Five Essential Steps to a
Weekend Break in Barcelona

If you are planning a weekend break in Barcelona then there a few things that you should be certain put on your ‘to do’ list. In order to make things that little easier, here are five essential items that shouldn’t be ignored.

Booking Your Flight

There are so many companies offering cheap flights these days you can be spoilt for choice. If you are travel to somewhere in Europe, such as Barcelona, then Monarch Airlines can offer regular charter flights and cheap flights to Spain. You could expect flights to Barcelona from around GBP110, although there are special offers throughout the year.

Travel Insurance

It’s possible to book city breaks and package deals that include travel insurance from providers such as Lastminute.com, but it can often work out cheaper if you book each part of your holiday separately. Wherever you travel it’s thoroughly recommended that you get decent travel insurance from a company such as Go Travel. Here you will be able to choose the type of insurance most suited to your needs for the type of holiday you are considering. You will able to choose single trip cover or annual cover, if you are intending to travel more than once in one calendar year. You can also add extra cover if, for example, you are going to be scuba diving or playing golf.

Accommodation

There is plenty of accommodation to choose from in Barcelona, ranging from budget right the way through to 5-star luxury hotels. For budget hotels and hostels check out HostelBookers.com, but you should also take a look at Barcelona-tourist-guide.com. Not only does this site offer ideas of things to do and see in the city but also has a page dedicated to low price hotels. All hotels on the site are member of the Barcelona Hotels Association, an organisation set up to ensure that all of their members are providing an expectable level of service. Lower price hotels cost in the region of 45 to 90 EUR per night. For example the Husa International has rooms for 45 EUR and is on the busy walkway Las Rambla. At the other end of the spectrum are 5-star hotels such as Hotel Arts Barcelona (part of the Ritz Carlton group) which will set you back between 900 to 2600 EUR, but offers serious luxury and beautiful views over the Mediterranean. For more luxury hotels, Abercrombie and Kent is worth a look.

Where to Eat

There are many great restaurants in Barcelona. One that may be of interest is Els Quartro Gats, or The 4 Cats. This restaurant is just off of the Avda Portal d’Angel, one of Barcelona’s main shopping walkways. Visiting this restaurant is like stepping back in time as it has been left looking like a tavern from the early 1900s. Els Quartro Gats was a popular haunt for the young Picasso who received his first commission from the owners, that of designing the cover of the menu.
If you want to do something extra special then you may even consider visiting the world famous El Bulli. El Bulli is situated in Roses, on the Costa Brava, about 2 hours away from Barcelona, so some pre-arrangement will be necessary. The tables here are oversubscribed by about 150:1 — however, if you’re lucky enough to get a table, it is certainly worth the trip. A meal will be around GBP150 per head but, once again, this is a small price to pay for what is pretty much guaranteed to be pretty much the most sensational meal you have ever eaten!

Where to Visit

For an historic taste of the city the best area to visit is Ciutat Vella, which is the Old Town. This area has winding streets with gothic and medieval buildings and famous sights such as the Catedral La Seu, a great gothic cathedral built in the 13th Century and displaying Catalan and Spanish influences, and the Placa del Rei, a medieval square full of Roman ruins.

If you fancy something more modern, with all of the hustle and bustle of a busy shopping thoroughfare, then you will want to explore Las Rambla. This is Barcelona’s famous boulevard, which is found in the centre of the city and runs for around 2 km. This street is lined with stalls and street performers as well as shops and markets.