Disclosure: I earn a commission if you make a purchase through my links at no additional cost to you! I have personally stayed at these hotels and highly recommend.
This past October, I was lucky to spend a week in Spain – visiting Barcelona and Zaragoza. The weather turned out to be much warmer that anticipated, with temps in the upper 70s! I am going to share my itinerary, hotels, bars, restaurants and other tips and tricks! I spent 5 days total in Barcelona but it could have been done in 4 days. 1-2 days (and one overnight) is perfect for Zaragoza.
Itinerary:
I decided to break up the trip with 2 nights in Zaragoza mid week, which allowed me to stay in two different neighborhoods in Barcelona.
Barcelona (round 1)- 3 nights in Eixample district at Hotel Praktik Vinoteca (walkability to the Gaudi houses, La Rabla and Park Guell)
Zaragoza – 2 nights in the historic city center at Hotel Don Jaime 54
Barcelona (round 2) – 3 nights in the Born district at chic&basic Habana Hoose Hotel
Let’s break it all down now
Day 1: arrival day….after checking in, I wandered around the Eixample district, La Rambla and even got to see Casa Batlo lit up at night. *Tip – Uber was available in Barcelona but drivers not aways available or very long wait times. From BCN, wait times of over 25 minutes.
HOTEL: Praktik Vinoteca– convenient location in Eixample district is very close to the Gaudi houses, Sagradia Familia, La Rambla, bars, restaurants and shopping! *bonus: receive a free glass of wine upon checking in and there is a lounge on the first floor that has free Nespresso coffee and a water filtration machine.
Day 2: Casa Batlo in the morning followed by Park Guell in the afternoon. *Tip: schedule Casa Batlo early for les crowds in each room.
Day 3: Sagrada Familia in the afternoon. *Tip: visit in the afternoon to see the sun hit the stained glass windows!
Day 4: Train Barcelona to Zaragoza. Direct train was 1 hour and 45 minutes and around 60 Euros one way.
HOTEL: Hotel Don Jaime 54, located right next to the Cathedral of Pillar in the heart of the old historic town.
Day 5: Zaragoza – 1-2 days is perfect for this city. I’d recommend spending at least one night to experience the bars in El Tubo, as these reopen around 7/8 pm for the evening. El Tubo is super cute, small narrow pedestrian only streets filled with bars and resaurants. I opted to try several and grab a few tapas at each.
Day 6: Train Zaragoza to Barcelona. Direct train was 1 hour and 45 minutes and around 60 Euros one way.
Day 7: Barcelona – explore the Born, Gothic and Barceloneta . Round 2 in Barcelona I picked a hotel in another district to experience something else and have more walkability to the bars and restaurants here.
HOTEL: chic&basic Habana Hoose right in the center of El Born. They really go above and beyond with free amenities you didn’t even know you needed! From a free Nespresso, water filtration station (gas y no gas) and free snacks on each floor, to the free canvas tote bag left on the bed, small bottle of wine and chips in the room.
TRANSPORTATION:
**updated March 2025
Uber/ride share are not very easy to get in Barcelona and are very $$. On a recent 24 hour layover in Barcelona, I decided to try public transportation into the city center to save $ and avoid the hassle of long waits for Uber at BCN and opted for Aerobus. WOW, was this convenient and affordable! At $7.50 one way you cant beat the price and convenience into the city center! I also chose a hotel in Plaza Catalunya so I could walk right from the bus station. The bus departs BCN from floor 0 and in 30 minutes and 4 stops total you arrive right at Plaza Catalunya! Tickets can be purchased on board via card or cash or via the kiosks outside the busses. While I did prefer to stay in El Born, I think I would now opt for staying closer to the bus on any future visits.
The hotel I stayed at was OK….and perfect for my 1 night layover (location and price for my solo trip). BYPILLOW Mothern was just ok in my eyes – here are the pros and cons:
Pros: price was the best I could find in the area for my date, location, 24/7 front desk, storage lockers with codes to secure bags until room is ready
Cons: room was VERY hot, I couldn’t control the temperature as the hotel was still in ‘heat’ mode, carpeted floor, key pad to access the room (it took me several times to get it right each time to enter)
Day 8: Barcelona — explore the Born and Gothic. I used the lasts day of my trip to just wander the area, eat and drink.
Where to eat and drink
Barcelona – Eixample/La Rambla: Can’t go wrong with the chimichurri steak from El 37, bikini sandwich from Tapas 24 or the veal stew tacos from 2254 Barcelona Restaurant. *Tip – hit up El 37 on the walk back down from Park Guell – you wont regret it!
Barcelona – El Born/Gothic: DO NOT MISS Cala del Vermut! Great atmosphere and super friendly owners. Try their homemade vermut!
Bodega La Palma came highly recommended and did not disappoint. La Alcoba Azul had an intimate feeling with exposed stone walls and top notch food.
Something Sweet: try anything nutella from Demasié. Located right down the street from chic&basic Habana Hoose , infront of the Church of Santa Maria.
Barcelona – Barceloneta: Cerveseria Vaso de Oro is a must! had such a great time here and never did find Paco (jk)! Order the foies Gras and house beer.
Zaragoza: highly recommend bar hopping for tapas in El Tubo.
Bar El Champi for mushrooms, Bodegas Almau and Taberna El Triana all amazing!
Restaurante Méli Mélo and Restaurante Casa Lac more upscale but very good food.
Something Sweet: Funky Rolls and La flor de almibar
Leave a comment