Our Journey Information to Barcelona

A couple of years in the past, after coming back from our honeymoon in Portugal, I wrote a sequence of journey guides about the locations we went. I provided some pretense about creating the particular form of useful resource I needed we’d had when planning our journey, although actually I did it for myself. Like the evaluations on my foodstagram, I discovered that writing a few trip is a enjoyable means for me to relive the expertise.

But one thing humorous began taking place: People discovered our journey guides helpful. It seems that, when buddies ask us recommendation about cities we’ve visited, it’s useful to have our suggestions already organized in a single place. I get a kick out of it each time somebody we all know finds their option to Spitalfields in Dublin or O Cachalote in Terceira.

When I informed one pal final month that we have been on our option to Barcelona, his first response was that he was fascinated by going there quickly too, and was already wanting ahead to my evaluations. So I suppose I’ve a popularity to uphold.

What follows is a curated however thorough checklist of our favourite issues we did, noticed, ate, and drank over every week in Barcelona in January 2026 — the particular sort of journey information I’d have wished to learn earlier than our trip. If you’re contemplating your personal journey to Catalonia, I hope you discover it helpful. Please have a slice of jamón in our honor.

Barcelona is an incredible metropolis. The historical past. The tradition. The meals — my goodness, the meals. You might make a fantastic trip out of stuffing your days with museums and excursions, or by merely strolling round and taking within the structure between frequent stops for charcuterie and vermouth. As an American, it feels completely different sufficient that you already know you’re removed from house (in contrast to, say, Dublin) however it’s simple sufficient to get round talking English that an inexperienced traveler needn’t be intimidated. In quick, it’s the platonic superb of a world vacation spot.

We spent a full week in Barcelona, Saturday to Saturday. That was a departure from our normal makes an attempt to stuff as many experiences as we will into our greater journeys — I’d by no means deliberate a trip for such a size in a single place. We didn’t essentially want that a lot time, and I believe we might have break up the week up with one other vacation spot and nonetheless felt like we had finished town justice. (To the extent which you could ever say such a factor after visiting as a vacationer.) Yet Barcelona is a wonderful metropolis through which to easily be. To admire the structure, to pop right into a historic web site or a lovely church, to cease for a glass of cava. It was good to have time to decelerate.

Here’s a high-level overview of how we divided up our days:

• Day 1: strolling round Ciutat Vella (whereas preventing off post-redeye exhaustion)

• Day 2: Sagrada Família (after sleeping off the jet lag)

• Day 3: strolling to, round, and again from Park Güell

• Day 4: museums in Ciutat Vella

• Day 5: museums on Montjuïc

• Day 6: day journey to Sitges and Olèrdola

• Day 7: crossing off our remaining to-do-list gadgets

We went at what stands out as the nadir time for tourism: the center of January, proper after the top of the Spanish vacation season (Epiphany). This meant the climate was chilly (within the fifties on the Fahrenheit scale) and lots of websites we had on our checklist have been closed for the season or had restricted hours. The flipside is that, except Sagrada Família, we didn’t should take care of any crowds. I can’t converse to how the vibes change in the summertime, however we have been joyful to placed on a jacket if it meant we had whole museum wings to ourselves.

It’s not fairly as simple to get from the United States to Barcelona as it’s to Reykjavík or Dublin, however flight choices have been not less than as quite a few and low-cost as for any European vacation spot that hasn’t explicitly positioned itself as a layover hub for transatlantic journey. Understanding that border experiences will be tough as of late, immigration was simple and environment friendly as soon as they opened for the morning (we have been too far again to see whether or not customs actually weren’t staffed till 9:00 am or if that was simply the rumor in line, however the tempo certainly went from stagnant to fast proper round then) and together with a leisurely stroll via the duty-free retailer we made it via passport management and to our gate inside an hour of arriving on the airport to fly house.

