shopping hubs.

Portal de l’ Angel

This wide pedestrian strip right in the city centre is equivalent to a (very long) British high street. Here you will find all the now-global Spanish brands (Zara,, Mango etc), a frightening number of shoe shops, as well as leatherwear and sporting goods stores. If there is anything you can’t find head to the giant El Corte Ingles department store at the northern end.

El Born

A bit like Covent Garden (or at least how it used to be) the tiny streets of the El Born district hold a cornucopia of fashion and design junkie fixes. You’ll see loads of designer-run boutiques, some fabulous homeware stores, quirky shoes and bags and a couple of big names such as the Swiss furniture company Vitra.

Passeig de Grácia

With its architecture by Gaudí and florid pavement tiles, the Passeig de Grácia is Barcelona’s most elegant avenue. Fitting then that is hosts the city’s biggest name boutiques: Gucci, Chanel, Vuitton, Loewe et al are all here. But at its southern end you’ll find more everyday brands such as H&M and Zara.

Raval

Shopping in the Raval is an eclectic mix of century-old mom and pop stores, cutting edge art and design (particularly around the MACBA museum) and gourmet shops near the Boqueria market. For something really different, head to the Calle Riera Baixa, Barcelona’s retro clothing hub. On Saturdays retailers wheel racks into the street, selling stock at bargain prices.

Cooling off in Barcelona’s Pools

As summer temperatures rise, every one is looking for a place to cool off. Barcelona’s municipal pools offer an alternative to the beach, where you can swim like an Olympic champion or splash around in the shallows of a converted quarry.

Piscinas Bernat Picornell, Avinguda de l'Estadi 30-38 - This is where the swimming events for the 1992 Olympic Games took place. A sleek 50-metre outdoor pool awaits you high up on the verdant hill of Montjuïc, where the air is generally a few degrees cooler than the steamy city below. There is also a smaller indoor pool that is taken over by the local nudist club on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons!

Piscinas Municipal Montjuïc, Avinguda Miramar, 31 - Located almost opposite the Piscinas Bernat Picornell, this was another Olympic-venue pool. It was used for the diving events and affords sweeping views of the city below. These days its mainly frequented by children and families and has a bar area where adults can chill.

Club Natació de la Barceloneta, Plaça del Mar s/n - Located right on the shore at Barceloneta, this pool has a beach vibe and Mediterranean vistas! There are three pools: a 25-metre outdoor pool and children’s pool (both surrounded by a terrace dotted with sunbeds) and an indoor pool with large glass windows overlooking the sea.

Parc de la Creueta del Coll, Pg. Mare de Déu del Coll, 77 - This is probably the most unusual pool you will ever come to. It is located inside the Parc de la Creueta del Coll, a public park that occupies a former quarry. In between two cliff-like walls hangs a massive claw-like sculpture by the prolific Basque artist Eduardo Chillida. But the biggest attraction is a large a splash pool which is hugely popular with local children in the summer months.

Getting your Chocolate Hit in Barcelona

Chocolate and Barcelona may not seem like an obvious pairing, but chocolate addicts will be pleased to know that there is s long history of chocolate-making in Catalunya, and local chocolate makers are some of the most respected in Europe.

When people think Spanish chocolate they generally think chocolate con churros: a cup of think dark drinking chocolate accompanied by thin, tube-like donuts. Although popular in Madrid, they are hard to find in Barcelona (especially outside the winter months) except at the emblematic Café de la Opera (Las Ramblas 74), a fin de siècle café that generally has them all year round. Instead you could opt for a suizo—a wicked cup of steaming chocolate or a Cacaolat, a light hot chocolate that comes in a bottle. Both are sold at the charming Granja Viader (C/ d'En Xuclá 4).

Barcelona’s vibrant design scene has made a happy marriage with chocolate making. For the funkiest packaging try Xocoa (shops all over the city) and for the most exquisite elaboration, head to Bubó in the hip Born neighbourhood (C / Caputxes 10).

Further afield in the upscale residential neighbourhood of Sarriá, world-renowned pastry and chocolate maker Oriol Balaguer has a minimalist chocolate boutique (Plaça Sant Gregori Taumaturg 2) where products are displayed with the reverence of fine jewellery (with prices almost to match). More down to earth is the Museu de Xocolata (Plaça Pons I Clerch, S/N, also in El Born) where you can find out all about the history of chocolate in Spain, and enjoy a treat in the museum’s café after the visit

Eating Tapas in Barcelona

Most people come to Spain with the idea that paella and tapas is available everywhere. This is only partly true; many purists would argue that the only place to eat paella is Valencia - where the dish was invented – and without doubt the great tapas capitals are in the south.

