Hola Barcelona!

Barcelona is quickly becoming one of my favourite cities in Europe to spend my holidays in. It is perfect for a weekend getaway, or a week long trip because there is always something going on there. I love the street art, the food, the nightlife and of course, the beaches! 

In August, we spent 3 days in Barcelona which although short, was so nice to get away to a real beach, ahem Paris Plages!

Paradise in 'Garraf'

Having already experienced Barcelona's city beaches, we wanted to get away from the crowds, so we hopped on a train from 'Passeig de Gracia' for 30 minutes to the town of Sitges. At only 6€ the round trip ticket, it is well worth the trip. 

Sitges has a large esplanade with bars and restaurants and a beach stretching across the length of it. We lay at the beach for a few hours then soaked up the last few rays of sunshine with an 'apero' on a terrace before hopping on a train back to Barcelona in time for dinner.

Sitges Beach 

Passageways in Sitges Village

Cheers!

 The streets of Sitges

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On the way out to Sitges, the train made a stop at a tiny station, with a beach just opposite it. Intrigued by the clifftop bar, we managed to find the name of this station, 'Garraf' and decided to return there the following afternoon. It is on the same train line as Sitges, the stop just before. You arrive on a tiny platform, where you go under and across the road to the beautiful beach, filled with local families. 

 The entrance steps to the beach of Garraf

Looking out over the beach at sunset

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Of course, we didn't just spend our days at the beach while we were in Barcelona, we played tourist with our guests, and sampled the local foodie scene. 

 My sister and I at Park Guell - the hill-top park designed by Gaudi

 Beautiful market squares in the Gothic Quarter

 Barcalona Harbour 

Gaudi's famous mosaic lizard at 'Park Guell'

Barcelona Eats

Brunch y Cake 

A MUST in Barcelona is this little restaurant tucked away in a residential area of Barcelona. It happened to be 1 block from our apartment so we had breakfast/brunch there everyday! 

Price wise it is hard to beat - 5€ pancakes ! 

Brunch y Cake 

Carrer Enric Granados, 19

08007 Barcelona

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Kiosko Burger

Nothing beats a Kiosko Burger. Delicious juicy ecological meat, fresh baked bread and homemade sauces, put them all together and I guarantee you will taste the best burger you’ve ever eaten.

Burger and chips 7-10€

Kiosko Burger

Avinguda del Marquès de l'Argentera, 1 bis

08003 Barcelona

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Cornelia and Co

We stumbled upon this place 2 blocks up from our apartment in the L'Eixample neighbourhood and it looked perfect to try a tapas dinner. We were hesitant to try tapas again because of a misguided Yelp choice our first night. Sometimes the hype isn't worth it and it is so disappointing. But for Cornelia and Co? My instincts were right. 

I would compare Cornelia and Co to Dean & Deluca in NYC. It is part gourmet food shop, part restaurant, part boutique. They serve delicious cocktails and a variety of tapas like grilled octopus, baked eggplant with raw sugar honey, and fried squid. Maybe slightly on the expensive side for tapas, but there is no wait, and we had a great table on the terrace under the fairy lights, which is a nice break from the overcrowded, standing only tapas bars in central Barcelona. 

Cornelia and Co

Carrer de València, 225

08007 Barcelona

If you would like any more recommendations on what to see, drink or eat in Barcelona, feel free to send me an email via the blog or leave a comment!

xx