Barcelona - a city with so much to see and do (by Ella)


Ella eating Spanish paella
Our first guest post, by Beverlie, was a hit! Now I'm delighted to have our second, and we are keeping in the family as it is by my gorgeous niece, Ella, who is 14. She was lucky enough to visit Barcelona.

Over to Ella:

I was lucky enough to visit Barcelona which is an amazing city, with so much to see and do. Here are my recommendations.

The Sagrada Familia is probably the best known thing in Barcelona. Gaudi’s ambitious – and incomplete, but beautiful – Church is an amazing sight, whether you explore the inside or enjoy the beauty of the outside.

La Rambla
La Rambla is another brilliant thing you find in Barcelona. A wide pedestrian street, with street performers, stalls selling birds and other animals, flowers everywhere and stunning – but crazy – buildings surrounding you, the road is one you must walk down, if you ever find yourself in Barcelona - although I was warned a thousand times to look out for pickpockets! The mosaic in the centre of the street is also something that is impossible to miss.


Other famous places in Barcelona include La Pedrera, the Park Guell, Montjuic – even the Camp Nou Football stadium could be thought of as cultural... maybe.

The thing with visiting such famous, well known and brilliant places is the queues. It’s inevitable, everyone wants to be there – but if you're travelling with young children, on a short trip, standing in a queue for hours is not the most enjoyable thing to do. Fortunately, in Barcelona, there are other ways to get a taste of the city, without spending your day staring at the back of someone’s head.

The highlight of my trip was the Cable Car from Montjuic to the port. It transports you over the city, offering amazing views, especially over the water, where you honestly feel like you can see the whole world. (Unfortunately, this is something that has not yet been mastered!)

The view from the cable car
When you get off the Cable Car, you’ve arrived at the Barceloneta – the beach! It amazes me how the city has managed to fit a beach in too - how unfair that London doesn’t have this on offer. And it's not just any old beach, cafes, shops and extremely friendly people were all around.

Barcelona’s Chocolate Museum was another brilliant way to spend an hour or two. Here, we learnt about and celebrated how chocolate was first brought to Europe – and being able to eat your ticket to the museum was an added extra which EVERY museum should have! We had the opportunity to learn about the cultural and economic significance of chocolate for Barcelona and the entire continent of Europe, and we also could marvel at incredible chocolate models.


Something that I found incredible in Barcelona was the amount of scenery and greenery! The Park Guell is a highlight of the city.  It’s an incredible park, with amazing buildings, sculptures, amazing tile work – and all this was designed by Gaudi. When I was in Year 4, we studied Gaudi, and my teachers put a lot of effort into making me DETERMINED to visit the park. Finally – five years later – I was able to go, and it was amazing, it completely met my expectations.

Montjuic was another place to find incredible scenery. The view was, to put it simply, WOW. Breathtakingly stunning, with only one turn of our heads, we could go from seeing an endless, glimmering sea, to the bustling and busy city centre.

On our final day in Barcelona, we spent our time in the Parc de la Ciutadella. It was fabulous. We had a brilliant afternoon boating on the lake, eating ice creams, and listening to live music from the bandstand. And my brother and I loved dancing to the Disney songs, and making fools of ourselves!

There were two practical things on our trip that looking back, really did impact extremely positively. The hotel we stayed in was called Hotel Fira Palace. It was slightly outside the main tourist area, meaning it was very peaceful and relaxing. The rooms were spacious – and interconnecting! The best thing about the hotel was its indoor pool, which was an amazing way to end a busy day. The breakfasts were delicious, and the set evening menu was reasonably priced and surprisingly good quality! There was even veggie Paella on offer, which I happily enjoyed two days in a row.

Another brilliant practicality was a taxi app called Hailo. If you have a smart phone, this app is an incredible luxury to make your trip to Barcelona just that little bit easier. Because Barcelona is a relatively small town, the price of a taxi for a family of four isn’t that different to a tram or bus ride. With the knowledge that a taxi is just one click on an app away, you don’t need to go chasing taxis – one’s always right round the corner!

We had a brilliant time in this wonderful city – and I hope to be able to visit Barcelona again in the future!

Thank you to Sarah, Jess and Robert for having me on their brilliant blog – and thank you for reading!

Ella x

More on family Travel Times:

Parks in Paris with kids by Robert

Why we love writing this blog - and please nominate us!

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Family Travel Times: Barcelona - a city with so much to see and do (by Ella)

Wednesday 5 March 2014

Barcelona - a city with so much to see and do (by Ella)


Ella eating Spanish paella
Our first guest post, by Beverlie, was a hit! Now I'm delighted to have our second, and we are keeping in the family as it is by my gorgeous niece, Ella, who is 14. She was lucky enough to visit Barcelona.

Over to Ella:

I was lucky enough to visit Barcelona which is an amazing city, with so much to see and do. Here are my recommendations.

The Sagrada Familia is probably the best known thing in Barcelona. Gaudi’s ambitious – and incomplete, but beautiful – Church is an amazing sight, whether you explore the inside or enjoy the beauty of the outside.

