Veuling has some great flight deals from Bordeaux to Barcelona. I used to live there and going back brings me such joy. The food scene is incredible, land of fideua and pa amb tomàquet, great vermut and cava! The weather is bright and light, you’re by the sea. I mean, it’s pretty perfect for a weekend (or more) away from Bordeaux! The food scene is also perfect with children, they can try so many new and different dishes without the stress of full main sized plates. It was really fun! The best way to learn the city and culinary culture is to take a food tour. I have my favorites below!
Barcelona is also less than an hours flight over the Pyrenees, which is substantially less than the five and half hour drive from Bordeaux. Getting into the center of the city, Plaça Catalunya, from the airport will take you about an hour by metro. Or under 30 minutes (outside of rush hours) by taxi. If you have a family, the cost between a train and taxi will be not so different that it’s worth just taking a taxi when you have luggage.
This time it just so happened that we landed on April 23 with is the locals holiday of Sant Jordi. One of my favorite Catalan holidays where you gift red roses and books! The roses will have the Catalan red and yellow colors on ribbon and maybe a large green leaf or other addition. There are book vendors everywhere on the streets in the city. Finding something in Catalan or Spanish will be easy, finding something in English is more challenging. Books about Saint George and the dragon will be plentiful for children. There is a book store we always go to, right next to a great play ground which is right next to a tapas bar (brilliant!).
Liberia La Central will have a handful of books in English. Open Monday-Saturday / La Central, librería online – Librerías en Madrid y Barcelona / Carrer De Mallorca, 237, 08008, Barcelona / +34 900 802 109
Bros Bar El Raval, grab a glass of vermut, some jamon, and watch your kids play! Open daily. No reservations but you shouldn’t have to wait long, if at all / Plaça De Vicenç Martorell, 2, 08001, Barcelona
There were even dragon cookies and Catalan cakes for our afternoon gouter (French kids afternoon snack). This was found in Sant Gervasi, at a bar located in Placa Molina. Such a treat to share this day with the girls!
WHERE TO STAY IN BARCELONA
Because we used to live there and I loved our quiet neighborhood, kids park, and market, we usually stay in Sant Gervasi. This is outside of the tourists area and on the inner city train line, which goes directly to Placa Catalunya.
TIPS FOR TRAVEL TO BARCELONA
A big tip I have to share, please learn some Spanish. Or even Catalan, which is the locals language. It will be greatly appreciated and will help you a ton. Since Covid there has been a marked difference in attitudes towards tourists and the easiest way to stand out is to not speak any of the local language. Some of the frustration I understand, watching people walk up to locals and just blurt out a sentence in English was hard to watch. Just knowing how to book a table, order food and say niceties in a locals language is going to get you a long way! Trust me, I was very rusty and it was hard, but it made a huge difference!
There are more tips in my prior posts on Barcelona Visiting Barcelona – A Quick Flight from Bordeaux – and Barcelona, Where the Food Tours Started – Aquitaine Travel Guide
WHAT TO EAT WITH KIDS IN BARCELONA
What I loved and miss most about Barcelona and now living in France are the tapas / pintxo culture. Eating out and trying many small plates, the culture of sharing dishes and trying new things. The Catalan experimentation with ingredients and varied cooking techniques add to the experience. I love France. I love French food for the purity of ingredients (although Italy is the heart of this culture!) and of course many of the classical techniques, but when one wants an element of surprise…you need to come to Spain. After the closure of El Bulli 2011, Ferran Adrias famous restaurant in Roses, all of those talented chefs opened up restaurants in Barcelona.
We didn’t go big this time as I had my girls with me, but I was really impressed with how the girls went out of their comfort zone this time. I think the pressure of one whole dish can be overwhelming, so lots of little plates allowed for a few bites to experiment! We did big lunches out and light, familiar, dinners at the apartment. Also because starting dinner at 8pm as they do locally in Barcelona was too late for my kiddos. I told them there was an American food store near where we used to live in Barcelona and that was the dinner. Everyone was happy!
