​by Marcia Simon, CTA, APR
​
A visit to Barcelona will likely include a stroll down Les Rambles (La Rambla), the main walking street lined with shops and restaurants filling tourists with paella, tapas, big mugs of local beer and sangria, and some really odd flavors of gelato. Other than to say, “been there, done that,” if you miss La Rambla, you can still have an excellent time in Barcelona.
 
Explore the city and its outskirts. Plaça de Catalunya (Catalonia Square) is where you’ll find Tourist Information. This square is known as the “belly button” of Barcelona, the center of visitor activities, tours and excursions. It also serves as a boundary point for the different neighborhoods that reach out in different directions from this core. Under the plaza is the large mass transit metro complex.

10 Great Things to Do in Barcelona

1. Visit Park Güell, a Unesco World Heritage Site designed by Architect Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi originally envisioned this 50-acre park as a “neighborhood” for his relatives and friends, but that plan never developed. Entrance to the park is free, but admission to the Gaudi House Museum and the very popular Monumental Core, where you’ll see much of Gaudi’s mosaic sculpture and design, requires a fee – and  advance purchase if you want to be assured entry into the Monumental Core. Gaudi was known for his mosaic designs and for being a little bit of a “weirdo.” He was born in Barcelona in 1852, and lived and worked in the city his whole life. Musicians are seated throughout the park, and the Spanish music drifts through the air as you meander.
2. Visit one of Barcelona’s Antoni Gaudi buildings, the most famous of which is the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia. You can see Gaudi’s whimsical modernist touches on the exterior for free. Tickets get you inside this cathedral, which is nothing like you’d expect. Advance purchase is recommended to avoid wait lines. Two other Gaudi structures in the city are the Bottló house and La Pedrera, where some nights throughout the summer you can head rooftop to enjoy jazz and a cocktail.
3. Browse La Boquería, the market, tucked away behind La Rambla, for some authentic street food. See where the locals come for fresh fish and vegetables, spices and freshly squeezed fruit drinks, nuts, chocolates, breads and of course jamón, Iberian ham. If you’re lucky, you might find a spot to sit at one of the bars. La Boquería offers Catalan cooking classes, food tours of the market, and an adjacent seafood restaurant for the freshest catch of the day..
4. Take a day trip to Montserrat, which means “serrated mountain.” The monastery is home to about 150 Benedictine monks, who you will only see if you visit in the evening with a chance to listen to the choir. Almost 1,000 years of history, jaw-dropping views and a sense of calm provide respite after a few busy days in the city. Monserrat about an hour northwest of Barcelona. Drive yourself or join a small group tour. Most half-day tours combine other activities such as a stop for tapas and cava (sparkling regional wine) or a traditional wine tasting. One full-day tour that includes more free time to explore at Montserrat is from Castlexperience, which includes wine tasting at Oller del Mas vineyards, one of the southernmost vineyards in the Pla de Bages wine region and an authentic Catalunyan meal at the vineyard’s casual restaurant. Depending on how much time you have at Montserrat, you can ride the funicular up the mountain where you’ll find several walking paths, hike or ride your way back down, visit the cathedral and listen to the stunning Montserrat boys choir (they sing two songs at 1 pm for the public) and taste (and purchase) liquor made by the monks.
5. Head north up the coast to Girona in the Costa Brava’s rugged coastline and  visit Figueres, home to Salvador Dalí and the Dalí Teatre & Museo (Dali Theater and Museum.) This is a popular packaged trip.
6. Eat someplace other than La Rambla. It’s fun to sit at one of the al fresco restaurants on La Rambla for some top-notch people watching as you sip a large drink and sample some tourist tapas and paella, but make sure to get off the beaten path for a more authentic taste of Barcelona. The city is filled with restaurants; ask around for local recommendations.
7. Listen to Spanish guitar music. Touristy flamenco shows are readily advertised. To find something more authentic, look into a concert at the Palau de la Música where shows are not limited to guitar and flamenco, and tend toward classical. Helpful websites to find small concerts are spanishguitarbarcelona.es and /www.maestrosdelaguitarra.com. Remember that Barcelona is not where flamenco was born. This style of music and dance originated in Andalusia. You’ll find an entertaining show in Barcelona, but it will be commercialized.
8. Explore the Museo Nacional D’art de Catalunya (National Art Museum) to see  a thousand years of Catalan art, from the 10th to the 20th centuries.
9. Walk, or take the metro, to Estadi Olimpic (Olympic Stadium), right across from the National Art Museum. Home to the 1992 Summer Olympics, the stadium  and surrounding space is now used for concerts, sporting events, and a municipal swimming pool. Concerts for 2018-2019 include Ringo Starr, Katy Perry, Shakira, Pearl Jam, Shawn Mendez, lots of Spanish performers, plus Cirque du Soleil and Disney on Ice.
10. Explore the city by a self-guided walking tour (maps are available in hotels) or by hop-on bus, or small-group tours via bike, e-bike, or Segway. To see more geography or surrounding areas, ride the metro.

Marcia Simon, CTA, APR, is a writer, travel agent and public relations professional specializing in travel traveltech, health and wellness. Founder of friendlygrouptravel.com, you can reach Marcia at [email protected].

​by Marcia Simon, APR, CTA
The full day conference at the New York Times Travel Show in January brought together some of the most experienced thought leaders in the travel industry to share their insights about changes in travel.
 
Tour operators, tourist boards and bloggers joined professionals from the hospitality and travel industries to share their perspectives on travel and where we’re heading in 2018.
 
 Here’s my conference takeaway about the Top 10 Travel Trends for 2018:

1. Water! River cruises and small boat cruises are on the rise.
2. Small is big, with guided vacation experiences personalized for specific and niche interests.
3. Experiential travel is in demand, especially among millennials. Why not make olive oil when you’re in Italy, sample the local cuisine in the street markets of Scandinavia or learn the Flamenco in Spain?
4. Millennials, in search of immersive experiences and boutique hotels, will further influence their elders when it comes to travel.
5. The most popular destinations continue to be Italy and Paris.
6. Emerging destinations include Colombia and Vietnam with interest continuing to grow in Africa, Iceland, Australia and New Zealand.
7. Iceland is considered both an emerging destination and an “overtouristed” destination, where the infrastructure at the main attractions struggle to keep up with the demand for hotels, transportation and other visitor comforts. Other overtouristed destinations include Machu Picchu, Paris and possibly Amsterdam. A little extra planning outside of “guide book recommendations” might enhance travel to the most popular destinations. Traveling off season is another option.
8. Travel agents will be in demand to help clients
9. Domestic travel in the United States is on the rise. However, fewer international travelers have a desire to visit the USA. Donald Trump’s rhetoric is hurting the “USA brand” in the global travel industry. (This is not included as my editorial opinion; it was reiterated by professional organizations reporting on research and metrics.)
10. The Great Barrier Reef of Australia is now considered a destination “at risk”, along with Antarctica due to climate change and global warming. (A presentation by an ecologist, supported by scientific study, in Fiji last year indicated that coral reefs are dying due to rising water temperatures.)

 
Despite this crazy world, people still want to see it, feel it, experience it, and gain appreciation for people and other cultures.

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