Summer of 2019 I had the pleasure of checking one of my bucket list destinations off, Barcelona. I had always wanted to visit Barcelona but thought I needed to be fluent in Spanish, had been told it wasn’t safe for solo travelers, and had no idea how to even start with an itinerary. Well, I spent months researching and planning my trip. I spent 4 full days in Barcelona and could have easily spent more time there. I fell in love with Barcelona and could see myself living there if I ever moved out of the US. I mean it doesn’t get much better than tapas, fresh pastries, siestas, and sangria with dinner every night.
Public transportation in Barcelona is super user friendly. I recommend the AeroBus for transfers from the airport to the city center. Tickets for AeroBus can be purchased online in advance or in person at the airport. Once in the city center, you will want to switch to either the Metro (subway) or the TMB (public bus.) I purchased a Hola BCN multiday pass in advance before arriving to Barcelona. Public transportation in Barcelona is clean, runs promptly, and is easy to use. I used Google Maps to plan routes on the train and subway.
I stayed at Acta Atrium Palace which was beautiful, convenient to public transportation, within walkable distance to the best churros (see below), and the concierge staff went above and beyond answering any questions including drawing little maps on napkins.
Barcelona is an amazing city full of culture, great food, friendly people, and stunning architecture. Here is my 3- day itinerary.
Day 1- After checking into my hotel I quickly freshened up and headed off to find Xurreria Laietana, an intimate churro café. Be prepared to stand in line, but I promise you it’s worth it. I had the delicious churros with chocolate and an espresso. It was delicious and I may have visited twice. Afterwards, I hopped over to Toress Venecianes, where I took in the sights. Next, I headed over to the beach. I had lunch at Surf House, a casual restaurant that offers seating outside with views of the beach. I highly recommend the nachos with a cocktail. Then I ventured over to the beach where I rented a lounge chair to relax, listened to the waves and people watched. I’ll warn you now, partial nudity is common at the beach.
Day 2- I didn’t have set plans for day 2. I explored Las Rambles where I took in the stunning architecture before venturing to Mercado de La Boqueria, often referred to as “the heart of Barcelona.” You guys, this market is a foodies dream come true. You can purchase some of the freshest produce I’ve ever seen, buy local meat/ seafood, pick up just-baked bread for dinner at home, or have a sit- down meal. I seriously ate my way through the market. I had a smoothie, scallops with a nice glass of white wine, and the best spinach cheese empanada ever.
After the market, I hopped on a hop off/ hop on tour bus to this lookout point right before Muntjuic Cable Car. The cable car is a gondola lift that climbs up to Montjuic Castle. I didn’t purchase a ticket to the castle but did walk around the breathtaking grounds. The lawns are manicured to precision and there’s great lookout points of Barcelona. I highly recommended taking the cable car up in the late afternoon/ early evening to catch the sunset. I’ve lived in the pacific northwest of the United States and seen some beautiful sunsets but this sunset in Barcelona was the most stunning sunset I’ve ever seen (photos are not filtered.)
Next was dinner and I was determined to try paella while in Barcelona. Paella is a Spanish rice dish consisting of rice, Spanish green beans, garrofo ( a variety off lima or butter beans), and a protein (rabbit, chicken, duck, seafood, etc.) Friends recommended L’arrosseria Xativa, just to warn you this restaurant requires reservations which can be made online. I ordered chicken and shrimp paella with sangria. I was a little hesitant at first to try paella, I’m working on being more adventurous when it comes to food. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the paella. It has somewhat an earthy taste because of the saffron.
Day 3- I was exhausted by day 3 from all the walking and staying up late. I ended up missing my reservation for Sagrada Famalia and was unable to get another reservation. However, later that afternoon I attended my first Air BnB experience. I made my own mosaic tile art piece with Martin, a well versed and talented artist. This experience brought on a whole new respect for mosaic tile artists. It requires a lot of hand strength to use the tools when breaking the glass into pieces, precision, and patience. Martin was a great host and his home was incredibly welcoming.
After my mosaic tile experience, I walked over to Cerveceria Catalana, a beer bar and tapas restaurant. This restaurant came up when researching my trip to Barcelona and didn’t disappoint. Plan to go with an appetite so you can try a few tapas. I tried the Beef Tenderloin, Patatas Bravas, and Pimentos de Padron. I had seen the pimentos all over Barcelona before this and finally decided to try them. Pimentos d Padron are small Spanish peppers cooked in olive oil and coated with flaky sea salt, they are simple but delicious. I ended my day walking around the Gothic Quarter before returning to my hotel early so I wouldn’t miss my red- eye flight to Morocco.
So how safe is Barcelona as a solo traveler? I used public transportation for the majority of my trip and never felt unsafe. Barcelona is a well known place for pic pocketing that I fortunately did not experience. However, I could see how it could happen as you are often in crowded places and as a tourist can be so busy taking in the views that maybe you let your guard down. I wore a crossbody bag that I would hold with my hand when in busy/ crowded places and in restaraunts I always put my purse on the table vs. hanging it on my chair. I traveled with two credit cards and left one in the safe of my hotel room so that if I was pic pocketed I would still have access to funds. I think Barcelona is like any other place, you just have to be aware of your surroundings.
