Barcelona, Spain
This one is for a dreamy short trip to Barcelona. We’re talking five or six days, with a road trip and overnight to the Costa Brava. You can plus up (stay longer on the coast perhaps) or shorten the trip by a day and have a long weekend in Barcelona. Highly recommend shoulder season in Catalonia, we went at the end of October and had fab weather.
Do: Give yourself a day to get lost in El Born - the best shopping (below), museums (Picasso, Moco), and charming watering holes to enjoy drinks and snacks along the way. Your first full day (not the jet lagged one where you are half alive, the one after that), is perfect for a day of wandering the Born neighborhood.
Once a full day in the belly of the beast, wake up the following day ready for a morning of fresh air and perfect views of the city. Carretera de las Aigües is a (dirt) path on the edge of the forest up above the city where runners, dog walkers, and nature enthusiasts can be found. There is a funicular with stops at levels up the hillside that services the towns up there and is a nice transportation option on your way up or down. The “hike” which is really a walk starts at a parking lot below the observatory (we had an Uber drop us there), then walked a few miles, worked up an appetite with about an hour long walk and ended at the lovely Can Martí for a hearty, low key reward in what felt like a tree house over the city - more info on Can Martí below. Then there is a funicular stop nearby which brings you back down to the city, from there you can either take the subway from the same station or hop in a Taxi or Uber. I liked taking an Uber up and cable car down. Here is some info on transportation for the hike.
Prior to this trip, I was skeptical if we could enjoy the Costa Brava if we only had a day or two. These towns are so close to Barcelona that I cannot encourage you more to explore them even on a short trip. We splurged on a driver for this part of the trip. The driver was clutch for exploring the Costa Brava for us in a couple of days and made everything less stressful. We arranged the driver through Palau Fugit, the beautiful hotel where we stayed in Girona. I wanted to get a taste of a few different towns along the coast, even if just for a quick visit. Our driver picked us up at our hotel in Barcelona in the eight o’clock hour. Our first stop was the medieval town of Pals. A town that is probably packed with tourists in the Summer, we got a sunny sleepy day in this gem of a town. We walked the stone streets, explored for an hour, got coffee and snacks, then back on the road.
We then took the long windy road to Cadaqués. The drive there alone is worth it, so scenic, precarious at times. This town is worth the trek. It’s a fairy tale seaside town, you can see immediately why Dalí spent his time here (Dali’s home, museum, and more are in Cadaqués and can be visited). Eat lunch seaside, stroll around, soak it in.
Then back in the car to head inland to Girona for the night. Girona is a proper city that has a small town feel. It’s old and classic but also modern and chic. After a long day, there is nowhere that welcomes you more than Palau Fugit. A hotel that came onto the scene just three months ago, in the oldest part of Girona on a pedestrian only, narrow street. Spend the rest of the day and night on the streets of Girona, eat at Normal for dinner, enjoy the morning in town, then have the driver take you back to Barcelona mid day.
Once a month, the cools come out for a fun weekend festival called Palo Market Fest. In a northern neighborhood of Barcelona called Palo Alto, behind an unassuming old stucco building facade that spans the whole block, are all of the food vendors, pop up shops, live music and bar carts that hipster dreams are made of. The festival is set amongst a jungle-like maze of connected enclaves and is just a nice, fun way to spend an afternoon.
Shop: In El Born, Iguapop Shop is a well curated, concept store that carries great brands. It’s a small store that packs a big punch. Oscar Grand makes bespoke menswear, jackets, shackets, shirts, and more. Oscar has been at it for 20 years in his Born atelier. If he doesn’t have your size in what you want, or if you simply want something specific, he will take your measurements and make it. He’s super cool and his shop is a gem for menswear. La Manual Alpargatera is one of the oldest makers of espadrilles. Their shoes are comfortable and well made. Is it even a trip to Spain if you don’t come home with the perfect pair of espadrilles? There’s a charming alley of makers who have their shops street level with a little loft above that you can see from the street where they are designing and sewing their pieces - it’s cute, support them. A little closer to La Rambla, you can hit Bimba Y Lola (always a favorite of mine) along with a pop-up shop for the up and coming Thinking Mu. Mignon is a tiny vintage store on a Sant Antoni corner, close to the Hotel Market. The owner curates a collection of primarily pieces from the 1960s and 70s and creates a mid century, Brady Bunch vibe but with an elevated touch that makes it work. Love this little place, fun stop for gifts. While in Girona for the night, right by the Palau Fugit hotel is Samarkanda, an incredible home store. A lot of the stuff in there is too large to carry home and they don’t ship but they do have smaller tabletop items and it is the most beautiful, inspiring store to get your dreaming.
