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Earlier this year I visited Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. Join me in reliving the trip, recapping the very best parts, and how I'd do things differently if I ever visit again. This Barcelona {Overview} is the first in a series of four posts. Related posts include Barcelona {The Sights}, Barcelona {via Gaudi}, and Barcelona {The Food}. I hope these posts will serve as a mini getaway for you and a useful guide if you'll soon be visiting Barcelona. Barcelona BasicsBarcelona is a huge city in Spain and a very popular tourist destination. While technically located in Spain, Barcelona is loyal to Catalonia. Catalonia was once separate from Spain and Barcelona was its capitol and largest city. While Catalonia and Barcelona are both folded into Spain now, you'll see signs of loyalty to Catalonia all over the city in the form of yellow ribbons. There are separate flags for Catalonia and Spain which often fly next to one another. I'm reminded most of Sicily where residents don't focus on being part of the larger Italian community. That all being said, I was warned that Catalan is the primary language and that folks in Barcelona prefer to speak it over Spanish. Since I don't speak either, I was relieved that nearly everyone we encountered in Barcelona spoke or understood English to some extent. Barcelona is located on the water and has all of the charm of an old European city. It underwent a major makeover in advance of the 1992 Olympics which were held there. We learned that the sand and palm trees at the Barceloneta beach were all brought in from Egypt and other various locations around the world! I didn't know much about Barcelona before this trip except that it's got a famous and expensive cured ham called jamon iberico and that the masterpiece of the city is "the church of our generation" called Sagrada Familia that's been under construction for decades and is still not finished! It was thrilling and satisfying to explore and get to know a place that was never before on my radar. Come along with me to Barcelona!  A sunny Barcelona snapshot of Gaudi House and a swaying palm tree TravelersMy husband's brother, Brandon, won this trip to Barcelona though his work. I consider it a point of pride that family members were heading someplace on the other side of the world and thought to invite me/us! There were four of us visiting Barcelona together: me, my husband Bryce, his brother Brandon, and Brandon's wife/our sister-in-law Renee.  Our Barcelona team: Brandon, Renee, myself, and Bryce Why Barcelona?While flattered and excited to tag along on an international trip, our visit to Barcelona was unlike any other I'd ever been on. I had no control over the destination or dates. The trip was taking Brandon and Renee to Barcelona at the beginning of March and we could take it or leave it! Obviously we took it. While Brandon and Renee were put up in an amazing hotel with many meals and outings pre-planned and complimentary to them, Bryce and I were truly the younger siblings and scrappy travelers staying down the street and running around without any supervision!  The view of Barcelona from the Sagrada Familia (Nativity side) Tower Length of VisitWe were gone from Seattle for exactly one week. We left on a Tuesday night and returned on a Tuesday night. Taking travel time and time zone changes into account, we spent 5 and a half days in Barcelona. We landed on Wednesday night and left on Tuesday morning. Was that enough time? Yes, only because we crammed so much into each day! If you have more time, I'd recommend a longer stay in Barcelona complete with consecutive good nights sleeping and some time carved out for relaxing and/or day trips to nearby cities or countries. FlightsWe traveled from Seattle to Barcelona with a layover in Dublin via Aer Lingus. We took the exact same route on the way home. Flight numbers are as follows: Seattle to Dublin 142, Dublin to Barcelona 564, Barcelona to Dublin 563, and Dublin to Seattle 143. The cost for both of us to fly roundtrip was just under $1300! That included pre-ordered meals for both of the overseas flights and seat selections, but didn't include checked bags. I had purchased the Away Carry-On just for this trip since we planned not to check a bag. Once we returned I exchanged the Away Carry-On for the Bigger Carry-On. International flights are so much more comfortable and accommodating than what we're used to taking within the US. The seats are more spacious, the movies and TV are free, and there's usually a free adult beverage. We really loved Aer Lingus and would happily fly with them again. We pre-ordered our meals for the flights, paying about $30 per person per meal. We didn't think much of the process when ordering except that we knew we'd need a meal for such a long flight. Not long after takeoff the flight attendants confirmed our meals with us, which seemed really nice but odd. Before we knew it we were being served our dinners before everyone else in our area! We had ordered the upgraded meals served with wine and proper wine glasses, full size dinner plates and silverware, personal salt and pepper shakers, etc. What we'd selected was steak (Bryce) and salmon (me) and we had a full dinner complete with bread and butter, vegetables, starch, dessert, etc! It was hilarious and so luxurious, the food was excellent. The rest of the cabin was served a slightly more casual meal a few minutes later. In hindsight I realized that the standard meals didn't have any vegetarian or seafood options which is probably why we ordered a different meal in advance. I'd recommend ordering the premium meal, just for fun! Getting around BarcelonaWe did a bit of research before we arrived and discovered that Barcelona no longer allows Uber or ride sharing companies to operate. Luckily the taxi operation is regulated, efficient, and safe. A line of taxis neatly welcomed us at the airport. We took one from the airport to our "home" then continued to taxi around the city throughout our stay when a journey was too far to walk. It did take a few taxi trips get used to actually paying the driver before getting out of the car, since we're used to Uber where the payment is all done through your phone! LodgingOur family stayed at the very high end Hotel Arts Barcelona. The hotel is AMAZING and the lobby is filled with fresh flowers, cucumber infused water, and comfortable seating. The hotel itself smells better than anyplace I'd ever been. Bryce and I couldn't justify spending the money (rooms start at $300+ per night) to stay in that luxurious hotel. We found Residencia Universitaria Campus Del Mar through Booking.com. This was our second time booking student accommodations for a stay in Europe (see our stay in Dublin here and the photos below on how to search for them) and the experience was great! We spent just $125 per night. We checked in with the desk on the first floor of the building and gladly settled into our room on the 4th and top floor. Our section of the building seemed to be filled with other travelers (read: adults) like us. We did see plenty of students in the common areas like the gym, study room, and lounge. We were just 10 minutes walking distance from our relatives. Our room had plenty of space, a big bed, kitchenette, full bathroom, and a balcony with an amazing view of the nearby park and neighborhood. The room, furnishings, and building weren't anything fancy but it was just fine for us to sleep and live in for our stay. The WiFi connection was great, which you'd expect for student accommodations. Breakfast was included and every day our room was restocked with little muffins, yogurts, crackers, tiny cereal boxes, individual sized cartons of juice and milk, and so on. We snacked in the room and took treats to go everyday, it was such a nice feature. We used the stove just once to heat water and make instant coffee. Jet lag be gone! The only negatives of our on campus accommodations were a serious lack of hot water in the shower and one night when the neighbors were partying.  The wonderful view from our balcony, yes this is a "student accommodation.” The tall square building behind the cute tower is the hotel where our family stayed.   Residencia Universitaria Campus Del Mar (our "hotel") LocationScheduled Tours and Priority ItemsOur Scheduled Tours:
Other Priority Items:
 The beautiful Sagrada Familia and the very busy cranes  The Fat Tire Tours office tucked away in the middle of historic Barcelona Thank you for tagging along for the first part of our Barcelona adventure. I am so looking forward to revisiting and sharing our adventures, and the food, with you!  Similar Posts
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What is Figs and Flights?A blog fueled by food and travel, Figs and Flights is a resource for curious travelers, foodies, yogis & book worms
Hello, I'm AngelaI'm a food obsessed blogger and world traveler 
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