Barcelona 48 hour travel diary

Time for a little Barcelona catch up…

48 hours, maybe not even quite, is a mini break by anyone’s standards but we managed to fit in just about everything we fancied plus some unexpected extras (oh hi turquoise bicycle).  I genuinely LOVED it and wanted to create a little 48 hour guide, as we did it, just for you (ok, and a little bit just for me – to remember).  So the details:

– I flew from Prestwick, Fri pm – Sun pm, with Ryanair for about £100 return.  (The beauty of these flights is that we didn’t need any time off work.  The downside is that it’s budget – there literally aren’t even seat pockets.)
– We took the taxi from the airport to central Barcelona with 2 cases for 40e and took the train back to the airport for 4e each.
– We stayed at the beautiful Grand Hotel Central which gave us the perfect location for everything plus the added bonus of a stunning rooftop infinity pool and terrace bar (check it out here) which meant we knew exactly where to go when we arrived just before midnight.  (If you’re looking for a budget option the Hostal Layetana was just across the road and non-guests can visit the GHC terrace bar after 8.30pm).
– We walked Las Ramblas and overdosed on colour and fruit at Mercat de la Boqueria.
– We took a chance and hired bicycles which proved to be the perfect way to see the beach and a lot of the coast in an afternoon, lunch in a beach bar and get a pretty special sunburn on our shoulders (complete with diagonal, camera strap back mark for me – extra special).
– We dined on tapas at Sagardi in El Born district which was also a great spot for icecream and drinks after.
– We visited the incredible Gaudi cathedral, Segrada Familia, early in the morning and boy is she a beauty.  (I only wish we’d known you could beat the queues and prebook online – for this and Park Guell).
– We spent the afternoon sipping serious sangria cocktails and nibbling from a vat of guacamole in our bikinis in the baking sun on the hotel terrace and cooling off with the odd dip in the pool.  (If you choose a hotel without a pool then I’m told there’s a beautiful outdoor public pool just a 10 minute taxi ride away – tell me more!).

So we put in some serious tourist time but had the balance by enjoying just enough pool time to make it feel like a holiday because you always want to feel like you’ve been on holiday…

I truly can’t recommend Barcelona enough and I think the husband is pretty fed up of hearing me rave about it at every opportunity; a good excuse to go back again with him no?  For me it is the perfect destination for a weekend break, for friends, singles or couples, with sun, city, culture and sand.  Have you been?  Or have I convinced you to go?x

…

 cami – Next (I got the shorts too)
skirt – Mango (similar) :: sandal – Ulanka
leather bag – Next :: glasses – Ray Ban

cora hat – Reiss :: bracelet – Hipanema @ Hush
winnie miami mint bikini – Triangl