Nice informative video. Guy’s want to invite you to our Filipino restaurant here in Barcelona. Located at calle Valencia 59. DAYAMI is the name of the restaurant. We will be happy to see you and try Filipino dishes! See you all there! ❤
Trigger warning: Barcelona taxi driver saved me from an assault. Creepy guy jumped me and I fought him off and I ran. Pounded on a taxi car bonnet. Driver took me home and didn’t charge me anything.
I'm from Barcelona and the metro is cheap and a good way to move around but be really careful with the "carteristas" people trying to steal your phone and wallet as soon as you get distracted.. and they mostly go behind tourists
Hi! Maybe you can answer my question. A caption popped up and said contactless payment now accepted at the turnstile. Does that mean you don't have to buy tickets like they're doing at 3:10 in the video? We have to get from the airport to our hotel, then around the city for 2.5 days.
@@TracyKMainwaring u can't use contactless with a normal debit or credit card, u have to buy a tube card carton that costs 0.50€ (if i dont remember wrong) and that one is contactless or you can buy the plastic one but it's i think 4-5€. Both are reusable so u can top it up any time u want. Hope that helps! 😊
We stayed in Barcelona for a month this past April/May (1 week in Barceloneta and 3 weeks in Gracia) and tried to walk in as many different neighborhoods as we could. Our local market was Abaceria and we had both a butcher and fishmonger on our block. We hung our wash outside our windows. We were within blocks of the Sagrada but the neighborhood was quiet with great parks and restaurants. A highlight was going to see the castellers make their human towers. And, yes, we drank a lot of cava!
You are incorrect. Everyone in the four large buildings that surrounded the center courtyard hung their clothes outside their windows. There were cloth lines to do so. They weren’t visible from the street.
I love how you got others who are familiar with some places to do and or not to do. Well done, I also follow Patrick for a while who helped me with some information for my trip to Spain during the pandemic
I feel in love with Antonio Gaudi on our Barcelona stay. We did a walking tour over a few days on our own and found and visited all his amazing creations. Keep inspiring.
Aun asi es derivado del frances😅 . Phonetically and grammatically, many words derived from french and kept evolving, such as merci. Which youre right. Comes from mercès. But even the way of writting it is wicked french. I guess you could say, socially it derives from french. But its evolution is very much Catalan. Dont be surprised or defensive, catalan is a romance language too and it has a heavy french and italian influence as well. Also, very close to Latin (compared to the other romances) El catalan esta bien rico en mezclas y es increiblemente interesante
First time in Barcelona for me, I was so exhausted from my flight and jet lag that I spent five minutes trying to get on the metro using my hotel room key card.
Barcelona was the first place I visited in Europe and I immediately fell in love. Thank you so much for what you do, I definitely need to plan another trip soon!
I've been to many cities around the world and the TAXIS in Barcelona are the BEST! Yes, the subway can be SUPER CHEAP but the taxis are awesome and one of the cheapest I've ever ridden. But yes, walking Barcelona is so wonderful and easy! Great Video!! Really great video here.
I'm from Manhattan NYC (not Manhattan, Florida) and was just in Barcelona in April '24 and the crowds were breathtaking. It was like full on Times Square - when it's going full blast all over place. Beautiful city and great people! - just know it will be filled to the brim with people. Europe and everywhere else is crowded with other tourists at least great cities like Barcelona are - I just wasn't expecting NYC to seem mellower than Spain. That was a shocker. Maybe I'll try again off off season like December! Just keeping it real on the streets people!
Barcelona has a great charm to it. Especially during summer, it’s laid back, trendy and the catalan language makes it exotic for us North Americans. I can’t compare it to nyc, it’s so different. Nyc would be more comparable to london, but london is like 20x bigger and grand.
The gothic quarter was fun to walk through and I loved being able to walk on the rooftop of the barcelona cathedral during sunset. Was so fortunate to take a video of my time here. Great place to visit!
James, thanks for another great video! My husband and I will be arriving in Barcelona on 10/21/2023 and then heading to Madrid the following week. I have purchased a food tour from Devour Tours for both Barcelona and Madrid! I’ve watched your videos for years and can’t wait to experience in person! Thanks!
