Our last stop in Spain was Barcelona. We were there for four days, and went to Montserrat for one of them. I really enjoyed Barcelona. There are a lot more tourists there than anywhere else I was in Spain and it’s pricier, but the architecture, beauty, and feeling of the place are great. Felt like a more refined Madrid.
We stayed at the Hosteria Grau, which was nice and in a great location, but a bit pricey.
We took a bus tour to start but there was so much traffic that it didn’t help. We took Barcelona Tours, but the other one (Touristica?) seemed to have a lot more buses and is likely a better choice. I found Barcelona to be much bigger and decentralized than Madrid from a tourist perspective.
The best thing about Barcelona for me was all the great modernist architecture, especially Antonio Gaudi’s work. It’s great, and you should make a point to see at least some of it even if you don’t think you’ll be interested in it. It’s unlike anything else you’ve seen. The Sagrada Familia is unbelievable, especially considering that it is a cathedral. It’s a must-see. And you definitely should go up to the top. (The elevator is worth the money and will save you a lot of time! It’s so crowded on the stairs.) The view is great and you can cross between the spires. Parc Guell is a really nice park designed by Gaudi also and is worth going to for sure, but it is a bit out of the way. Casa Mila is another terrific Gaudi. The exterior and the roof are the highlights.
The Palau de la Musica Catalana is a beautiful modernista concert hall that is worth a visit. The Museo Picasso had loads of paintings but most were from his early stages.
Las Ramblas is the well-known pedestrian street, and it is awesome. Musicians, street performers, pet animal vendors, and lots of people (and after hours, prostitutes). Such a fun street. The whole Bari Gothic area was nice, and the waterfront was pretty nice too. The top of Montjuic offers a great panorama of the city, and it’s accessible by cable car.

We also took a day trip to Montserrat, a monastery in the mountains about 45 minutes outside Barcelona. Definitely a great daytrip and one worth doing if you’re going to be in Barcelona for more than a couple days. You go by train to cable car. The monastery is nice, but it’s the mountains and the views that make the place special. The rock formations are unusual. Good hiking, and a great break from the city.

That’s all for Spain! After Barcelona, I went on to Nice then Cinque Terre, Venice, Florence and Rome in Italy, before heading to a Greek island and then Athens. Although this is a Spain message board, I’d be happy to comment on any of the other places I went if you’d like.

Thanks again for all the great advice on the board. It made my trip that much better.

Adam