We finally visited Barcelona again and this time we had many more days to spend and explore this amazing city. Like we mentiond in previous post this city has it all; the climate, the beach, the urban life, the culture, the food,… you name it. For us Barcelona is superb and one of our favorite get-a-aways. As you probably have picked up on from following this blog, we make quite the effort to find places where the locals mingle. So what to do, where to go, where to eat, drink and chill you ask? Well here’s our choice.

Where to go, if you want to avoid La Rambla, the tourist trap, “trashy” stuff, Passeig de Gracia is a good place to be, an area with nice shops and high-end stores. It is ofcourse like any other European highstreet, many people, chain stores, but it has a mix of foreigners and locals and it’s not overly crowded. Here you will also find the Gaudi buildings.

Gothic area is also an option, although not for high-end shopping, you will find small and niche boutiques, art galleries, many eateries and cafès hidden in the narrow streets.

Puerto Olímpico (Villa Olimpica) – is worth checking out. Its a modern area with tourists and locals alike. The beach area there is quite nice. There are many restaurants along the beach.

What to do, If the weather allows, visit the beach and either take a stroll or have a drink at the many spots alongside the beach. A must is to visit the beautiful Parc de Ciutadella. For us Park Güell was a waste of time, crowded with tourists and hyped up. If you have short time i Barcelona, we would recommend to spend your valuable time elsewhere.

Where to eat, drink, chill, The ever so chic restaurant and lounge Ura, the place is uber trendy and the food is great. Whilst it’s known to be a (fooball) celebrity hot spot, we loved the place because of the atmosphere, the interior and the food. It blossoms from restaurant to bar/lounge after midnight. The age group is a mix and mostly locals.

Nuba is also a trendy restaurant turn bar/club after mid-night. The food and drinks here is good, a bit pricey, but not  terrifying. It was shocking though that they were charging 75 euros for a shisha. The clientele is a mix crowd of young and older, some foreigners and most locals. High-end dress code. A MUST try is the Chocolate praline with caramilized pears and toffee sauce. This dessert sendt chills down the spine.

Parco is a superb sushi restaurant. They menu is interesting and with a twist. The interior is 70`s stylish. Clientele is mix of laid back and dressed up. Mostly locals, but also some foreigners. TIP! They have some amazing specialities that are not specified in the menu. So ask the waiters for the specials which are not on the menu. Ask also for the Caramilized cod – its not sushi, and it is amazing.

Good to know: Book a table well in advance for all these places. People eat quite late in Barcelona or Spain, so go out for dinner earliest around 21-21.30. It is not mandatory or the norm to tip after visiting a restaurant. So don’t feel obligated to leave some extra money behind.

Eclipse on the 26th floor at the Hotel W. A skybar and lounge with a great view over Barcelona. They serve some food there, but our visit was not unique, we visited the place because of the view. The Hotel itself is worth going to have a look. They usually have some events and international DJ nights – Check out what is on when you’re there. Register on their guest list before visiting.

El Nacional– an amazing food court concept, with various restaurants and tapas spots, where you will find many locals.This place was establisehed late 2014 and has become one of Barcelonas local gem. It’s a drop in concept so you can’t book a table in advance.

Kocolateria in El Born area, walking distance from/to Parc de Ciutadella, they have great coffee and amazing churros with chocoate dip.

Satans coffee corner is a very low key, no fuss, laid back coffee bar. They put a lot of pride in their coffee and worth popping by for a coffee break.

For vegitarians and healthy food enthusiasts, this new spot called Flax & Kale ,a trendy place for healthy foods and beverages. Worth checking out.

Enjoy Barcelona!!