Going to Barcelona for 5 days what are some hidden gems I should look out for?
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Going to Barcelona for 5 days what are some hidden gems I should look out for?
gypsies and illegals selling sewer beers for 50% mark up form the bodegas
gypsies and illegals selling sewer beers for 50% mark up form the bodegas
barcelona is such a shithole
Barcelona is such a touristed city I wouldn’t really describe the place as having many hidden gems but I’ll give you some pointers of where you should go if you’d like any other general advice.
I came to BCN in February 2020 and sort of had the same opinion. I wasn’t impressed even remotely. I’ve been to 40+ countries and travelled all over the world, but especially Europe.
Came back in 2022 July and everything changed. I fell in love with this place. I then came back again two weeks later. And again.
I now live and work in Barcelona and I genuinely hand on heart cannot think of a single other place that I’d want to be in the entire planet. To me, this place is close to perfect as it gets and is probably the most well rounded city in the world.
Yes please, it'll be my first time visiting in about 11 years
Several neighbourhoods I would check out are as follows.
>El Born.
Super touristed. Mix of gothic and modern streets. Really beautiful. Great bars, artisan stores, nightlife, amazing restaurants etc. There’s a cultural centre there which has the original city underneath which you can enter for free, right in the middle of the neighbourhood.
It’s also right next to park Ciutadella which is stunning, there’s this huge stairway type monument with a golden statue on top at the back of it, really nice to check out and have a few drinks at.
>Villa de Gracia
Still touristy compared to some neighbourhoods but feels a lot more residential. Way less busy than typical main touristy areas and has lots of great small bars and restaurants.
If you have time, maybe get the train from BCN to a neighbouring area, like Tarragona. Super historic and beautiful.
Speaking of bars, I have a million and one recommendations.
If you’re looking for something high-end, visit one of the rooftop bars in L’eixample which is right in the centre of the city. I personally recommend Azimuth or Mood, both are great. There’s like 30 other rooftop bars there too and lots of others across the city.
If you’re looking for something young and more grunge, go to one of the dive bars in El Gotico. Nevermind is a popular one, it’s like a 90s skate pop punk type place. There are like hundreds of bars around there so you’re spoiled for choice.
If you want something a bit different, go to one of the beach bars at the top end of Barceloneta beach towards Bogatell, all of the nightclubs are open in the daytime with outdoor terraces which are super nice to chill out in, grab a drink and gawk at phat assed señoritas on the beach walking past.
There are also chinos. I.e, small, no frills, basic bars run by Chinese people everywhere, not really so much in the super touristed areas though but anywhere outside of them. They’ll give you a litre of beer for like €3-4.
>Came back in 2022 July and everything changed. I fell in love with this place
What went so wrong?
You tell me sir.
Imagine falling in love with this shithole
You know when you live somewhere your whole life, you don’t appreciate it. I get it, the grass is always greener right?
I’m just saying as a guy that’s been all over Europe (and the world) lived in several capital cities and more, Barcelona is a fricking incredible place. I hope that I don’t end up in the same position as you one day, I really don’t.
Checked. I've never been, only heard extreme positives and negatives about it, which makes me want to go. I speak Spanish too, which could help me break in (catalán is different, I know, but I've met catalunyas and they all speak Spanish 100%)
Can you explain just what it is that you love about Barcelona?
>Can you explain just what it is that you love about Barcelona?
Barcelona is an incredibly dynamic city. More so than anywhere I’ve been before.
You’ve got parts of the city which are incredibly modern and have a very contemporary feel, juxtaposed against historic gothic neighbourhoods with winding streets and alleys with super old dive bars and traditional eateries. You’ve also got the beaches, mountains and hills, incredible architecture everywhere and neighbouring historic Roman towns, so on and so fourth. One minute you can be doing business in a very administrative setting, next moment having a few beers on the beach.
The second thing is, Barcelona has an amazing atmosphere. People are very friendly, very talkative, relaxed and open. Catalans have a reputation for being buttholes which I find to be untrue. It’s a party city and there’s generally a good atmosphere in the air everywhere. You can go out on a Monday night and see scores of people out on terraces drinking beers or wine late into the evening socialising. It’s this great work life balance that exists where people love to go out and spend time with each other, even on weekdays the city feels completely alive.
