Alternative guide to visit Barcelona

This is my alternative guide to visit Barcelona. Many of my working colleagues have asked me what to do, to eat or to see when they go to Barcelona.  I prepared a list for some of them and I ended up sending this list to many people. So, I thought it was time to upload it to my blog and make it public for all the people. When reading that guide you must take into account that due to working reasons I haven’t been living in Barcelona the last few years. Therefore, I encourage you to add comments and new places that you discovered in your trip to Barcelona! I will try to update the guide from time to time.

Enjoy!

“Tapas”

Bravas

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Bar Tomas

Carrer Major de Sarrià, 49

08017 Barcelona

Calamares

Croquetes

Fuet and llonganisa

Choriso (chorizo in Spanish)

Pa amb tomaquet i pernil

Cloisses a la Marinera

Xipirons (Chipirones)

Ous estrellats (Huevos estrellados) amb pernil, xorizo or foie

Tortilla de patatas

Boquerones and Anxoas

Gambas al ajillo

Montaditos de lomo

Pa amb tomàquet i Pernil (of course!!!)

Queso curado (curated cheese, as much curated as much tasty! )

Beers: Estrella and Moritz

Wine: whatever from Catalonia! ;)

Good place for tapas in the city center! (Close to les Rambles):

BAR CASTELLS

Good sandwiches and tapas.

Pl. del Bonsuccés, 1

08001 - Barcelona

El Raval - Ciutat Vella

Tel. 93 302 10 54

http://www.barcastells.com

Meals

I strongly recommend you tapas, seafood, and paella but also let’s write down some dishes…

Escalivada

Xato (a sort of salat with kod)

Esbarginia farcida de carn o tonyina (Berenjena rellenan de carne o atun)

Conill a la brasa amb allioli

Paella

Fideua

Botifarra amb seques (and allioli)

Calçots (large onions grilled in flames)

Dorada al horno

Bacalla a la llauna (kod in the oven)

Espalda de cabrito al horno

Desserts:

Crema catalana (you are not allowed to leave the country before trying it!, it is the law, I am sorry!;) )

Profiteroles con chocolate caliente

Helado de Turron

Music (some nuts with a liquor)

Flam amb nata (crème caramel)

Restaurants

“El Mussol”

In this place you can eat a lot of tradional Catalan food and you have one near to the center, it is a kind of brasserie, and it has really good quality/ price relationship. The french frites and mushrooms next to the meat or fish are really tasty!!! If you are lucky and get to Barcelona within the calçots season you can try them!

Mussol Caspe

Casp, 19
08006 Barcelona
Teléfono: 93 301 76 10

Mussol Diagonal

Av. Diagonal, 488
08006 Barcelona
Teléfono: 93 416 15 53

(http://www.angrup.com/mussol/restaurante-barcelona/localizacion.php)

“La Clara”

La Clara Restaurant

Gran via de les corts Catalanes, 442 08015
Barcelona - Barcelona

(http://www.laclararestaurant.com/ )

“Els 4 gats”

It can be cheap (working days menu) or expensive.

Carrer Montsio 3 bis

Telf. 933024140

It is worth visiting the webpage and the restaurant as well (English version)

(http://www.4gats.com/)

“El Xampanyet”

C/Montcada 22 , Barcelona
Telephone: (00 34 93) 319 7003

http://www.worldsbestbars.com/public/venue_listing.jsp?categoryId=4&currentVenueId=328

“Can culleretes”

Really delicious food in an old restaurant

The oldest restaurant of Barcelona and the second oldest one of Spain

http://www.culleretes.com/ENGLISH/ENGpresentation.htm

Places to visit

Gaudi stuff:

Casa Batlló

P. de Gràcia, 43 Tel. 93 216 03 06 Timetable: Mo-Su: 9-20h.

Except days with programate acts. Closed at 14pm. See Museums.

With a tyled roof and mosaic façade. Gaudí undertook the total remodelling of this existing building. The result was an outside façade representing a party comparable to Carnival. The house is designed with shapes inspired from natural elements.

Casa Milà o "La Pedrera"

Espai Gaudí

Corner between Paseo de Gracia and Provenza.

Visiting hours: Monday-Sunday: 10-20h.

Informaciton: Tel. 93-484 59 95.

Metro: Linea 3 (Diagonal).

Bus: 7,16,17,18, 22, 24, 28

Considered to be the most representative work of Modernism, it has a breathtaking wavy façade of stone and iron balconies.