La Rambla
La Rambla is another brilliant thing you find in Barcelona. A wide pedestrian street, with street performers, stalls selling birds and other animals, flowers everywhere and stunning – but crazy – buildings surrounding you, the road is one you must walk down, if you ever find yourself in Barcelona - although I was warned a thousand times to look out for pickpockets! The mosaic in the centre of the street is also something that is impossible to miss.


Other famous places in Barcelona include La Pedrera, the Park Guell, Montjuic – even the Camp Nou Football stadium could be thought of as cultural... maybe.

The thing with visiting such famous, well known and brilliant places is the queues. It’s inevitable, everyone wants to be there – but if you're travelling with young children, on a short trip, standing in a queue for hours is not the most enjoyable thing to do. Fortunately, in Barcelona, there are other ways to get a taste of the city, without spending your day staring at the back of someone’s head.

The highlight of my trip was the Cable Car from Montjuic to the port. It transports you over the city, offering amazing views, especially over the water, where you honestly feel like you can see the whole world. (Unfortunately, this is something that has not yet been mastered!)

The view from the cable car
When you get off the Cable Car, you’ve arrived at the Barceloneta – the beach! It amazes me how the city has managed to fit a beach in too - how unfair that London doesn’t have this on offer. And it's not just any old beach, cafes, shops and extremely friendly people were all around.

Barcelona’s Chocolate Museum was another brilliant way to spend an hour or two. Here, we learnt about and celebrated how chocolate was first brought to Europe – and being able to eat your ticket to the museum was an added extra which EVERY museum should have! We had the opportunity to learn about the cultural and economic significance of chocolate for Barcelona and the entire continent of Europe, and we also could marvel at incredible chocolate models.


Something that I found incredible in Barcelona was the amount of scenery and greenery! The Park Guell is a highlight of the city.  It’s an incredible park, with amazing buildings, sculptures, amazing tile work – and all this was designed by Gaudi. When I was in Year 4, we studied Gaudi, and my teachers put a lot of effort into making me DETERMINED to visit the park. Finally – five years later – I was able to go, and it was amazing, it completely met my expectations.

Montjuic was another place to find incredible scenery. The view was, to put it simply, WOW. Breathtakingly stunning, with only one turn of our heads, we could go from seeing an endless, glimmering sea, to the bustling and busy city centre.

On our final day in Barcelona, we spent our time in the Parc de la Ciutadella. It was fabulous. We had a brilliant afternoon boating on the lake, eating ice creams, and listening to live music from the bandstand. And my brother and I loved dancing to the Disney songs, and making fools of ourselves!

There were two practical things on our trip that looking back, really did impact extremely positively. The hotel we stayed in was called Hotel Fira Palace. It was slightly outside the main tourist area, meaning it was very peaceful and relaxing. The rooms were spacious – and interconnecting! The best thing about the hotel was its indoor pool, which was an amazing way to end a busy day. The breakfasts were delicious, and the set evening menu was reasonably priced and surprisingly good quality! There was even veggie Paella on offer, which I happily enjoyed two days in a row.

Another brilliant practicality was a taxi app called Hailo. If you have a smart phone, this app is an incredible luxury to make your trip to Barcelona just that little bit easier. Because Barcelona is a relatively small town, the price of a taxi for a family of four isn’t that different to a tram or bus ride. With the knowledge that a taxi is just one click on an app away, you don’t need to go chasing taxis – one’s always right round the corner!

We had a brilliant time in this wonderful city – and I hope to be able to visit Barcelona again in the future!

Thank you to Sarah, Jess and Robert for having me on their brilliant blog – and thank you for reading!

Ella x

More on family Travel Times:

Parks in Paris with kids by Robert

Why we love writing this blog - and please nominate us!

Labels: , ,

40 Comments:

At 6 March 2014 at 16:30 , Blogger Atosa Nikkhah said...

i love barcelona such an amazing city!

 
At 6 March 2014 at 23:53 , Blogger Trish said...

I think you must have visited Barecelona with my family, Ella, as we did all the things you did, including the chocolate museum. You've brought back great memories for me.

 
At 7 March 2014 at 02:37 , Blogger Jo Bryan said...

Wow what a thoroughly extensive guide to Barcelona, I want to try all these things, thanks for the insight!

 
At 7 March 2014 at 03:01 , Anonymous Mummy of Two said...

A great review! It sounds like a fantastic place to visit - I hope we get to go one day.

 
At 7 March 2014 at 03:01 , Blogger Hijacked by Twins said...

Barcelona is such a beautiful city! Fantastic food and wine too :-)

 
At 7 March 2014 at 03:02 , Anonymous You Baby Me Mummy said...

I have never been, but it look amazing x

 
At 7 March 2014 at 03:35 , Anonymous Amy Ransom said...

