Barcelona
September 2021
4 Days
After our wedding in 2021, we had originally planned our honeymoon to Nice and Paris flying Iberia through Madrid, but at the time France was requiring the COVID "Green Pass" which meant we had to email in photos of our vaccination cards. After emailing several times without a response, we figured we needed to come up with a new plan.
With only a few days to change plans, getting a new flight would be difficult, so we figured why not just stay in Spain and not take the connecting flight to Nice? As I had been to Madrid in the past, we decided to go to Barcelona for this trip. On arrival in Madrid, we took a taxi to the train station and then a 2.5 hour train to Barcelona. All things considered, our new honeymoon planned just 72 hours in advance turned out to be amazing!
Contents
Daily Itinerary
Jump right in to some tapas at El Mercat
Walk La Rambla
Walk through the Arc de Triomf
Morning coffee in La Barceloneta
Take in some sun on the beach
Afternoon drinks at the W Hotel
Wander the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter
Late lunch bites at Mercado de La Boquería
Dinner and Flamenco show at Tablao Cordobes
Day tour to Montserrat
Wine tasting and lunch at Oller del Mas
Asian fusion at Hawker 45
Tour Sagrada Familia
Stroll colorful Park Güell overlooking the city
Oysters and cocktails at Boca Grande
Shopping on Passeig de Gràcia
Early evening cocktails at Boadas
Eat some of the best tapas dishes in Barcelona at Bar Cañete
Flights
Iberia Business Class ORD-MAD: 43,000 Chase points one-way transferred to Iberia Plus + $142 taxes & fees + $65 train to Barcelona
Iberia Business Class - 2021
Hotels
Cotton House Hotel: 240,000 Marriott points for 4 nights + 4 suite upgrades
▸ Luxury hotel in the heart of Barcelona with a rooftop pool and beautiful courtyard restaurant.
Cotton House Hotel - Barcelona, Spain 2021
Food (With Beli Ranking)
Bar Cañete (9.9) - Amazing restaurant with the steak and foie gras maybe the most delicious single bite of food I've ever had. We were lucky to be able to get a reservation just one day prior.
Boca Grande (8.3) - Beautiful restaurant just off the upscale shopping street of Passeig De Gracia. A bit expensive, but serving fresh seafood, good drinks, and a delicious dessert.
El Mercat (8.3) - Recommended to us by the hotel staff as it was just around the corner. Solid restaurant serving tapas.
La Boqueria - Famous market on La Rambla with tons of vendors selling produce, meats, cheese, fruits, drinks, and food. Definitely worth a stop for a browse and bite to eat.
Boadas - One of the world's most famous bars and open since 1933, stepping inside feels like you've stepped back in time.. It's small, just off La Rambla and the bartenders are known to have worked here forever serving traditional martinis and old school cocktails.
Hawker 45 - Fusion restaurant serving dishes inspired by Asian hawker stalls. Unfortunately, this restaurant closed not long after we visited.
Full Itinerary
Day 1
We chose to stay at the Cotton House Hotel as we were debating between here or the W, but a friend mentioned to us that the W is a bit far of a walk from a lot of activities in Barcelona as it's out on the south end of the Barcelona Beach.
This ended up being an excellent decision as the Cotton House Hotel was very centrally located to many attractions, is a beautiful hotel, and had wonderful staff that was very friendly and helpful. The hotel also has a small rooftop pool which we spent some time at most afternoons to relax and cool off after walking around the city all day.
Cotton House Hotel - Barcelona, Spain 2021
After getting settled in our hotel room, we asked the hotel staff for a recommendation for lunch and they pointed us just around the corner to El Mercat for tapas. We had a number of dishes which were all delicious including pan con tomate, octopus, and the berenjenas (fried eggplant) pictured.
Eggplant at El Mercat - Barcelona, Spain 2021
Day 2
Arc de Triomf
To start our first full day in Barcelona, we headed toward the beach in the morning. From our hotel, we came across the Arc de Triomf, built in 1888 as the main gate for the Barcelona World Fair.
Arc de Triomf - Barcelona, Spain 2021
Barcelona Beach
As we got closer to the beach, we walked through the narrow streets of La Barceloneta where we stopped for a morning coffee before finally emerging on the beach.
We spent the morning walking along the beach and down to the W hotel where we found the beachside restaurant Gallito, so we figured it would be a good time to stop for some midday cocktails and snacks.
Barcelona Beach - Barcelona, Spain 2021
Catedral de Barcelona
After our beachside drinks, we headed toward the Gothic Quarter, the city center of the old city of Barcelona. After wandering through the narrow, winding streets, it felt like we had just exited a maze when we came upon the Cathedral of Barcelona.