Walking is our most popular mode of transportation on trip, and Barcelona was a fantastic place for that. The streets are effectively paved and (not less than all through the Eixample space) plotted out in a neat grid — neither of which I take as a right in outdated European cities. There are some hills and elevation adjustments however the terrain is way simpler than, say, Lisbon. And as in Stockholm, touring on foot additionally meant each tour doubled as an structure tour, as a result of there’s an attention-grabbing façade or roofscape round each nook on this exceptional metropolis.

Our restricted expertise with public transit was good sufficient. We hopped on a really handy bus from the airport to Plaça de Catalunya once we arrived, and we took the commuter rail for a day journey to Sitges. We had a lot enjoyable strolling across the metropolis that we by no means ended up taking the metro. Within Barcelona correct it appeared simple to seize a cab or ride-share (although you may think twice about utilizing the latter).

We acquired an excellent (and seemingly uncharacteristically low) price on the H10 Cubik. The place was swanky, clear, and cozy, and the employees have been extremely type and useful. We had a pair seemingly fluky points but when we acquired one other deal I’d fortunately keep there once more.

The better part was the placement, on the border of the brand new and outdated metropolis zones. We have been proper on the principle thoroughfare of Via Laietana and a stone’s throw from the transit hub of Plaça de Catalunya. For our fellow pedestrians, it was a 10-15 minute stroll to the center of the Gothic Quarter (the place we discovered ourselves gravitating to simply about daily) and inside an hour of our farthest locations inside the metropolis (Park Güell and Montjuïc).

When you inform somebody you’re going to Barcelona, their first response could also be a warning. Barcelona is named the pickpocketing capital of Europe, and also you’ll hear it described as a city-wide thunderdome of petty theft. Having lived most of my life in locations decried as unsafe by individuals who don’t go there, I’ve realized to roll my eyes at such rhetoric. There are additionally theories that sure locals play up the pickpocketing drawback as a way to stoke xenophobia, advocate for harsher legal penalties, or scare away vacationers. On the opposite hand, we heard these warnings even from level-headed buddies who get pleasure from and have lived in main cities.

All I can say is that the Barcelona we skilled didn’t match the horror tales. We took precautions with what we saved on our individual and carried our valuables in safe zippered and/or interior pockets, and I can think about La Rambla and Plaça del Rei are way more crowded and chaotic in the summertime than they have been in mid-January. Acknowledging these caveats, we walked throughout Barcelona at varied hours and ranges of alertness and felt simply as protected (if no more so) as in every other massive metropolis I’ve been to. Neither locals nor vacationers exhibited the guardedness we have been informed was de rigueur. It was in all probability sensible that we prevented having our out telephones on the road, but when we hadn’t heard in any other case beforehand, nothing concerning the vibe once we have been really in Barcelona would have made me really feel like such warning have been mandatory.

Barcelona ranks up there with Brussels among the many most-multilingual cities I’ve ever visited. The prevalence of each Catalan and Spanish, to say nothing of the regular stream of tourists in one of the most-popular international destinations in the world, means individuals are accustomed to the dance of discovering a typical tongue. Within town, nearly everybody we interacted with spoke fluent English; even some eating places the place we have been clearly the one vacationers had translated menus.

Some familiarity with a Romance language was useful for getting round, however as in elsewhere in Iberia, we often discovered it was simpler for everybody if we merely spoke English reasonably than fumbling via our restricted vocabulary within the native tongue. Having stated that, if you wish to brush up in your Catalan earlier than you go, we extremely suggest The Lazy Linguist podcast. After every week of listening, my spouse had realized sufficient to be assured in her sidequest to seek out skincare bargains. Locals additionally appeared to understand us vacationers making an attempt to talk Catalan reasonably than Spanish.

Note that English is much less ubiquitous exterior Barcelona correct, so plan accordingly if you’re occurring any broader excursions. Otherwise, while you end up your day at a distant archeological web site with spotty cell service and understand that you’re exterior the closest taxi firm’s driving vary, it’s possible you’ll uncover that the sort receptionist on the customer’s heart can’t perceive your description of your plight. Hypothetically talking, after all.

