BARCELONA: Not What It Used To Be! 😔 

One of my pet hates is seeing lovely old buildings covered in graffiti. It's such a shame, there is just no need for it, it's so disrespectful.

Rule of thumb is not to go where you are not wanted.

New rule for my tourism. I don't go anywhere that doesnt welcome me, I recently chalked of Tenerife where I've been going for 20 years and apparently Barcelona now too.

Going through an extremely rough time out the mo 😢 as I have to have my left foot amputated as have Diabetes, you guys take my mind off things. So thank you deeply 🙏🌹🌹🫶

These local protests target the wrong people. They are just like JSO. A lot of these tourists aren't rich, they have saved up for a holiday and their experience is spoiled. The protesters should direct their anger at their local and national politicians, that is the only way they will get change. And while they're at it they can work on viable options to improve local economies and replace any loss to income to local businesses that rely on tourism.

About 30 years ago when I was in my 20's I was heading to Benidorm for a Christmas break with my family. Alicante was fog bound and our flight was diverted to Barcelona, they were all diverted so there was no hotel accommodation left....apart from The Ritz. Thomsons bit the bullet and put the whole flight up there, 5 star hotel, wealthy Spaniards dripping in gold looking down their noses at a load of British package tourists, it was hilarious. The City was very different back then, thanks for stirring up memories and for the upload!

I used to go very regularly to visit a friend, but l stayed in Badalona next door and dipped in and out of Barcelona on the tram, a lot more relaxing. Tourism is out of control there no wonder the locals are jazzed off. Good vid, you've squeezed a lot in that one. 👍

Loved that!! You have a knack of making your viewers feel like we are there with you and that's not easy! Looking forward to your next adventure! 😊👏✌

As a Yorkshire Lad I love watching you two because you keep it real, as we say call a spade a spade.🍺🍺👍🏻

Look in…….. with Helen’s glasses , you guys are so modest with intentional/ unintentional puns ! ( not trying to milk it) . You guys are so natural and funny and northern is fab 😳👊😘

Hi, great video as ever😊 i think you guys may understand why theres some tension with tourists. But i can explain to others who are negative about the Spanish as i live here. Im not in Barcelona but down on the southern tip of Spain, but we are all being affected by the escalating rental and house prices. This is definitely fuelled by greedy people cashing in on tourism. Airbnb and such like in tourists destinations have priced local people out of the market. You need to remember spanish wages are relatively low so this is understnderbly causing unrest. Some landlords will even only rent out from September to June! Then cash in on tourist for the height of the season, quite where you're supposed to go for 3 months i don't know. This definitely needs regulating for the good of everyone as its causing tourist destinations to be overly busy. I hope this insight helps 😊

Hey, just to add a resident perspective on what's happening. There's a corner place that you pass at @9:25 that sums it all up. Six months ago that was a very local tortilla speciality bar that had existed for over 60 years. Beloved by people in the know, but due to locals and them being priced out, they had to close. They literally couldn't afford to stay open despite being really famous. It's now a generic ice cream place with balloons and shit on the roof. It may be good, I don't know, but I'll never go. It just describes the form of gentrification and the way the cost of living stuff is actually affecting Barcelona. I guess that sums up why people are angry.

I have a lot of sympathy for the local people as the price of property and to rent is ridiculous in Barcelona these days, I lived in Sarria and the later in the Diagonal Mar district from 1999 to 2015 and in the end I sold up because the city had change so much I felt I was living in Disney land with the amount of tourist coming all year round. In my time there I saw developers buy every bit of land available and build hotels and many new housing developments were bought by investors to rent out to tourusts( Diagonal Mar). Lastly as shown in this video it's very expensive, when I arrived they still had pesetas and it was so much cheaper, tourism has made certain people very rich in Barcelona but a lot of ordinary people are struggling

You seem a lovely couple - your positive and engaging attitude made this delightful.

Helen you are so positive and just enjoy life what a wonderful way to be ❤

You should try going to Portugal for a change, the people are lot friendlier in my opinion, same climate and lot nicer place in general IMO. Also another fun fact not a lot of people know that Portugal is Englands oldest Allie dating back to I think 1147.

One of the best RU-vid’s around atm. You both make a lovely genuine couple. Helen is fantastic and beautiful and a natural in front of the camera. James you make a lovely BF for her very attentive and look after her really well like a man should. Love following you both. ❤

If Spain doesn't want British tourists then I suggest we all book our summer holidays elsewhere. How long do you think before they are begging us to come back?

I did wonder on your previous video whether you saw the protests. They had them on the news back in the UK as well. Double edge sword, if they drive all the tourists away, Barcas economy will take a massive hit.

I love your vids, I feel like an honourary friend travelling along with you two!

