Barcelona was one of my first solo travel destinations. I read that it was actually one of the most popular solo travel destinations in Europe and decided to give it a go. I haven’t been to Spain before and I was looking forward to experiencing a little bit of the culture (as much as you can experience in such a big city). I read a lot of articles and blogs while I was preparing my itinerary. I wanted to do the most popular touristic sites, such as Sagrada Familia and Park Güell but I also wanted to find some places with less people, so I spent quite a lot of time working on my travel plan.
When I arrived at the airport, I couldn’t find the Uber stand. I walked around and asked some people but didn’t find anyone who could help me. After a while, I decided to take a regular taxi which would be more expensive, but I was annoyed and wanted to finally go to the city. The taxi driver talked constantly which was funny as his English wasn’t very good. I would have preferred to take a nap as I had to wake up very early, but he wouldn’t let me. Luckily, it didn’t take us long to get to the hotel. It was a small boutique hotel in El Born, just a few minutes’ walk from the Arc de Triomf.
It was a perfect location as it was close to the metro station and walking distance to the Parc de la Ciutadella and the beach. And this is where I spent most of my first day in Barcelona.
Parc de la Ciutadella is a green oasis in the city center with various attractions and museums. It’s a great but unpractical place, as there are tiny stones and sand on the paths and when it’s windy you get the sand everywhere. Tip from my experience – wear sunglasses 🙂 The park is dominated by Cascada - a fountain with waterfall. It’s a very impressive construction but when you climb to the top you will be surprised by strong stench of urine – nothing pleasant. But the views were worth it! It was a hot and windy day and I enjoyed being lightly sprayed by water when I came closer to the basin. Once you enjoyed the park, you can walk to the sea as it’s not that far away or walk back to the Arc de Triomf, take a metro and head to the city.
Sagrada Familia is a must go place in Barcelona. It’s like you haven’t even been to the city if you haven’t visited Sagrada yet – just kidding. I must admit that I only wanted to go there to tick it off my list, but I loved it at the end. Make sure you get the tickets online in advance as there is almost 0 chance that you will be able to purchase them the same day – yes, it’s that popular. The exterior of Sagrada is not the most spectacular in my opinion. I have seen much more beautiful buildings already and it’s not even finished yet but wait until you get inside. It is stunning!
The east side of the church has windows with cold colors and the interior of the basilica turns blue/green in the morning. The west side has windows with warm colors and the basilica turns yellow/orange in the afternoon. Some parts are almost red late in the afternoon. I was sitting there and staring at the stained glass windows for ages. It was mesmerizing. There were so many people around me, but I didn’t care and simply enjoyed the moment.
(these photos are not edited)
There is so much to learn about this place and you should make sure to take the audio guide with you as you will get to hear many interesting details and you will also learn about some hidden symbols in the construction. Gaudí planned all tiny details of the basilica and everything is in its place for a reason. He truly was a master in his field! And I can’t recommend visiting Sagrada Familia enough!
Another place that I have visited is Park Güell. It is located in a residential area of Barcelona and it looks very different to what you would see back in the city center. I took the longer route and didn’t realize that I had to walk for so long until I would get to the park. Next time, I would choose another route as it’s not the prettiest part of Barcelona.
Gaudí was supposed to create an estate for well-off families in a large property that Güell acquired. Today, it serves as a leisure area for locals as well as tourists. This was probably the busiest site that I visited in Barcelona. Of course, I would recommend you visiting this place as it’s one of the most popular sites in Barcelona, but I must admit that I didn’t enjoy it that much. It was much smaller than I expected and there was a large ongoing construction work, so we couldn’t visit all parts. I did enjoy the garden, but the architecture didn’t impress me that much. And it was too hot and very crowded.
If you would be looking for a place with less tourists, then you would love Hospital de Sant Pau. It’s just a couple of minutes walk from Sagrada Familia but it’s like a completely different world. It’s a large and quiet hospital complex which was functioning until 2009. Today, it serves as a museum. I didn’t have this site in my itinerary and found it on my way from Sagrada (when I visited it for the first time and was naive enough to think that there would be some tickets available). As I didn’t have anything else planned for that day I simply walked around and saw this museum.
The hospital was founded in 1401 and designed by Gaudí’s mentor. He was concerned not only about designing an efficient hospital, but he also wanted to create a space that would heal both the body and the soul of the patient. And let me tell you that he was successful. It’s a peaceful place with many orange trees, lavender bushes, and birds chirping above your head. It’s hard to believe that this complex used to be a hospital. The architecture of the buildings and the level of details inside of them is breath taking. You should hurry up and visit it before it gets discovered by others!
I was so distracted by the beauty around me that I almost stole a mobile phone from a guy who was sitting next to me. It was an honest mistake as I took the phone that was on a bench next to me and left. It took me just a few seconds to realize that it wasn’t mine. That guy was quite amused as he understood that it was a mistake.
Barcelona is a great city and I enjoyed it a lot. I’ve been planning to visit it again and I hope that I will manage to go there soon with my husband.
Thank you for reading!
Cheers!
Martina