Totally agree about visiting the neighbourhood markets. I'd also recommend the Hola Barcelona ticket as it includes the metro to and from the airport, and unlimited public transport. The cost of the airport bus is around 10 euro return, so the cost of Hola Barcelona is worthwhile if you're going to use the metro or buses a few times.
Barcelona is an amazing city. My wife and i are lucky to have a couple of friends living there. They were our guides, took us to non-tourist sites like the "bunkers" viewpoint, gave us advice and lent us their bikes to explore the city. In the week we were there we only took the metro twice,one of them was actualy returning home from the annual festival on the Gracia ,we mostly walked. Which wasn't a problem for us.
If you plan it out well - get tickets to first visit the Hopital de Sant Pau (touring several museum buildings in one campus) then walk down to the La Sagrada Familia. Make sure you also pay to take the elevator up one spire and then walk down through another spire.
As someone with mobility issues, the Metro involves a LOT OF WALKING. You could basically walk the distance because you are going to be walking a lot to change trains. We just take taxis. They are reasonable and, for me, worth it.
Thank you for this video. Barcelona is my favorite city in Spain and will keep coming back. Ive never been to Sant Antoni and Poble Sec. Your video has pointed me in the right direction the next time I visit.
Booked both Sagrada Familia and Park Güell over a month in advance. Both sold out last year both in early May and even in November. Bought the T Casual ticket for 10.35€ last Nov. It includes the train RN2, not Metro, from Barcelona airport terminal 2 and Metro from Passeig de Gracia to Liceu for one ride of ten ride T casual ticket. Got to my hotel on Las Ramblas for 1.13€. Love Barcelona! Great video!
I visited the Sagrada Familia in 1985, there were just a handful of workmen on the site and i was allowed to wander freely throughout the still uncompleted structure and even managed to climb one of the towers until i almost reached the top and had a vertigo inducing episode. I recall chatting with the construction workers who told me jokingly that at the rate they were working the cathedral would not be finished for another 500 years. There were no visitors at all except me. I was glad i saw this amazing piece of architecture before it became a tourist trap attraction. People forget that this building was built as a place of worship but it appears that the original and intended purpose at present is to make money at any cost.
It has really been many years since you visited the Sagrada Familia and it has changed a lot. Your assessment that the current objective of the Sagrada Familia is to make money is not correct. Precisely, the Sagrada Familia has grown so much in recent years thanks to the amount of tickets paid by its visitors. This money is used exclusively for the construction of the building as it is only financed by tickets and private donations. He does not receive a single euro from any institution or from the Spanish State.
Intent of any building is not to worship God, since he doesn't need a cage to venerated him. All these cool monuments are manifestation of human endeavor and persistence.
1985 was a nice time for those of us who were traveling! I was in Paris in 79 and it felt like the Paris of the 1800’s…NYC too. The world’s population doesn’t allow for those experiences anymore. You’re very lucky to have your memories and I cherish mine!
Barcelona is my favourite European city! I simply love it ❤ I don't remember having any issues with the metro. I wish I stayed longer, as there's so much to see. I guess that's a reason to plan another trip there 😊
1) My main tip for all would be to avoid Las Ramblas like the plague. 2) Try stepping off the main tourist streets, and go even one or two streets paralell either side. You'd be amazed at what you'll find. Quieter, no tourist premium, no one trying to sell you stuff. Seriously, sometimes a paralel street is all it takes. 3) Try some of the further flung neighbourhoods. Sants, Clot, La Sagrera, Sant Andreu, Horta, are all nice barrios with their own identities and own charms, and many tourists don't go anywhere near them. The Barcelona metro makes it easy and cheap to get anywhere (you'll almost never spend more than 20 minutes on the train). And they can be just as lively as the centre if you get them at the right time of day. 4) Don't try to do too much. Really the best thing about Barcelona, and really any Spanish city, is wandering around, eating, drinking, people watching, and taking in the vibe. There are some cool tourist sites in Barcelona, but don't chase them around at the expense of enjoying yourself. If you find yourself in a barrio you really like, stay there and soak it up! No need to rush off to the next tourist site. 5) Don't let anyone scare you away from going to El Raval. There are some (often richer) locals who are genuinely scared to step foot there and will tell you it's as dangerous as Caracas. It's absolute nonsense, so ignore it. As with anywhere else, watch your stuff, and if you're alone at night, stick to the busier streets. But otherwise, it's an excellent barrio, lots of excellent Middle Eastern and South Asian food, and some of the best late-night bars and clubs in the city.
