I was in Barcelona for a 4 day trip last month and what an absolutely gorgeous city it is. It helped of course that it was in the upper 20s temperature wise, even though it was towards the end of October. Beats the single figure temperature in Scotland any day!
It was part of a package deal through citybreaks.co.uk but there are so many cheap flights through various carriers that it would be easy to make it a very cheap & cheerful few days staying in backpacker hostels of which there seemed to be quite a few in the centre of the city. We stayed in a 3 star hotel in a rather residential part of Barcelona, and although it was very nice it was about 10 minutes to the underground, and then another 10/15 to get into the heart of the city. It was also a pain at night as there weren't really any local restaurants or tapas bars if you couldn't face a long walk or ride home after eating & drinking. That however was the only fly in the ointment.
Using the underground exclusively, we managed to navigate our way round Barcelona quite successfully. There are a variety of passes that you can buy which will give you unlimited travel on the network, and pretty much guarantees to get you to every major sight that you'll want to visit. Working out stations and lines is also simple, and there are plenty of maps that tell you where the major sights are so you get off at the right station.
The architecture is stunning, and of course a visit to at least one Gaudi creation is an absolute must. Parc Guell is a way out of the central part of the city but well worth the visit, particularly if it's a nice day as it's quite easy to lose yourself in a fantasy world walking round. No visit to Barcelona of course would be complete without a trip to Sagrada Familia, the work in progress of a cathedral which will blow you away.
There are of course many art galleries and museums to visit as well, we only managed to go to the Picasso museum which details his boyhood scribblings through to his adult works. If you're not a Picasso fan like me, it's not as painful as you think it's going to be!
There are different sections to the central part of Barcelona, there's La Ramblas which is the tree-lined avenue in the heart of the city. Full of street stalls, performers and rip-off merchants, as well as pickpockets. Be careful, and not like some of the idiots we watched one lunchtime thinking they could beat the locals at card games, there are plenty of cunning street gangs who will try and fleece unsuspecting, and sometimes, arrogant tourists. Although the gang was quickly rounded up and driven off by the police, within half an hour another gang had replaced them. There is a problem with petty street crime, mainly pickpocketing, and taking the normal sensible precautions is the best way to avoid it. In the main troublespots there are plenty of police and security personnel, visibly patrolling the streets, and their response time to any incidents we witnessed was excellent. It mars your impression slightly, but by no means put you off being there or going back. The food market which is about at the halfway mark of La Ramblas is fantastic. Full of fresh produce from huge vegetables, fish and meat to lots of delicattesen-type goods such as olives, cheeses and dried fruits.
Adjacent to La Ramblas is the gothic quarter which is great to wander around, and just as dark and repressive as it sounds! Great fun though, and sniff out for the 'aromas' as you go deeper into it. It's full of junk and antique shops and is something out of 19th century London. Quite easy to get lost in the labyrinth of small side streets, but well worth the wonder if you're into photography, or just want to get away from the hustle and bustle of La Ramblas.
Around that area as well are lots and lots of shops. Just about every designer name you can think of, and some, just for good measure. I'm not a shopaholic so I didn't really have a look round, but there were certainly plenty of them. My cousin reliably informed me (having spent hours trawling round them looking for a coat) that the prices were much better than they are in the UK, even for the designer labels - there's a surprise!
The marina area is also fantastic, with seafood restaurants, boat trips around the harbour and lots of nice walks to go on. There's also a museum and if you walk further along you'll find the Olympic village and the beach. We didn't make it that far, we were only around the marina area and had dinner there which was absolutely gorgeous fresh seafood.
There are far more places to go to and this is only the highlights of trying to pack in a great deal of sightseeing in three whole days. If you're there for a long weekend beware of Museum and Art Gallery opening times as there quite a few that are closed on a Monday. If you look at the Lonely Planet and Rough Guide sites before you go, they're a good source of information and will direct you to more informative sites so that you can try and plan what you want to see before you go. A few days isn't nearly enough time to do the city justice, but then it's a good excuse to go back I suppose!
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