3 Days in Barcelona

During our annual trip to husband’s hometown in Portugal last year, we planned a short trip to Barcelona, Spain. Arrived late and departed on an early flight, we had only 3 full days in Barcelona: beautiful weather, loved the culture and food, and truly enjoyed the city’s urban design.

La Sagrada Familia

The most famous or iconic attraction of Barcelona must be La Sagrada Familia. Seeing the pictures my parents took the year before was nothing compared to visiting it in person. It was an extraordinary architecture. The construction started back in 1882 by Francisco de Paula del Villar, Gaudí took over as chief architect in 1883. To this date, it still hasn’t finished yet since it was funded by donations only. We chose the self-guided tour with audio recording. Most churches I’ve been to in Europe were grayish, but this one was the most colorful, and most magnificent of all.

Casa Batllo

Located in the center of Barcelona, a masterpiece by Gaudi. A house designed without any straight lines or corners! Colorful mosaic design utilizes the amount of sunlight. I was simply amazed at Gaudi’s creativity and details he put into his work.

Park Guell

After La Sagrada Familia and Cass Batllo, we find Park Guell less overwhelming. This park was originally designed as a commercial housing site, but it could not continue because of various issues. In 1914, it became a park. It’s located on a hill, so it’s a good spot to overlook the city. It was recommended to take bus #24 to get there, since getting off subway station requires a long walk uphill.

La Boqueria Market

I love visiting local markets, although La Boqueria market is more for tourists. They show a lot of culture, people, the city, and the atmosphere. Don’t you just love all these colors? This is why it’s called the most beautiful market in Barcelona. 

Las Ramblas

Other than all the Gaudi architectures, I have to say we love Las Ramblas the most. The streets are so wide, there’s a dedicated lane for scooters, walkers, and small vendors in the middle of the boulevards. It shows you such a positive vibe about the city.

Los Tarantos

When you come to Spain, you cannot miss flamingo dance performance.

Magic Fountain

After walking on Las Ramblas for the afternoon, a delicious paella; and a heart pounding flamingo dance show, we headed to the magic fountain at night.