How Can You Spend A Day In Barcelona?

You are travelling to another country and on your way you will pass by Barcelona city during your trip. So you have got just one day and you don't know how you can get best of Barcelona city in a day. If it is summer time you can book up your agenda with really enjoyable activities. From sunbathing at Barceloneta beach to watching A Magic Fountain Show you can spend your day fully. A short walk and fast shopping if you need something for the rest of your holiday on Las Ramblas street and then an appetizer with delicious tapas. 

For your best day in Barcelona city follow Barcelona city travel guide. We can offer a quick but good day option in Barcelona city for your daily trip. You can start your day with a fast breakfast in the morning and around 10 you can have a big breakfast with delicious coffee. Between two breakfasts you can walk through the streets to see what's going on. After the big breakfast you can go down La Ramblas street and check the shops to buy some local stuff for you and your friends. At noon you can pop in a tapas restaurant which we had suggested in our earlier articles and then go to best beaches to swim for a while. After having a good time at beach you can get prepared to taste a good and long lunch at best restaurants in Barcelona city. After that you can take a short walk in La Boqueria Market located in Las Ramblas street. You can buy some food for your travel. Later on, you can jump into a metro and see La Sagrada Familia which is in the city center. On the way back you can see Casa Mila in other words La Pedrera by great architecture of Antoni Gaudi.

 You can see the works of Gaudi and the house style by visiting there and by the way you can't miss the chance to see the great rooftop with fantastic arches. While you are walking back to the city centre on Passeig de Gracia street you can have a quick look at the most expensive shops such as Prada or Armani. If you get hungry it's time to taste delicious Catalan kitchen. You may try Paella which is a mix of seafood and rice with the accompany of famous Spanish wine Sangria. If you are vegetarian please check our articles about vegetarian restaurants in Barcelona city. In the evening if you have still time you can watch an amazing flamenco dance show at a good bar called Los Tarantos located in the city centre Plaça Reial district near Las Ramblas. 

These are the suggestions for only a sample day in Barcelona city. You can tour at our site and make your own program for a day trip in Barcelona city. Enjoy your travel in Barcelona city. Here is a sample video for how can we spend a day in Barcelona city? For more Barcelona videos you can check videos part at our site. 

La Sagrada Familia Basilica

Even one hasn't been to Barcelona yet, h/she may hear about this unbelievable fantastic basilica in Barcelona city. La Sagrada Familia cathedral welcomes you standing in the middle of the city with its unique towers. 
The words are not enough to describe this sacred place and we hope many Barcelona lovers have the chance to see La Sagrada Familia. I hope we will be able to describe this unfinished basilica of Antoni Gaudi.

La Sagrada Familia is an unfinished basilica in Barcelona city. It's known that La Sagrada Familia is a work of art of one of the greatest architecture in the world Antoni Gaudi. That's truly right but the first building of this cathedral was started to build by diocesan architect Francisco de Paula del Villar on 19 March 1882. At the end of 1883, the building of this wonder of art was assigned to Gaudi. He carried his work until his death which happened in 1926. This unique symbol of Barcelona city has still been tried to be finished with the donations from Barcelona people. That's why it's getting hard to complete this basilica. Of course, there is another big reason about going on building work like today's technology is still trying to understand the idea and style of  Gaudi's architecture but it's not the issue for the people living in Barcelona city as they see this basilica as a work in the hands of God and will of the people who have contributions with their donations. 

The Nativity Façade of this church shows the celebration of the Jesus and it also symbolizes Life of Joy or Christmas. The Passion Façade refers to passion of Jesus which means the death, the pain or the sacrifice. This passion façade faces in the west and so it takes the sunlight before sun goes down and this represent the symbolic effects of darkness and shadows. This passion façade has got three entrances which symbolizes hope, charity and faith and has got four towers representing apostles St James the Less, St Bartholomew, St Thomas and Philip from left to right. On the Nativity Façade over 40 different animals are represented.

Picture above shows the Glory Façade of La Sagrada Familia. It's called so as it represents the situation of the man within the general of creation like origins, problems and the road he should take and the purpose at last. When this amazing basilica is finished, this glory façade will be the main entrance to the church. 

