Trip: Barcelona, Spain · December 20–23, 2025 · part two of a three-country European trip

After the work-heavy Berlin leg, I flew to Barcelona — my first time in Spain, and the first stretch of the trip that felt like an actual vacation. Younger me would never have believed I’d casually be in Spain one December. That thought alone was worth the flight.

Gaudí days

I had a couple of days on my own and spent them doing the full architecture circuit, and Barcelona’s architecture really is the show:

Inside the Sagrada Família — Gaudí designed the light itself. The one thing in Barcelona that exceeded the hype.

Mid-morning, the light coming through orange and green.

Looking up, inside.

The Nativity façade from outside.

Me outside, after the visit.

• Sagrada Família — the one thing that fully lived up to the hype. It’s less a church than a piece of architectural theology: Gaudí designed the light itself, so the nave glows green and gold in the morning and burns red and orange in the evening. Every geometric choice means something. It’s been under construction for over 140 years and somehow that adds to it. Book the skip-the-line entry; do not attempt the walk-up queue.
• Park Güell, Casa Batlló, Casa Milà — the rest of the Gaudí trail. I’ll be honest: after the Sagrada Família these felt a bit overhyped to me. Worth seeing, but the church is the masterpiece and the houses are the B-sides.
• The Gothic Quarter and El Born — medieval lanes that suddenly open into cathedral squares. This is the best aimless-walking territory in the city.
• The Picasso Museum and Montjuïc — the museum for the early work (you watch him learn to paint like an old master before he unlearns it), and Montjuïc for the views. I saved the cable car for later and it was a good call — it’s the best cheap thrill in Barcelona.

Park Güell, looking down over the entrance pavilions to the city.

Me on the terrace.

The mosaic ceiling under the terrace.

The mosaic dragon at Park Güell.

Casa Batlló, from across Passeig de Gràcia.

The roof of Casa Milà — Gaudí’s chimneys above the Eixample.

Me on the same roof, with the Sagrada Família in the distance.

Among the chimneys on the Casa Milà roof.

El Born at dusk, all lit up for Christmas.

Barcelona Cathedral, with its Christmas tree.

Paella for dinner that first full day.

I also took the hop-on-hop-off bus tour about three times, which I maintain is an underrated way to learn a city’s geography fast. One of the loops took me out to FC Barcelona’s ground, where the Camp Nou is in the middle of being rebuilt.

La Rambla del Barça, outside the stadium.

Toward the end, Dan flew in from New York. I went to the airport in the late morning to meet her at arrivals, holding a little handmade sign welcoming her, which I recommend doing no matter who you’re picking up. It took me a while to work out which arrivals exit she’d come out of, but I found her, and we took an Uber back into the city. With one shared day in the city, I wanted her to get a feel for the whole place, so I did the hop-on hop-off bus again, this time with her. We took the route that goes up to Montjuïc, rode the cable car from there, and then had the beach and a proper paella.

The Montjuïc cable car, the best cheap thrill in Barcelona.

Up at Montjuïc Castle.

The port, from up at Montjuïc Castle.

The Sagrada Família at night, on my last evening.

What surprised me

Catalonia was news to me. I hadn’t known before this trip that Barcelona sees itself as Catalan first — its own language, flags on balconies, a whole distinct identity within Spain. Street signs are in Catalan, not Spanish. I’d arrived thinking “Spain” was one thing, and left understanding it’s a federation of identities that don’t fully agree with each other. This is exactly the kind of thing you can’t learn properly except by standing in it.

The scam. At 1:30 AM, hungry and alone at a late-night place, I tapped my card for a croissant and got charged €17 — the receipt showed three items I never ordered. I didn’t confront the vendor: middle of the night, alone, didn’t speak the language. I just took the loss and the lesson. In tourist-heavy areas, look at the amount on the terminal before you tap, always.

Verdict

My honest take: Barcelona didn’t click for me the way I expected it to, given its reputation. The Gaudí buildings, and the Sagrada Família above all, are worth the trip on their own, and the old town is lovely to wander. But beyond those, I didn’t find the thing that pulls me back. Of the cities on this trip, I’d put it below Berlin and the Italian stops. I’m really glad I went. I probably wouldn’t go back just for the city, but if a reason comes up, I’d happily see more of it.

The trip’s final act was the best one: a week in Italy over Christmas — Rome, Florence, and Venice. That’s part three.

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Notes to myself

• The Sagrada Família is timed entry and sells out, so book it ahead. It was the best thing I saw in the city.
• Look at the card terminal before tapping, especially late at night. (See: the 1:30 AM croissant.)
• The Montjuïc cable car at golden hour was my favourite view of Barcelona.
• December was mild and not crowded, which made it a good month to be there.