Lively Barcelona

Barcelona, the capital of the autonomous region of Catalonia in Spain, really came to the world’s attention when it hosted the 1992 Summer Olympic Games. Since then, the city has attracted an ever-increasing number of visitors, especially during the summer months. With a population of just over 1.6 million, Barcelona had a total of 9.7 million visitors in 2022.

With the availability of cheap flights from many other European cities, it has become a favourite destination for a short break. In addition, numerous cruise ships make a stop there. While tourism has brought tangible economic benefits, overtourism has led to some locals feeling crowded-out in their own city.

We had bought a guidebook on Barcelona in 2003, had watched many documentaries and knew that we would like to visit, but never did. We had some unease about the city being thronged with visitors and were reticent to add to the overtourism problem. That is what has kept us from going back to Venice, a city we love, but that also suffers from being too popular.

Our mindset changed this past year. We came to the realization that there is no sense in delaying the good things until it is too late. Knowing that there were fewer visitors in Barcelona during the winter, we bought a new guidebook and booked flights and a hotel.

We soon realized we should not have procrastinated for so long. We had a wonderful time. The sun shone every day and, like so many before us, we fell in love with this wonderful city.

Barcelona is beautiful, charming, and lively. The city has so much to offer that it is impossible to see everything in one visit. There is something for everyone to see and do. As recommended, we made online reservations, in advance, for all the museums and sites we absolutely wanted to see. We also set aside a day to visit the mountaintop monastery of Monserrat.

Being situated on the Mediterranean coast and surrounded by mountains, Barcelona enjoys a pleasant climate year-round. The vegetation was lush even in December and Barcelonians (and visitors) were milling around outdoors in a leisurely manner, shopping in lively open markets, sitting and chatting on street benches, and dining in sidewalk cafes and restaurants. The numerous parks, pedestrian areas, and oversized sidewalks seem to have been designed to accommodate that convivial way of life.

In December, the city glows with millions of festive lights and buzzes with numerous Christmas markets. The smiling Christmas log, known as Tió de Nadal (our feature image) is ubiquitous. There was even a small one at our hotel’s reception desk. Tio is part of Catalan mythology: it is said that he will bring small gifts to children if they take loving care of him, from December 8 (Feast of the Immaculate Conception) to Christmas Day.

The Hop-on/Hop-off bus service was a terrific way to get a first overview of the city. The bus has two different routes that pass by the major sights and attractions. Once oriented, we travelled back to specific locations by public transit. The extensive TMB network is efficient and easy to navigate.

Barcelona’s sizeable old city, which encompasses three distinct quarters (Barri Gòthic, El Raval, and El Born), is a mesh of narrow winding streets and lanes. Many of the small shops and restaurants in the area stay open late and seem to do good business.

We walked through the colorful Mercat de la Boqueria, visited the monastery of Sant Pau del Camp and the Church of Santa Maria del Pi. We dined outdoors on Plaça Reial and wandered through the Santa Llucia Christmas Market in front of the Cathedral.

Barcelona is known for its Modernista architecture, especially the works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The city is home to nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In an upcoming post, we will focus on the five sites that we visited in the city: Sagrada Familia, Casa Milà-La Pedrera, Park Güell, Hospital de Sant Pau, and the Palau de la Música Catalana. We couldn’t do them justice in this overview.

In addition, there are several museums, two of them dedicated to famous artists (Picasso and Miró). We spent an enjoyable couple of hours in the Picasso Museum, where we got an overview of his artistic evolution, from Realism to Cubism.

Barcelona has eight universities, which may explain, in part, why it appears so young and cosmopolitan. The Barcelonians we encountered in the hospitality services were very friendly and helpful. We felt grateful that they would share their city with us for the duration of our visit. We hope to return soon.

Our video shows some of the places that we visited and we hope it conveys a sense of the city’s vibrancy.