5 days in Barcelona - FairlyPale explores

Barcelona is just magical and I think it may have stolen my heart. The buildings, the food, the culture, the beaches and of course the weather.....there is so much to love about Barcelona. My boyfriend and I planned a fairly last minute five day trip there in the first week of September and I am so glad we did.

We arrived late on the Sunday night and took the aero bus to the city centre thinking that we would struggle to find somewhere to eat at 11:30pm. Oh we were wrong - the restaurants were full and bustling with people which we were very thankful for. It took some adjustment for us Brits who usually eat fairly early but the food was worth waiting for. We had tapas on our first night and mainly every night thereafter. The food is delicious and relatively cheap, and the Sangria wasn't too bad either.....

We spent our days sightseeing, walking around the city, relaxing on the beach, eating delicious food and enjoying each others company. We wanted to enjoy our time in Barcelona whilst still managing to see and do all of the things we wanted to. Five days was the perfect amount of time for us as we didn't come back from holiday exhausted and worn out but didn't feel like we had missed anything.


Here are a few of the things we enjoyed the most and would recommend:

• Parc Güell is beautiful and has amazing views of the city. The colours and the detail are incredible and highlights the fantastic work of Gaudi. 
• The cable car ride up to Parc Montjuic is perfect when you've walked all day and has even more amazing views of the city. There's definitely no shortage of fantastic city views in Barcelona.
• Bicycle hire was a must for us (6 euros for two hours!) . We cycled along the coast from barceloneta beach to Leneva beach. We got to explore a little bit more of the coast and very much appreciated the cool breeze as we cycled in the heat. 

before our ride along the coast

• Las Sagrada Familia. I don't think anyone can go to Barcelona for the first time and not visit here. The architecture is incredible, however, I have to say that I was more taken back by the architecture of the Barcelona cathedral. 

• Exploring the beautiful architecture, especially in the Gothic quarter, was one of my favourite things to do. There are so many beautiful buildings - the Barcelona Cathedral was one of the most beautiful.

Barcelona Cathedral at dusk 

• Last but not least, the food! My boyfriend is notoriously a picky yet even he tried (and loved) all the different dishes we ate.

There's something very special about cities; European cities especially. The architecture, culture and history is so apparent. I grew up in a small town and I think that's why I am intrigued by cities - even though I now work in London quite regularly I still get so excited by the buzz and the busyness of the city. I definitely have a few more European city breaks on my to go list!!

Xxx