Barcelona – It was the first time that we met… Barcelona – How can I Forget.

In the lyrics of the great Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe song “Barcelona” – it is a truly magnificent port that I will never forget.. I have been most fortunate in my life to have visited Barcelona on a few occasions whilst cruising and also enjoyed a long weekend there with my husband to take in the full atmosphere of this delightful city.

With so many cruise lines now using Barcelona as an embarkation or disembarkation port then why not take this opportunity to extend your cruise holiday by a few nights and soak up the delights of this fantastic cosmopolitan city.   With lots of airlines now offering flights from regional airports to Barcelona there is endless flexibility to add on a stay pre or post cruise, or both.  There really is something for everyone here, from the delightful pavement cafes of the Las Ramblas where you can stop for a glass of wine or some delightful Churros (amazing doughnuts that you dip in Hot Chocolate) to the still unfinished La Sagrada Familia – Barcelona’s most famous cathedral designed by Gaudi.   I spent 4 nights in Barcelona and found the city extremely easy to navigate, both on foot and by public transport.  I also strolled out of the main city area to discover a delightful beach at Barceloneta,  this is a beautiful area with many bars and restaurants and even an ice-bar.

Barceloneta Beach – minutes from City Centre;  Rather Chilly – in the Ice-Bar; The stunning – but still unfinished – Sagrada Familia.

Not being a major art fanatic myself, I was totally blown away by the architecture of the buildings in the city and was also very impressed by the gardens designed by Gaudi – Park Guell.   It is a little bit of a walk out of the city to reach the park but aided by street elevators it is well worth the trip not only for the amazing stone sculptures but the vista of the city from the terraced area at the top of the gardens.

One of the amazing street elevators – to make an easier journey to Park Guell;  Some typical Gaudi architecture in the city centre streets.

For the man in your life, or for those like me that do enjoy the “Beautiful Game”, I can thoroughly recommend a tour of the Camp Nou Stadium and even better if you get to witness a game – although my head for heights did suffer slightly being seated towards the back of the stadium with nothing but a sheer drop over the edge…  All worth it though to witness goals from the greats of Lionel Messi & Xavi, and the atmosphere in the stadium was truly something else – certainly more atmosphere than at St James Park, the home of my favoured Premiership team of Newcastle, perhaps they should sign up Lionel Messi !!

Me on the Camp Nou stadium tour – hoping to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi !!

So whether you are just in Barcelona for the day from your next Mediterranean cruise or you have time to extend your trip do take the time to explore this magnificent port city – with the extra added bonus that unlike some European cities visited by cruise lines you are just minutes away from the port.