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.

• 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.

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

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.

Toward the end, Dan flew in from New York — landing at 5 AM, and I went to the airport to meet her at arrivals holding a sign, which I recommend as a practice regardless of who you’re picking up. With one shared day in the city, we did the greatest-hits loop: the Montjuïc cable car, the bus tour, the beach, and a proper paella.

The view from the Montjuïc cable car — the best cheap thrill in Barcelona.

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

Here’s my honest take, which I know is not the consensus one: Barcelona was interesting but underwhelming relative to its reputation. Parts of the city felt less developed than I expected, and outside the Gaudí works and the old town I didn’t find the thing that makes me want to return. Of the cities on this trip, I’d rank it below both Berlin and the Italian stops. I’m glad I saw it; I don’t think I’ll be back.

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

Practical notes

• Book the Sagrada Família in advance (timed entry, skip-the-line). It sells out and it’s the one unmissable thing.
• Check card terminals before tapping, especially late at night in tourist zones.
• Pickpocketing paranoia is justified on La Rambla and the metro — I held my phone tight the whole time and lost nothing, but stay alert.
• The Montjuïc cable car at golden hour is the best view-per-euro in the city.
• December weather is mild and the crowds are thinner — a genuinely good month for this city.