A long weekend in Barcelona

What a lovely time I had in gorgeous Barcelona this month! With my husband running the marathon there, it was the perfect opportunity to make a long weekend of it. From the Gaudi architecture, incredible museums & a wealth of restaurants,cafes & bars to discover, its impossible to be bored here.

Getting there

We flew with Vueling from London Gatwick, our flight departed later than scheduled but otherwise the experience was a smooth one. I was surprised that on arrival, we were asked to remain in our seats until our rows were called to get off the plane. Rows 1 to 5, rows 6 to 10 went smoothly however by row 15, it was a free for all with everyone else leaping up. If I'm honest, I'm not sure how I feel about the approach - does it really make it more efficient? I'd love to hear what you thought if you've experienced this.

Once we picked up our luggage, we made our way to the Aerobus stop. We booked our tickets in advance so were a bit dismayed to see a long queue waiting for the bus. We did have to wait a little while as it was rush hour, but then a couple of buses appeared & we were on our way.

Our hotel

Our hotel the El Avendia Palace hotel was in a great location, a few minutes walk from the bus stop. This lovely hotel was impressive with its golden staircases & chandelier, it may be a bit dated for some but we loved the character & classical style. Our room was a good size (we opted for an upgrade for a bit of extra space), we liked the Nespresso machine in our room but our view over a courtyard was a little uninspiring. Our black out curtains & room location meant that it was pretty dark & quiet at night making for great sleep.

The view from the rooftop was stunning, we could see all of the city & the surrounding hills. There is a little pool & a bar operates in the summer months, which I imagine will be very popular but on a morning in March, we had the rooftop to ourselves.

Eating

We enjoyed the tasty breakfast at the hotel, it was a really relaxed affair with plenty of choice. If you love your full english though, you may be a bit disappointed however the spanish omelette, gorgeous mini muffins & pastries, and the yoghurt pots with fruit compote were amazing. I treated myself to a complimentary bellini on Sunday morning, whilst my husband was running the marathon.

Dinner plans were taken care off for our first night. We were meeting my niece (who is studying there) & she'd booked a table at a gorgeous tapas restaurant, the Alegoria. It was about a 10 min walk, tucked away in a little alleyway. The food was amazing, we had a selection of cold & hot tapas & everything we had was delicious. I thoroughly recommend this little gem, book ahead to make sure you get a table.

Barcelona Sights

Enquire to plan your Barcelona adventure.

The Marathon

The start was 1 min walk from our hotel, so I went to watch the start & as soon as I came out of our hotel, the buzzy atmosphere of excitement was palpable as 27,000 runners lined up. I did manage to see my husband 3 or 4 times on the route but enjoyed cheering on the other runners too. How did my husband do? He did really well & beat his last marathon time (a decade ago) by 7 mins. Very proud!

What else did we do?

We walked up to the stunning National Art Gallery, in its lofty position overlooking the city & then on to the Olympic arena where Barcelona Football Club are currently playing. Many people were taking the cable car down which I imagine would be great, we chose to walk down instead.

We spent a great afternoon wandering the boutiques, gift shops & art galleries in the gothic quarter before stopping for coffee & cakes in a little cafe. On our last day, we visited some of the most famous of Gaudi sights - Sagrada Familia, Casa Mira (La Pedrera), Casa Batllo & admired them all from the outside on this occasion. We will definitely be going back though as we'd love to go in next time.

Here are my top 3 tips when visiting Barcelona

Take the Aerobus

I recommend taking the Aerobus from the airport, its quick, efficient & cheaper than a taxi.
We booked our tickets online before we left the UK however there were plenty of machines available on arrival.

Book ahead!

If you want to visit any of the top sights, go online & book your timeslot in advance. For Sagrada Familia, there is no option to buy tickets there - you have to buy online.
Book restaurants ahead too particularly if you are travelling at weekends or during the peak summer months. Its also recommended if you want to eat at a particular restaurant.

Explore on foot

I love exploring cities on foot, its the best way to discover the different areas & its just as true in Barcelona. We loved discovering new cafes, little boutiques & more amazing architecture.