And you can imagine the food and drink – wow. Don’t even get me started… The meat cones from the Boqueria market? We ate ten in nothing flat. I was so happy I wanted to cry.

 

Travelers: Dina & Steve Harrison, plus kids from 7 to 11

Date: Two trips during July 2016 and 2017

Itinerary: 4-5 days in Barcelona, then 6 days in Costa Brava, specifically Tossa de Mar and Cadaques

Budget: Lodging costs vary widely in or near Barcelona. Hotels hit $400 per-night-plus in high-season summer. Airbnbs can be less expensive, especially when booked well in advance.

Sagrada Familia You definitely need to buy tickets in advance to avoid disappointment. They can be downloaded to your phone – no need to print – but don’t wait until the day you want to go: Every summer day it was sold out for several days in advance. I’d also highly recommend going in the late afternoon, between 4:30-5:00pm when the sunlight is coming through one entire side of stained glass windows. Another cool thing is to ride the elevator to the top of one of the towers. The amazing artwork and sculpture on the roof is also incredible – and don’t get me started on the views! And in the basement, another church entirely. Wow.

Park Güell This Gaudi-designed park is a “must” and the kids will love it. A friend recommended visiting before noon – and she wasn’t wrong. Between the heat and the crowds, it seems a little more doable first thing in the morning. You can easily take a bus or public transportation to the park from anywhere in the city so you don’t have to walk up the hill. I’d recommend doing a tour with a guide – we learned a lot about the mosaics and the layout that we wouldn’t have known otherwise. If too boring, you can leave the tour and you still have your timed ticket entrance.  The kids loved all the tile work, counting the colors, seeing the little “gingerbread” looking homes, and exploring the Gaudi forest. You’ll need tickets in advance for this one, too.

More Gaudi  Our family, especially Kate and I, are slightly obsessed with Gaudi. Last summer we did Güell Palace and the Casa Batlló.

This summer we did Casa Milá. I think we liked Mila the best. Worth seeing at least one more of Gaudi’s works while you’re there but you don’t need to go to all three of them. Tickets are easily available for all these, with Milá likely being the busiest. 

 

 

Beach Splash If you and/or your kids are tired, head to the beach and jump in. It’s such a scene and it’s worth an hour or two relaxing in the late afternoon.  Water is warm and it’s teeming with people watching. We didn’t spend a ton of time there since we were going to the beach for a week after Barcelona both times, but it’s a cool scene and shouldn’t be overlooked. Grab a cerveza, people watch and build something in the sand. Even walking along the beach is a fun activity! (My kids were also stunned that so many women were topless! Something to consider depending on your kids’ age and maturity!) We didn’t carry towels around with us all day thinking this would happen. I did have a bikini and a bikini for my daughter in my bag. Jack swam in his underwear. If you sit out for 15-20 minutes, you’ll be dry enough to move onto your next stop.

Don’t Miss the Neighborhoods We roamed El Raval and Barri Gotic. It’s so interesting to see all the windy streets and old parts of the city. From churches to tiny alleyways, water fountains and cobblestone streets. And so many little boutique stores which I’m fascinated with – not only good shopping but the contrast of very old with modern shops.  We loved the Gracia neighborhood in particular. It’s super hipster with lots of 20-somethings hanging out all day and night. I would highly recommend dinner there one evening! They show movies in the open square and many restaurants seem to be Mediterranean or Lebanese food but we loved having something other than tapas. Our favorite restaurant in Gracia was Al Waha for Lebanese and we knew we were in the right spot when many ladies with burkas and niqabs showed up. Of course, the Eixample neighborhood with its big boulevards, high fashion boutiques and great restaurants with sidewalk cafes was also another must. Great for an afternoon or evening stroll and worth stopping for a cocktail and people-watching.

