I arrived in Barcelona just a few months before the global pandemic, which gave me little time to make the city mine - or at least it felt that way at first. Luckily, ten years back I had studied here as I did a semester abroad in uni.
Parc del GuinardóBarcelona Spain
Being back felt like meeting an old friend of yours again, one that has evolved and grown as you were off living your own adventure. Barcelona to me is that friend, and these past years have been about discovering traits and corners of the city I had never seen before. Less flashy at times but always incredible. My favorite hikes in the city is the Parc del Guinardó. It leads to a much more popular spot often now visited even by tourists (but still worth the hike) colloquially called Los Bunkers.
People are in a hurry to get to the top, but the park offers great views of the city not only at the top of the hike but continuously throughout the different routes. In my opinion it’s one of the best places to go early and see the sunrise. My dog Tomy also loves it; it feels like a small forest in the midst of the city.
Once I’m done hiking, I love to go to Ku-ma-ná, a small Venezuelan arepas place not far from the Parc. I love their special Arepas - either the one with cazón (fish) and sweet plantain or the Trolly. The restaurant is quite small so my recommendation is to get the food to go and continue your walk down the city, passing by The Recinte Moderniste de Sant Pau. This is by far my favorite architectural beauty of the city. It used to be a hospital until not so long ago and was designed by Gaudí’s professor, who is now greatly celebrated in Barcelona. The details of the architecture are worth the visit, and the inside courtyard with its orange trees are inspiring and seem straight out of a movie.
From here, the walk to the Sagrada Familia is a straight line and it is at this renowned landmark that my hike ends. This is a piece of Barcelona that not many explore, so I’d definitely recommend it to tourists and locals.
