Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog. I recently visited Barcelona, on a budget. Now it is time to share my experience with you.
Gaudi Master Piece: La Sagrada Familia.
First of all, I would like to start with some well-known places. You must have seen lot of articles about: Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, Cathedral of Barcelona, Barceloneta Beach, Casa Batlló or Casa Milá (La Pedrera for the Local People). These are a must if you visit Barcelona, However, here are some tips, what you don’t see anywhere else. It helps you to make more out of your holidays.
1. You have to wake up early. – Barcelona is a city of sunrise. Every day the sun comes up right in front of Barceloneta Beach and changes the sky completely. The best part: it is totally free, so you don’t want to miss it. – The tourists start to flow everywhere around 9 o’clock, so before that hour you can enjoy more and take nice photos. If you don’t know what time is the sunrise, just type “sunrise” in google and it will help you.
2. Make a research about places you would like to go. – Check books, social media, blogs, photos, videos. Make a list, put them on a map and keep them as priority. You can always explore the city and get lost between the amazing architecture that it has.
3. Be smart, avoid entrance fees. – For example, Park Güell: out of the opening hours it is completely free to walk in, so you can enter before 8 o’clock in the morning and no one will ask you to pay the ticket. It means: No people + You will see the sunrise above Barcelona. It is a huge bargain, isn’t it?
4. Take a sit, enjoy being there. – Lot of people visit the most common places, they get overwhelmed by the number of tourists. They just take some photos and leave. Take some time to see the beauty of the place, the details and relax between all the crowd.
Park Güell at morning sun.
Accommodation:
– You have to know, that Barcelona is not one of the cheapest places. The accommodation will be the main part of your costs. You can get offers on the hotel’s websites, like having free continental breakfast every day. Just be updated on the prices and booking in advance always helps.
– The best location for a room or apartment is in the area of Plaza Catalunya.
– If you have a late flight as me , there is an Aerobus what drops you off in the center.
– This is the Centre of Barcelona. Transport connections, Restaurants, Shops.. is all here + Almost all the Top Places are within walking distance. Of course, the prices are a bit higher but if you just go for a couple of days, you can´t be most of the time on the bus/subway traveling around the City. You will miss the days, so it worth to pay a little extra.
La Parella – Passeig de Colom
Transport:
– Every street of Barcelona has a secret to tell you, so for me the best way is to walk. In the centre, some places are within walking distance like Sagrada Familia to Arc de Triomf and park Ciutadella. Then get lost in the Gothic Quarter and visit La Boquería Marquet. Biking is also an alternative, to enjoy fresh air and the beautiful city, everywhere you will find a bike path.
– If you want to arrive a little bit faster to your destination, you can take the subway, bus or railway. Again google is your best friend: it shows you the fastest way to your target. In every metro stop you find a machine to buy the tickets what suits you more and you can even pay with credit card. A single ticket will cost you €2,20, but you can get a T-10 card, what covers 10 rides and you can use it for several people ( except Aerobus).
Arc de Triomf – Passeig Lluís Companys
– If you have to commute from your accommodation to everywhere, there is a card for unlimited rides (only for 1 person), for 24 hours cost 8,60€; 48hours 15€ ; 72hours is 22€.
– From the airport to the Centre, there is a blue “Aerobus” in every 10minute (whether you land on T1 or T2), which cost 5,90€ and you can get off at Plaza España or Plaza Catalunya. If you use the T2 bus stop, you will be able to buy the tickets from the machines, but if you are on T1 you will have to pay on cash because the bus drivers don’t accept card, or take the free green Shuttle bus from T1 to T2 (they are 4km apart).
– Here I leave you the link of the Barcelona Metro Map: –> Barcelona Metro Map
Parque de la Ciutadella.
Currency: is Euro ( € ). In the centre, you find ATM and currency exchange on every corner. Most of the places accept payment with credit card, but some small businesses don’t take card under 5-10€ (depends on the place), so you should have some cash with you anywhere you go, but it is advisable not to have too much money with you, because in Barcelona pickpocketing is one of the things you should be aware of. Search a hotel with safety deposit box and keep your passport and some cash inside.
Languages: You might thing it is Spanish, but when you arrive you will see, that everything is written in Catalan, sometimes they don’t even bother to write in Spanish, so if you would go to Barcelona to improve your Spanish, it might not be the perfect place for you.
Spring weather
Best time to visit: I visited at the beginning of March, and it was perfect, Barcelona was not overcrowded, the weather was not too hot, not too cold. I recommend going in spring or autumn. The summer is hot, so you would end up on the beach all day instead of exploring Barcelona. The winter is never too cold neither, this is one of the warmest cities in Spain in winter time.
Finally, the food: In Barcelona you find food for every kind of taste (I even found a Hungarian restaurant with the best Goulash I ever tried), google explorer can be a really big help, it shows you all the restaurants near you, with photos of the menu, and price range. If you are on a budget, you can even search for “where locals eat” to find the best offers. The only advise I would give to you: not think only in La Rambla, just 2 minutes distance you will find restaurants with more reasonable prices. For cheap food you can go to La Boqueria, mostly if you like seafood or on the rooftop of Corte Ingles, there is a self-service restaurant with good food and an amazing view, and the prices are not as spicy as you think.
Restaurant La Placa Gastro Mercai – El Corte Ingles
In my next blog post I will write about less known places in Barcelona, what really amazed me on my recent visit. If you liked my post don’t forget to follow me on Instagram or Facebook and leave a comment and be always prepared to Explore!