When we enter we come across with Apse Façade which was devoted to Virgin Mary. A number of sculptures represent the founder of religious orders like St Antony, St Benedict or St Scholastica. Here for this fascinating there is a saying of Antoni Gaudi '' A church is the only thing worthy of representing the feelings of a people, for religion is the highest thing in people. When you walk inside of the basilica you will see many columns built in tree shapes which make you think you are in a forest. Inside the basilica there are stairs consisting of many steps which are enchanting! You can ride the elevator up to towers and the scenery is splendid but you have to walk down! That can make you a little dizzy but atmosphere of this sparkling basilica already enchants you before you rise the sky. When the church is finished it will have 18 towers; 12 towers will be dedicated to apostles, 4 to evangelists, one to Jesus and one to Mary. On the bell towers the words Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus and Hosanna in Excelsis can be seen which represents praising the Lord when people read them.

Inside La Sagrada Familia you can pray everywhere. There are many symbols and areas to pray. On the door placed in front engraving two doors of Passion Façade welcomes you. There are two doors look really statuesque. On the engraving doors there are words taken from Bible representing various languages including Catalan of course. Some words are highlighted with gold. It is really worth to look for the words referring sacred parts of the life. 

It's important to know the some details about this Barcelona historical place La Sagrada Familia entrance terms. First of all you should know that you may wait in the ticket queue nearly two hours! Yes, you heard right. If you plan Barcelona travel in summer then be sure that you have some water and suntan cream with you. Of course there is another way to buy tickets beforehand your visit to La Sagrada Familia. Here click on to buy online tickets. 

If you would like to buy your tickets from the counter below find ticket fee for the entrance to La Sagrada Familia.

Sagrada Familia Visit with a guide:

19,30€

17,30€ ( students and retired)

Sagrada Familia Visit with audio guide:

19,30€

16,30€ ( students and retired)

Sagrada Familia and visit to towers:

19,30€

17,30€ ( students and retired)

Sagrada Familia and Gaudi House Museum:

18,30€

17,30€ ( students and retired)

Sagrada Familia:

14,80€

12,80€ ( students and retired)

Visit Hours:

October to March 9.00 to 18.00 h

April to Spetember 9.00 to 20.00 h

25 and 26 December -1 and 6 January 9.00 to 14.00 h

How can you access to La Sagrada Familia? It's in the center of Barcelona city. If you like walking and staying in Plaça de Catalunia then you can walk and it takes around 20 or 25 minutes. It can be a good idea to see the around and Barcelona streets by walking. If you would like to take metro, there is a metro station in front of the Basilica. You should take Blue Line L5 and Purple Line L2. 

Finally we should inform that there are two shops in the Basilica; one is on the Passion Façade and the other is on the Nativity Façade. You can buy some souvenirs related to La Sagrada Familia and can find many photo books or historical publishing.

Sangria: Spanish Delicious Cocktail

Don't ever come back before you taste Barcelona's and Spanish' best cocktail ever! Sangria which consists of many delightful fruits offers you fresh and unforgettable taste in your Barcelona travel. 
If you check on internet before you plan your trip in Barcelona city, it's so likely to hear that suggestions about Sangria. So why is this splendid drink is so in demand? What does Sangria word come from originally? What is the ingredients of Sangria? How can we prepare a fast Sangria drink? In this article you will find anything about Sangria and be lucky if you read this article beforehand your trip to Barcelona city! Sangria is the best drink to celebrate the summer's coming in Barcelona streets.

Sangria means blood or bleeding of Spanish word sangre which takes its name from its red color but there is another belief about is derivation. According to linguistic scientist there is a Sanskrit derivation; sukkari means sugared wine. It originates from Portugal and Spain. There are many different ideas for Sangria's origin but thanks to a book called A Recipe for Love written by Manuela Requena and another book; Fun and Festive Recipes by Mittie Helmich we can suggest a clear and correct information about origin of Sangria. According to author Helmich, sangria is addressed to Romans living in Andalusia.

What are the ingredients of Sangria? Sangria is prepared with red wine but today there is another version which is prepared with white wine called Sangria Blanco. The main ingredient is red wine. There are different chopped fruits like orange, lime, apple, lemon, pineapple, peach, mango, melon, grape, berries or kiwifruit. Typical Sangria consists of red wine but there are options prepared with brandy, cognac. Addition to these, a sweetener such as honey, sugar, syrup or orange juice and some soda water is added. Then your Sangria is ready to serve!