Part of what we beloved about Barcelona was how simple it’s to have a very good time with no structured itinerary. Nonetheless, there are some extremely cool locations inside the metropolis which might be price planning a go to. If nothing else they’ll offer you one thing to do till you’re hungry for one more spherical of tapas.

How does one start to elucidate Park Güell? Describing Gaudí’s modernist fantasyland as an open-air artwork exhibition sounds too stodgy for a spot the place locals convey their children to the playground. Calling it a backyard park drastically undersells the dimensions and fantastic thing about the buildings and horticulture. Whatever it’s, the purposeful structure and landscaping of Park Güell are alternately serene, stunning, and gorgeous. It’s as shut as you may get to strolling via a Dr. Seuss e book, and effectively price a leisurely stroll to take all of it in.

Now this is an artwork museum. The monumental halls of the Palau Nacional teem with works representing myriad eras, kinds, and media. Displays vary from Romanesque frescoes preserved in modular cathedrals to Gaudí-designed furnishings to a very transferring exhibit of artwork from and concerning the Spanish Civil War. One assortment opens with a word that there is no such thing as a potential option to group the work therein in a cohesive means, so that they merely did the very best they may.

Do be ready for simply how large this museum is. If you don’t have really all day to spend there, it’s possible you’ll must both powerwalk via the reveals or restrict your go to to at least one or two wings.

There are a number of Picasso museums round Europe, a truth of which you might be consistently conscious while you’re strolling the galleries in Barcelona. Partly due to the employees doth protest a lot that in contrast to the others, and particularly the one in Paris, this was the one museum Pablo Picasso himself was concerned in establishing. And partly as a result of it feels just like the works on show have been chosen through draft reasonably than deliberate curation.

Don’t get me incorrect, it’s a fantastic museum. It is smart that the Barcelona assortment can be disproportionately centered on his youth in Spain. As relative artwork historical past amateurs, the tour taught us so much about Picasso as a precocious but more-traditional little one painter, and as a bohemian adolescent rising uninterested in Europe’s predominant stodgy creative style. For an artist as prolific as Picasso, even an abridged revue of his later work is loads to fill a gallery. But it felt just like the museum equal of a biopic, extra a sequence of vignettes about Picasso than the story of his life and profession.

There’s a fuzzy line between avant-garde and grift. Walking via Moco’s collections within the beautiful halls of Palau Cervelló makes you consistently conscious of this ambiguity. When the curators positioned more-recent, less-digestible riffs on cultural iconography subsequent to Andy Warhol’s, have been they endorsing these new artists because the heirs to his legacy? Or was hanging less-interesting cartoonish pop artwork down the corridor from the marvelous Keith Haring assortment a gambit to make you query your plebeian style if it leaves you unimpressed?

I’m not the arbiter of what counts as artwork, and I think upsetting such questions is one in all their objectives. Maybe it doesn’t matter — while you’re immersed within the joyful lightshow of the Diamond Matrix, you gained’t care whether or not or not it was designed as Instagram fodder. Yet I discovered myself genuinely annoyed by Moco’s show of NFTs, a pointless and ecologically harmful medium whose Ponzi-scheme market went belly-up not lengthy after their exhibition opened. I attempted to maintain an open thoughts a few generative-AI show that purportedly makes digital artwork out of your pulse, however it seems you must each subscribe to their mailing checklist and pay €35 if you wish to see your customized colorings. It’s an incisive metaphor for the AI trade, although I don’t suppose that was the intention. A month later I’m nonetheless scratching my head over a curation strategy that celebrates each Banksy’s nameless anti-consumerism and such a cynically invasive cash-grab.

This is the free area in your Barcelona itinerary bingo card. The Sagrada Família should still be unfinished, however is already the tallest church on earth and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You merely should go to the grandest development zone on the planet.