Catedral de Barcelona - Lisbon, Portugal 2024
Located on La Rambla, La Boqueria is the most famous market in Barcelona filled with vendors selling fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood, and more including ready to eat food. We were able to try a handful of different foods from the various vendors for a late lunch before heading back to our hotel for an afternoon dip in the pool and a nap before dinner.
La Boqueria - Barcelona, Spain 2021
Pool
During our stay, we took advantage of the rooftop pool every afternoon.
Pool at Cotton House Hotel - Barcelona, Spain 2021
Tablao Cordobes
We booked a tapas dinner and Flamenco show at Tablao Cordobes in the evening to experience this art form unique to southern Spain.
Flamenco at Tablao Cordobes - Barcelona, Spain 2021
Day 3
Montserrat
On a recommendation from my dad, we began our third day in Barcelona by taking a tour out to the mountain range of Montserrat. The bus ride from Barcelona was about an hour before arriving at the funicular station which we took the rest of the way up the mountain to the Abbey of Montserrat.
Montserrat - Barcelona, Spain 2021
Following a tour of the Abbey, we had some time to wander around a bit. Our tour guide recommended sampling the liqueurs which are made and sold at the Abbey, as well as sampling a number of cheeses.
Liquers at Montserrat - Barcelona, Spain 2021
Oller del Mas
The second part of our tour was a wine tasting and tapas lunch at the Oller del Mas winery. At the time we visited, they had just built a brand new building with views of the Montserrat mountain range in the background.
Our tour guide conducted the wine tasting while we had lunch, with some time at the end to wander the grounds, try additional wines, and purchase any bottles.
Oller del Mas - Barcelona, Spain 2021
Hawker 45
As we had been eating tapas exclusively for the last couple days (patatas bravas every meal!) we wanted to try something different for dinner. We found good reviews about an Asian fusion restaurant called Hawker 45 and it definitely did not dissapoint. Unfortunately, it appears the restaurant closed not long after we visited, although the chef and owner now operates Hawker Street Food at Post Market in Houston.
Day 4
Sagrada Família
The Sagrada Família is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world due to its unique design by Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí is by far the most prominent Catalan architect and Barcelona is filled with many buildings designed by him, but the Sagrada Família has been under construction since 1882.
While I am very much of the belief that most European cathedrals and churches look the same, the Sagrada Família is an exception and definitely worth a visit inside.
Sagrada Família - Barcelona, Spain 2021
Park Güell
Another famous Gaudí work is Park Güell, which almost looks like it could be out of Alice in Wonderland. The park features unique architecture, lots of mosaic work, and an overview of the city out to the sea. The park is notorious for pickpockets, so watch your belongings!
Park Güell - Barcelona, Spain 2021
Following our morning of Gaudí, we stopped into a random restaurant for lunch which turned out to be an excellent spot. On top of the excellent seafood and cocktails, Boca Grande had one of my favorite desserts - an extra large chocolate hazlenut ball.
Boca Grande - Barcelona, Spain 2021
Boadas
After working off our chocolate ball by relaxing at the pool, it was time to head out for our final evening in Barcelona. Las Boadas is the oldest cocktail bar in the city - it opened in 1933 and it looks like they haven't done anything inside since.
The bar is so unassuming, we had to walk around the block several times before we could even find the entrance. Once inside, it feels like stepping back in time - one might call it the least Instagrammable bar in the world. And that's probably what the draw of this place is for the regular customers.
The drinks are inspired by the founder's roots in Havana, as you might be able to tell from my tropical cocktail.
Boadas - Barcelona, Spain 2021
A couple nights previoulsy, we had walked past Bar Cañete while looking for a restaurant for dinner and it was completely full. Since it seemed so popular, we made a reservation this time. This place seems to be on every list of best tapas restaurants in Barcelona, but still has a local feel. We were fortunate to be able to sit at the counter and watch the food being made right in front of us.
Our waiter was very helpful in pointing us to some excellent dishes, including what might be the single best bite of food I have ever had - aged steak with foie and truffle sauce. We couldn't have asked for a better meal on our last night in Barcelona, and it left us wishing we could stay much longer.
Steak with Foie and Truffle Sauce at Bar Cañete - Barcelona, Spain 2021
Overall
Between the excellent weather and very few crowds, our 4 days in Barcelona were about as close to perfect as possible, especially considering we planned the whole trip just a few days before leaving.
Barcelona was a great place for a variety of activities from the beach, to wine, to some excellent food.
To see the next stop on this trip, go here to Mallorca
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