Live well. Travel often. Experience more.
Barcelona
Design Shopping in Barcelona: 9 Stores You’ll Want to Visit Barcelona has been known as a design city since the early 1990s, when creative thinking helped reinvent the city for its dazzling Olympic debut. Today, design permeates everyday life here. From world-class…
When you wander through Barcelona, the best advice I can give is always be looking up! The facades of the buildings and balconies are not to be missed, as well as the incredibly designed doors, all the classic pieces of Barcelona’s Modernisme architecture. All…
Stylish Hotels in Barcelona I’ve had so many people come to Barcelona over the years and ask me where they should stay. My first question is always: who are you coming with? Because the hotel I’d recommend for a couple is not the same one I’d send a family of four, or…
Finding Biblioteca Gabriel García Márquez Barcelona If a library could feel like part spa and part boutique hotel lobby, then Biblioteca Gabriel García Márquez Barcelona has done just that. When I heard it had won a big design award, I immediately opened Google Maps…
When I first moved to Barcelona, I never really got into the whole vermut thing. I tried it, of course, but I didn’t really get it. To me, it was just another drink. It wasn’t until the last couple of years that I started to understand what it really means — and now I…
25 Barcelona Shops for Buying Gifts Short on time and out of ideas for your nearest, dearest and the dreaded “amigo invisible” Spanish Secret Santa? No problem. Consider this your cheat sheet to thoughtful gift-buying at local Barcelona shops. It’s a been-there,…
So after you’ve ticked off the big sights, done the tours, wandered the museums, and checked the “must-see” boxes in Barcelona, it’s time to look for the other kind of fun. The stuff that makes you feel like you’re really living here, not just visiting. Over the years…
Of all of the paperwork and research involved in moving abroad, none determines the long-term satisfaction of your child in a new country than the choice of school. Public, private, religious? Large or small? In the city or outside? Local, international, multilingual?…
Dogs are generally welcomed in Barcelona and are well tolerated in most public spaces. They are just as much a part of café life here as cañas and bravas. The city has required leash laws and taking your canine friend on public transportation requires a carrier or…
Positioned between the green hills of the Collserola Natural Park and the blue waves of the Mediterranean, Barcelona provides the ideal backdrop for exploring both city life and the great outdoors. The city itself is home to over 200 kilometers of cycling paths and…
Despite a thriving café culture, Spanish coffee has long suffered a maligned reputation, thanks to its Franco era practice of torrefacto. Faced with shortages and trying to keep costs down, local roasters coated coffee beans in sugar prior to roasting (torrefacto),…
Mixed Variety Mushroom Paella with Truffle Picada (vegetarian/vegan) The name paella comes from the pan itself in which is cooked. The typical Spanish flat pan with handles is the main center point on a weekend in Spain, when families gather around the fire and cook a…
Barcelona inspires beautiful living. Whether you’re decorating a 30-square-meter studio or a sprawling ático, the search for stylish furniture and unique Barcelona home decor can feel overwhelming. To make it easier, we’ve rounded up some of the city’s most creative…
Buying small treasures for your home is a wonderful way to remember a holiday abroad. Travel finds are often what we admire the most in our friends’ homes. It’s easy to end up regretting the purchase after returning home though, especially if it doesn’t…
Moving to Barcelona with my family and leaving behind my midwifery career in the United States left me feeling a bit homesick. I found myself chatting up any English-speaking pregnant woman I could find in the city. I met some through Spanish classes, my…
Since the first sip. Wine and I are in a long term relationship. I have always appreciated wine, but I feel a little guilty for not taking the time to understand the complexity of it. In all honesty, it overwhelms me and I find it a bit intimidating. I know what types…
Imagine being sick and in the hospital, surrounded by medical staff, equipment, that smell particular to hospitals, and a host of other things that generally don’t make for a pleasant experience, no matter how necessary. Now, imagine being in a hospital bed,…
Practical-minded though they may be, Catalans are romantics at heart. Take, for example, their embrace of the legend of Sant Jordi (St. George), the patron saint of Catalonia. While many other countries call him their patron and celebrate in his honor, the Festival of…
The COVID-19 quarantine’s true heroes have emerged from expected and unusual places. Healthcare workers, face mask producers, food store employees, bicycle messengers and bus drivers. But there are a number of further unsung heroes who are doing their best to keep…
Walkable cities require practical sartorial choices. Barcelona is no exception, with shoe choice (and sunglasses) topping the list. The light frosting of dog shit on the city sidewalks, though, can deter even the most fashionable person from wearing on-trend footwear….