The ornate sculptures constructed into the façades. The vibrant hues of the technicolor stained glass. The transfixing geometry of the columns, their branches twisting into the ceiling like a forest cover. I’ve no specific affinity for both structure or Catholicism, but the sense of awe I felt after I walked in made me perceive why nonbelievers convert. Once you decide your jaw off the ground, you may go up a tower for excellent views of town and to see a few of the elevated decor up shut, and all the way down to the basement to study extra concerning the church’s development and the philosophies of Antoni Gaudí. We went on our first full day in Barcelona, and whereas the latter helped us respect the hallmarks of Gaudí’s designs for the remainder of our journey, the flipside was that each different lovely church we visited subsequently felt anticlimactic.

It isn’t honest that Barcelona Cathedral is an also-ran. Just about wherever else, it could be the most-iconic church within the metropolis. It’s a lovely cathedral the place you may really feel the historical past, from the centuries-old work within the ornate choir stalls to the Roman-era foundations on a web site the place followers have worshipped because the early days of Christianity. It was additionally our favourite rooftop we went as much as, providing gorgeous views of the outdated metropolis. Visit the fashionable church earlier than you go to the historical past museum (under) so you may absolutely respect the traditional ruins beneath.

One of the thrill of strolling round a European metropolis is how simple it’s to come across a beautiful church. For the worth of a pair euros (or generally nothing in any respect) you may see some lovely artwork and study a bit of concerning the historical past of the communities who worship there. Santa Maria del Mar and Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy have been our favourite such stops that we had not particularly flagged as locations.

There’s a complete lot below one roof at MUHBA’s flagship campus, together with in depth reveals on Catalonia’s medieval and trendy histories. (Or actually three roofs, because the Palau Reial Major advanced spans a cluster of grand buildings relationship again 700 years.) The modern-curated collections are effectively price a go to. But the actual treasures are underground. An elevator outfitted as a time machine takes you all the way down to the remarkably preserved Roman ruins of historic Barcino. Houses, storefronts, and amenities for making wine and garum are nonetheless clearly identifiable almost two millennia later. The in depth basement tour additionally takes you beneath Barcelona Cathedral, the place the remnants of older church buildings type the muse of the fashionable construction above.

Your ticket consists of admission to come back again one other day, which was useful because the couple hours we had budgeted for our first go to weren’t almost sufficient to absorb all the traditional splendor.

There are many smaller museums working below MUHBA’s auspices. These are a lot shorter but nonetheless worthwhile visits, and every one we went to — together with the well-preserved remnants of the Temple of Augustus and Via Sepulcral Romana, the medieval ruins under the markets of El Born and Santa Caterina, and the gallery of native Jewish historical past at El Call — was both free or cheap to get in.

One of my favourite museum shows I’ve ever walked via is tucked away in direction of the again of MAC. The exhibit on the early tradition and Roman conquest of the Balearic Islands supplied an attractive and detailed overview of a slice of historical past I knew nothing about, complemented by an impressively curated assortment of latest artifacts. If solely the entire constructing have been like that room.

MAC’s in depth collections are broadly divided into two sections: one on Catalonia earlier than Roman Barcino, from prehistory via the Phoenicians and Greeks; and one concerning the Roman Empire. The former was fascinating, although it was onerous to totally respect as (aside from the Balearic space) many of the shows lacked English translations. I’m not complaining {that a} international nation didn’t absolutely cater to my linguistic limitations, although having the ability to learn solely a short brochure firstly of every room was not the norm at most museums, and I want the exception had not coincidentally been the place the place I used to be most excited to study concerning the objects in entrance of us. By distinction, the multimedia (and multilingual) IMPERIVM exhibit, which explored a formidable array of Roman artifacts via the imagined biographies of fictional actor-portrayed composite characters, was far more accessible, although we weren’t the target market for this presentation type. In quick, it’s a cool museum, however one whose collections are frustratingly onerous to totally respect.

Tucked away in an alley close to the official MUHBA El Call museum is Sinagoga Major, which I discovered to be a more-moving monument to native Jewish historical past. It’s a tiny museum housed on a web site the place Jewish folks have been praying for almost two millennia, relationship again to Roman Barcino. Even as a reasonably secular Jew, I felt one thing standing in such a spot and studying the story of the way it was rediscovered.

