Spain: Barcelona | Valencia

Spain has been on our travel todo list for a long time! Jeremy was in Seville, Spain a few years ago for a work trip, and loved it. Since then, we have put it at the top of our travel plans, yet never seemed to make it happen. We blame COVID.

This Spain adventure focused on two cities: Barcelona and Valencia. These cities were chosen because they had a good balance of city, culture and beaches. As you probably know, Barcelona isn’t so fond of tourists. And we get it. It is a beautiful city with many wonderful places to see, culture to experience, and food/drinks to enjoy. Yet, the reality is that the city has become so expensive that locals are being pushed out. While we experienced many lovely locals and always felt welcomed, that isn’t the case for all tourists. Here are some of the highlights from Barcelona!

Valerie and Jeremy on the Barcelona HOHO

Barcelona Itinerary Highlights

As you may know, we love a HOHO bus (Hop On Hop Off Bus)! Barcelona has a few options and a few different routes you can take to explore the city. The city is quite large and there is a lot to see, so starting with a HOHO bus tour is a great way to start to explore Barcelona. One of the highlights of the HOHO route we chose was a stop at Mount Tibidabo. If you are a Friends (the television show) fan, like us, then you may recall an episode where Joey shares a story about “Hiking in the foothills of Mount Tibidabo” with Ross–hilarity ensues. Well, we couldn’t miss an opportunity to see it in person! Not only is the view from the top of the mountain stunning, but you also get to ride a funicular to the top! Who doesn’t love a funicular ride!?

Funicular up to the top of Mount Tibidabo, Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is home to the architect, Antoni Gaudi, and many if his amazing creations. We had planned to see some of his famous structures, but what we weren’t prepared for was how much we would love and appreciate his work. They are all these marvels of engineering, nature and artistic expression. We started our Gaudi experience with a visit to La Pedrera, also known as Casa Mila. Normally, we are not fans of an audio tour, but for this experience it was a must. It is visually stunning, but to hear about the creativity and brilliance that went behind every curve of that building, including why and how he made those choices is fascinating. There isn’t an inch of that place that’s not intentional, and he never sacrifices the function for the sake of the form. There are too many interesting and wonderful things about this space to comment here, but the takeaway is that it is totally worth a visit if you are in Barcelona.

Collage of La Pedrera in Barcelona, Spain

Next up, on the Gaudi circuit was Casa Batllo. Casa Batllo was an interesting project for Gaudi because it was one of the few projects he took on where he was working with an existing structure. He transformed the home inside and out, and it was amazing how completely different it was from La Pedrera, but still so uniquely Gaudi. Again with the guidance of an audio tour, this space takes you even further into the mind and art of Gaudi. The inside is just as beautiful as the outside! And the rooftop garden is a wonderful space to take in Barcelona from a different vantage point.

Collage of Casa Batllo in Barcelona, Spain

As you can see we couldn’t get enough Gaudi, so we decided we had to see the La Sagrada Familia Basilica. General advice is to purchase tickets to the Basilica ahead of time as during peak season each day will sell out. This is true! We didn’t have tickets when we arrived in Barcelona, and while we tried during our first few days there to acquire them we found ourselves ticketless. Until…Jeremy found tickets! The apartment we stayed in was next to a tourist office and they had a sign in their window about La Sagrada Famila tickets. Luck for us, they had a few tickets left and we grabbed them quickly.

Again, there is too much to say about this experience, so here are few short thoughts:

The inside of the Basilica will leave you speechless. (Jeremy literally walked in and uttered, “Holy Sh*t” under his breath).
The use of light and color is brilliant.
It is going to be exciting to see the project finish in the next few years.

Our last Gaudi experience for this trip to Barcelona was a visit to Park Guell. This space is interesting for a few reasons. First, it is where Gaudi lived for part of his life; and you can see the house he lived in before he moved into La Sagrada Familia until he died in a tragic tram accident. Second, the concept behind the space is interesting. It was meant to be a space for the wealthy of Barcelona to build lavish custom homes on the hills above Barcelona, which was struggling with disease at the time. Gaudi had such specific criteria and building on the hill was so cost prohibitive, the initial project failed and instead he designed this park. Third, the view of Barcelona and La Sagrada Familia is stunning. All of that being said, it was our least favorite of the Gaudi experiences. If you are limited on time, and energy, we would recommend other Gaudi experiences before Park Guell.

For more information about Antino Gaudi and his work go here.

Of course there were some lovely beach days and leisurely wandering around the city too.

Valerie's feet in the sand in Barcelona, Spain

Things We Learned: Barcelona

Purchase tickets to the La Sagrada Familia Basilica before you arrive in Barcelona.
Sadly, Barcelona isn’t the safest city. Take your personal safety seriously and don’t wear/carry valuables while exploring the city.
Smile and use your best Spanish! Locals will appreciate your effort.

Valencia Itinerary Highlights

HOHO bus tour, here we go again! This HOHO tour was a good one, but wasn’t one of the best, but it served its purpose and gave us a good overview of Valencia. Some of the sites you will see on the bus tour that are worth a visit are:

Ciutat de las Arts i les Ciències

Old Town – City Walls

One night, we attended a Flamenco show at a local theater just a few blocks from the apartment we stayed at, and it was FABULOUS! It was an intimate theater, seating maybe 75 people, and was a wonderful introduction into this Spanish artform. The music, the performers, the costumes were all so impactful. Another must do if you visit Valencia! Here is the link to the theater if you are in Valencia and want to see a great performance!

The fabulous performers from the Flamenco show in Valencia, Spain!

A week in Valencia wouldn’t be complete if there weren’t a few good beach days and time spent relaxing by the sea.

Things We Learned: Valencia

Unlike Barcelona, locals in Valencia are excited to have tourists! We had some wonderful food and beverage experiences in local establishments and were always met with a genuine smile.
We would say that there are “two Valencias,” in our opinion. One is the chill beach vibe and the other is this vibrant city with beautiful squares and architecture. They are not far from each other with their excellent light rail system, but it’s important to consider what kind of vibe you are looking for if you are visiting.

The best olives ever, and a lovely snack spread during a relaxing afternoon.

The Hotel Balneario las Arenas has the BEST olives!

Valencia is the home of Paella, and while we found a couple decent ones, we struck out finding the best. Don’t miss out on it, however!

That is a snapshot of our time in Spain! Cheers to a wonderful experience in the region.

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Valerie and Jeremy on a plane headed to...

Spain: Barcelona | Valencia

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