The 4
th most visited city in Europe. And with a
plethora of things to see – including one of the best beaches in the
world – museums, cathedrals and World Heritage Sites, a trip to
Barcelona can
certainly leave anyone blinded by the light of a million and one things
to explore and discover. “But wait” we thought to ourselves, “isn’t the
best way to learn about a place to talk to the locals?” Why yes it is
we thought back bi-polarly. Fortunately, as HouseTrip has over 4,500
quality properties within the city limits of this melting pot, we were
spoiled for choice when looking for a street-smart local who could show
us the ropes.
Meet
Anna,
one of HouseTrip’s Impeccable Hosts. She has kindly offered to share her
local expertise with us and help you find some of the best things to
see and do in the Catalan capital…
- What are some of the things you love to do in Barcelona in your free time?
I love to go out for meals, and finding and trying out new
restaurants has become somewhat of an obsession for me since I started
living in Barcelona! I also love to go hiking in the lovely Catalan
countryside surrounding the city. It’s not something you would really do
on a short trip to Barcelona, but for anyone living here a bit longer,
joining a local hiking group and getting out into the countryside on the
weekend is really a great way to meet other like-minded people and
explore places you would never find on your own!
I also love to ride my bike around the city – Barcelona is quite
flat and has in recent years become very bike-friendly with many
dedicated bike lanes being constructed that are set apart from the
traffic. Barcelona is actually quite small – it’s not a large city like
Madrid as many people imagine, and you can get almost anywhere by bike
quite quickly. And the great weather makes it a bike-rider’s paradise!
- Where is the best place in the centre of Barcelona to escape the tourists and find some quiet time?
Montjuïc is the hill at the side of the old town right beside my apartment
in the neighbourhood of Poble Sec. It’s full of small parks which have
surprisingly few people in them. There are a few reasons for this.
First, the hill is not that easy to get to unless you are specifically
looking to go there – it’s off to one side and not directly connected to
the old town. Secondly, it involves a bit of climbing, which can put
many people off (although there is a funicular and a cable car to take
you up if you want), and thirdly it can be difficult to find your way
around it unless you have a map (it is not just one big park, but a
collection of smaller parks interspersed with roads and buildings,
including many buildings built for the 1992 Olympics). Those who have
made the effort, and come well-equipped with a map, will be rewarded
with peaceful, almost empty parks with breathtaking views of the city
and ocean.
At the very top, from June to September there is also a little secret reward for the intrepid climber – an open-air cafe called La Caseta del Migdia
that allows you to sit under the trees and enjoy a fantastic ocean view
while eating a barbecue of Catalan sausages and salad and sipping a
cold beer.
- Where would be a great place in Barcelona to take the kids?
One thing that I think all kids would enjoy is the Tibidabo amusement park
in the hills behind Barcelona. It was built in 1889 and retains its
old-world charm - don’t expect a modern mega amusement park – but it’s a
lot of fun and the Ferris-wheel in front of an amazing view of all of
Barcelona will leave you with some great photos and memories. For the
adults there is also a beautiful old church there - the Temple de Sagrat
Cor - built in 1806, so you can combine fun with a bit of history!
(you can actually see Tibidabo and the amusement park from the terrace of my other apartment, which has views over the whole city and the hills beyond!)
Another thing that’s fun for parents and kids alike is the “Magic
Fountain” near Plaza España. At certain times in the evenings several
days a week the fountain lights up with a spectacular light show set to
music against the backdrop of Montjuic.
- What is Barcelona’s best kept secret?
At the risk of sounding biased, I’d have to say it’s my
neighbourhood – Poble Sec! The old centre of Barcelona can be extremely
packed with crowds and tourists, especially in the summer months, but
they rarely make it past the large street – Avinguda de Paralell – that
separates Poble Sec and Montjuic from the Raval neighbourhood of the old
town, even though Poble Sec is only a 15 minute walk from Barcelona’s
main street, Las Ramblas! Those that do make it across the “great
divide” will find a quiet, largely residential neighbourhood, built at
the turn of the previous century, with tree-lined streets and beautiful
old buildings nestled at the foot of the Montjuic hill. At the heart of
the neighbourhood lies the cobbled pedestrian street, Calle Blai.
Although there’s not much going on there during the day, Calle Blai
springs to life after around 8pm when the terraces of its many bars and
restaurants fill with locals meeting friends for a chat while enjoying a
beer and the cheap local fare. The neighbourhood is generally quite a
bit cheaper than the other areas in central Barcelona, both in terms of
rent and restaurants, and therefore attracts an eclectic group of
“starving” young artists and dreadlocked photographers as well as some
of the last remaining Catalan old-timers that have largely been forced
out of the rest of the old town by the astronomical rise in rent prices
of recent years. Some of my favourite restaurants on or near the Calle
Blai are Quimet & Quimet, La Tieta, Carmesi and Blai Tonight.