I am so glad you got to do something with Patrick he deserves the keys to the city for the work he does to promote our city in such a positive way.. you can hear the passion and love in his voice.
The Philippines, as a former colony of Spain, have a cuisine that is Spanish-influenced. One of the dishes we also enjoy is Callos, shown in this video. We spell tripe in Filipino as ‘tuwalya’ (towel) or ‘toalla’ (Spanish). But we enjoy it during special occasions only. We also use tripe in Chinese-influenced dishes such as rice porridge dishes we call ‘goto’ (perhaps Chinese term?), bec the beef tripe is the main ingredient. Its good for an all-day breakfast and for rainy days.
10:30 Tripes are fine food, and very common in France, but seldom served in restaurants. They are bought ready-made; you just heat them until the jelly has turned into a sauce. They are generally served with a boiled or steamed potato. My favorite variety is _tripes à la mode de Caen_.
"Merci" comes from "mercès", another form to say thank you, like in Spanish, "mercedes". Evidently, there is a relationship with French since all of them are romance languages. It is like "ta" in the UK.
The truth is that you simply shouldn't go to a restaurant located in Ramblas, Paseo de Gracia, or Rambla Cataluña and adjacent streets, but as an over-the-thumb rule, never ever go to a restaurant that has pictures of the dishes hanging outside or a guy/girl standing outside asking you to go in. You'll get overpriced sh*t inside. Another (sad) truth is that we locals avoid Barcelona as if it were the black pest, unless you are stuck living there. Middle-class Barcelonians tend to live outside the city, many in Maresme County, some 20 Km north, and only go to the city for work or dinner at a good restaurant. Speaking of restaurants, here is my selection as a local food hedonist: - Terraza Martínez: best paella-style rice of the city. - Sagardi Argenteria: best Basque food, "txuletón" t-bone included. - Shanghai: best Chinese food (actually a fusion of Basque and Chinese). - Bar Cañete & Paco Meralgo: best tapas in town (even though tapas are not typical from Catalonia, just recently included in the city's gastronomical offer due to the people asking for it).
Speak for your personal feeling and opinion, it is not the same as that of all Barcelonans. I agree that you should not eat in restaurants on Las Ramblas or those where there are photos of the dishes, they are tourist traps, but on La Rambla de Cataluña (not to be confused with Las Ramblas) or on Paseo de Gracia there are very good restaurants.
Fellow Catalan here! My parents lived in bcn when they were younger and settled down further south in the coast, Sitges and Vilanova if anyone is interested. As a student here we go to Barcelona city for special occasions like Sant Jordi or other traditions. A lot of students go on the train everyday to university also but we maintain our local traditions from our “village” since it changes a bit and we have different sayings and preconceptions. Love my culture, proud to be from here :)
As a Catalan, Cava is NOT okay at any time of the day. It is reserved for special occasions!!! We only have for Christmas or other festivities, nobody has cava for breakfast. Old people do have wine. It's mostly coffee tho
Since 1995 I have been visiting Spain every year once or twice. Never get tired of Spain. Great food, nice people and excellent weather ( I avoid the hottest months)
Mama Mia, your Barcelona "insider" travel tips are awesome! I Love how you showcased the local spots, markets, wine shops and restaurants in the local neighborhoods that the local Catalans go to with the help of local guides Patrick and Tara. My best friend is visiting Barcelona in August 2024 and I've already shared your vlog with him with the hopes that he will follow ALL of your suggestions. This Barcelona vlog is One of The Best RU-vid travel vlogs I've seen so far so Muchas Gracias!