Tapas of a Lifetime Our favorite restaurant is by far Cerveceria Catalan. It’s fabulous and you must go. MUST!  Located off Passeig de Gracia in Eixample, the kids loved it and I loved it. Typical Catalan tapas and share plates. Note that they don’t tell you but many tapas come in half portions so you can order/try more.  It’s heaven and don’t forget the chocolate, bread and olive oil for dessert. You won’t regret it. We tend to go for late lunch – around 2-3pm because dinner is super crazy. We went for dinner, waited an hour at 9pm, scored by getting seats at the bar, and ate from 10-midnight. It was heaven. We all are OBSESSED and even the kids dream about the tomato bread, shrimp and small plates.  Two other restaurants that are highly recommended: Disfrutar (long waits but possible for lunch reservation) and Pau Claris (very fancy but would be good date night).

Cooking Class And now that you’ve eaten a ton, perhaps it’s time to cook like a local. We popped over to Barcelona Cooking and did a Spanish Cooking class and market tour. While we had done the market a few times on our own, it was different having a guide and seeing what the locals buy. Note the Boqueria market has become more of a tourist market and there are other local markets nearby like the Santa Catarina Market.  We loved the cooking class as we learned to make strawberry gazpacho, paella, and tortilla espanola (Spanish omelette), tomato bread and creme catalan (a custard dessert). The kids also loved donning an apron and rolling up their sleeves getting into it. Plus what kid doesn’t love a blow torch to put the finishing touches on dessert?

Tossa De Mar Once you tire of Barcelona, you may want to get out of town. Head North East towards France and you’ll soon find yourself in rugged Costa Brava. How to get there? Either rent a car, hire a driver or take the bus, which is what we did. Tossa de Mar is a small town with a castle perched on the hill overlooking a beautiful beach.  It’s a bit of a tourist town in that many food options are pizza and Italian but if you look deeper you’ll find great food. Our favorite spot was Bar La Luna, just below the castle. It’s a very small place (maybe 12 tables) and they have the best little tapas and sangria. Kids could run around the cobblestone streets while waiting, or you can head up to the castle for sunset. We loved the small mostly pedestrian town with all the crepe and ice cream places, and the musicians, face painters and henna tattoo artists. It feels very compact and I didn’t have a problem letting the kids wander. During the day, the beach is fabulous. A decent break makes boogie boarding and tubing really fun. We rented chairs and umbrellas (a must in the hot sun) for about $10-20 per day. When they weren’t swimming, kids played in the sand, had fierce games of War or UNO and ate Calippo popsicles. After some R&R, we were all recharged and ready for some more culture.

Cadaques Cadaques is another beach town in Costa Brava about 1 hour closer to France but still in Spain. It’s next to Port Lligat which is the home to Salvador Dali. So if you are a Dali fan, you won’t want to miss touring his very eclectic and eccentric house and art studio. You’ll need tickets in advance so plan ahead.  (And you can walk from Cadaques to Port Lligat.) We stayed at an AirBnB apartment (which bonus: had laundry) and enjoyed the small fishing village of Cadaques. Another notable thing that puts Cadaques on the map is a restaurant called Compatir which means to share. It is run by some of the sous chefs from the famous el Bulli restaurant and is a MUST. The kids and I had a fabulous meal. They encourage sharing; so we did. We split the crab and avocado starter,  the tuna cannelloni, the scallop and fennel salad, the monkfish and squash, and the Black Forest cake. Overall it’s an Interesting menu, outstanding service and food preparation and lovely setting with indoor and patio options. Reservations are a must. We loved walking along the rugged coast and found a 3-mile hike which was scary at times — if you fall, you’d land in the water about 6 feet below so not terrible – but nerve-wracking for this mama. The lighthouse in Port Lligat is also very cool!

Lodging Picks 

• Barcelona – Hotel Well & Come We loved the central location, neighborhood and tiny rooftop pool to cool off each day. However, the rooms are a little small – think rooms in NYC or San Francisco. Airbnbs are plentiful, too.
• Tossa de Mar – We loved Hotel Diana right across from the main beach in the center of town. The Hotel Diana was a former seaside mansion that was converted into a hotel and still has the original stained glass in the music room.
• Cadaques – There are not a lot of options in terms of hotels here, so we rented an apartment for two nights, which was nice because it also had a washer dryer.