Forty kilometers exterior town lies one of many coolest archeological websites I’ve ever seen. With a historical past relationship again to Bronze Age, Olèrdola’s constructions (in various states of break, with some impressively intact) signify three completely different eras of settlement: medieval, Roman, and pre-Iberian. You can stroll among the many historic streets, step inside a millennium-old church, and climb as much as the Roman watchtower from whence guards saved a watch on Via Augusta. And should you can tear your gaze away from the historic structure, the serenity and fantastic thing about the verdant rolling hills will make it obvious why so many peoples selected to name this place house. It’s not a spot you’ll discover in most vacationer guides — each native we talked to appeared shocked that we knew about it, and for many of our time there we had the location to ourselves — which made it really feel all of the extra magical to be there.

One word of warning: Secure your transportation prematurely. It was simple sufficient to get from Barcelona to Olèrdola by taking the commuter rail to the seaside city of Sitges and grabbing a cab from there. But discovering a driver keen to choose you up from Olèrdola could also be difficult in a distant space with poor cell service and a decrease proportion of English audio system. Taxi Vilafranca finally sport to our rescue, although looking back I’d have merely rented a automobile for the day.

Barcelona is likely one of the greatest meals cities I’ve ever been to, interval. Partly as a result of the bar is so excessive: we swooned over almost each single factor we ate. Partly as a result of the tapes tradition (Catalan for “tapas”) makes it simple to style quite a lot of completely different dishes, and even to construct your personal progressive meal with a single course at every restaurant. And since we walked a median of 10 miles a day, we labored up sufficient of an urge for food to cease for a snack with nice frequency.

If you’re like me, the very first thing that involves thoughts with Spanish meals is ham. I’m usually not big on pork, however jamón ibérico really is well worth the hype. (Really all pig merchandise are higher over there. It took me till frustratingly late in our journey to understand that bacon was not a boring factor to order.) You’ll in all probability need pa amb tomaquet (tomato toast) together with your jamón, and why not some manchego cheese? An incomplete checklist of meals you’ll see quite a lot of consists of: botifarra and different sausages, bombas (potato-and-meat balls), patatas bravas, croquettes, cannelloni, xurros, and naturally paella.

At some level in your travels you may additionally get thirsty. Espresso is a part of the rhythm of life in Barcelona, and is brewed with a primary precept of style reasonably than an on the spot caffeine increase. On the adult-beverage entrance, Catalonia is generally recognized for varied types of wine: cava, sangria, vermouth. We additionally discovered some wonderful cocktails and good spots for each native and worldwide craft beer.

Come hungry and plan your journey round going to…

It was our penultimate evening in Barcelona and we had quite a lot of eating places left that we wished to attempt. Our plan was to do a tapas crawl, wandering round El Born and splitting a small plate or two at a time. Then we acquired to Tapeo and we canceled the remainder of our stops. And additionally got here again for lunch the subsequent day.

To start with, the vermut was the best we had in Spain: Lustau brand, served over ice with green olives and orange rind, a pour that tastes like a cocktail. The broad and creative menu is inspired by (but not beholden to) regional traditions, including braised leeks, asparagus tempura, lamb pintxo, and pork marinated in the Catalonian equivalent of Caribbean mojo. The highlight was the sausage cannelloni, an indulgent dish that I can best describe as if you crossed ravioli with biscuits and gravy. Tapeo was far and away our favorite restaurant in Barcelona, and one of the best I’ve been to in recent memory anywhere.

When we solicited advice from friends before our trip, Bar Brutal was far and away the most-popular recommendation we heard. We are excited to pay that forward. The ham there was second to none: a translucently sliced lomo ibérico that sure didn’t taste lean, and raw pancetta so indulgent that it almost felt shameful to eat. The cooked dishes we had — grilled mushrooms with celeriac cream and broccolini with peanut curry — were also inspired. And while the specialty behind the bar is wine, the Al Carajo with coffee-infused brandy and orange was simply one of the tastiest cocktails I’ve ever had. When I close my eyes and picture myself relaxing in Barcelona, my mind goes to Bar Brutal.