Actually "merci" in catalan is a natural evolution of the language, from "mercès", which used to be the way to thank people back in the day, rather than an inherited french word
First of all, thank you James and Yoli for doing such an awesome job on your every video! You are great partners for this vlog! It is always pleasant to watch you guys and your every video is helpful and/or educating. I live in the US and just returned home from my 7-day trip to Spain. I can say, I have become enamoured with Spain. I managed to visit Barcelona, Madrid and Sevilla and I used y'all's videos as a guide what to eat, where to go, and how to get around. Blessings!
Hi James, I was one of the people who approached you and Patrick while (or after) you were shooting at the Gothic Quarter for this video! What are the odds that I will meet both of you on the same day? Total fanboy moment haha! Needless to say, I watched a lot of your videos leading up to this trip and it surely helped. Thanks very much to both of you for being so friendly!
as a person that lives in bcn... dont forget the most important one. Lots of ppl will try to steal ur phone/wallet. We have an immigration problem here. Stay safe.
@@captaincrunch7948 wtf does that even mean? Im sorry, its the immigrants... VLC is going through the same problem, rising crime of all kinds at it IS NOT THE LOCALS... fact, deal with it as you wish.
The irony when people from one of the most brutal colonisers in human history, are crying that other people are coming to their country and committing crimes 🤣🤣🤣
We visited Barcelona from Athens last year and wanted to stay there and never come back. We felt it as our home, we fell in love. Barcelona is so beautiful. We are definitely going back to Spain to explore other cities to.
I went to the Hospital de la Sant Pau complex late morning (very interesting). Then walked down to the La Sagrada Familia for an early afternoon tour (first of the basilica, then took the elevator up to one of the spires and walked down). It was a perfect day. It also is a must to track down a “casteller” human tower. There are websites that can identify where you can track down one. Generally they are in a neighborhood town square. And different neighborhoods may have their own team. [It can go up many tiers and if you are lucky you can see two teams competing near each other].
About the transport ticket he failed to mention something, and some people don't know it actually. Quote from "rodalies gencat": Up to four different modes of transport can be used on each transfer, and the transfer times for 1 zone tickets are 1 h 15 min
Putting this as a reply because youtube tends to delete my comments by itself, this means you use a ticket (-1 ride count on in example metro) then bus, then "tram", and won't "-1" again unless you repeat the transport type or the specified time passes. Just ask a guard or the staff about "cuál es el tiempo de transbordo?" and they'll tell you in case they update it in the future.
i rented a bicycle one day when I went to Barcelona. I went down the coast then up Av. Diagonal, somehow ended up down paralell, then just wandered sant antoni and gothic quarter and the rambla. it was a fun day
The “family” ticket he mentioned means that 2 different people can travel the same journey using the one ticket. The T-casual which is 10 tickets used to allow this until last year but it has now become a ticket which only one person can travel with on a particular journey. However, if I buy a T-casual and use it to travel one journey, for example, I could give it to somebody else to use for the remaining 9 journeys.
We had some of the best olives in Barcelona. Unlike all the other olives we had, these were less salty and more garlicky. Haven't been able to find them again since. 😮💨
Local here, BARCELONA TAXIS are great and cheap. Just make sure you PAY WHAT SAYS IN THE TAXIMETER! something that hurt the economy of the city are apps such as uber and cabify.
Taxis need to get with the times. When in an unfamiliar place the best part of Uber or Bolt is knowing the route and the price and able to follow along.
Timing is everything. First time visit was Oct 2023 for last stop on ocean cruise. Us (900 passengers) and five other cruise ships had same idea. I figure just from the cruise ships we added 20K in population to city that day. Plus Spain was on four day Columbus Day holiday so lots of residents in town. Much too crowded. Next time was first stop on another ocean cruise (Apr 2024) the low season as some say. Still crowded. When went our own way and missed much of crowds. We used suggestions from travel writer consultant Rick Steves. Word of warning; America's Cup yacht race is scheduled for Aug-Oct 2024 which will bring crowds.
