Have you made your way through the tourist hordes on Barcelona’s Rambla, seen Gaudí’s great works and partied in Barceloneta? And do you think you know the city inside out?
Then read the guide to different experiences in Barcelona and you’ll soon discover that you were wrong.
German journalist Dirk Engelhardt, author of 111 Must-See Places in Barcelona, promises to show us the way to Barcelona’s best-kept secrets.
Having traversed Barcelona several times – zigzagging my way through hordes of tourists in both familiar and unfamiliar places in the city – it is with great anticipation and some scepticism that I embark on the guidebook. Fortunately, my scepticism is quickly dispelled.
Engelhardt guides us around Barcelona’s neighbourhoods to lots of wonderful places hidden so well among the well-known sights that few people have noticed them.
Where to pee and shop for herbs?
The book gives tips on everything from nice toilets (you’ll find them in the Maramagnum shopping centre), a love hotel with the sensual name Paloma, the Herboresteria del Rei herbal shop, famous from the film Perfume – the story of a murderer, where Dustin Hoffmann himself was behind the shop’s counter, to the Freemasons’ regular restaurant 7 Portes.
I especially love that Engelhardt also takes us by the hand and leads us to more unconventional places like a small Buddhist temple and the bizarre hemp museum, which also exhibits pipes made from human bones.
The book also reveals how to join a guided ghost tour of the Barri Gòtic, where the best frankfurter sausages are served, where you’ll find a car-free bike route and an eye clinic with beautiful art deco architecture.
On my next trip to Barcelona, I’ll be…
Sticking my nose in at Alfredo’s barbershop in the Gràcia district, even though I don’t need a shave. But I love seeing classic craftsmen in action, and Alfredo, according to the author, is one of the few remaining in Barcelona who has mastered the ancient art of barbering.
I’ll definitely be getting a workspace in the MOB Makers of Barcelona office community too . Here you can work with a bunch of creative people close to the Arc de Triomf. Ideal if, like me, you occasionally stay and work in Barcelona for long periods. Perfect place to meet new people.
The banking halls in the Eixample district are also on my list. Here I can get real local culture among the game-loving Spaniards, and not least get terpet Spanish numbers.
A few less secret places
111 places in Barcelona that you must not miss is full of great secret tips, but a few places have sneaked onto many Barcelona fans’ must-see lists. These include. Gaudí’s showpiece, Casa Vicens, which the author refers to as unknown to tourists. It may have been when the book was written, but Casa Vicens opened to the public in November 2017 and tickets are already in short supply.
The San Antoni market, located in the upcoming neighbourhood of the same name, will reopen in a fully renovated building in 2018 and is also expected to attract a lot of attention from tourists.
Placa Sant Filip Neri, one of my favourite squares, is far from secret and tourist-free, but still worth a visit. Especially if you visit it in the evening, when most tourists have left the place.
Having said that, I would definitely recommend you to take the travel guide with you next time you go to Barcelona. The book is packed with great places for both Barcelona connoisseurs and those visiting the city for the first time. It’s definitely going in my suitcase.
Dirk Engelhardt: 111 places in Barcelona that you must not miss
Emons Verlag
Price: 14.95 EUR. Buy the book
Tips for more cool things to do in Barcelona
Find inspiration for more different experiences in Barcelona here. Read also the beginners guide to Barcelona.