Brilliant guys! We've just left Barcelona after living there 16 years. Really enjoyed your video, had forgotton so many places and the memories came flooding back. ❤

Thanks for sharing your holiday with us. I look forward to the next one contents. It’s very good thank you.

I have moved with my wife from Azerbaijan to Italy with the intention of living here permanently. We have been refused apartment rentals despite offering to pay 9 months rent in advance on a 6 month rental. We've been told we will not rent to English people or we don't want people from your country to my wife. My wife is a PHD Geophysicist and speaks 5 languages. We've now decided to go back to Azerbaijan after a miserable few weeks.

The weather is worth it. Heat on in July here. Absolutely ridiculous. Love your dress Helen.❤

Awww Helen don’t stop being you🤗take care you two love birds 🥰

I solo backpacked it to Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Tarifa (to Morocco by ferry... YES!) and Sevilla back in November/ December 2023 and it was the absolute best time I had in my life. The locals, culture, gastronomy, all had tremendous class and were amazing. It's a shame to be hearing/ reading/ watching what is going in such a beautiful country. Te amo España. G from Canada

Lovely to see barcelona in all its glory and so much to see Glad you two are having a great time .

Fabulous video. Great to see more of Barcelona, Loved Helen parking the boat, no messing about there. Go Helen! ⭐

We love your programmes!! I ve even got my 87 year old mum hooked!! double s up as armchair travel and company for her.

Helen, you're hilarious singing with the busker that made my day 😂

Spain for British and Irish is our fave destination, having spent 30 years going to this Beautiful country I would always advise people to swerve the tourist traps and stay outside of main places, well done to you both

Enjoyed the video glad you and Helen are having a great time together ❤❤

i did mention this to you james/helen in the comments from your last vid...always thought about going to barca but dont think the locals deserve my wonga,used to love going to malaga and lanzarote over the years but think i ll give em a miss from now on...if they keep treating paying tourists like this they re gonna fall on hard times in the long run. will take my hard earned to countries that welcome my custom in future

Love your assertiveness james "I'm not going on that boat" next clip your rowing made me laugh 😂😂 enjoy your holiday mate

Same is happening in portugal where I am an expat.. "Tourists not welcomed" etc spray painted around town. 😢

To be fair it’s a mixture of propaganda and locals being priced out of the housing market both buying and renting due to foreign investors buying up properties to rent out at sky high prices that the locals have a problem with .Spain relies on tourism,it’s a big part of their economy.

I love you guys. I really liked your tour of Ripon where I used to edit the local paper and now you're in Barcelona where I lived for four years teaching English in the eighties. You both make me proud to be Yorkshire. Helen giving it some welly on the boat. Priceless. Thanks guys and bless you. xx

That boat trip is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen 😂 not sure about the romance, love you guys have a great holiday!! X

Sat here in Rotherham listening to the Rain watching this fantastic Vlog feeling kind of down, even James's Sister and Mother are Living it Large at the side of the canal at Park Gate, Keep them coming Guys cannot fault the content here's to the next one.

Come to Alicante you will be welcome I have lived here for 24 years and never felt unwelcome. Spain was built on tourism and still gives a good service.

Enjoyed your trip guys ❤ ...roll on the next one 🎉🎉

This video was an absolute treat to watch. It’s a pity I can only give it one thumbs up. 👍🏽

Loving binge watching all your videos with my husband. You're a great couple, we love your honesty and how down to earth you both are. Enjoy your travels. Much love from Australia. ❤

I can’t understand why a few people would be anti tourist when they are such an important part of the economy. Thanks for sharing have a great holiday

Helen….ur rowing…😳🤣me and my Mrs haven’t laughed as much in years…380 🤣🤣🤣brilliant James..u two need ur own show 🤣🤣🤣love u guys ❤️

I the late 70s early 80s the Spa ish rejected the Brits and we went elsewhere until the tourist areas of Spain went broke. Here they go again

I’m from the U.K. and I’ve lived in Barcelona for 6 years. The problem is that everyone always goes to the gótico/las ramblas areas and there’s too much overcrowding. There’s so many nicer areas like placa España and sants/les corts that no one even bothers to go to. If you treat it like a Disney park and pack yourself in with everyone else and don’t actually explore, expect to be disappointed! It’s the same for the food. If you just eat in the tourist areas you’ll pay three times as much for 3 times worse food than you get in the local areas.

Never liked going to Spain, not very friendly, Spain & England have a long negative history in previous centuries. In comparison Portugal is like a breath of fresh air, much friendlier. But we go to Greece now, especially Kos if you want to meet really friendly people.

