BOOKED ACTIVITIES
Montserrat Wine Tour - Worth every euro, this was such a fun day; we started with the monastery town at the top of the mountain and then finished with a wine tour at a vineyard nearby; we had a group big enough to get our own guide who ended up plugging us with free shots of the monk’s liquor and dessert bread/chocolate; the wine part was fun too - it was really educational & we got free time at the end to have a glass of wine on their large outdoor terrace; Link here (we did the 7-Hour Full-Day Tour with Tapas & Wine Tasting)
The Paella Club, Paella Cooking Class - Cannot recommend this more! So much fun & the guys that run it are awesome; it was bottomless cava/wine and we got to make/try 8 different paellas among 16 of us; they have you sit at a big long table with everyone after you're done with making the paellas, and you get to sample Catalan appetizers while the paellas are cooking; Link here
Park Güell & La Sagrada Familia Tour - You can find ones together or separate; we did one that was combined so it was 4 hours, but it went really fast; our guide was awesome and knowledgeable, and we got to see a lot; my dad booked this through Trip Advisor, Link here
Freixenet Cava Wine Tour - We did this as an official program activity; this was a really cool experience, & they have a really nice patio out front where you can sit afterward & try their different cavas
SIGHTSEEING
Bunkers del Carmel - Must come here at least once; these are old military bunkers that have been converted into a lookout spot to hang out at with an amazing view of the entire city; it's a bit of a hike, but there is an option to take a taxi up most of the way; bring wine up here for sunset - absolutely incredible
Sagrada Familia - Duh; cool to look out from the outside, but it's definitely worth booking a tour to see the inside and have someone pointing out and explaining things
Park Güell - Really famous & a must-do; fun to walk around, especially with a guide who can explain the history since the backstory of its creation is super interesting
Casa Botlló - This is one of Gaudi’s famous works with the Sagrada Familia & Park Güell, and it's a self-guided audio tour inside - really cool experience; definitely worth doing
Montjuïc - Lots & lots to see up here: all of the Olympic facilities from 1992, the Montjuïc castle (there’s a cable car to get there, really cool view), the Joan Miró Museum, and the Catalonia National Art Museum; fun to walk around up here and explore it, and the National Art Museum is spectacular
Left: The telecommunications tower built for the 1992 Olympics, meant to look like the Olympic torch | Center: The Catalonia National Art Museum | Right: My parents in the Montjuïc cable car
Museu Picasso - Picasso spent a lot of his younger years in Barcelona, so this museum is a lot about his early work and career development, not a collection of his famous stuff; heard it’s still really cool to check out though
Moco Art Museum - Modern art museum with lots of cool stuff to see here; most of my friends aren’t art lovers and we still really enjoyed it; worth checking out, especially for the room of mirrors & LED diamonds (pictured below)
Parc de Ciutadella - This park was right near my school so we walked near it/through it often; it’s an absolutely beautiful park, especially the area around the big fountain monument; it’s like Barcelona’s version of Central Park
Mont Tibidabo - Kind of a hike to get to but there’s a funicular that will take you straight to the top, otherwise you can taxi; there’s a whole amusement park up there and a massive church with a replica of the huge iconic Jesus statue that's in Rio de Janeiro; there is an incredible view of the city from up here, best to go at sunset
DAYTRIPS
Sitges - A seaside beach town just 40 minutes south of Barcelona; really quaint and pretty; can take the Renfe train from the Passeig de Gracia metro stop for just ~4€ each way
VIVERO - Awesome rooftop bar; went here at sunset & it was incredible
Restaurante Sitges Bon Estar - Amazing paella & salads
Girona - Old Roman city where a lot of Game of Thrones was filmed; all of the old buildings have been perfectly preserved so it’s like stepping back in time; definitely don’t need a lot of time here but it was really cool to see
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