Sangria is generally served in Barcelona and other cities of Spain in summer but you can find places to drink this delightful punch drink throughout a year. Sangria wasn't know in America until a World's Fair held in 1964 in NY. Here below you can find an easy recipe of Sangria to prepare at home until you taste it in Barcelona city.

How to prepare traditional Sangria?

Before you add some fruits according to your choice be sure that you obey these three golden rules; A true Sangria should contain wine, fruit and be refreshingly chilled. After that you can vary fruits and sweetener as you wish. People in Spain tends to use seasonal fruits so it seems a good idea to use seasonal fruits according to your country. Finally, don't forget to add some soda water. Here you can find a video for your quick preparation of Sangria. Enjoy your watching! Keep on following our site for your best Barcelona travel guide...

Religion in Barcelona - Spain

Barcelona has a deep-rooted religion culture stemming from the city's 2000 years history. Being such an established city, the religion culture offers diversity to the people. In this article, we will try to explain how the religion culture is in Barcelona, Spain.

Catholicism which is a life style in Barcelona city consists of the population varying from 81% to 94% rates. 
Throughout the history, the city had undergone many wars and met different cultures such as Romans, Muslims and Jews. So Roman catholicism can be seen as frontrunner and you can come across a person who says h/she doesn't believe in anything but yet is a catholic as they see the catholicism as a life style.

So how does religion affect the social life? As we've mentioned above, even though catholicism is high in Barcelona city, for the social life issues, they act much more liberal when compared to other European countries maybe because of the 35-year dictatorship which ended a few decades ago. So they are more democratic about the life issues. For instance, there is a law for the gay relationship marriage. They can adopt child, have abortion and divorce according to Spain law. They have the right to speech which is against the Catholicism law!

In Barcelona city, there are many churches, cathedrals and other religious institutions. There is no mosque in Barcelona city but there some in other cities of Spain such as Madrid and Granada. So we can see how deep-rooted Barcelona religion is. People live in democratic atmosphere in this beautiful city. As they had undergone a huge repressive, the people in Barcelona appreciate living in harmony. In 21th century of Barcelona, if we check the religion statistics there are Jews and Protestants in minor quantity and Muslims over one-million living together. So it's easy to come across many different and fascinating religious institutions in city of Catalans.

After all these information we can say that when you plan your trip to Barcelona, it's necessary to look through the religious places beforehand and see how the Barcelona city travel can be charming! You can find everything about Barcelona travel in our other articles. So we suggest you check other parts of our site.

Barcelona People

Barcelona People

If you plan Barcelona travel then we will guarantee that you will be hosted by very welcoming people there. Barcelona city is a Mediterranean city and so are the people. They like to welcome people from all over the world. The city stands out being a cosmopolitan place in European cities. People from other countries of the world live in peace. You can see many 'homeless' people in both main and side streets living happily.
We hear that you ask how can homeless people be happy? After a little search we have concluded that these people on the streets have a life style and belief that they want to keep on. They choose living on the streets. It's not a defect there! but this scenery won't you be mistaken. People passing nearby h


omeless people have different connection. They share what is going on around and they communicate as everything is usual and everything is really usual in the streets. Most of them have a big stereo tapes and dogs. People don't be disturbed by each other. Of course, not all the homeless people are having fun! But there are some social institutions for these people. What we see is most of these homeless people are from other countries.

Beside this situation, it's likely to come across people who have hearty welcome at the restaurants, shops and cafes. People in Barcelona know at least two languages. They speak Catalan, Spanish and English. Most of them know English, too. So when you travel in Barcelona city, it won't be difficult to communicate. As it's a touristic city, people from all over the places can speak English. When you visit a place such as a museum or cathedral they start to speak Catalan until you say Hello:). Then they transfer to English easily.

In Barcelona people are aware of the cosmopolitan part of the city. They don't ignore the rest of the world. It's said that people in Barcelona are fond of their language and city and they don't like people in Madrid but it's not the same all the time especially to the tourist. It's a situation between people from Madrid and Barcelona but anyhow everything is in it right place in this city. Who doesn't love one's language and city!

