We created this section in our blog for our friends visiting this beautiful and lively city: Barcelona
This page is in English as we had to realize that actually more people speak English than Hungarian (yet), and even many Hungarians speak English anyway. (Now you could ask why we did not choose German or French...) When there is a link to our blog-posts, that will lead you to stories in Hungarian...
(elnézést minden magyar ismerősünktől aki még nem tud angolul - érdemes megtanulni!)
Information here is not updated on daily bases but we'll try to always make sure that the changes out there are reflected as much as possible (eg: prices or opening hours). Our suggestions are reflecting our taste and cultural values.
You can find the main Barcelona sights by district and some price information if you click here.
Weekend city-break
If you come to spend here just one or two days, here is the itinerary we would recommend (details of the sights are here).
Day 1
Start your day with a coffee and croissant in one of the close walking areas (Passeig del Born, Port Olimpic, Passeig Gaudi, Rambla Catalunya) and when you have your breakfast completed, head off to the Sagrada Familia which gets very crowded around mid-day so it is best to visit in the morning. Audioguides are avaialble in English and it worth to get one. If you're fit to walk a lot when you finish walk up on the Passeig Gaudi until you reach the Hospital de Sant Pau which is a Unesco world heritage building so you don't need to have an accident in order to get in (it is a working hospital even today). If you have nice weather just go down to the Port Olimpic, have a drink or an Ice Cream in Farggi and stroll up to the ex-fishing village of Barceloneta by the shoreline. If you happen to stop to enjoy the sunshine and the sea don't worry as it is part of the Barcelona experience. When you arrive to Barceloneta it might be already around lunch-time so here you go: have some tapas for starter than a Paella or a Cod with Alioli (Bacalá con al i oli) in one of the restarant terraces on the promenade.
If the sun is getting very strong, you better go towards the el Born district crossing through the narrow streets of Barceloneta. On the way you'll find the History Museum of Catalunya which is quite nice however many of the explanations are only in Catalan or Spanish. Only worth to jump in if you like history museums. There is a terrace bar and restaurant on the top with great view over the old port (Port Vell) which is also a lunch option - however you might only stop here for a drink and a glance as the restaurant which is on the outside of the museum is higher rated. Don't miss the narrow streets of el Born and make sure you find the Santa Maria del Mar church which has a quite minimalist inside and nice coffee places on the square of the entrance. Ready for culture? Find the Montcada street which heads north (in this city north is in reality always north-east as the printed maps are showing the Gran Via east-west - take care with google-maps on your mobile) and walk to the Picasso museum which is one of the most visited ones in Barcelona. So if the queues are too long just visit the Disseny hub museum at the other side of the street which is quite nice as well. After the visits, turn left and head towards the Cathedral square where you can visit this church or choose between a smaller Dali museum or the Barcelona History museum at Placa del Rei. If you would skip both, still wander around the Cathedral and it's back-streets as these are amongst the nicest of Barri Gothic. Worth to walk down through Placa Sant Jaume where the town-hall and the Generalitat (head of the Catalan autonomous region) - the local symbols of the local political power face each other - until you reach the Placa Reial. There you can take las Ramblas which is the most known tourist trap of the city. If you walk down - you will reach the Columbus statue and after the Rambla del Mar which is an opening bridge up to the Mare Magnum shopping centre. (budget travellers attention: there is a Lefties store in there which is technically a Zara outlet). If you walk up you will reach soon the Boqueria market which is the liveliest (and by the way our favorit) food-market of the city. Here you can get fresh fruit juice, sweets or a nice cut of Spanish ham (Jamon Iberico).
If you were quick and have still much time to spend, take a left turn and walk into the Raval which is the emblematic immigrant district of the city with it's visible cultural differences (no need to worry beyond the normal precautions before sunset). Here you can visit the two cultural centres of contemporary art (MACBA and CCCB). Walk back to Plaza Catalunya which is the centre of the city with the huge El Corte Inglés store on one side and the FNAC on the other side. You can take a refreshing beer at Zürrich (FNAC side) before starting the evening promenade on Passeig de Gracia and Rambla Catalunya. There are plenty of restaurants in both streets to choose from. If you skipped some of the daytime suggestions you might still have the elan to visit one of the famous Gaudi houses (Casa Batllo or La Pedrera).
For an evening scene you can either return to Port Olimpic for one of the clubs (see-side open-air bars etc) or visit Placa Espana where the fountain-sided avenue will lead you to the magic fountain and if you climb up to the Palau Nacional you will be awarded with a nice city-sight. If you prefer an evening with bohemian style bars, your place will be the downtown triangle in Gracia between Placa del Sol, pl Revolució and pl Virreina.
second day WORK IN PROGRESS
