Barcelona Journals

6 Days in Barcelona

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An April 2012 trip to Barcelona by Joy S

Sagrada Familia - a work in progress Photo - Barcelona, Spain More Photos
Quote: We spent 6 days in lovely Barcelona just after Easter, staying near the Barri Gotic and exploring this great city by the sea.

Overview and Highlights

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Story/Tip

Sagrada Familia - a work in progress Photo - Barcelona, Spain
Quote:
Barcelona is a great destination for a short break. It is the capital of Catalonia, a region with its own language, character and history. It is on the Mediterranean Sea and is quirky, cosmopolitan and a very cool place. The city is full of life.Barcelona is actually set on a plain which rises gently from the sea up to the wooded hills behind the city. It is one of the busiest ports in the Mediterranean and is Spain's most cosmopolitan city. The restaurants and bars are busy all year round and the seaside is packed in summer.We just loved all the buildings in the city and the architecture is varied and fascinating. The old centre of Barcelona has one of the greatest concentrations of...Read More
Wonderful view of the Pyrenees from the plane Photo - Barcelona, Spain
Quote:
* There is no shortage of flights to Barcelona, including low cost flights from lots of airports, both main and regional. We flew on a scheduled Monarch flight from the UK and found it to be perfect. On the flight, we sat on the left hand side of the cabin and got the most incredible views of the snow capped Pyrenees on the way to Barcelona.* El Prat airport is 12km southwest of the city and has options for fast, easy travel to the centre. There are express buses, trains and taxis. Some budget airlines fly to Girona Airport 80km away with connecting buses to Barcelona. We flew to El Prat airport. We took a taxi when we arrived - the driver was a a bit of a crazy driver, we held our b...Read More

Tips and Hints - General

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Story/Tip

Quote:
* The Mediterranean climate means that Barcelona is rarely uncomfortably cold, even in winter. It can though be very hot and humid in the summertime. Early summer and autumn are the ideal times to visit, especially May to June and September to October. In winter, days are crisp but often sunny and snow is rare. Most rainfall is in April. We found this to be true during our visit. It rained a couple of days, but actually did not feel unpleasant as the temperatures were still warm. July and August are very hot and humid - even at night. We visited in the past in July and had rainfall then too, so you never know. It does work though year around as a family break destination. If you do schedule ...Read More

Eating and Drinking

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Story/Tip

Chocolate Photo - Barcelona, Spain
Quote:
There is all sorts of food to try in Barcelona - the choice is wonderful.Anyone with a taste for chocolate will be in seventh heaven. The chocolate shops which you will find absolutely everywhere, are filled with chocolate in imaginative shapes. We saw everything from ships, houses, ferris wheels, trains, Barcelona football things and even Spongebob Squarepants. Be sure to try the hot chocolate and churros. Apparently the best shops for hot chocolate are Granja Viader and Chocolateria Valor (Calle Tapineria 10). However, if you just try the hot chocolate in your neighbourhood, it will be good - that was what we found anyway!The pastries are also delightful in Barcelona. In every bake...Read More

Grand Hotel Central

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Hotel

Grand Hotel Central - 1920's office conversion Photo - Grand Hotel Central, Barcelona, Spain
Quote:
We found this hotel on the internet and booked a couple of months in advance through a discount hotel booking website. It worked very well for us, we got a good discount on the quoted price and were really pleased with the accommodation.The hotel is avant garde and is a1920's office conversion. It is located between Santa Caterina Market and the cathedral and they say it is one of the latest fashionable places to hit Barcelona. The rooms are spacious and were designed by a prestigious local design team.Our room was 406. We arrived before midday and it wasn't ready, but they stored our luggage and we were able to check in when we got back just after 2pm.We were v...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on April 18, 2012

Grand Hotel Central
Vía Layetana, 30
Barcelona 08003
+34 93 295 79 00

About the Writer

Joy S

Joy S
Manchester, United Kingdom

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