Blog

Solteros Feeling speed dating in Barcelona, 14 November

Solteros Feeling brings its speed dating with a tasting menu to Barcelona: Saturday 14 November at 8.30 pm, near La Rambla, for singles aged 25 and over.

4min readRead →

What to do in Barcelona this weekend, 16 to 18 October

Barcelona Dibuixa fills 46 venues with free drawing workshops, Poble Espanyol opens its family Halloween, the Biennal de Pensament closes with free talks, the second-hand book fair returns to Passeig de Gràcia and Ciutat Flamenco begins. It is also the last weekend of Cirque du Soleil, Sitges and Oktoberfest by Moritz.

A Gothic Quarter and Port Vell plan: street art at the BAS Museum, tacos at La Pachuca and a walk by the sea

A one-day plan on foot: Barcelona's first major street art museum, Mexican tacos right across the street and a stroll along the Moll de la Fusta to Plaça de l'Ictíneo.

5min readRead →

A Raval plan: lunch at La Monroe, a film at the Filmoteca and absinthe at Bar Marsella

An afternoon in El Raval without taking the metro: a good-value set lunch at La Monroe, a classic film at the Filmoteca de Catalunya for 4 euros and an absinthe at Bar Marsella, Barcelona's oldest bar.

5min readRead →

Castanyada in Barcelona 2026: chestnuts and the best panellets

The Castanyada falls on Saturday 31 October and All Saints' Day on a Sunday. What people eat, where to buy roasted chestnuts, the pastry shops that won the Panellet d'Or and what to do in and around Barcelona.

Barcelona on 12 October 2026, what's open and where to eat

Monday 12 October is a public holiday in Barcelona. Which shops and malls open, which museums you can visit, how the metro runs and restaurants that open on the holiday Monday.

The 10 best vegan restaurants in Barcelona in 2026

Ten fully vegan restaurants in Barcelona that are still open in 2026, from Fronda Pasaje's botanical fine dining to La Perra Verde's egg-free tortilla. With address, price and what to order at each one.

9min readRead →

Tiramisu and Italian wine tasting in Barcelona, 15 October

On Thursday 15 October at 7.30 pm, Valentina e Pasqualina hosts an Italian gourmet experience at its Eixample shop, with appetisers, a guided tasting of 3 tiramisus and 4 paired Italian wines. 48 euros per person and 12 places at most.

3min readRead →

What to do in Barcelona this weekend, 9 to 12 October

A long weekend with the Festa del Roser filling La Rambla with flowers and free walking tours, the NATIVA design fair, the Sitges Film Festival in full swing, the last weekend of Oktoberfest, puppets at La Puntual and free theatre in neighbourhood venues. Everything on from Friday 9 to Monday 12.

6min readRead →

5 evening plans in Barcelona: cinema, dinner and drinks, neighbourhood by neighbourhood

Five walkable routes through Sant Antoni, Gràcia, El Raval, Poble-sec and El Born to combine film, culture, dinner and drinks in Barcelona without taking the metro.

6min readRead →

What to do in Barcelona this weekend, 2 to 4 October

Viu Montjuïc fills the hill with free activities, Barceloneta closes its festa major with fire runs and paella, Tibidabo turns 125 and Sunday is the first of the month, with free museums. Everything on from Friday 2 to Sunday 4.

The 5 best Spanish tortillas in Barcelona

Five bars where the potato omelette is the reason to go. From the almost runny Betanzos in the Raval to the tortilla house that opened in 1970, with prices, addresses and which one to order depending on how you like it cooked.

8min readRead →

Montserrat from Barcelona, how to go up and when to arrive

The boys' choir sings at one in the afternoon and you have to book beforehand, which almost nobody knows. And you choose between rack railway and cable car without realising you are choosing.

Christmas in Barcelona, what is done differently here

The 26th is a public holiday here and almost nowhere else in Spain, the cathedral fair dates from 1786, and this year the New Year bells move to a new place.

The Sagrada Família is now the tallest church in the world

172.5 metres since 10 June, and not a centimetre more, by Gaudí's own decision. It went up for 137 years without a building permit and the hardest part is still missing.

Barcelona with kids, and what each plan actually costs

Under-16s get in free across half the city and Tibidabo charges by height, not age. The same family pays 16 euros one day and 140 the next.

What to see in Barcelona in 3 days, in the order that works

Three days are built around two timed tickets, not around a map. And since June the Sagrada Família has been the tallest church in the world.

Where to stay in Barcelona, neighbourhood by neighbourhood

Sleeping here carries a surcharge of up to 12 euros per person per night that never shows in the search results, and there is a number to check before booking a flat.

Barcelona in October, which weekend to pick and why

The 12th is a Monday and makes a long weekend, and on the weekend of the 24th you gain an hour while more than 200 buildings open free. Add jazz at the Palau, Sitges, Halloween and the Castanyada, and it is the fullest month and the wettest of the year.

13min readRead →

What to do in Barcelona when it rains

Rain here lasts two hours, not a day. Where I go while it passes, including a Gothic hall you can see for free and original-language cinema for 4 euros.

The best time to visit Barcelona, month by month

It rains 53 days a year in Barcelona and six of them fall in October, the month everyone recommends. The official AEMET figures month by month, and the one I would book.

Where to see castells in Barcelona and when the diades are

Barcelona has eight human tower teams and you do not need to wait for La Mercè. Rehearsals are open and free midweek, and the autumn calendar has four big dates.