I could go on for hours, one more thing is that I find it to be the most 24 hour city in Europe. There are restaurants open until 5am and 24/7 shops on almost every street.
agreed 100 percent. Barcelona is a fantastic city for going out. But it's hard to ignore the problem with thievery. I really felt on my guard all the time and I definitely was not going to ride public transport.
What kind of thievery are we talking about?
Gypsy kids?
Africans and Arabs being violent?
The thievery problem is undoubtedly Barcelona’s biggest issue.
I use public transport all the time and I’ve never had anything stolen from me, admittedly though I’m vigilant as frick and I’m hyper aware of my surroundings at all time.
I’ll break it down as someone that lives there.
Gypsies are opportunistic pickpockets. They won’t confront you, instead they will mill around heavily touristed streets like La Rambla and Barceloneta during summer. A place full of backpacks, wallets/phones in back pockets and a whole load of unwitting, wealthy tourists. They wait for the right moment to snatch, then fall back quickly into the depths of crowds and get away very easily.
Another thing they do is look for mobiles on tables and handbags by chairs. Very easy targets, especially when you’re dining outside.
The interesting part about the theft situation though is that they’re not even the biggest problem. Gypsies can easily be avoided using basic common sense.
The problems are the Moroccans. They’re actual scum of the earth. They’ll hang around dark, usually pedestrianised areas late at night, especially near nightclubs. They’ll straight up grab you, hit you and take your shit, or threaten you with a knife. A lot of them do it and zip off on e-scooters which make an easy escape. This happens normally around El Born, El Raval and San Antoni.
Even still despite all of this though, it’s a fairly compartmentalised problem. It’s a problem no doubt, but it’s not some warzone that people make it out to be.
Thanks for the thorough reply. Sadly, that's what I was expecting. I live in Belgium and in our big cities we have the exact same problem with Moroccans. The bad seeds in their community are truly a societal cancer.
I once got robbed by three of them in Brussels. One of the c**ts put a knife to my throat, all so they could steal 20 euros off of me. Pathetic creatures. Since then, I always carry pepper spray with me whenever I go to a large city. Haven't had to use it, luckily.
They really are a plague. I’ve been held up at knife point too, it’s not pleasant.
The best thing to do if you’re in an area with a lot of them when late at night, on your own, with no close links to public transport, is simply order an Uber. Even if you’d probably be okay 9 out of 10 times, the €10 you spend is worth it just to avoid the risk.
It has to be said again though, and I reiterate, they only target incredibly specific areas. My neighbourhood in BCN basically has none of them and is super safe, despite being very touristic. I wouldn’t ever worry about being out late at night.
Barcelona seems like a cool place if there weren't any Spanish people
If you're not europoor, go grab drinks at Creps Al Born. Drinks are a little pricey, but not insane. They had the best wienertails I've ever had in Europe. It's gets fricking busy at night, but it's a usually a cool crowd. The food is amazing too.
I was there for a week and El Pintxo de Petritxol was the best meal I had in the city. It's a tapas place where they just make shit fresh all night and you grab it off the counter if it looks good to you. I really liked the concept. There were a lot of local dishes I never would have tried otherwise.
The one museum you have to do is the National Museum of Art. Definitely rent a bike one day too and cruise the city. We paid like $10 for the day at Riviera bike rental.
OMG <gushed> I just luuuuv 'lona. You HAVE to stop at this little place (SUCH a HIDDEN GEM) called antonio's .. or is it antoins? hehe I forget..anywayyyz :3 they/them/their pizza is to DIE FOR. and get this - its all made by 200% blind and disabled people to give them jobs <3 so special. As for other HIDDEN GEMS I would suggest the cathedral, you must go! but but but remember that there are actually people praying there (yes some people still believe in Allah and we need to respect muslims). If I think of more HIDDEN GEMS I'll post them lata!
byyyye :33
look at me im op
I live in Barcelona, if you want to hang out for a couple beers let me know, I’m 28, male, far right
Cringe.
Why?
You know what? Sure man, I'm also a 28 year old man