Park Güell (1900-1904)
Olot, s/n.
Tel. 93-213 04 88
Visiting hours: November to Frebuary: 10 am. - 6 pm.
March and October: 10 am.- 7 pm.
April and September: 10 am. - 8 pm.
May to August : 10 am. - 9 pm.
This is Gaudi"s largest work in Barcelona. It is an area which main aim was to become a british style "garden-city".

Sagrada Familia (1883-1926)

Sagrada Familia Square

Tel. 93-455 02 47 Visiting hours: September - March: 9 am. and 7 pm. April - August: 9 am and 8 pm. In 1883 Gaudi accepted the assignment to continue building temple.

Casa Calvet
Casp, 48
St. Althougt at first sight house does not seem one of Gaudi"s works, a visit to the entrance hall offers uncommon details.

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Port Olimpic (good place for swimming in the beach next to the harbor and later have a Paella o Fideua with allioli in one of the Restaurants of the area, I recall one called Roxy that was pretty good).

Barceloneta (Old neighborhood where a lot is going on. I strongly recommend you either to go to one of the bars there to have some tapas or to go to a restaurant facing the sea and have a paella!)

Plaça Catalunya and down to Les Rambles (at the beginning there is the “Canaletes” fountain where we celebrate Barça titles ;) ) (It is cool for a walk and shopping, C/Tallers it is plenty of Music, original clothes and shoes shops.)

Also you have to get into “Mercat de la Boqueria” and pass by Liceu

At the end of Les Rambles you’ll find Colon, then go a bit more down and to the left you will have a nice walk along the sea.

Before Colon have a coffee inside:

El Bosc de les Fades

Pasaje de la Banca,
Barcelona, 08002

Review at: http://ultimatepubguide.com/pubs/info.phtml?pub_id=91

Plaça Sant Jaume and the surroundings

Cathedral and the surroundings

Plaça Reial

“El Barri Gòtic”

http://www.barcelona-on-line.es/eng/turisme/bcn_gotic.htm

http://www.bcn-guide.com/htm/ang/paseando.htm (pretty nice walk the one they propose!)

Santa Maria del Mar and Born neighborhood (http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/areas/el-born.html) (Very cool for some beers, coffee or just a walk)

That’s a pretty relaxing place for some beers!

Bar Borneo

www.barborneo.com

C/ Rec, 49
08003 Barcelona
932 682 389

Rambla del Raval and surroundings (it is a quite fashion place nowadays, even though you should watch out a bit here with the pickpockets)

Some bars here:

“El Sifo”
Espalter, 4

Barcelona

Bar Marsella (it is supposed to be the oldest bar in Barcelona , to be honest I doubt it ???)
C/ Sant Pau 65
93 318 53 47

“Barri de Gracia”

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/areas/gracia-barrio.html

This is like a small village inside Barcelona, you will notice the different atmosphere. You can find a lot of cafes and bars for a coffee or beer.

Passeig de Gracia

It is like 5^th Avenue in New York (well being really enthusiastic!). It is worth having a walk to get to the Barri de Gracia or the other way around to Pl Catalunya. But to be honest it is not worth buying anything there, all is really expensive!

Museo Picasso

Arc de triomf and walk until Parc de la Ciutadella

Mercat de Sant Antoni (frutes, vegetables, seafood with less tourists ;) )

Also good “tapas” bars. On Sundays people exchange stuff. Read more at:

http://www.barcelona.com/barcelona_directory/monuments/mercat_de_sant_antoni

Camp Nou!!!

It is not really beautiful from outside, but maybe you can get to the museum and the shop!

Avinguda Aristides Maillol, s/n, 08028, Barcelona

But to be honest it is not worth going to see the stadium from outside unless you have tickets for a match. If you simply want to buy a T-shirt you can find it in some shops in the center, specially in the officially dedicated to Barça. There is one close to Pl Catalunya if I remember correctly.

Shopping

Avinguda Portal del Angel (whatever)

C/ Pelai (whatever)

C/Tallers (music, clothes, shoes)

Cool clothes (at a reasonable price):

Skunkfunk · Barcelona - Outlet

Ronda Sant Pere, 31
08010 Barcelona
Tel.: +34 934120223

Desigual (colorful clothes, many shops in the center and inside big commercial centers)

Custo Barcelona (shop in C/ Ferran in the city center, not my favourite style, but very original and  colorful clothes)

El corte ingles (big commercial center nearby Plaça Catalunya)