May-June 2022 | Our itinerary
We actually visited Barcelona 3 times in a little under 3 weeks because it was basically our home base during all of our travels.
First stop in Barcelona:
Our first trip to Barcelona was when we flew from Dallas to Philadelphia to London (read more about this unplanned stop in our upcoming cruise blog post) and then finally to Barcelona. Unfortunately with our delayed flights we weren’t in Barcelona as early in the day as we had planned so we really weren’t able to do much.
After hopping off the plane, finding our bags, and grabbing a taxi, about 20 minutes later we finally arrived at our Airbnb. It was the cutest little apartment overlooking the city with giant windows and lots of open space, perfect for what we needed! Once we freshened up & unpacked what we needed, we walked along the streets to the Plaza Catalunya to find some dinner. This area had tons of options for food, drinks, and shopping and all stayed open fairly late. After walking about 15 or so minutes we finally decided on eating at Vapiano. This delicious Italian restaurant offered endless options of pizza, pasta, and wine + had a super unique serving style. Upon entering you are given a card (almost like a hotel room key) to use as your form of a tab. Then you walked up to eat “buffet style” area to tell the chiefs what you wanted. They then proceeded to make it fresh right in front of you! It was such a neat experience + some of the most delicious food we’ve ever had (and not to mention their Aperol Spritz). After filling ourselves to the brim with pizza and pasta, we walked back to our Airbnb to catch some z’s before our big day boarding the Norwegian Cruise Line ship for our Mediterranean cruise!
The next morning we got up, grabbed some coffee from a local cafe, & packed up to head out. Even though we only got to spend one night in Barcelona we absolutely fell in love with the beauty and charm of the old city and couldn’t wait to come back later on our trip to explore some more!
Second stop in Barcelona:
On our second time in Barcelona unfortunately we didn’t have time to go anywhere besides the airport. Barcelona is where our NCL cruise started and ended but once we got off the ship that morning we had to go straight to the airport to head to Athens, Greece (more to come on this trip soon!). However, we can speak to our experiences in the Barcelona airport because one we spent a lot of time there collectively over our 3 week vacation and two there are some important things to note while traveling internationally.
First off, our time in the airport was amazing! Super great staff + a clean airport, with tons of food & shopping options. Some important things to know before you go:
If you are carrying on any liquids they require you to take them out in place them in small plastic baggies (we recommend checking any/all liquids).
Most things are written in Spanish but plenty of the workers speak English so just ask for help.
The lines may seem long but everything is super efficient so don’t fret!
When flying internationally we highly recommend using Iberia Airlines.
Don’t use the currency exchange at the airport unless absolutely necessary (the exchange rate is much more expensive).
Third stop in Barcelona:
Our third stop in Barcelona was our longest and most eventful stop. After spending a week in Greece we flew from Santorini to Athens and then to Barcelona for 24 hours before making the long trek home to Dallas. We landed around 10am, grabbed our bags, and headed to our hotel. Fortunately upon our arrival to Hotel Denit, they informed us our room was ready so after a super quick check-in process, we headed up to drop off our bags & start exploring the city! But before we could do anything, at the time we were required to get a negative Covid test prior to re-entering the U.S. Luckily there are testing areas everywhere in Barcelona which made the process super quick & easy. After getting our negative tests, we walked to Bodega La Palma to grab some tasty lunch! In Barcelona bodegas are super popular as are tapas restaurants. So of course at lunch we had to try a ton of different, authentic items on the menu to help us get the full experience. After eating our hearts out with tons of delicious food, we decided to walk it off a bit and happened to stumble upon Dolceria de la Colmena. After grabbing some tasty treats, we hopped in a taxi and headed to our next site to see!
Camp Nou was about a 20 minute taxi ride from the area we were staying in but wasn’t bad at all. Once there we had to talk to a couple different people because we had pre-purchased our tickets online for the first day of our trip. *Traveling pro-tip: never book an excursion on the day of travel because likely there will be delays, hiccups, or bumps in the road!* Luckily after some smooth talking we were able to convince them to accept our tickets & let us tour the facility. The first part of the tour is through their museum showcasing all of their trophies, jerseys, and stats. Afterwards it takes you to the stands to see the entire view of the stadium + field. Next you walk down through the away team’s locker room, press room, and then the tunnel to get on the field. After reading all about FC Barcelona and taking pictures along the way we ended the tour in the gift shop. Afterwards we grabbed some tasty + refreshing drinks, then grabbed a taxi back to our hotel to rest a bit before dinner.
After taking a quick cat nap, we freshened up and made our way to dinner. We ate at Ramen Dou which was at the end of the alleyway from our hotel. What grabbed our attention and made us want to eat here were all of the neon signs. Once inside the vibe, atmosphere, & food made it even more worth it! After enjoying our tasty meals, we walked over to La Sagrada Familia. Warning this was quite the hike from where we were staying (about 40 minutes) but exploring the city on foot was one of our favorite things about Barcelona so the walk was more than worth it! When we got to La Sagrada it was close to sunset so we got to see the building in its full glory. The sun was reflecting off the building just right to show all the detail and craftsmanship that went into creating it. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to go inside but seeing the outside was truly breathtaking! After admiring the beautiful architecture we wanted to grab one last drink to commemorate our trip. Unfortunately the place we wanted to go requires reservations (Hotel Ayre Rosello) so instead we walked around until we found this cute pub. Scobies Irish Pub was the perfect spot to grab a beer, watch some soccer, and relax in preparation for our long journey home!
Where to stay
This is the Airbnb we stayed in during our first night in Barcelona at the beginning of our trip! It slept 6, had 2 spacious bathrooms with an open concept kitchen and living room. There were 2 bedrooms and 1 pull out couch with big windows that opened to overlook the city. Easy access to get in while also very secure + great location near all the restaurants and shops. Couldn’t recommend this Airbnb enough if you are headed to Barcelona with a larger group!
This is the hotel we stayed in during our last night in Barcelona at the end of our trip! Another great stay in a close by area to the Airbnb we stayed at during the beginning of our trip. It was located just off the main road down an alleyway that was super safe & well lit. This was a very compact hotel + room but was exactly what we needed for 1 night with only 2 people. All the staff was super friendly and accommodating + they had a sweet treat bar in the lobby!
Where to eat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Drinks
What to do
*things we did
xo,
the stegalls
Be sure to check out our reel by clicking on the image below!!
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