Barcelona in September, which week to pick and why

The 11th is a Friday and the 24th a Thursday, so September gives you two long weekends. And La Mercè's Piromusical moves to Bogatell beach for the first time.

Barcelona in August, which week to pick and why

The 15th is a Saturday, Gràcia opens that day and Sants on the 22nd. Which August week I would fly into, and what really stays open while the city is away.

Surviving the summer heat in Barcelona, a local's guide

How I get through summer in Barcelona without melting, hour by hour. Where to cool off for free, the pool with 1992 Olympic views, the neighbourhoods where the air moves, and the mistake that ruins your day.

Brands

Permanent bracelets in Barcelona, where to go and prices

Six welded jewellery studios across Barcelona's old town, from 14 euros in steel to 120 in gold. Which ones take walk-ins, which metal survives daily swimming, and what happens the day you need an MRI.

10min readRead →

Barcelona neighbourhood bodegas, where locals drink vermouth

The old wine bars where people who live here spend Saturday mornings, with vermouth on tap at 2 euros and homemade tapas from 3 to 6. How to spot a real bodega from a themed one, when to arrive and which I skip.

13min readRead →

Catalonia autumn forests, when to visit each one

Six Catalan beech woods with the exact week each turns colour, how far you walk in every one and what the car park costs. From a forest growing on volcanic lava to 41-metre beeches planted in the 1750s.

Where to eat calçots in Barcelona without leaving town

Calçot season runs November to April, not January to March. The calçotades served inside Barcelona itself, what each set menu includes, the real price range and the technique for not ending up covered in soot.

Underground Barcelona, what you can visit and book

Four sites below Barcelona are genuinely open to visitors, with prices, depths and the detail nobody publishes, which organisation takes each booking. Three separate bodies, three unconnected systems, and that is where most people lose their place.

Eating cheap in Barcelona, where locals actually go

The average set lunch in Barcelona now runs 15,10 euros, so finding one at 12 is the whole game. Which neighbourhoods still have them, how to spot a tourist menu, and where seafood is worth it.

Barcelona facts, the city that reinvented its own past

The Gothic Quarter was rebuilt between 1908 and the 1930s, the beaches were created in 1992, and those Plaça Reial lamp posts are early Gaudí. What is genuinely old, what was built to look it, and which legends do not hold up.

The best ramen in Barcelona, picked by a local

Where I go for ramen in Barcelona, which broth to order at each place and what a bowl really costs. Ramen-Ya Hiro does take bookings, shuts for a month in summer, and serves no ramen at lunch.

Free art galleries in Barcelona and how to walk them

Over a hundred galleries with free entry, grouped by district so you can see four or five on foot. What each area shows, the opening hours nobody checks, and the September weekend when everything opens at once.

Brands

Simorra, the Catalan fashion label founded in 1978

From a women's shirtmaking workshop to 17 million in revenue and 30 stores. The four Barcelona addresses, what separates the clothes from chain retail, and which parts of the sustainability pitch need qualifying.

10min readRead →

Secret gardens of Catalonia for escaping the noise

The hidden gardens where I go to switch off, sorted by how far they are and what they cost. From the Laberint d'Horta at 2.23 € to clifftop gardens on the Costa Brava, with the maze closed until 2027.

La Mercè in Barcelona, a local's guide to the city festival

How I do La Mercè, day by day across the five of the festival. The castellers, the correfoc and the Piromusical, what I avoid with children and the mistake nearly everyone makes. Over 500 events, almost all free.

The best artisan ice cream in Barcelona

The ice cream shops I go to for the real artisan thing, sorted by what you fancy that day. The pistachio trick for spotting the industrial stuff, the actual prices, and the ones I do not go back to.

The best markets in Barcelona, the ones I actually use

The markets I go to for shopping and breakfast, sorted by what you want. From local Sant Antoni to the counters where the city has breakfast, which market is for what, and the one I never do my shopping in.

Rooftop terraces in Barcelona, which ones are free

The rooftops I go up to for a drink with a view, sorted by how you get in. Which are free, which ask for one drink and which are guests-only, with real prices and a warning about the ones that close in winter.

The best sunset viewpoints in Barcelona

The viewpoints I go up to for sunset, sorted by what you want. From the free Búnker at 262 metres to the Montjuïc terraces, with the closing-time warning and which viewpoint works in each season.

Free museums in Barcelona, the calendar I actually use

Every museum you can visit free in Barcelona, sorted by the day you have off. The weekly calendar of which museum each day, the Picasso booking trick, and which one to skip when it is mobbed.

Villages near Barcelona for a day trip

The villages I escape to, with the table of how long each takes and how to get there. From Sitges in 35 minutes by train to medieval Besalú, with a real budget and the tip that saves your day.

The most beautiful villages in Catalonia, inland and mountain

My favourite inland and mountain villages in Catalonia, sorted by what you need that day. From medieval Rupit to the absolute silence of Beget, by way of Siurana hanging over a cliff.

The most beautiful villages in Girona, by area

My favourite villages in Girona, grouped by area so you do not spend the day driving. From Peratallada, my secret, to Cadaqués, with the Jewish quarter of Besalú and its medieval miqvé.

Hiking trails near Barcelona to switch off

The trails I do to switch off, with the difficulty table, distances and how to get there without a car. From the Carretera de les Aigües to the Turó de l'Home, with the Collserola closure notice and the footwear mistake.

Enjoying Barcelona solo, the plans I love most

How I enjoy Barcelona on my own, by neighbourhood and by time of day. Where I sit down to dinner alone without feeling alone, the pleasure of going at my own pace, and the corners I found with no one else's agenda.