Hola

welcome to Barcelona Travel newsletter. In this edition we´ll be looking at 5 reasons why Barcelona is one of those cities that you feel you just have to come back to. I´ve also given a link to a review of the Basilico restaurant which I visited last week with a friend. Basilico offers great food and service at a reasonable price. When you follow the link to the review you will find photos of this restaurant and a run down on the food and service. I´ve also included details of a little-known Spanish Rambla only 10 minutes walk from the Basilico restaurant that is home to Bar Ramon – a wonderful spot for an alfresco evening drink after your meal and right in the middle of a Spanish neighbourhood, not a tourist in sight. I put the Restaurant and Bar and Rambla information on the same page so you have the itinerary for a complete evening’s night out together.

5 Reasons People Come Back To Barcelona.
Barcelona is one of the few cities in which I felt that I wanted to return to again and again. Ever since my first visit in 1993, 1 year after the Olympics were held here. I found that I visited Barcelona at least once or twice per year, until I moved here six years ago. The city seemed to have a magical appeal, something which I couldn't quite explain. It feels more than just a city to me but it is difficult to describe the hold it has on you. But once you are bitten by the Barcelona bug you will know about it. Whenever I go on holiday from Barcelona, I actually feel a little sad to be leaving the city, and whenever I am returning back from holiday I always looking forward to getting back. This is the complete opposite of how I felt when I was living in the UK.

A Spanish friend of mine, Eva, told me of an old folklore that says if you drink from the drinking fountain at the top of La Rambla that you will always come back to Barcelona. I am not superstitious at all so I gulped down the water from the fountain and said, “well it doesn’t seem to be working yet Eva”. However now I am completely hooked on the city and I have been back to Barcelona ever since until I eventually moved here.

Click here to see a photo of the famous La Rambla Fountain that has magical powers and brings back thousands of people to Barcelona each year.

As mysterious as the fountain story may be the city offers you almost anything you want to experience on a holiday. I found that each time I came back to Barcelona I experienced something different. Even today after many years of living here I am still constantly discovering new places to visit in the city. Some tucked-away little restaurant in the heart of the Gothic Quarter or a little-known tapas bar.

Here are 5 reasons why you may too may feel compelled to return to Barcelona.

1. The weather - Barcelona weather is generally good throughout the year with warm sunny days in Summer and mild winters making it the kind of destination you can visit at any time of year.

Summary of year-round weather and climate in Barcelona

5 Day Weather Forecast

2. Diverse Cultural Activities: Barcelona has wonderful cultural activities that happen frequently throughout the year. There are also staple “fiestas” that happen each year:
Click for a timetable of the official fiestas for this year

3. Beaches on your doorstep - You have golden sandy beaches only a few kilometres from the city centre. Not many other European cities can offer you this.

Barcelona Beaches

4. Diversity, Beauty And History – The city has a diverse range of architecture from the winding old streets in the Barri Gotic (Gothic quarter old town) to the modern and stylish Eixample district. You can also see some of the most unique and inspiring architecture in the world thanks to Antoni Gaudi one of Barcelona´s most famous architects. The Gothic quarter still has remains from when the Romans were here.

Barcelona Neighbourhood guides

Antoni Gaudi

5. Bars, Nightlife and Restaurants. Galore. Barcelona has a diverse nightlife and evening culture. Here are just a few links to some of our pages to help you discover these further

Barcelona Bars
Barcelona Clubs
Barcelona restaurants

Restaurant Review – Basilico A Night Out Away From The Tourist Traps

I chose to write about this restaurant and rambla because they are out of the main tourist traps in a residential area that is only 10 minutes on the metro from La Rambla.

If you follow the link below you will find out what this restaurant is like along with a map of how to make your way to the nearby Rambla which is close to the restaurant. The Rambla Carrer de Blai (not to be confused with La Rambla) is right in the middle of a traditional Catalan neighbourhood. Together the two venues make for a full evening’s itinerary away from the main tourist streams.

Click here for the Basilico restaurant review