My fiancé and I recently made a five-day, four-night trip to Barcelona on a bit of a whim. A couple of months ago I was wander-lusting and plugging random destinations into Google Flights, checking random weekend dates I knew we weren’t already booked for. Very surprisingly I stumbled on an extremely cheap direct flight from LAX to Barcelona. I gchatted him immediately and said, “What do you think about taking a few days off work to hit up Spain?!” Obviously his response was positive, and so, just over a week ago, off we went! I have only been to France and England in Europe before and was so excited to travel and be able to use a little bit of the Spanish I know (I’m conversational at best)! The trip (even with the 12-hour flight, my longest ever!) was truly incredible. We ate our weight in delicious tapas and sampled more vermouth than is probably recommended… All in all it was a splendid trip! Here are some of my favorite things we did along the way:

Stop number 1, not to be missed for us, was Sagrada Familia. I didn’t know the entire story about the church before visiting and found it endlessly fascinating that it is the largest unfinished Roman Catholic church in the world. To be able to see it while still under construction was such a treat, and one that many more people will be able to take advantage of, as it’s currently slated to be finished in 2026. The details of the basilica are fascinating and could easily take up an entire day of perusing. We ended up opting for a ticketed entry into the Passion Tower which gives an excellent 360° view of the city, as well as taking the audio self-guided tour, which gave excellent insight into the building details as well as its historical significance.

Another standout for me was the neighborhood and area of Montjuïc. Initially piquing our interest because of the transportation required to get there (a funicular!), we spent a full morning into early afternoon exploring the castle (pro tip: if you’re under 30, you can get a discounted ticket!), walking through the gardens, and endlessly gazing out on the beautiful views of the city and seaside.

We didn’t do a ton of research before we arrived in Barcelona, but one thing my fiancé had found was a food tour with Culinary Backstreets. We booked before arriving and I’m so glad we did! The tour was an all day affair starting at 9 a.m. with a delicious breakfast and finishing around 3 p.m. Our tour, called the ‘Made in Catalonia‘ tour, was centered in the Gràcia district and allowed us to sample lots of Catalan dishes ranging from soft sausage with eggs and honey for breakfast and a snack of olives and cheese samples in the local market to sardines perfectly paired with a dark vermouth at a corner bar. The food was all delicious, but easily the star of our tour was our guide, Paula. She was open to all of our (many!) questions and easily shepherded our group from stop to stop while imparting so much local knowledge! Taking this tour has already made me seek out which other cities they’re in, and I definitely plan on taking more in the near future!

We definitely adopted the later schedule of Barcelona as soon as we landed (on our first night we had a 10:45 p.m. dinner reservation, an unheard of occasion at home as I usually can’t stay awake past 9!). With dinner so late, we were more than happy to gorge on pinxtos (Catalan version of tapas), small snacks, usually only a bite or two, that pack a lot of flavor into such a small package! For the best variety, Carrer de Blai in the Poble-Sec area, is the place to be. We “tapas hopped” for the better part of an evening, choosing a few bites and a beer at each restaurant and lounging in the outdoor seating watching the neighborhood go by.

As if we didn’t get enough Gaudi from Sagrada Familia (and just generally wandering the city and happening upon more of his works!), Park Güell was also high on our list of stops to make while visiting. Located in Carmel Hill, which belongs to the mountain range of Collserola, Park Güell languidly drips down a hill, its architectural and artistic elements sneaking around corners and surprising you with each turn. It’s rare, but it does snow in Barcelona from time to time, and we just happened to hit the jackpot with a bunch of flurries while we visited Park Güell. The already magical park was transformed even more so with the sparkling flakes, and may have been my favorite couple of hours of our trip.

On a recommendation from our Culinary Backstreets tour guide, for our last evening in Barcelona we made a reservation at La Mundana. I can’t begin to gush about it enough, as it was far and away the best thing we ate in the city, and our server was one of the kindest women, helping us with the menu, recommending her favorite dishes, and letting us linger at our table (sipping on many vermouths!) until close. It is my first “you must go here!” recommendation for the city!

Anyone else been to Barcelona recently? Or have a trip there coming up?? Tell me your favorite spots in the comments! And let me know where should be next on my “must visit” list!