That said, there are bars in Barcelona that serve great tapas, albeit spread out over the city as opposed the ‘tapas streets’ that are a feature of many other Spanish cities. Here are a few of my favourites:

• Cervecería Catalana, Mallorca, 236 - This hectically busy, buzzing place tempts you in with a bar laden mountains of deep fried seafood, grilled gambas (prawns) and classic tapas concoctions such as Russian salad and patatas bravas.


• Taller de Tapas, Placa Sant Josep Oriol, 9 - For some of the best Barcelona food including tapas for the novice, this is one the best bets. You can order from a menu (as opposed to pointing and shouting) and if still in doubt the multilingual staff with guide you through it. Although it may look slightly touristy the tapas served here is actually of very high quality.


• Euskal Etxea, Placeta Montcada, 1-3 - Pintxos, or the Basque-style of tapas are on offer here. Pintxos are bite-sized snacks generally served on a small round on bread, held together with a toothpick. Help yourself but don’t throw the toothpicks away- the bar staff uses them to tally up your bill.


• Bodega La Palma, La Palma de Sant Just, 7 - Not tapas exactly but torrades, the Catalan version. Here you’ll find pa amb tomàquet (rustic bread topped with tomato pulp) topped with all sorts of local cheese and charcuterie.

Day Trips from Barcelona

As wonderful as the city of Barcelona is, sometimes you need to escape the crowds, especially as the tourist season reaches full swing. Here are a few suggestions for getting out of the Ciudad Condal on public transport.

About 30 minutes south of the city, Sitges is one of the most popular beach resorts, and not only with the international gay community. Fine stretches of sand, a pretty whitewashed old town and plenty of good bars and restaurants make Sitges and ideal place for families as well. Trains leave about every half hour from Sants and Pg de Gràcia stations.

Montserrat is an incredible mountain made of rock that eerily looms up over the Catalan countryside. Walking here is incredible but natural assets aside the Montserrat is also deemed the ‘spiritual heart of Catalonia’. An enormous monastery is nestled on its upper peeks, where people come to pay respects to La Moreneta, or the black effigy of the Virgin Mary, which dates from the 12th century. There are regular trains from Espanya station to the foot of the mountain, from where you can take either a funicular or cable car to the top (for the latter make sure you disembark at the ‘Montserrat Aeri’ station).

Collserolla is an expansive, natural park that cradles Barcelona over gently rolling hills. One of the most popular routes, particularly for cyclists, is the Carretera de les Aigües that you can reach by getting off at the Peu de Funicular station on the FGC train network.

The Catalan Valentine

It’s coming up to one of the most the most magical days in Barcelona. Locally, it’s simply known as ‘La Diada de Saint Jordi’, internationally as ‘International Book Day’ and casually as the ‘Catalan St. Valentine’s’. The truth is that all are pretty much correct. But first a bit of background.

Saint Jordi (or George) is the patron Saint of Catalunya and his designated Saint’s day is April 23rd. By a happy coincidence, this is also the day Shakespeare and Miguel Cervantes (writer of the classic Spanish epic Don Quixote) died.

A red rose, the symbol of the dragon-slayer’s bravery, has traditionally been given to girlfriends, mothers and female lovers on this day. But back in the 1920s, a local bookseller decided to get a bit of leverage out of the literary connection to the date, and soon women retaliated their gift of a rose with one of a book to their boyfriends/fathers/lovers.

Given all this activity, UNESCO then stepped in and declared April 23rd the ‘International Day of the Book’ though its certainly not celebrated with as much zeal anywhere as it is in Barcelona.
From early morning onwards, rose sellers set up stalls along the streets, washing them in vivid red colour, and the distinctive red and gold striped Catalan flag waves everywhere.

Booksellers also set up stalls, particularly along the Las Ramblas and the Passeig de Gràcia. Most of all, and particularly in the early evening, people just come out to enjoy their city, lovers to give each other their special gifts and whole families revelling in the warm, dappled light of Barcelona in the springtime.