If you may get there, you’ll be glad you made time for…

I’m a sucker for a market. (Thanks, Grandma Joanne.) When you’re sitting on the counter at Bar Joan, you’re not simply in Mercat de Santa Caterina, you are feeling such as you’re a part of it. They should get sufficient vacationers to have translated menus, however each instances we went (we favored our first breakfast a lot that we returned for our final meal earlier than we flew house) we have been the one prospects who didn’t appear to personally know the employees.

The food is cheap and fast: coffee and a solid breakfast’s worth of small plates will run you only about €10 a person, and if you’re in a rush you could be comfortably in and out in 20 minutes. (It’s also a place where you can linger, as we saw folks drinking wine carafes at mid-morning.) More importantly, it’s good. Savory saucer-sized omelettes, creamy croquettes, hearty sandwiches. All made with ingredients from the adjoining stalls. Eat there for a delicious peek into the real Barcelona.

There is no menu at Cal Pep. Well technically there is — there’s one posted on the wall at the front, and you can go look at it if you must. But when you pull up a stool at the cozy counter, as we did on our first night in Spain, your server informs you that it isn’t important. They’ll describe what they’re featuring that evening (even grabbing what’s freshest out of the cooler to show you), and it doesn’t matter whether that’s what’s written down.

The fried artichoke was the primary dish that caught our ears. The leaves have been crispy, mild, and tossed in an addictive flaky salt. The primary occasion, although, was the steak. Our server helped us decide the best-looking hunk of meat of the cooler earlier than it was cooked proper in entrance of us to a textbook medium-rare. It was the very best steak I’ve had in a very long time, and it regarded so good that the couple subsequent to us ordered the very same factor.

According to the prevailing knowledge, the one option to expertise an actual calçotada — a Catalonian customized of burning, peeling, and consuming a neighborhood allium cultivar — is to exit into the countryside the place the onions are harvested. But should you should attempt calçots in Barcelona correct, the place to go is 3 Focs. We have been fortunate sufficient to be there proper firstly of the season: “Comença la temporada de calçotades,” they posted a pair hours earlier than we stopped in for dinner.

The croquettes at 3 Focs (we tried both chicken and ham) were the best we had in Spain, and the ham-topped grilled mushrooms were also quite good. Still, the calçots, which look like big scallions or small leeks and taste like pearl onions, were the star. It’s a whole experience to unsheathe the steamed inner stalk from the ashen outer layer, but it’s worth the prep work when you take a bite of smoky allium smothered in the addictive romesco dipping sauce.

Don’t go too far out of your way, but we can vouch for these places if you’re in the mood for…

When I say the bar for food in Barcelona is high, what I mean is: Cañete and El Chigre 1769 would each be the second-best restaurant we’ve been to over two trips to Ireland. But I have to draw the line somewhere lest my superlatives lose their meaning. We had a nice lunch at Cañete, featuring particularly good jamón and comforting escudella soup, though it was one of the priciest restaurants we went to and it had touristy vibes. Meanwhile, everything we had at our snack stop at El Chigre 1769 was great — flavored vermut, xarcuterie, and a surprise taste test of a new chorizo-stuffed dates dish the chef was trying out — but we can’t endorse it quite as strongly without having sampled more of the menu.

There’s a common joke that tourists in Barcelona are worried about the wrong kind of robbery. The real crime wave in the city isn’t pickpocketing — it’s selling travelers mediocre paella at exorbitant markups. With that in mind, maybe locals would snicker about my recommending a paelleria where the family at the next table ordered hamburgers. Nonetheless, we had a great meal at De Tapa Madre. The meaty arròs de muntanya was delicious, as were the spicy patatas bravas with chorizo and cheese.