Live from El Born: Online Cooking Class Kneading dough, it turns out, is the best way to escape the online COVID-19 insanity. It’s near impossible (unless you really don’t care about your cellphone or laptop) to text, scroll, and comment once your hands are covered in…
Shops may close on Sundays, but that doesn’t mean Barcelona stops on the weekends: concerts, exhibitions, hikes, workshops, and more continue. It’s easy though to go into hermit mode every weekend, especially for children who may be tired after a week full of…
The freedom to work outside a traditional office environment is a luxury, but working from home can be isolating, even in this city. The popularity of coworking in Barcelona has led to a plethora of spaces opening up across the city. With so many options, freelancers…
Erika Lust has produced hundreds of female-friendly erotic movies, authored pleasure guides, and won international awards – all from her adopted home in Barcelona. Now, she’s tackling sex education, helping parents talk to their kids about porn. One thing’s for sure:…
The availability, variety, and relatively cheap cost of Spanish wines made it one of my favorite reasons for moving to lovely Barcelona. Leisurely lunches that come with a copa of tinto or blanco. Walls of wine options starting at 2 euros at practically every store in…
The rain falls so infrequently in Barcelona that the city’s inability to deal with the occasional storm is legendary. Traffic grinds to a halt; a free taxi is a rare sighting; sodden umbrellas and sweaty commuters pack buses. The tried and true plan of letting…
Phthalates. Kind of fun to say, but no fun to put on your skin. Plus, they’re so last decade. The beauty regimen for the 2020s (and beyond one hopes) takes a minimalist approach, with products to detox your skin and reduce some of the chemicals and toxic…
Skin-exposing weather, open-minded attitudes, and none of the romantic expectation of Paris makes Barcelona an easy aphrodisiac. But in a city where one person’s arousal is another person’s eye-roll (two words: Camp Nou), what cuts it as a couples’ classic if you…
Traveling without taking your dog along seems like the less complicated choice, but finding the right place to board your pet presents its own challenges. The peace of mind that comes with leaving your dog friend with a reliable sitter means being able to focus on…
Moving to Spain presents numerous challenges and learning Spanish (and/or Catalan) tops that list. Meeting and connecting with others, not to mention taking care of daily tasks and working, all become exponentially difficult as your ears struggle to capture every word…
Hidden amidst the high rise apartment buildings and defunct industrial infrastructure of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, a fringe creative scene is being nurtured. Tangent Projects stands out amongst these pioneers. Its gallery and artist studios are housed in an old…
Winter in Barcelona may have bright, sunny days with just a hint of chill, but in the evenings, the temperatures drop enough to want to heat things up with a cocktail and a lover. The challenge is sorting through the myriad bars and restaurants in town to find one…
Costa Rican Ximena Pastor came to Barcelona with one love – cooking – and one idol – chef Albert Adrià. Working for him at Tickets only made her hungrier though. Her first solo project, Barcelona pastry school and shop L’Atelier, is one of the most outstanding in the…
The 2019 winner of the best panettone in Spain went to Barcelona’s Cloudstreet Bakery, and with good reason. They have mastered the art of making this Italian holiday favorite. Getting through the small door into the bakery itself to get a bite of the best turns…
In my quest to live more like a local, I decided to bring some Catalan holiday traditions to my family’s Christmas table. The traditional Catalan holiday dishes, admittedly, seemed so different from the dishes I typically prepare, with ingredients not entirely to my…
Barcelona is not short on bakeries. On every street corner, you can find a bakery and coffee shop, each with its own style and special offerings. While it’s hard to go wrong with choosing one, we wanted to share a few specialty bakeries in Barcelona that offer…
You did good. You woke up this morning, put on your sneakers and actually made it out for a workout. Or maybe that well-meaning frenemy of yours finally convinced you to stop being such a lump and get out there for some cardio. Or maybe you want a group class to meet…
Texan Erin Nixon arrived in Barcelona with no Spanish, no contacts and no hospitality experience, but one ambitious wine-filled vision. These days, you’ll find Erin inside her El Born wine bar, La Catalista, chatting to locals as they unwind amongst fairy-lights and…
Stay up to date with our favorite local spots & travel destinations.