Barcelona - Thanksgiving 2022
food tours, GAudi, shopping and amazing food and drinks
Barcelona is one of my favorite European cities and I try to visit annually (pre-pandemic). I was super excited to return during Thanksgiving weekend for a girls-trip with my sister and two friends. Continue reading for the latest Barcelona trip report and tips.
Flights
We found a great deal for direct flights from Boston, MA to Barcelona on Thanksgiving evening and returning Tuesday on Level Airlines. Level is the discount airline by Iberia and is pretty basic. For the lowest fare (approximately $460 USD roundtrip), there’s no advance seat selection, meals nor checked luggage. It does come with one smaller carryon and one personal items. There’s a weight limit (approximately 20 lbs) on the carryon but this wasn’t enforced on the departure flight from Boston but I did see carryon’s being weighed on the return flight from Barcelona…there’s also dimensional restrictions on the carryon and personal item but I only saw this enforced on one of my friends and they made her put the carryon in the sizing cage (she passed as it was a short duffel with wheels).
I was assigned a window seat at online check-in but asked to switch to an aisle seat at airport check-in without any issues.
There were 2 rounds of beverage service and bathrooms were clean. They had limited movies and TV shows on the inflight entertainment. There’s no free pillows nor blankets at the seats.
Overall the direct overnight flight was bare bones but pleasant enough.
Lodging
I prefer to stay in the L’Eixample area near the luxury shopping street (Passage de Gracia) and major Gaudi attractions. This area is also less crowded and safer (IMO) than La Rambla or Gothic Quarters. It is also about 20-25 minute walk to the popular tourist areas. I’ve booked hotels before on Passage de Gracia but since there’s 3 of us staying together (one friend stayed separately) I went with an AirBnb this time. Check-in was easy, just met the host in front of the building and apartment had all the necessary amenities except for shampoo, conditioner and shower gel. My only complaint on the AirBnb is the construction noise from the unit across from us but this should be temporary and future guests won’t have to deal with it.
Food Tour
I highly recommend booking food tours at the beginning of your trip so you can have direct access to the tour guide for recommendations during the tour and via email afterwards. My favorite food tour company is Devour Tours. Devour tends to partner with local mom & pop establishments for a more authentic local feel. I’ve tried Devour in Paris, Lisbon and Madrid and they were all as good as the ones in Barcelona. They will also accommodate any food allergies or diets. Please remember to tip your tour guide :)
Shopping
If you’re interested in luxury brands then I highly recommend shopping on Passage de Gracia during your Barcelona trip. The prices are inclusive of the VAT tax which tourists qualify for 12-15% refund at the airport. On average, you can expect to save 20-40% off the US prices with state taxes included. May sure to bring your passport so the sales reps can help prepare your tax refund form.
Pro-tip: go early for shops like Chanel, YSL, Hermes and Louis Vuitton. There’s usually a line in the afternoons and most popular items will be sold by then. Remember to ask when new inventory will be available so you can try again before departure.
They also serve water and champagne to paying customers, just ask once you’ve selected at least one item. They may also offer beverages and ask if they have champagne :)
Gaudi
There’s many must-see Gaudi attractions including Guell Park, La Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila and Casa Batllo. I recommend purchasing tickets online in advance and going early in the morning to avoid the crowds. As someone who’s mildly interested in architecture, Gaudi totally blew me away! His designs are whimsical and breathtaking.
Food/Drinks
The tapas and seafood in Barcelona are delicious! You can’t go wrong by searching Yelp and Google Maps for restaurants nearby with 3+ star ratings. Some of the must eats include garlic shrimp, beef tenderloin with seared foie gras, grilled razor clams, tomato bread, patatas bravas, paella and jamon iberico (Iberia ham).
Pro-tip: locals tend to have later dinners, 8pm and later, so it’s fairly easy to walk-in for dinner when the restaurants open at 6pm/7pm.
Avoid restaurants with pictures of food displayed outside, this is usually a sign of a tourist trap or unpopular restaurant.
Barcelona is home to some of the highly rated bars in the world (Top 50 bars in 2022). We were able to get into Sip Barcelona after waiting 30 minutes on a Saturday night. The cocktails were innovative and tasty but also quite pricey for Barcelona standards (approximately $20 USD). There’s also a lot of speakeasy and wine bars, use Google maps to locate the ones nearby.
Some of the must-drinks include cava (Spanish sparkling wine), vermouth/vermut tinto and of course sangrias (red, white and sparkling versions available).
Additional Tips
Be careful of pickpockets! Carry purses near your body and always visible in front of you, preferably with a zippered main compartment and wallets in the front pocket. Avoid crowds and look out for anything/anyone suspicious, pickpocket rings tend to work in a group and will try to surround their victims or isolate him/her from rest of their friends.
Tipping is optional and not expected.
Bring some euros (maybe 50-100 euros), credit cards are widely accepted.
Taxis are inexpensive and metro is easy to navigate. My group mostly walked everywhere and only took taxis late at night and to/from the airport.
