Barcelona for Retirees, Great Food & Fantastic Architecture
Barcelona has it all for retirees young and old at heart! It is a vibrant and exciting city and it’s popularity has surged over the last few years. Barcelona is destined to become even busier, so start planning that trip!
While working, my wife and I alternated Christmas each year between family and Christmas vacation someplace else. (Read without family if you want.) Barcelona was our Christmas destination in 2021 and it was a fantastic city to visit. Barcelona has a lot to offer including great food, great architecture, good transportation and great people. Did I mention Jamón ibérico de bellota? In the event Barcelona is not on your travel list, it should be. Provided below are a few tips to see the city. Hola!
We used public transportation while in Barcelona as we did not have time to venture far except via train to Montserrat. There are several day trips around Barcelona including many Cava Wineries. You can take tours or rent a car for the day or longer if you want to get outside the city.
Keep scrolling for a short History to Barcelona, Climate & Getting Around the City or use the Quick Links below to jump to individual sections.
Barcelona Climate Tips for Travelers
Situated in Northern Spain on the East coast of the country, Barcelona is located on the Balearic Sea which is actually a body of water within the Mediterranean Sea. Hmm, a sea within a sea? OK, whatever you say Christopher Columbus. What you really need to know as a tourist is that Barcelona has a Mediterranean climate and is a large port city with tasty food! Additionally, cruise ships frequent Barcelona, so if you are cruising Europe it is easy to find a cruise encompassing Barcelona as a starting or stopping point.
Spring and Fall are considered the best time of the year to visit with temperatures in the 60’s and 70’s. During summer temperatures can get hot up into the 80’s. Rainfall is minimal year round with Fall the rainiest but still only 3-4 inches monthly. Several beaches are located in and around Barcelona for those looking to swim and swimming is best from Summer through fall. Believe it or not we did see several brave souls, or crazy people, swimming in December!
Barcelona can be windy due to its location on the coast. During our trip in December the temperatures were 50-60F. With wind whipping around buildings it can seem colder at times than the temperature indicates. Sunshine was bright every day and when the wind died down it made things pleasant even in December.
During Christmas Barcelona has a small Christmas market which was nice but did not rival the Christmas markets found in France or Germany. The city is nicely decorated for the holiday season with families strolling the market and streets. Dress appropriately and Christmas is still a great time to visit!
Barcelona, A Really Short History
Is Barcelona located in Spain or Catalonia? Yes and Yes. This is sort of like the Balearic Sea within the Mediterranean Sea. Basically Catalonia is an autonomous region in Spain. While Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, Madrid is the capital of Spain. It is a complicated political issue that I’m not smart enough to explain in detail, but you can follow the link above for more info.
As a tourist you will hear, and see in print, both Spanish and Catalan language. Additionally, English is understood and frequently available on websites and menus. I found it easy to book tickets to attractions online as English was always an option.
You cannot mention Barcelona without speaking about the genius of Antoni Gaudí. Born June, 25 1852 and died on June 10, 1926. He was a true visionary instrumental in the Modernista architecture in Barcelona. Ironically, he was hit by a tram while crossing the street just shy of his 74th birthday causing his death a few days later.
Most important are Antoni Gaudí’s contributions to the city including some of the most memorable architecture in the world. Gaudí’s crowning achievement is the UNESCO World Heritage Site Sagrada Familia started on March 19, 1882 and located in the Eixample district of Barcelona. While still under construction, the anticipated completion of Sagrada Familia is sometime in 2026.
Getting To and Around Barcelona
For my trip plan I used the website Barcelona Tourist Guide. It is not a Instagram flashy site, but the writer seems to be a local and the information was accurate and easy for me to follow. I highly recommend this guide for more info.
Barcelona is quickly becoming a top travel destination which is good news for US travelers and retirees. Consequently, there now are more direct flight to Barcelona and the flights are relatively inexpensive. Unless arriving by ship, you will fly into Barcelona Airport (Airport code: BCN) located 10 miles west of downtown. There are two terminals, Terminal 1 (T1) and Terminal 2 (T2) which has 3 buildings (T2A, T2B, T2C.) They made Terminal 1 simple but just could not resist when they got to terminal 2.
Barcelona is well connected via a very good public transportation system. We used the metro extensively while in Barcelona as it was clean, efficient and very reasonably priced. Purchase a T-Casual Transport Ticket which is good for 10 trips within Barcelona city known as Zone 1. (T-Casual is not valid for airport transportation).
Aerobus A1 and A2 connect the airport to the city and it is about a 30 minute ride to Plaça España or Plaça de Catalunya. Bus A1 services Terminal T1 and A2 services Terminal T2. Seems simple enough. Make sure you know which terminal your flight departs from when returning to the airport. Also, ask the bus driver if you are unsure the terminal the bus services. Additionally, private car and cab service are offered at the airport and in the city.
Getting your Bearings in Barcelona
Unless you want to get lost, there are a few major streets and landmarks you should become familiar with in Barcelona. Also, make sure you get a metro map or use you phone to plan routes. Listen up retirees! Google maps includes train, bus and metro stops for easy trip planning. I use it all the time when we travel to get around a new destination on public transportation. You can find timetables, metro stops, connections and even walking directions in Google Maps!