I got taken by a taxi driver in Barcelona. A ride to airport that should've cost around €35, cost me €50!!! 1- if you are from US or any other well to do country, don't tell the taxi driver. If you're from US and tell them, they will try their best to screw you. Unfortunately, I told him we are from the US when he asked!! He acted as a sweet old Pakistani man...that is how they get you!! 2- Before the ride starts, get the direction queued on your phone's map and show the driver that you have the direction. He will less likely drive you in circles to add to the fair. I did it once I realized he was going in the opposite direction!!! He is the fourth taxi driver I've screamed at internationally and threw the money at him. Don't let them get away with it completely. Yes, you'll have to pay and wait till you get to your destination first.
Poble Nou, for the amazing cemetery and the many vermut bars on the main rambla. Sarrìa for beautiful apartments and 19th century buildings. If using the suburban trains (Renfe only) buy an Abono Recurrente for a deposit of 10e, then the travel is free on the 6 lines of Rodalies. The ticket is valid for a quarter but if only staying a week it will pay, if you use it. You can get almost to France on this ticket with the last few kilometres being charged, very little and often not at all. Using the ticket, and one or two euros more, you can get to La Tour de Carol where there are connections to Toulouse and a sleeper train to Paris.
Great video!!! Thank goodness I’m a planner and buy tickets for the attractions way in advance and even like skip the line tickets!!! I’ll be there in March! Can’t wait!
Good video. Also places to "emorzar de forquilla i ganivet" in Barcelona in addition to Can Vilaró, are "Bodega d'en Rafel", Manso street 52, very close to Can Vilaró, "Bar Bodega Bartrolí", Vallespir, street 41 in the Sants neighborhood and restaurant Gelida, Diputació street, 133 in the Eixample neighborhood. All very good
Hallo, James, I am a catalan girl from Barcelona, but you should first get in touch with catalan people to explain a couple of things about catalan way of life and culture. At least people who reproduce the catalan pronunciation. You shouldn't tell, like your mate does, "gràcies" is pronounced like the spanisch "gracias" but with other spelling... 🙄 It also hurts me you recommend other parts of the city for tourism, we already are too much "touristized". Otherwise paying 110,-€ for a meal shows only it is a touristic location, sorry about that. Anyway I appreciate the quality and good intentions of your videos.
I LOVE that the two creators I watched before going to Barcelona are doing a video together. I feel like our trip was a nice blend of must sees and chill local vibes. Will confirm after I finish watching
Our Splurge restaurant was an incredible spot: Restaurant Prodigi The very first place we ate upon arriving was Casa Amalia and lemme just say that was also incredible but we had just arrived, showered and were a bit exhausted and were adjusting to being there still so we were probably a lot but that was also wonderful and great way to start our trip.
Went on Devour's Tapas Taverns & History and Gaudi Tours in March 2023. Easy, informative, fun and well worth the price. Also learned a lot from James & Patrick's videos. Thank you!
Visited la Sagrada Familia hace Mas de 20 years ago. It is really more impressive in person, but would never do it again, especially not in high tourist season.
Please be careful, go with someone on the street and keep an eye on all your belongings, there are many thieves and pickpockets in Barcelona following you. It is a beautiful city.
Taxis in Barcelona are cheap, compared to taxis in other tourist-trappy cities, so take them if you're in a time crunch. One thing I never liked taking the metro in a city I visit is that you miss the scenery as you move around (in which case, Barcelona has excellent bus coverage and pretty good bike infrastructure with plenty of shared bikes options). For Barcelona neighborhoods off the beaten path, try Sarria. The market tip is spot-on, many markets will have a restaurant in or just outside that will sell food fresh from the market.
Fantastic info! Oh, how I wish I'd seen this video before visiting Barcelona earlier this month. I'll be back soon and will check out a few of these recommendations.
''Merci'' wasn't took from the french, it comes from the old expresion to say thank you ''Moltes mercès''. It's still used in some VERY formal e-mails. But on common speech you'll always hear the shortened version ''Merci''.