Eat: Three places in Barcelona that I highly recommend for dinner. One - Bar Brutal, which is more food and drink and hip relaxed vibe. Natural wines, small plates, hot spot. Two - Arume. Cozy neighborhood spot with excellent paella, loved everything we ate there. Getting in is somewhat chaotic but the staff is nice and they try to make everyone as comfortable as possible when there is a wait. Three - CruiX is a 12 course tasting menu that is to die for. It should have a Michelin star but doesn’t. It’s unfussy, super inventive and polished yet relaxed. It’s also reasonably priced for such a decadent meal. You have to try this place. For lunch after the Carretera de las Aigües hike as mentioned above - Can Martí. At the end of the hike/walk, you huff it up a steep hill, walk into what seems like someone’s house (I think it is), pass the big open wood burning grill, and then sit and rest your weary bones in a treehouse-like patio in the clouds over the city. All of the food is hearty and simple and goes down well with a beer after the walk. Lastly, while in Girona, eat dinner at NORMAL. The newest restaurant from the famous Roca brothers from Girona. NORMAL is elegant and every detail is well thought through. The food is up there with the best and everything about this place is perfection. All of these places require a reservation. If you don’t have a res, you can go early and try your luck as people eat late in Barcelona, but these are all busy, generally booked up spots.
Stay: I stay at the Hotel Market in Barcelona. There are some important things to know about this hotel. As for the rooms - you really have to book one of the five rooms in the new part of the hotel - rooms 901, 902, 903, 904, 905. The older part of the hotel is a little shabby. These good rooms are big and nice with fabulous terraces. Hotel Market is a great home base for the week - and it’s the lowest price around for how much you get. It’s not luxe and the service is spotty. A few people who work at the front desk are nice and helpful. A few of them are rude. Total service mixed bag. When I first stayed here years ago, the neighborhood was just starting to improve and it still felt dicey. Now I love this neighborhood so much, one of my favorites.
In Girona, Palau Fugit is modern luxury within the walls of an 18th century Baroque palace. The Great Room houses the lobby, restaurant and bar and is the heartbeat of the hotel. I would reserve a garden room so your bedroom just flows out through the French doors to a garden oasis. The robes and products in the room are legit and so is the in-room coffee and beverage situation. There is a stone grotto that is kept very warm and houses a plunge pool. You can reserve it for a private relaxation session. I called ahead and ordered a hot tea to be delivered to the grotto (I don’t think they call it that, but I do) and had a lovely little swim and tea. Breakfast is included in your stay and not to be missed. Also this is a “yes” hotel - our favorite type - you can ask for anything and the answer will always be YES.
Know: I love that days in Barcelona are lived in three parts - morning until 2pm, siesta or however you choose to spend the late afternoon until about 4ish, then the third act. While a lot of things close between 2 and 4pm, most places are open late so you can continue to explore the city between the hours of 4 and 7 for anything you missed earlier in the day. As always, locals eat late in Barcelona, most restaurants open around 7pm and they are happy to have you on the earlier side so eat whenever works best for you. I really loved the shopping in Barcelona. I found it to be as high quality as other European cities but much less expensive. In particular, the menswear in Barcelona was better than most cities, tip top. The city is very easy to navigate. Most of it is walkable, taxis are everywhere and the easiest mode of transportation when you don’t want to walk. Even through Uber, taxis are the easiest to request. One attribute of cities that get Dipa gold stars are those whose airport is in close proximity to the city. Barcelona’s international airport is a quick 20 minutes to downtown, yes, just another reason to stop hedging and book that flight.