If you want the best, you’ll want to book in advance, or be willing to wait in line. Most locations will have the classics and you wont need to book, but if you want some unique options you’ll need to. My prior posts on Barcelona list some of my favorites, but here are a couple more :
TAPEO in El Born is across from the unbookable El Xampanynet favorite. You can book Tapeo in advance, and should especially if you are a group larger than two. There are bar seats available and larger tables in the back (much calmer too if you’re with children). We ordered a ton of great food for the five of us, plus drinks, and it came in around 150 EURO total. The fideua, the local dish of short pasta cooked on a large pan (this one with squid and squid ink), served with allioli (Catalan aioli) was perfect! The pa amb tomàquet (bread with tomato and olive oil) was a hit with my bread loving Isabelle, and you’ll find this at any location. Keep in mind, many places have a ‘bread’ charge. As was usual on this trip, everyone ate so fast we don’t have many photos! But we had pig cheeks, jamon, croquetta, asparagus, vermut and great juices for the girls! Open Monday-Sunday / Tapeo del BORN / Calle Montcada 29
1881 by Sagardi is admittedly more pricey. That port view from the top of the Catalan History museum is pretty impressive and the food is great. All five of us ate well, plus drinks and a bottle of wine, for 250 EURO. It’s the kind of place I could imagine the yacht crew, or yacht owners, going to enjoy sundowners as well. We had clams, oysters, duck, bellota jamon, seared peppers…all eaten so fast I couldn’t get photos! You can book this via their website. / 1881 per Sagardi – Restaurante del Museu d’Història de Catalunya / Plaça Pau Vila, 3 (4a planta) / (+34) 932 210 050
FOOD TOURS IN BARCELONA
Of course I’m going to mention Context Travel, as I used to work for them in Barcelona and my favorite Catalan, Esther, still works for them and will give you the best food tour! Barcelona Private Walking Tours
One of the more personalized and homegrown culinary tour companies that I admire is Food Lovers Company who can create a personalized experience for you in Barcelona, or the surroundings / Facebook / hello@foodloverscompany.com / +34 607 63 40 15
WHAT TO DO IN BARCELONA? GO FOR A WALK!
On the way to the aquarium I took the girls down some of my old haunts for the food tours, skipping the crowed Boqueria (get there when it opens or it’s too busy). Sadly missed Ana and Xavier of OroLiquido which is a wonderful Spanish olive oil shop in Gotico. Walking around the city and just exploring by foot is one of my favorite things to do. So many beautiful streets and shops and the architecture, it’s easy to not know when to stop taking photos!
SAILING IN BARCELONA
We went sailing one morning with Sea Barcelona, from Puerto Vela, which is near the W Hotel. There isn’t a metro stop that far down, but you can take the bus. This was booked through Airbnb but you can contact the company directly. The sailboat we were on was in great condition, the crew knowledgeable and really friendly / https://www.sea-barcelona.com
THE AQUARIUM IN BARCELONA
The Barcelona Aquarium is near the port as well and always a hit with children! There is a guide for 3 EURO that explains in more detail what they are looking at, it might be a little out of date because some critters were missing! Still, it kept my eldest learning and interested! Give yourself a couple of hours. It’s near to the Catalan Museum so you can make a whole day out of this area. There is a pool at the end where children can feed some fish also / Moll d’Espanya del Port Vell, s/n, 08039, Barcelona (B) /+34 932 21 74 74 / L’Aquàrium de Barcelona – L’Aquàrium
SPA TIME IN BARCELONA…WITHOUT KIDS!
If you get a chance to break away from the kids or if one partner is nice enough to give you a couple of hours to yourself…give AIRE Ancient Baths spa a try! My mother and I got a few hours to relax and enjoy this Roman style spa, got a massage, and enjoyed a glass of cava together! Be sure to book in advance / Paseo Picasso No. 22, 08003 Barcelona / AIRE Ancient Baths Barcelona — AIRE Ancient Baths
Have a great trip! And feel free to message me if you have any questions aquitaineguide@gmail.com
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