Great video as ever, I am allways hungry when I watch your vids it's all this food lol 🎉🎉🎉🎉

Nice post, not too touristic. I've lived in Barcelona and the Costa Brava for 10 years, the biggest change in BCN was after the lockdown finished. A lot of bars suddenly had younger patrons and even more would only serve you meals after 10pm. You have to remember that most Spanish people eat around this time, so I think it was bit of a reset to earlier days. Glad you discovered the public transport, if you plan well you can get almost everywhere for a couple of Euros, even Sitges and Blanes on an ordinary ticket. The recent protests are purely down to the availability of accommodation within Barcelona City. Too many apartment blocks have been purchased and converted to Air B'n'B so as Catalans are very proud of their heritage, they want to keep the city Catalan and not another generic expensive tourist trap. About 10 years ago you could rent a good 2 bed apartment for 600 Euros a month, now they are well over 1000. This cycle has repeated over the years but this cycle the local population are kicking back. There is also an issue where fantastic family run businesses had disappeared, mainly due to the owners retiring and not having children to pass them on to, or the children are not interested. So there are a lot of locals (small shops) which have become apartments. To rent a local today in the centre costs in excess of 1000 euros per month plus 21% VAT, so as you can see, it's not viable to start a business where the only trade you get is the occasional tourist.

Another lovely honest video. I too am from Barnsley, well Cudeth to be precise. I picked up from this video Helen maybe a Catholic, like myself, as she mentioned Confession. I think you would both love Malta for a Winter break, As it is a beautiful little Island, English speaking and full of History,The majority are Catholic and are very welcoming. You would love the History of it Everything from Cathedrals to Standing stones beautiful scenery etc, Valletta the capital is beautiful and the best place to stay, ( in my opinion). There are buses to every part of the Island from Valletta, also the little island of Gozo is beautiful, accessible via ferries. honestly I could go on forever about it. having been dozens of times, and still haven't seen all the beautiful things that are there. I have rattled on a bit. It is a shame that some people in the world are getting nasty about everything, as Barcelona wouldn't be the same without tourists, it is the selfish few who are trying to spoil it for the normal people. Keep up with your lovely videos and being down to earth polite people.

Lot of bloody graffiti everywhere. Ruins the place!

I rented a room in the city centre for 2 years, 10 years ago when I worked in Bcn. Mark my words - a room. Could't afford a flat on the local salary. It was getting bad with tourism already then. But what is also driving the housing prices is "people having fun", living the "expat experience" paying overpriced rent for a year or two for a flat because they already have the money from home that the locals don't.

Helen sees the joy in everything whereas I’m more like James 🤣😂 Another great video once again x

The buildings are built quite close together and tall all helping to keep off the mid day sun. This is similar to Medina in Malta again with similar types of buildings. I agree with the previous coment about the graffiti but some people might see it differnetly like works of art like a banksy? Main thing is you are having a nice time and its nice to see some good weather for a change. 😎😎

Your a great couple thanks for the tour great down to earth people keep it up 🙏👍

Not been to Barcelona yet, looks stunning! Helen, your dress is beautiful xx

"That dog looks like how I feel ". 😂

What I love about your videos is I feel like I'm third party in the group.

Hi James & Helen, I found your channel just over a week ago and must've watched about 50-60 of the vlogs in that time. I bloody love this channel. There is real authenticity that you don't find elsewhere on RU-vid, great personality and interesting content. Hope I bump into you on a day out one day! Keep up the good work :)

Love Barcelona but hate all the graffiti. Enjoyed the video keep it up 👍

If you bump into the Squirty Activists you should ask if they’ve ever been to London or Rome or Paris? Then have “hipócrita” ready.(Or a bottle of piss… and the Emergency Number for the British Embassy!)

I was told when I was in Spain by a local the narrow streets are on purpose because of the hot climate the narrow streets keep you cool

Loved this video as did not know about the park after having visited Barcelona for many years. Looking forward to the Sitges Vlog as it’s a place we stay at often. Thanks again as great to watch you both ❤

Listen guy’s everyone should do Barcelona once it is spectacular. However, it’s given over to tourism so everything is a full-on rip off. If you fancy visiting authentic Spain give Malaga city a go. It’s absolutely stunning and there are reasonably priced bar/cafes/restaurants. It’s a truly beautiful city. Adiós.

Went last year 2nd time won't be going back, full of pickpockets

Spend 2 weeks every year in Alcudia Spain. Costs me about 2 grand and i spend about 3 grand. Completely boycotting Spain. I planned on moving there but seeing how these people feel, i will be going elsewhere. The problem tourists are probably as low at 5percent out of the total of tourists that travel cause no problems and spend thousands.

