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Barcelona is where my love affair with Europe began.

I remember my excitement from the time I planned and booked everything to stepping foot off the plane. There’s something so liberating about your first international trip. You tend to want to learn more about everything you’re seeing and know the history of it all. Till this day, I carry that desire to learn and see it all during my travels.

I actually took a cruise while in Barcelona (more about that in a later post) so I stood at 2 separate hotels, one prior to my cruise and then one when I returned and we also mixed up price points by doing a budget and then a luxury hotel. Even though they were opposite, we had incredible experiences at both and I highly recommend them.

Check them out — Hotel Curious // Hotel 1898

There is no shortage of great restaurants in this vibrant city but if I had to chose one to recommend, I would say book (far in advance) a reservation at Tickets Bar. I can’t really put into words the experience you get from this place. The food is literally a work of art. I promise you that your dining experience here will be the best visual and delicious 2 hours ever! Click HERE to see my review on TripAdvisor.

While in Barcelona you will want to see it all. I highly recommend focusing on Guadi. The Sagrada Familia is an absolute MUST! Do not leave Barcelona without going inside of this masterpiece. Park Guell is another major Guadi work that is not to be missed. Explore Las Ramblas, La Boqueria, the Magic Fountain, eat tapas until you can’t walk, drink a ton of wine and just get lost (while keeping alert because those pickpocketers are no joke in Barcelona) – sometimes you discover the most amazing things by just walking around town and exploring.

Here’s a look at my trip through my photos:

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If you have any specific questions – feel free to send me an email // pearlsandparis@yahoo.com

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I had the amazing opportunity to visit a few different countries in Europe a few months back – Barcelona being one of them. Even though my visit was short, I fell in love with this vibrant city and all that it has to offer. Spain is known to have some of the best food in the world so I did some research to find out where I should eat while there. I came across numerous 5 star reviews on a place called: Tickets. With a reservation waitlist that is as long as 2 months, I knew I had to get in to this Tapas Bar. Long story short – we got a reservation and this place is all that it was hyped up to be and more. It was hands down one of the most memorable stops on the whole vacation and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Barcelona. The owner of Tickets, Albert Adria, was interviewed by Anthony Bourdain on No Reservations: Spain

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The Entrance

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Menu Cover

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Chefs hard at work

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Watermelon “impregnated” with Sangria

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the famous El Bulli “olives”

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The Living Forest

I hope to someday return to Barcelona and when I do – I will definitely be heading back to this place. Have you ever been to Barcelona? If so, what other restaurants do you recommend?

My Review on Trip Advisor

Tickets Website