BARCELONA

Favorite Spots (of MANY)

Ohhhhhh how I love this city. I can be in the worst mood & step outside and be instantly happy. I literally miss it when we travel and if that’s not a sign that I chose the right place to study abroad then I don’t know what is! Below are a bunch of places that I loveee here !!

Barcelona Rooftops

Nothing makes me happier than a sunset from a rooftop.. it’s the simple things in life people!! Here’s some of my favorites:

Ayre Hotel

Basic for a reason!! Best view of the Sagrada & everyone knows it!! It got kind of crowded recently but if you go at a weird time like mid day it can be so relaxing and beautiful.

Hotel Ohla

Really pretty and relaxing during the day. Kind of expensive drinks but worth it for the atmosphere, it is right in Gothic quarter area!!

360 Rooftop @ Barcelo Raval

Definitely the most underrated rooftop… literally incredible view at every turn.. it makes you want to just keep walking in circles lol.

Arc De Triomf & Park Ciutadella

I had one class where the walk to school was through the Arc and Park Ciutadella which led me to quickly believe that this was one of my favorite places in Barcelona. The park just exudes happiness & good vibes so I loved to walk through it and people watch in the sun :)

Bunkers Del Carmel

I genuinely think I was here in my past life, because I truly have never been more obsessed with a place in my life. We went an hour before the sunset which was the perfect timing to stare at the incredible view. The sunset hits different parts of the view throughout the hour and it is mesmerizing. I could come here every day and that is not an exaggeration.

My favorite place in Barcelona :) We came here all the time and rightfully so. The beach holds some of my favorite memories abroad! Once, after the sailboat, we all went to the beach (quite intoxicated) and had practically a tailgate with all Madison people, once we stayed out until the sunrise after Opium, every week we would come between classes on Wednesdays for ‘Beach Wednesdays,’ and the list goes on and on. Go to the beach to see a bunch of happy people, great vibes, not overrated, amazing clubs, and the perfect hangover cure.

La Boqueria Mercat

Could walk around here for hours… bring euros and come hungry!! It is also just fun to look at and soak in all the food visually :)

Montjuic

TBT to when we thought the art museum was the castle on the top of Montjuic so we accidentally hiked 3 miles in a full sweat in fur jackets…. oooops! But here’s some pictures at the ART MUSEUM in the Montjuic neighborhood. Really good vibes here and a nice view!

Renting a Sailboat Along Port Vell

This was the greatest day of Barcelona and if you know how many times I say that you know that is saying A LOT. 9 of us girls rented a sailboat that went right out of Port Vell - you can bring snacks & drinks and they even give you a bottle of Cava to start. Then we practically had a game day on the beach with all of the guys…. incredible vibes all around. 10/10 DAY!!!!

Sagrada Familia

Finalllyyyyyy saw the inside of the Sagrada and it did not disappoint. A place that gives you chills for sure.

Park Güell

Definitely a must when in Barcelona but I wouldn’t say it was my favorite just because it is sooo touristy. I definitely tried to drown out all the people though so I could soak in Gaudi’s work of art. In my opinion, the free park area around the mosaics were the prettiest part especially on a sunny day! Otherwise to go into the ticketed “well known” area its like 7 euros!!

Day Trips!!

Girona

One day I literally just woke up and decided I had nothing to do and would send a solo day excursion to Girona… and wow was it worth it. Girona was one of my favorite things I did abroad just because it was super cool to see a city from a solo perspective & also because its a reminder that all of Catalunya is beautiful not just Barce. I walked the walls, saw the Cathedral, sat in the main square, and went to this super cute biker brunch place called La Fabrica (cold brew, amazing food, etc.) 10/10 experience

Sitges

One of the 3 best nights of abroad for sure. We came here for Carnivale one random Tuesday through an abroad organization Stoke Travel and it was literally so fun. People call Carnivale in Sitges the “Gay Mardi Gras” and it was incredible. I mean man you put on a wig and the rest is history… Here are some of my only PG pictures from the night!

Montserrat

We definitely waited too long to go here until we realized we didn’t have another chance! So, even though the weather was a little iffy (yeah the ONE week its bad in Barcelona) we still went and it was still unbelievably stunning!!! We took the cable car up and then hiked around until we were ready to go back down.