Urban hiking Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona has everything. Beaches, historical buildings, ancient ruins, world class restaurants, the list can go on and on. With it being both a working hub and vacation spot, it is very busy, and very expensive, but well worth effort and patience. With so many buildings, museums, and parks to visit, I like to take one day, just to wander and look around. It is a planned wander, but still a wander all the same. By not having any particular place to be, you can see the area and target things that looked like you would want to purchase tickets online and go inside to check it out. Tickets into buildings, like everything, are costly, so picking and choosing can be important. When available, the “skip-the-line” tickets are something to seriously consider. They can save a great deal of time. Our hotel was close to, but not right on the beach at the AC Barcelona. That gave us easy access to the city and the beaches. We were able to walk most everywhere and when our feet were tired, hop on the Metro to get around. Tickets for the Metro can be easily purchased at all stations at self-service kiosks with a credit card. They have multiple languages that you can place the screen prompts in to make it easier to follow. If you feel more comfortable, you can also purchase a “Hola Barcelona Travel Card” which gives access to basically all transport unlimited. We were not sure if we would get our money's worth going that route because we planned on doing a lot of walking, so we opted for the pay as you go route, which worked fine for us. My favorite part on our approximately 9-10 mile hike was La Rambla and the La Boqueria Market. All of the sights, sounds, and smells were amazing. It is free to get in and has an open market atmosphere. The one building that, in my opinion, should absolutely be seen inside is Casa Batlló. It is otherworldly inside and the roof is something you would think could only exist in a fantasy novel. This one, I would say, yes! Worth the expense. Sagrada Familia…I really did not enjoy it. Maybe I had my expectations too high. It was unique and beautiful in an odd way, but the crush of crowds made it difficult to enjoy. I guess going inside once is an experience, but once I had seen it, I would not want to go back like Casa Batlló.
AC Barcelona Hotel:
This is right next to an outdoor concert venue. When there is a concert going on, you can sit at their rooftop bar/restaurant/pool, grab a drink and enjoy. My favorite drink was their Papa Tiki.
www.marriott.c...
Metro passes: “Hola Barcelona Travel Card”
www.tmb.cat/en...
Do you need cash?
We didn’t bring or exchange any cash. We didn’t need it. Most everywhere takes credit card. We typically take two kinds of credit cards. One to use, and one as back-up in case our main card gets compromised and we have to cancel it while on the trip.
Favorite free spot:
La Rambla and the La Boqueria Market. We did not buy anything, just wandered and took in all the sights, but the fruit slushies seemed to be the most popular and people I talked to said they were fresh and fantastic. There are small alleys all over to go down and explore. We felt very safe. Of course, it is a tourist area, so there are scammers and pickpockets, but just take normal precautions of your bag at your front to decrease the opportunity to be targeted.
If you only have time for one thing…Casa Batlló:
www.casabatllo...
Children under 12 are free!! Young and old will love this building. It is important not to run right through it. Take your time. Really, really, see what you're looking at and use the audio guide included with admission. It keeps you on track and slows you down so you can take everything in.
Sagrada Familia:
sagradafamilia...
It was interesting. I think I had my expectations too high or something, because I just really did not enjoy Sagrada as much as I thought I would. It is possible the crowds were off putting, I really can’t place a finger on why I didn’t enjoy this “must see” place. I think if I had the opportunity to do it all over, I would actually like to attend mass on either Saturday evening or Sunday morning. Entrance for mass is free and entry is on the Nativity Facade. More information on attending services is located on the official website.
Food:
www.internacio...
We brought our lunch while hiking, but ate at the Internacional Restaurant and Bar for dinner. It was easy to get to with plenty of bright festive seating. The menu was in multiple languages and there was a variety of choices of food items and appetizers to accommodate most anyone. I splurged and had a Mojito. No regrets, it was delicious! Happy travels!

[@Unruffledbird]

Beautiful filming-very professional with great accompanying music! Truly a lovely & relaxing tour

[@JesterOTL]

Love the music as well…you can walk for miles and just people watch

[@travlinfam]

@@Unruffledbird Thank you! Barcelona was amazing just walking around and seeing the architecture!!