I'm confused did I miss something? Why shouldn't you not be underneath the Gothic arch? I've been there myself more than once and it's a beautiful spot but perhaps someone can tell me what I missed is it dangerous? Or is this just more Clickbait?
If you liked Parés Baltà, you should also try Loxarel... get out of bcn and discover the land around, like Penedès, one of the wine areas here in Catalunya... did you try a calçotada yet...?
Really nice insights! And quite sensitive tips for tourists to really enjoy the city whilst keeping it as a place where locals can live. However, regarding Boqueria, tourists have already fucked up one of our most beloved markets, please, leave the rest for us...
Wow! Fantastic video featuring my RU-vid buddy Patrick! His channel is by far the best for all things Barcelona ! Amazing colab here James with two great presenters. Not very often we see the big travel RU-vidrs doing this so 👏 👏
Hola ! Nice Video. If you don't want to spend lots of time in learning language then it is best way to learn some most useful phrase. and that too for some most repetitive conditions. Like in Medical condition what to say.. In Airport what to say...in Restaurant...etc. Here there is a book which have such most frequently used phrases in Portuguese, German, Spanish, Italian and French. Go for it. “START SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGES: TRAVEL GUIDE FOR CONVERSING IN EUROPEAN LANGUAGES.” this book will definitely help to use European language without learning it.
The food at especially the last place was not only aesthetically pleasing, you can tell it would taste delicious! Enjoyed learning about the best way to enjoy Barcelona from your friend. Thanks for taking us along, say hello to Yoli and the baby.
Great to see you and Patrick together, magic! It was funny to see you trying to access the metro. It was just what happened to us a couple of times. We’re just back after a week and walked nearly 80 km. Hot 🦶🏻 but happy. Taking tips and information from you both really enhanced our trip. Saw our apartment rooftop terrace from the drone shot at Sagrada Familia. Loved Abecederia Market at the top of Passeig de Sant Joan.
Sadly the promotion of Barcelona as a touristic place is doing a great damage for the citizens of Barcelona and the economy of the country (as the tourism is promoted in all the country). A place that can produce things itslef and have an own life doesn't need tourism as a source of money. The government of Barcelona exploits the city and, in particular, the homely neighbourhood of Gracia. Our city is not a museum. You, tourists, are not helping us by visiting it, paying expensive AirBnBs, and promoting short jobs as waiters for touristic restaurants. When I was a teenager I could enjoy the Summer Festivities of Gracia with my friends, who lived there. Now, it's impossible. You can't breath there. It's overcrowded. And why? Just to hear some local musicians playing covers of our favorite rock themes? Do people from around the world fly to Barcelona to go there to live that? (Every neighbourhood and town does that during their festivities.) Don't you see that OVERTOURISM is killing the places and the citizen's livings in many ways? We are not a museum! We just live here!
I’m sorry but as a catalan I see the callos for breakfast and make me throw up, sorry. When I do a sit down breakfast as many people I know, pa de pages (agricultural bread) toasted with spreaded tomato and Butifarra. With red wine or simply a refres or even vermouth, never know anyone driking champagne (or cava) before lunchtime… the first guy seems really lime a local, I could agree a lot in all its points, but the food… When in catalunya try pa amb tomaquet i fuet (could be as a sandwich) try butifarra amb seques (white beans and the best sussage you’ll ever have)
We did not realize how many food markets were in Barcelona. Gulp. We might want to revise our food section where we argued that Madrid has more markets. Thanks for this wonderful video guys, I learned something new!
the day I see the sagrada familia finished, I will know I'm a ghost. sometimes I believe they are just extending the timeline because part of the interest is that it hasn't been finished yet. while we would love if you learned our language, it's not a must. we all speak in spanish when needed. some people will default to catala but, if you reply in spanish they will swap to spanish unless they are being rude and extremists about independence. just ignore this people. it's not worth your time.
When I visited Barcelona, I feel like I didn’t give it enough days and also was a bit lost so now I think next time I will not rush so much and take the unbeaten paths away from the tourist areas. Thanks for this. It was great.
