Barcelona in 1 Week: Food Tips, Day Trips and Travel Guide

Whenever I go anywhere solo, I have a few ground rules:

• I need to be able to eat amazing local food
• I should be able to walk or take public transportation easily
• There should be some sort of outdoorsy thing to do
• I should be able to rent a car and drive around at will

Barcelona and its surrounding areas hit these points on all accounts. So when I knew I had some free days to close out 2017, I headed straight here. Over the course of a week, I explored the city, as well as Montserrat, Girona, Figueres, and Cadaques. It sounds like a lot! But it actually fit pretty nicely without being too hectic.

I fell in love with Barcelona pretty instantly. Speaking Spanish helps (it’s close enough to Catalan to get by), but even without that, I felt I could fit seamlessly into the bustling life. By day, I walked or took the train to landmark hop and get my fill of Gaudi (seriously so much Gaudi though). By night, I knocked elbows with locals at tapas bars to try as many new dishes as I could (where a guy also tried to mansplain tapas to me; I guess mansplaining is a global phenomenon). There also seemed to be a lot of athleisure outfitting going on, so obviously they get me.

Whether you’re going solo or with a group, here’s my travel guide on how to get around, what to do, and of course, where to eat!

General tips:

Bring cash, as many tapas bar prefer it to credit card to speed up service. You’ll need cash anyways for La Boqueria market.

Buy the T-10 pass for the metro. It gives you 10 train rides at a discount, which is perfect for a week of traveling (you’ll be walking or driving around too).

Tapas bars get crowded easily, but sit at the bar if you can to avoid waiting in lines. The bar is also where you can see all the tapas and have visuals of what all you’re about to order.

When going to the airport, try and take the 46 bus instead of the A1 train; it’s way cheaper, and it’s what the locals take.

My favorite tapas spots:

Quimet & Quimet { On Eater Barcelona’s list as well; it’s standing room only, so cozy up to the bar and order the salmon with honey and yogurt. }

Tapas 24 { Touristy but very good. The iberico ham sandwiches are insane, as is the chocolate mousse with olive oil dessert. If you’re lucky, the bartender will slip you a couple extra glasses of wine. }

Cerveseria Catalana { Fantastic patatas bravas and baby squid, and pretty much everything else on the menu. }

Cerveseria Ciutat Comtal { Get any of the hot seafood tapas. My personal favorite were the scallops. }

Bar del Pla { My favorite place hands down. The oxtail was so silky I wish I had eaten two more. Dessert was a “borracho ratafia,” a “drunk ratchet” of brioche-type bread soaked in alcohol and topped with cream. The name itself is perfect, and the dish was so so good! }

Don’t leave without eating: Patatas bravas, baby calimari, churros, xuxos (Catalan cream-filled donuts), paella, a meat and cheese cone from La Boqueria, and anything iberico ham.

Things to do in Barcelona:

Castillo de Montjuic { I watched the sunrise here in a jet lagged stupor, when I woke up so early and ended up grabbing my running shoes. The colors and the views you get at this hour are magical. }

All the Gaudi { There are 3 Gaudi houses and the park. Audio tours are a big thing here and a great way to learn the history as you walk around. I did all the audio tours, but I would suggest only doing Sagrada Familia and Casa Batllo, which is an augmented reality tour and super legit. }

Tibidado { This is pretty out of the way, but worth taking a couple hours to do to get a full view of the city. There’s also a ferris wheel! }

Plaza Reial { The famous/touristy plaza with tons of bars and restaurants. It’s nicely lighted at night. }

Day Trips (rent a car!):

Montserrat {The serrated mountains are about 30 minutes outside of Barcelona and super unique. I easily spent the day hiking the mountainside and looking at the view. If you can, stay for the sunset. }

Girona { A medieval town that highlights old-school Spain. It has a gorgeous church, super narrow alleyways that I nearly got my car stuck in, and a “great wall” you can climb and walk on that surrounds the city. }

Dalí Museum { Dali built this himself in an old theater in Figueres, so you can only imagine what all is going on. From statues with baguettes on their heads to an exhibit only about his mustache, it’s Dali at his finest. }

Cadaques { A coastal town where Dali lived for quite some time. You can visit his house, but personally, I enjoyed meandering the cobblestone streets and grabbing drinks and tapas right on the water. }