At nights, the streets are not so dangerous. A person even alone can travel around the city but still you should be careful about it as there are many outsiders. In side streets, you can see many graffiti samples. Maybe the people can express their idea so openly, it won't be necessary to disturb the around. In side streets you can walk comfortably even at nights.

In Barcelona, there is a famous tradition between people. They come together and dance at the middle of the streets. So why do they perform this dance? It's called Sardana. People come together on Sundays in front of the cathedrals and start to perform Sardana. When we think about Barcelona, flamenco dance may come to our minds but Sardana is their more famous dance style. It shows their unity and living in harmony. Barcelona people love to live! We will keep on being your Barcelona travel guide. Please check our other articles.

Is Barcelona Cheap or Expensive?

How is the life standard in Barcelona city? Are the living expenses too high? Is the Barcelona city itself too expensive or vice versa? Let's have a look at how the life is easy in Barcelona travel time :)))
First of all in Barcelona, the currency is Euro which we know already. So if you are European then everything is Ok for you. What is more it's cheaper than France, Italy and Germany if compared to European countries.
For instance, North European countries such as Iceland, Norway or Sweden are much more expensive than Barcelona city. If you are tourist from Turkey, even though for these days the currency of Barcelona is higher than Turkish liras, you can have still cheap travel in the city. 

Beside above information, I'd like to mention about the food, restaurant, the bazaar in Barcelona city. There is a big and open every day bazaar called Boqueria in Las Ramblas street. There are many kinds of food varying from fruit, meat especeially and the vegetable. You can find olives, different kinds of cheese and etc. The prices are reasonable. For instance, a kilo of apple is around 2 euros. Some olive kinds are little expensive even though Spain is an Mediterranean city. For instance, a kilo of green olive is around 50 euros! The vegetable and fruit kinds are cheap. You can find lots of meat kinds such as pork, rabbit, chicken. The prices are OK.

What about the restaurants? As in many metropolitian cities, of course, there are expensive and cheap resataurants in Barcelona, too. Las Ramblas city is the most touristic street in Barcelona. Even around this city there are fine and cheap restaurants. I'd like to advice you a restaurant for you that I had visited before. There is a restaurant called Attic and it's available for family, young groups and couple dates:)) The prices are acceptable and the food is fantastic. For instance, one portion of hake fish is 15€. If you'd like to have a glass of wine which is the winner of the best wine of 2010 ( I can't remember the exact year), you must pay extra 7€. Of course there are other chic restaurants whose prices are also accessible. Beside these restaurants, you can find many fast food restaurants on the both sides of Las Ramblas. 

Let's talk about souvenir options. In Barcelona city, if you want to travel everywhere and places, it's time to discover the city without worrying about the expenses. There are many souvenir shops which sell many kinds of souvenir in Barcelona streets. On Las Ramblas street, it may be a little more expensive to buy souvenir but if you don't hesisate to discover the side-streets, then you can find many things to buy for your friends at reasonable prices.

Shall we mention about the transportation options in Barcelona city? We suggest you not rent a car if you always want to spend your travel in Barcelona city. Why? Because the city was built in order and you can get the farthest place even in two hours by train! And also the parking prices are much more expensive than the cars:))) For instance, parking lot fee per hour is around 2.5€. It doesn't differ when you pay monthly or weekly. If you'd like to pay weekly, per week it changes around between 50 and 100€ according to your bargaining talent! So it's more useful to use public transport. There are many different options such as buses, trains, subways and the most enjoyable one public bikes. These are the cheapest and the fastest at the same time. For instance, a subway fee is 9.25€ for 10 ride. 

Finally, we should mention about the shopping centers around Las Ramblas street for women tourist especially! There are many expensive shops such as Ralph Lauren, Massimo Dutti,Prada etc. Beside these shops, there are H&M, Mango, Stradivarius and local vintage shops for cheaper shopping option. Prada is expensive all around the world:)  but local shops are available and you can find lots of things in good quality.

We will give detailed information about restaurants, souvenir shops, transportation and shopping seperately but in this article we have just wanted to inform you about the life expenses in Barcelona city. I guess, you will agree with us after you have have read this article. Barcelona city is cheaper than the other European cities. So don't hesitate to plan your trip for Barcelona city.

If you have any question about Barcelona travel guide, please contact to us and we would like to give specific info for you.