In Gaudí’s Park Güell

Great food, amazing sights, extensive shopping, cosmopolitan flair with proximity to the beach—it really seems like Barcelona, Spain has it all. Although the (temporary) Madrid resident in me is pained to say it, for the vacationer looking for a bit of everything (tapas-style traveling, if you will?), it’s hard to go wrong with Barcelona. Starting with food, there’s an excellent variety of restaurants in the city, ranging from authentic Spanish tapas to elegant seafood to experimental ethnic fare. For tapas, get to Catalana early enough to get your name on the list for lunch or dinner and you won’t be sorry. This elegant tapas bar and cerveceria often has crowds pouring out onto the sidewalk for good reason: their simultaneously respectful yet creative approach toward traditional Spanish dishes means modern but tried-and-true delicious flavors that have something for everyone, including vegetarians. If you’re in the mood for something heartier, a plethora of nice seafood restaurants can be found throughout the city, but this is especially so in the south on the water, where it’s quite literally one spot after the next offering fresh and flavorful (but often expensive—you’re partially paying for the view) fish dishes paired with immediate views of the docks and Mediterranean sea. The beach area is also where a lot of seaside nightlife is based, although there’s no shortage of clubs and bars elsewhere in the city: try Otto Zutz for a fun, multi-level space with jams ranging from MGMT to Beyonce. Or head to Bar Dow Jones for a much smaller, familiar dive bar feel with a twist: the “market” at this NYC-inspired haunt crashes every thirty minutes, with drink prices flashed on screens above the bar fluctuating accordingly. Moving on from drinking to culture (although the two are definitely inextricably linked..), a must-see is genius Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí’s influence throughout the city, most famously La Sagrada Familia (the most inspired, wild cathedral you’ll ever see) and Park Güell, the Gaudí-designed outdoor park filled with colorful, beautiful mosaic-decorated architecture and public space. For more visual stimulation, a great museum in the area includes the Museu Picasso, just one of many in this art-loving city. Further exploration is to be enjoyed on the famous La Rambla, a shopping avenue loaded with vendors and stands (everything from flowers to gelato to pet turtles for sale) and countless surrounding restaurants and hotels. Between the hip, tasty restaurants, unbelievably unique sights and many visitor-friendly activities available (and a beach to collapse on when you’re tired from everything else!), Barcelona is one of Spain’s indisputable gems that shouldn’t be missed.

Incredible detail of Gaudí’s La Sagrada Familia exterior

Architecture on La Rambla