Another “secret” is the centre of the Poblenou neighbourhood which
lies behind the Bogatell beach at a 20 minute metro ride from Plaza
Catalonia. Even I had not discovered it until recently as it’s well
protected from the casual eye by the ugly suburbia of high-rises that
guard it on either side. I had previously taken one look at those high
rises and run the other way! But recently I had the opportunity to live
in the old centre near the Market of Poblenou for 2 months and just fell
in love with the neighbourhood. The buildings in the old centre of
Poblenou are cute and small – often only 2 or 3 stories high and also
from around the turn of the last century. It has quite a beachy, artsy
feel about it (the beach is only a 5 minute walk away) and it has some
great cafes, shops and restaurants – and a real community vibe with a
lot of young families choosing this as the area to bring up their
children. If you’re looking for a chilled neighbourhood in which to have
a bit of a beach holiday while still being within a short trip of the
Barcelona city centre, you can’t beat Poblenou – but make sure you stay
in the streets of the old centre (near the market) and not in the modern
soul-less developments that surround it!
-
Where can I find the best tapas in Barcelona?
If you are in the mood for some beers with friends while getting
your fingers greasy over a shared plate of tapas, the Barceloneta
neighbourhood can’t be beat. This area was traditionally home to the
local fishermen and still retains a very village-ey and low-key vibe,
despite being, with its location right between the old centre and the
beach, what you’d imagine would be peak expensive real estate and trendy
restaurants in any other city. The decor in these ‘bodegas’ will
definitely be no-frills and neon lights (and if it’s got nice decor, be
warned, it’s probably touristy!) , but as long as that’s what you go in
expecting you will really enjoy the atmosphere in these places. One of
my favourites is El Vaso de Oro on the Calle de Balboa. It’s a tiny
place with a long narrow bar, and you will find it full of locals
drinking beer and eating the simple, traditional fare while bantering
with the friendly waiters and yelling and gesticulating at each other
boisterously from one end of the bar to the other. Some others in the
same vein that I love in this neighborhood are La Cova Fumada and La
Bombeta.
As an alternative to “tapas staples”, you also have huge
variations of local fare from region to region. For example, in the
Basque country they are famous for their pintxos which are slices of
white bread with a variety of toppings and a toothpick in the middle.
These are small and usually quite cheap. The pintxos are pre-prepared
and laid out on the bar, and you just put the ones you want to eat on a
plate and keep the sticks after you have eaten them. The bartender
afterwards counts the sticks in order to know what to charge you. While
nothing beats eating pintxos in the Basque country itself, if you’re not
able to make it there, there are some excellent pintxo places in
Barcelona that can give you a taste. One of the best ones is Gasterea in
the Gracia neighborhood. In recent years, many
Basque pintxo restaurants have also popped up on the Calle Blai in Poble
Sec. One of my favourites is a little place called Blai Tonight which
only opened about a year ago and has already become the most popular
place on the street. Here the pintxos are tasty and only €1 each, but
it’s best to go before 8pm as it can get so packed that you can’t get
in. The place won’t win any awards for the decor, but, as in many places
in Spain, I have found there is little relation between decor and food
quality – in fact, in many cases an inverse relation exists!
There is one last thing you have to try while in Spain: vermouth.
It’s pretty much a Spanish institution to have un vermut at around 12 or
1pm, as an appetizer for the main meal. Spanish vermouth is red and
drunk on its own or with a spritzer of soda water (sifón), with ice and
with a slice of lemon. Check out this great write-up by an American on
drinking vermouth in Spain:http://catavino.net/vermouth-straight-up/
- Any food markets that you know about where I can find great ingredients for cooking in the kitchen of a holiday rental?
Although the Boqueria market
on Las Ramblas is the most famous and well-known market in Barcelona, I
don’t really recommend it – it has gotten too touristy and at times is
so packed that you can’t get to the stalls. As a result the service has
gone downhill and the prices have gone uphill…
I prefer the Mercado de Sant Antoni,
which is a market at the back of the Raval neighbourhood and about a 15
minute walk from my apartment. Unfortunately the beautiful historical
old market building is undergoing extensive renovations (due to finish
in about 2016), so the stalls have been moved to a temporary building in
a street beside the market, but the essentials are still there. I
really like the feel of this market – it’s a lot quieter and mostly full
of older locals doing their daily shopping. They also have a book
market on the street outside the old market on Sunday mornings.
Link from: http://blog.housetrip.com/my-secret-finds-barcelona-host/
credit: Atelier Teee
credit: Stephan Geyer
credit: Timeout
credit: robokow
credit: jueves enmedio
credit: Juick
credit: sheshakes
credit: RinzeWind
credit: JaulaDeArdilla
credit: Julien LaGarde
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