Barcelona: 4 Day Intinerary

We just returned from 8 Days in Spain and it was wonderful! Our daughter and I traveled to Italy last summer and were excited to bring the boys back for a European summer this year. Just as we did when the four of us visited Portugal (Lisbon & The Algarve), we broke the trip up into a city visit and coastal exploration. And just like before, we sort of wished for one day less in the city and one more beachside. Per usual, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start with our action packed 4 days in Barcelona.

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Let’s Get Our Bearings

Barcelona is the capital of Spain’s Catalonia region, located on the northeastern coast. It is a vibrant and bustling city filled with a rich history of art and architecture. Antoni Gaudi is perhaps the architect most associated with Barcelona but there is so much more, including Museo Picasso and Fundacio Joan Miro, for art lovers. The Gothic Quarter houses Roman ruins dating back 2000 years and hidden medieval courtyards. Barcelonata beach is lively and a great place for people watching. The Eixample houses Passeig de Gracia (a favorite of ours) and the Block of Discord. I could go on and on, but that is a good place to start! Oh, and there is a strong Catalan heritage so don’t forget to use the greeting Bon Dia in the mornings.

Where To Stay  (and a Trip Planning Disclaimer)

We planned this trip about a month before we left, so our plans very much revolved around our ability to get tickets to our bucket list items rather than the geography of the city. However, our hotel ended up being in the perfect location for just this situation!

If you are a family of 4, it is always a bit of a toggle between a hotel or an Airbnb. We tend toward hotels. In larger cities, though, it is often difficult to find one room with 2 double/queen beds. Well… I’ll let you in on this nice little find… H10 Catalunya Plaza has lovely 2 and 3 bedroom apartments as part of the hotel. We stayed in the most beautiful apartment, complete with two bedrooms, a kitchen (with a stove, microwave, washer, and the ever important Nespresso machine), a living room, a sun room, two bathrooms, and an extra room with a pull out sofa. Seriously, It.Was.Nice. The bathrooms had pouches with everything you could have possibly forgotten (toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shaving cream, etc., etc).

We received complimentary welcome drinks and, while we were enjoying those on the terrace off of the hotel’s bar/living room area, they surprised us with a bottle of Cava (Spain’s sparkling wine) and a huge plate of sweet treats delivered to our room.

All of these thoughtful touches helped us to feel very welcomed. Even though the hotel itself was right on the plaza, which is a major transportation hub, we didn’t hear much, if any, street noise in our apartment. And when we were ready to sightsee, we just walked out and the metro station/La Rambla/Passeig de Gracia were right there. Easy enough.

Day 1 La Rambla, the Gothic Quarter, and Placa Reial

Our flight was delayed so rather than arriving early afternoon, we got to our hotel late afternoon. We walked down La Rambla to the shoreline. Unfortunately, there was a lot of construction on this bustling, tree-lined boulevard, making a crowded thoroughfare even more packed. (I bet it is going to be beautiful when it is finished, though!) We walked back though the historic heart of Barcelona, the Gothic Quarter, and found a small restaurant with pasta and salads. After eating, we stumbled upon Placa Reial, a neoclassical plaza, that has several restaurants and great people watching. It was really pretty!

Day 2 Gaudi & FC Barcelona

After finding breakfast, our family strolled up Passeig de Gracia. Tree-lined, clean, full of shopping, and architecture. The Block of Discord, named for the contrasting styles of the great Catalan Modernisme architects of the time, helped us to check off several bucket list items . What could be better? We paused to take in the exteriors of Casa Batllo, Casa Amatller, and La Pedrera- Casa Mila. Side note: There are so many sites to see in Barcelona and so many of them cost $$$ and have timed entry. For us, it was a game of picking and choosing what was really important for us to tour and what was okay to admire from the street.)

We then walked back to Placa de Catalunya and took the L3 Metro to FC Barcelona Museum for our timed tickets that I bought in advance (I’m not sure how necessary this was but when you’re getting on the metro, you kind of want to know you’re going to be able to get in.) While Camp Nou was under construction and players were in America for the World Cup, it was still fun to be by the stadium and see alllllll of the trophies and awards.

You know what you absolutely cannot skip (in my and most people’s opinion)? Sagrada Familia. After the museum, we went back to our hotel to freshen up and then headed to Sagrada Familia for our timed tickets that I bought in advance (this is necessary).

