Barcelona isn’t exactly off the beaten track with an estimated 10 million tourists visiting this year alone. But is Barcelona worth visiting?
I was lucky enough to spend a month here crashing on my buddy Stefania’s futon. In short, I could do the simple pros and cons like the diagram below but that doesn’t tell you why I really love Barcelona.
If you’re looking for reasons to visit Barcelona, you just have to ask me the following question:
Because The Cheap Wine Doesn’t Taste Horrendous
Drinking cheap sangria with Mar
Wow! After drinking filthy goon (box wine) in Chiang Mai at €3 a glass minimum, being able to purchase a bunch of different wines for less than €3/bottle was amazing. The cheap wine isn’t stuff that makes you screw your face up in a twist of disgust either.
There’s wine country nearby too, I’ll go visit these wineries and more next time.
Because The Ladies Don’t Talk The Talk, They Just Walk The Walk
We were on a pub crawl when our guide told us to hush as we navigated the labyrinth of streets in the Gothic Quarter. Lined with shops on the ground floor and apartments above, the reasons to be quiet? Apparently, if you’re noisy the local ladies don’t mind dousing you with milk, pee or water from their apartment window.
Good luck trying to get a bunch of people on a pub crawl to hush. Unfortunately, no one got doused.
A couple hours later, I bumped into a couple fellow drunk Brits and got chatting. We quickly went our separate ways after getting soaked. No words were spoken from the perpetrator above, but we quickly got the message.
Because Girls Can Be Topless & No One Cares
Topless at the beach? No worries!
If you head down to the beach, a portion (5 – 10%) of the ladies will be topless, yet it’s no big deal. If you don’t like it, you don’t go to the beach, even if it makes it one of the best destinations in Europe over summer. It’s something you notice if you aren’t used to it. Like myself. But then it’s just normal.
Maybe it’s the next thing to be ‘allowed’ world wide after the weed thing is more decriminalized.
Because They Have TripAdvisors Most Reviewed Attraction In The World
Being silly posing inside Sagrada Familia
Embarrassingly, I’d never heard of the Sagrada Familia before arriving. As I’m a ‘travel blogger’ and it’s the most reviewed attraction on TripAdvisor, that’s pretty bad. How many reviews? Well over 100,000! That’s a pretty cool and random piece of trivia for you. I’d have assumed the Eiffel Tower would be #1.
Because They (Catalonia) Banned Bullfighting
Catalonia is an independent region which they demonstrated by banning bullfighting in 2010. Whether you call bullfighting a sport and an art it’s fair to say it’s cruel despite the cultural significance. The National Government overruled the ban in 2016, but the Catalonian Regional Government are staying strong and insisting they’ll make sure no bullfights occur in the region again. So good!
Because They Love Football
Repping the club!
As this blog starts towards making sports as a primary focus, I’m starting to observe more of the way sports integrates into society. I was only there in the off season but there were still lots of people sporting Barcelona shirts and a few times walking around I noticed FC Barcelona flags hanging from apartment balconies. As the classic saying goes, FC Barcelona ‘it’s more than just a club’.
Related Post: Things To Do In Barcelona For Sports Fans.
Because There’s An Abundance Of Supermarkets
Mmmmmm, fresh fruits
Barcelona restaurants aren’t the best option for vegans. But the supermarkets are and there are so many, it’s crazy. You’ve got the big chain supermarkets which have everything, but the smaller ones found on most streets have more than enough variety themselves with produce from in and around Barcelona. Proximity food is a big thing here which is cool too, as are the preserved vegetables in cans and jars.
Because There Are Lots Of Day Trip Possiblities
Montserrat is definitely top 5 lifetime day trips for me
I’m one who is happy to travel slowly. But after a couple weeks in a place, I get itchy feet. Luckily Barcelona is heaven for day trips. I visited Sitges for an afternoon and Montserrat is definitely one of the best hikes in Europe. Other popular days trips include Andorra, Girona and Costa Brava. Oh, the possibilities!
Because Everyone Is So Active
This was one of the first things I noticed about the city. Everyone is out walking in the evenings because they want to (a sign of happiness?). Not because they’re coming home from work or anything. They just love to take a casual stroll in the evenings, often with their dog (and the dogs are the most well behaved I’ve seen).
If you want to get the hang of public transit, this is a good starting point on the Barcelona Tourism website.
Because I Felt Safe At Night
Safe is a completely relevant thing but in terms of walking home at all hours of the day and night, I never felt in danger. I’m reasonably self-aware as it is, though the pick pockets put me on high alert (someone on my walking tour got pick pocketed. They had no idea but luckily an undercover cop saw them!)
There are plenty of lights on in the city in the evening, and it always felt like someone was nearby.
Because The City Bikes Are Actually Used
They are being used, promise
City bike programs have popped up all over the world, but Barcelona is definitely the place I’ve seen them used the most. Apparently, they’re really affordable for locals. They also were a popular form of choice to get home at 3 am after a night out on the town.
Having talked to a few friends, some said Barcelona isn’t their favourite city in Spain, some said it was. As my first experience in the country, Barcelona was legitimately awesome and it is totally worth you visiting and you could always spend time discovering some of the hidden secrets of Barcelona.
What Do You Love About Barcelona?
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