5 Tips for Your Trip to Barcelona, Spain
You don't want to get squirted by angry Catalans carrying water guns.
Despite all my complaints about Barcelona, I don’t think there’s anywhere I’ve written about quite as much. There are good reasons for that. The first is that I’ve only been to Málaga twice, and the second is that I like to keep my life in Madrid private.
If you’ve missed my previous posts on Barcelona, you can find them here:
I Spent Two Weeks on the Most Pickpocketed Street in the World
Visiting or Moving to Barcelona? Here are 5 Things You Should Know. (paid)
This return trip to Barcelona went well, and it was interesting to revisit the city where I first lived when I moved to Spain. I’ll share my mom’s thoughts on Barcelona and the area where I lived with paid subscribers next week.
This week, let’s get started on the tips!
1. Consider going in the late spring or fall.
I gave this advice for visiting Málaga, but it’s even more critical for Barcelona. The Catalans are not the friendliest. Last year, they made the news for squirting tourists with water guns while telling them to go back to their countries, and this year was no different.
Barcelona is overcrowded all the time—even in the fall and the spring. But it reaches insane levels in the summer, which only ticks the Catalans off more. Do yourself a favor by not visiting in the summer. Not only do you reduce the risk of being “shot” by the Catalans, but it’s also a much better experience overall.
2. Remember that you’re in Catalan country.
Catalans often do not consider themselves to be Spanish. There are many historical reasons for this, but the end result is that many locals in Barcelona view Spain the way Hawaiians view the United States.
So, if you’ve been brushing up on your Spanish all year for your trip, you might find it less helpful here. As you walk down the streets, you will see a lot of signs and building names in a different language with a curious mix of Xs in places you don’t expect.
Catalans do understand and speak Spanish, but they often pretend not to. My experience is that they sometimes “troll” by responding to Spanish in Catalan. This has happened to me a few times. Even Spanish-speaking Spaniards sometimes get the cold shoulder for not understanding Catalan. Not everyone is like this, but the heads-up might be helpful if you do experience it.
I’m not telling you to add yet another language to your practice list, but just be mindful that the reaction to your best Spanish might not be what you expect. As a side note, this is specifically a Barcelona trait. I haven’t heard of anyone saying the same about places like Valencia, where they also speak a dialect of the Catalan language.
3. Hang on to your belongings.
In the list of Barcelona articles above, you might have noticed the title: I Felt Safer in Mexico Than I Do in Barcelona. I still feel that way. I know that’s very surprising to a lot of people who view Mexico as hell on Earth, but as someone who has lived in both countries as a foreigner, Mexico felt safer.
The chances of my being kidnapped by the cartel are slim compared to being robbed while going about my day in Barcelona. The chances of your Airbnb or apartment being broken into in Barcelona are also higher than being shot by the cartel in Mexico. I’ve already written safety guidelines for Barcelona, but here’s a quick rundown:
Do NOT put anything valuable in the pockets of your backpack, as it could get stolen.
For the same reason, do NOT put valuable items (such as your phone or wallet) in your back pockets.
Be careful about walking around with your wallet, phone, or tablet in your hands (I saw a thief snatch a tourist’s things right out of his hands!)
Always lock your Airbnb door properly and hide any valuables (like your passport) that you leave behind.
4. Book your stay outside the Center.
I know this is the complete opposite of the advice I gave for Málaga. It’s also the exact opposite of what I might suggest for visiting Madrid, but hear me out for a second.
When I first visited Barcelona in August 2023, I stayed in the Gothic Quarter. As the name suggests, it has beautiful Gothic buildings within a mile or so of each other. I loved wandering through the Roman ruins and gazing at beautiful cathedrals. So, when I moved in 2024, I moved back to that area.
El Gótico is not a bad area to visit, but I found it far more enjoyable to stay outside the Center with my mom. We stayed near La Sagrada Familia this time, which is hands-down one of my favorite buildings in Barcelona. You’ll never see anything even remotely like it, anywhere else in the world.
5. Prepare to walk or use public transit.
Barcelona is the one Spanish city where I rarely use Uber or any other ridesharing service. You can try all you want, but the wait times are long and cancellations are common. Manually hailing a cab is an option, but you first need to find one. This is easier if you’re in the Center, but can be trickier outside of that.
Bring your best walking shoes and prepare to walk often and far. If you take my advice to visit in the spring and fall when the weather is excellent, you’ll be just fine. We walked to most places and took the occasional cab when we could find them.
Public transportation is also an option. However, Barcelona is also the only city where I’ve gotten hopelessly lost on public transit before, so I have no advice for you there. If you’re a pro at taking buses and trains, you might have better luck than I did. Everyone I know has a story of getting lost on the transit when they first moved to Barcelona, so don’t feel bad if it happens to you.
Next week, I’ll share how my mom and I spent our time in Barcelona and what she thought of this city compared to Madrid and Málaga. I’ll also tell paid subscribers about the nude beach I took her to see. Hilariously, even some of my friends in Barcelona had never heard of this place where men strut about mere feet away from the sidewalk with everything a-swinging in the breeze, haha!
Anyway, this and more next time. See you then. 👋🏽