La Boqueria is touristy. A typical criticism on journey boards is that, in a metropolis teeming with nice markets, La Boqueria doesn’t really feel like a spot the place locals do their purchasing. Yet as somebody who in any other case tries to keep away from vacationer traps, I don’t perceive this criticism. Are you hoping to purchase groceries whilst you’re on trip? It’s a fantastic spot to seize a snack and peruse the beautiful arrays of meats and cheeses, and until you’re staying in a house with a kitchen that’s what issues most.

If you need an more-authentic native expertise, there appeared to be a pleasant market each couple blocks. We spent probably the most time at Santa Caterina, principally as a result of Bar Joan (above) is inside.

The greatest espresso we had in Barcelona was at La Cassola, a quaint café within the Gothic Quarter. At about €3 for a fantastic cappuccino and a very good snack-sized sandwich, it was additionally the very best cut price of our journey.

You can get a good espresso at seemingly every food establishment in town, including ubiquitous local chain 365 and the cafés at the Picasso and National Art museums. For more modern-barista-style brews, we can also recommend Nomad and Pipol.

Spain is storied for its chocolate, and we sampled on our trip lived up to the hype. Our favorite came from Be Chocolat, which sells both excellent confections and dreamy high-strength drinking chocolate. Chocolate Amatller was also quite good and strongly encourages free samples.

If you don’t get gelato, did you even go to Europe? We had delicious nightcaps at Oggi and delaCrem, though our favorite scoop was from Elisa, a ringer franchise from Rome. Speaking of which…

It feels kind of silly to go to an Italian restaurant in Spain. But Catalonia is much closer to Italy than Rhode Island is, and a couple times on our trip we found ourselves craving a bowl of pasta. The two we went to couldn’t have been more different. BelleBuòn serves classic regional dishes, and every other table in the completely full restaurant seemed to be speaking Spanish or Catalan. Benzina is geared more towards the Instagram demographic, and its modern fusion fare would fit perfectly in some hip Boston neighborhood, both stylistically and linguistically. Both were delicious.

Dry Martini may not feel like an authentic Barcelona experience. But when you’re sitting in a speakeasy sipping their smooth eponymous martini, or a chocolatey absinthe potion served smoking in a glass pipe, you won’t be bothered by such concerns. Same goes for La Whiskeria, a cozy saloon featuring the largest selection of whiskey I’ve ever seen.

If beer is extra your pace, BierCab boasts a formidable faucet checklist of each native and worldwide brews and likewise serves good snacks. We may also suggest the Belgian choice at Lambicus, a serene plaza beer at La Rovira, and the generously poured flights at CocoVail, a sports activities bar that additionally features as a cultural U.S. consulate.

Our brief time in Sitges was not the culinary highlight of our trip, which is probably to be expected when you go to a beach town on a weekday in the middle of winter. We had nice coffee at Gallo, good xurros and chocolate at La Xurreria, and a grand seaside sangria at Gaby’s.

By now you may have noticed some types of food I have not mentioned. I am allergic to shellfish, I don’t like most other seafood, and I am turned off by offal. (Judge me if you must, but at least the former isn’t my fault.) This took a fair amount of Catalan cuisine off the table for me. In particular there were three particular local-oriented meals that I wished I could have enjoyed more fully: the bustling lunch rush at La Cova Fumada, the deli-counter experience at Quimet & Quimet, and snacks and drinks at Vermuteria Puigmartí. I bet (and have heard) each is great if you look at more of the menu than I did.

• Best famous attractions: MUHBA Plaça del Rei, Park Güell, Sagrada Família

• Best lesser-known attractions: MAC Olèrdola, Sinagoga Major

• Best views: Park Güell, Barcelona Cathedral

• Best food: Tapeo

• Best budget bites: Bar Joan, La Cassola

• Best ham: Bar Brutal, Cañete

• Best dessert: Elisa, Be Chocolat

• Best coffee: La Cassola, Nomad

• Best beer: BierCab, Lambicus

• Best vermut: Tapeo, El Chigre 1769

• Best cocktails: Bar Brutal, Dry Martini

You can also see everywhere we went and ate on this annotated Google Map!