Sagrada Familia was designed by Antoni Gaudi and has been a work in progress over the past 144 years. This is the year it was completed. It is the tallest church in the world, but that’s not even what we found to be so spectacular. The interior is designed to be organic with the pillars reaching up representing a forest. When the sun pours in through the stained glass, it is a truly spiritual experience.

The exterior reaches skyward with the Tower of Jesus Christ surrounded by 17 additional towers for the 12 disciples, 4 evangelists, and the Virgin Mary. (Even though I purchased tickets about a week out, tickets for admission to the towers was already sold out. I am guessing that you should really purchase about a month in advance. Another tip: make sure everyone has followed the instructions to download the guide before going. It really makes a difference to be able listen and look at the same time!)

Day 3: Parc Guell & Paella Class

Parc Guell... what a day! I hope that you can learn from our experience or that something good comes from it lol. I purchased timed tickets for a guided tour for our visit. We gave ourselves plenty of time, taking the L3 Metro to the park. We clicked the link from the app to maps, followed the maps. And could not get to the apparent entrance where we were supposed to meet our guide. It felt like 500 degrees. There were hills on top of hills. We tried to message the group guide through the app to no avail. We called with zero acceptable results. And, because we had traveled out there, we bought tickets at the gate. Again.

But… moving on… Parc Guell was originally a vision of industrialist Eusebi Guell as a housing development for Barcelona’s wealthy elite. Gaudi was commissioned to build 60 houses blending seamlessly into the land. Ultimately, the project failed with zero plots having sold. When Guell died in 1918, the city of Barcelona bought the land. It was opened as a city park in 1926.

We had allotted about 2 hours to tour the park but could have spent more time there as it truly is a park with paths and places to explore. The part of the park with all of the well-known photo opportunities was fairly consolidated and I wonder if this is the part that the guided tours focus on. Anyway, it was worth the trip and in the end we were glad that we got to see the park at our own pace.

We regrouped at our hotel and then headed up La Rambla to meet our chef and group for the Paella Cooking Experience and Market Tour we had signed up for in advance. We had so much fun touring La Boqueria Market while our chef chose the seafood we would be using in our paella. He also gave us some free time to explore the market and make our own purchases.

Next, we headed back to a beautiful kitchen and sipped Sangria while he prepared some tapas for us to try. Our chef then assigned us different tasks to make the paella. When we finished cooking, we gathered at a huge table family style to sample our creation. It was the best paella and honestly my favorite meal of the entire Spain trip. After the class, we found a shop with warm churros and chocolate. It was a good food day.

Day 4 Shopping & Barceloneta Beach

Our family was very much in need of a slow, free day. (In hindsight, we probably should have switched Day 3 & Day 4.) We started the day with shopping along La Rambla and Passeig de Gracia, purchasing souvenirs and gifts. The boys then rented bikes and headed down to ride beachside. Our daughter and I eventually met them for a beverage, beach watching (there’s a lot going on!), and dinner. It was a great way to end our time in Barcelona.

Day 5 Drive to Tossa de Mar

Initially, I was hoping to fit the entire trip into one post, but at 1700+ words, I separated the posts. You can read all about our dreamy coastal days here.

Travel-Inspired Design

While nothing could ever truly replicate the beauty that we experienced on our trip, here are a few inspired finds. 

The beveled glass in our hotel apartment was gorgeous! Here is a beveled glass mirror that is probably the easiest way to incorporate this design idea.

I loved our last dinner in Barcelona. It was fresh, healthy, and most importantly, just so pretty! These botanical plates and this beautiful flatware set are the closest things I could find for recreating the look within reason.

The glass staircase from our Paella class has really stuck with me. This bracelet (although not glass for obvious reasons) reminds me a bit of it.

The tilework everywhere was so beautiful! This tile is pretty too 🙂

Hero Outfits of the Trip

I loved my linen shift dress while in both Barcelona and in Tossa de Mar. It was perfect to beat/bear the heat. It is no longer available but this one or this one are similar.

Our daughter and I shared these shoes.

She got these flip flops in Barcelona.

We both brought this brand of bracelets that were easy to bring and comfortable to wear.

I could wear this brand all the time. Here are my shorts.

And a similar gauze shirt (a must for heat).

My daughter purchased this dress while we were in Spain. And I got this purse. (These were our souvenirs from a big box store that originated in Spain 😉

I brought these sunglasses.