Plaça España is more than a central metro hub in Barcelona as it is close to all the Montjuïc area tourist sites. Also, if you are traveling to Montserrat for a day trip the train will leave from Plaça España.
Plaça de Catalunya is the central metro hub for Barcelona. It is situated near the intersection of the Barri Gòtic, La Ribera / El Born and L’Eixample neighborhoods. The Aerobus to and from the airport also stops here. You can connect to all major metro routes via this central hub.
Passeig de Gràcia is a stately wide boulevard lined with shopping and restaurants on either side. Passeig de Gràcia was the major thoroughfare of prominent and wealthy families during the early 1900’s. In addition, Casa Batlló and Casa Milà are both located on Passeig de Gràcia.
Las Ramblas is a major pedestrian boulevard 3/4 of a mile or 1.2 km long with a narrow one lane street on either side of the pedestrian center. Located on Las Ramblas is Mercado de La Boqueria which provides everything from quick snacks, meats & cheese to wine and produce. While there we bought some very good wine and Jamón ibérico de bellota inside Mercado de La Boqueria. It is definitely worth a stop while strolling Las Ramblas for browsing or picture taking. The restaurant on Las Ramblas are too touristy for me. Consequently better eating options are found in other surrounding neighborhoods.
Neighborhoods and Where To Stay
There are many neighborhoods in Barcelona each with there own charm and advantages depending on your desires. However, I am not going to cover them all as I think it just makes things too complicated. And I hate complicated! The following neighborhoods are best situated for most travelers.
My favorite Neighborhood Barri Gòtic or “Old City”
The Gothic Quarter, or Barri Gòtic Quarter, is the original historic heart of Barcelona. It is a wonderful maze of small alleyways and stone streets working their way around historic architecture and tapas bars. You don’t need to be a retiree to fall in love with this neighborhood and I felt this was one of the best locations in Barcelona. Additionally there are plenty of metro stations, restaurants and shopping venues.
The Gothic Quarter is home to La Catedral or Cathedral of Barcelona and Plaça Reial, a vibrant outdoor plaza or square sporting nightlife and restaurants. History buffs will find something interesting to see around every corner. It is a great neighborhood to stroll day or night even if you are not staying there. I consider The Gothic Quarter an essential destination to explore while in Barcelona.
Strolling the Gothic Quarter at night
L’Eixample or Eixample District
The L’Eixample district is surrounded by La Raval, The Gothic Quarter and La Ribera to the South and Gràcia to the North. Since it is a large district it is broken into L’Eixample Right and L’Eixample Left. Why didn’t they just give them different names? No clue, probably some old historical reason, so let’s get over it.
L’Eixample Right is where most of the tourist attractions and shopping are located and home to some of Gaudi’s most famous sites including Casa Milà (La Pedrera), Casa Batlló and Sagrada Familia. Passeig de Gràcia is the major road in L’Eixample, and as mentioned has plenty of shopping, metro station and restaurants. Passeig de Gràcia is nicely decorated during Christmas and was busy by afternoon and very busy at night. L’Eixample is a good but very busy neighborhood.
Inside Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia Barcelona Spain
La Ribera / El Born
La Ribera / El Born are 2 smaller districts to the east of The Gothic Quarter. Occasionally I’ve seen these two districts mentioned as just El Born at times which can lead to some confusion. Close to the city center, El Born offers a lot of history, nightlife and restaurants in this district. Within El Born’s borders are several Metro connections and you are within walking distance of many attractions.
El Born is one of the older but trendier neighborhoods in Barcelona. We found some good shopping and several nice restaurants in this area. Additionally, the Modernist music hall Palau de la Música is in this district.
Gràcia
Gràcia is considered one of Barcelona’s trendiest neighborhoods and is located just northwest from the city center. For those that want to be away from the bustling downtown, but still close to the attractions, Gràcia is a good choice. Gràcia is a little less densely packed and there are fewer restaurant & accommodations than the heart of Barcelona, but several good tapas bars and restaurants are still within its borders. Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Vicens and Park Güell are withing Gràcia and you are still well connected to other parts of Barcelona via the metro.
Where to stay In Barcelona
Most important in any city is to stay central to transportation and your interests whether they are landmarks, restaurants or shopping. In Barcelona this is quite easy to do with many different hotel or apartments available throughout the city. We also spent a lot of our evenings in La Ribera / El Born and The Gothic Quarter strolling the neighborhoods and trying tapas. Therefore, I consider these 2 neighborhoods as ideal for visitors to Barcelona.
We chose Apartaments Catedral Bas in the Barri Gòtic Quarter (The Gothic Quarter) for our trip. The apartment is of good size, larger than a hotel room, and offered a kitchen, living room and bedroom. Being able to cook breakfast early every morning saved us time and money. This also allowed us to get to sightseeing early beating the crowds. It was clean and within walking distance of the metro stations and many restaurants and Tapas Bars. There was a small park across the street that stayed busy until about 10PM with kids playing, but otherwise it was quiet.
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