Great review. I've only been to Barcelona once, a long time ago. I was a vegetarian then and I remember struggling to find much to eat, ending up in Burger King (oh the shame), where I ordered a Veggie Burger from the menu. This turned out to be a bun with salad, their version ;0). Would love to go again as a fully fledged meat eater.

 
At 7 March 2014 at 03:53 , Anonymous anna m said...

I would love to visit Barcelona, it seems like a great place!

 
At 7 March 2014 at 04:47 , Blogger Donah @ SweetJellyBean said...

This place is one of the those that I definitely want to visit. I love the architecture here a lot, not to mention food! haha xx Donah

 
At 7 March 2014 at 05:44 , Blogger Globalmouse said...

Great post! I love Barcelona, it's a beautiful city. I must plan a return trip soon!!

 
At 7 March 2014 at 06:14 , Blogger Unknown said...

A visit to Barcelona is on my bucket list, I know so many people who adore it! Fab post, really brings it to life.

 
At 7 March 2014 at 06:32 , Anonymous Lucie Aiston said...

What a fab review! I have always wanted to visit Barcelona. Your niece has done a great job of making it come alive!

 
At 7 March 2014 at 07:07 , Blogger Jen Walshaw said...

I so want to go to Barcelona. I have been on business but not pleasure

 
At 7 March 2014 at 09:48 , Blogger Unknown said...

wow what a beautiful place i wish i could visit , great views x

 
At 7 March 2014 at 09:50 , Anonymous rachel @ activities4kidz said...

Fab review! The cable car looks spectacular x

 
At 7 March 2014 at 11:58 , Blogger Tigerlilly Quinn said...

love Barcelona! it's the last place we went to better we become parents :) x

 
At 7 March 2014 at 15:42 , Anonymous Aisha from expatlog said...

Love the delegation! A thorough and informative write-up, thank you Ella.

 
At 7 March 2014 at 15:50 , Blogger Unknown said...

Oh love that cable car!!

 
At 8 March 2014 at 08:15 , Blogger Mellissa Williams said...

I have never been to Barcelona - it's on my to do list! Thanks for the post and the tips

 
At 8 March 2014 at 11:08 , Blogger Hannah Wood said...

What a amazing city, never been would love to now .x

 
At 8 March 2014 at 16:17 , Blogger Sarah Bailey said...

Oh wow I would love to go to Barcelona one day it sounds like a wonderful city to visit. x

 
At 8 March 2014 at 23:03 , Blogger Kara said...

I adore Barcelona - we went for my 30th birthday and I would love to go back. The cable car was slightly nerve wracking though!

 
At 10 March 2014 at 04:21 , Blogger Shell Louise said...

Excellent review :) It looks stunning, I only hope we get to visit one day!

 
At 10 March 2014 at 06:24 , Anonymous Bek said...

Brilliant review! I'd love to go there one day, it looks amazing!

 
At 10 March 2014 at 12:56 , Blogger family travel times said...

Thank you very much. She's a journalist in the making!

 
At 10 March 2014 at 12:56 , Blogger family travel times said...

I would love to go too - we haven't been for over 10 years!

 
At 10 March 2014 at 13:01 , Blogger family travel times said...

We went there just after we became parents!

 
At 10 March 2014 at 13:04 , Blogger family travel times said...

Yes, it certainly seems worth going - for any age!

 
At 10 March 2014 at 13:05 , Blogger family travel times said...

Yes, I would love to go again too! Spain is gorgeous I think

 
At 10 March 2014 at 13:06 , Blogger family travel times said...

I always love a good cable car!

 
At 11 March 2014 at 10:04 , Blogger Ella :) said...

Hello! We actually ate in a delicious veggie restaurant, in the centre of Barcelona - it was called Biocentre. Would highly recommend, even if you are a meat eater! :) http://restaurantebiocenter.es/en/about-us/

 
At 11 March 2014 at 10:08 , Blogger Ella :) said...

Thank you :)

 
At 11 March 2014 at 10:11 , Blogger Ella :) said...

I was screaming at my brother to get his head out of the window when we went over the sea - but it was worth the nerves!

 
At 11 March 2014 at 13:20 , Blogger family travel times said...

Thank you - what a talented niece I have!!

 
At 11 March 2014 at 13:20 , Blogger family travel times said...

Yes, but there are so many places I'd love to visit, don't you find the same?

 
At 11 March 2014 at 13:20 , Blogger family travel times said...

I'm glad she did. Obviously you both have great taste!

 
At 11 March 2014 at 13:21 , Blogger family travel times said...

I'm sure that's Ella's pleasure. Thank you for commenting :)

 
At 11 March 2014 at 15:56 , Blogger Agata Pokutycka said...

I love Barcelona. I visited this city few times already but I could go back 100s times more

 
At 16 March 2014 at 03:20 , Blogger Ella :) said...

Thank you :)

 
At 12 May 2014 at 15:19 , Blogger Hannah said...

I was in Barcelona for the first time over Easter and fell madly in love. 3 days was nowhere enough time! I definitely need to go back, especially after reading about that chocolate museum- that has my name all over it!

 

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