When we go we love sitting down at the marina and have a few drinks and tapas by the cable cars 👍

I love how uninhibited Helen is! And why not? Life is too fecking short……

I know you love Spain but as far as I’m concerned, it’s off my holiday list. Time share sold and S-d the Spanish

Love your journeys with you and Helen James, makes you feel we are with you and great humour 😊👍, keep them coming well done.

I know Helen talks about ‘Spanish coffee”, but most real coffee machines are Italian brands and Italian coffee ☕️ is generally looked at as the benchmark for strength/quality/taste.

You guys are so relatable.....another great video!

I found Barcelona a bit unwelcoming, Seville on the other hand was very friendly.

Helen is just Boss ,if there were more people like Helen we'll the both of you the world would be a better place for Shaw 😊

Once the tourist stop and they start losing their money & jobs and pubs, restaurants cafes & takeaways shut down they will be screaming for people to return. But cant have it both ways.

I love you two 😂 rubbing garlic over bread. Lovely weather there, it’s such a shame to see all that graffiti on those gorgeous buildings. Keep up the good work guys, I love how natural you are with each other. Perfect

Thank you for sharing, looks like you are having a great time! Shame you had to walk all the way up that hill and couldn't get in, I felt your pain.😮

I ❤ Barcelona. Thank you for going down memory lane.

I’m sat ere in me recliner an I feel as if I’ve walked miles. I truly admire your stamina. Lovely couple

A lovely city but far, far too hot for me. The main reason it is so wonderful is that there are hardly any cars where you took us so far James. Thank you. 🥸

Come to Phuket , Thailand ... we will welcome you there!!

If you got inebriated in a Venetian pub, would you be Blind Drunk? 😊 👍

This is what you do best guys.. keep being you.❤ loved the FB live stream too.😉

Well guys you must have got your 10'000 steps in and some. Glad you're having a good time.

I passed that craft beer bar in a video and mentioned you would both like it and you end up in it lol I planned to pop in but ran out of time.

Also me; "i dont want to just sit next to random people" 😅

Hi,really enjoyed this trip,what a beautiful time,gorgeous city. Helen you should go busking fir beer money 😅 You did great Helen rowing that boat ,talk about multi talented😂 Food looked delicious 😋 Thanks both ❤

Top stuff!, beautiful architecture, liked the tour !!, great stuff guys !!😮❤

Peasholm Park, exactly what I was thinking!

Visited Barcelona last year. There was three of us. One was carrying cash (He's old school) doesn't use cards. But he was the one targeted and mugged. Clearly someone seen him open his wallet somewhere and then he was a target. We used one of the sightseeing bus tours and he insisted on paying. We then took the train back to our hotel, Soon as we were out of the train station he noticed his wallet missing. We established that the theft occured on the train and time frame but the Police simply was not interested. You are a tourist and you will be gone home in a few days. Do Not flash your cash in public on holiday. Remember, you are a tourist and the criminals can spot you a mile away.

I’ve lived in Bcn for almost 15 years now and I agree with a lot of the comments about how tourism has negatively impacted the housing situation and caused gentrification in a lot of the neighbourhoods which makes them lose their authenticity. Gracia for example, as my friend puts it, has gone from hippie to hipster. But I’d also like to add that a lot of northern Europeans and Americans have a drinking culture which is very different from here. (i’m from northern Europe myself.) And when they come here with the sole intention of lying on the beach and getting drunk which then leads to aggressive behaviour, people screaming and fighting in the streets, it causes a lot of stress for the locals who are just trying to go about their regular lives, going to and from work, picking up their kids from school, running errands. A few years ago there was a news story of some drunk Brits running around naked in the Barceloneta neighbourhood. A lot of times I don’t think people view these popular tourist destinations as a real place with real people living there, it’s just an amusement park created for their entertainment. I’m happy for tourists to come here, a lot of Spain’s economy depends on it, but as long as they’re being respectful of the place that they’re visiting.

I lived in margall in Barcelona and it was brilliant there and the locals would speak Spanish to me as it wasn’t a tourist area and was welcomed as I was with a Latina woman

James ,Helen great video so much great content and still in the sun you keep plodding on you said it was 29 there Here in Poland we have mid to high 30s to much for me and no sea breeze either 😊😅😅

It's hard being a cowboy in Rochdale but even harder for a Yorkshireman in Barcelona by the look of this !

Hi Helen and James another great vlog 👍 look forward to seeing more of your vlogs 😎 😎

Helen, the concentration on your little face when you were rowing. You did brilliantly x

What a lovely trip you’re having, fab vid guys 😊❤

I can relate living in Las Vegas and having 5 Generations here. It isn't fun when all the tourists take over your city.

Thanks for a great video. I watch many of these travel blogs by different people, being totally yourselves & genuine is what made me keep watching. Doing a video with The Idiot Abroad would be great I think if you can get hold him!