What NOT to do in Barcelona – a short NOT-to-do list

Barcelona, Spain (some might put Catalonia before that :P)… one of the top cities worldwide with regards to the quality of life… a city with a tropical vibe and surely a touristic paradise! There is so much going on in this awesome place; however if you want to have the ultimate Barcelona experience, there are some things that you may want to avoid or at least take into consideration when visiting the city. Let’s find them below ?

DON’T eat on Las Ramblas!

The fifth most walked on street in the world, Las Ramblas is one of Barcelona’s main touristic attractions. You will find numerous restaurants there. But be careful not to fall into the trap! Restaurant owners know that and will try to exploit tourists’ lack of local knowledge by offering overpriced, bad quality food – knowing tourists are just passing through the city and probably will never come back, there is no need for them to use good ingredients, right? ?

DON’T make noise at night!

Barcelona may be the European capital of fun and great nightlife, but just like any other great city it has residents that need to sustain its economy by going to work the next day! In order for them to be productive at work, they need a good nigh sleep ?. No one will restrict you from going out at night to have a great time. As more than half of Barcelona’s streets are super narrow, the neighbours will hear everything happening down in the streets. In other words, be considerate to them ?

DON’T queue for the important landmarks!

At first you might be like – ‘what do you mean don’t queue for the important landmarks?’ Well, you heard that well! There is a much better, more efficient way of getting your tickets for Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, La Pedrera or Casa Batlló. That is – ONLINE! Avoid queuing for hours in the Mediterranean Barcelona heat. Go online and book your tickets, go to the touristic objective at the time specified on the ticket ?

DON’T just visit the touristic places!

That’s right. Barcelona is much more than the touristic attractions mentioned above. If you really want to take a glimpse of the authenticity of the city, you need to get away from the place that everyone goes. As a local, I really recommend you do that and you will thank me later because you will see that the city is full of gems which can be found in the less mainstream areas as well 😛

DON’T be a ‘Guiri’!

What is a ‘Guiri’? Well, according to Wikipedia, ‘guiri’ is a Spanish slang term for ‘foreign tourists, particularly from countries in northern Europe or the Anglo-Saxon sphere. They are strongly associated with beach tourism and commonly stereotyped as blonde with pale skin and often drunk.’ Basically Spaniards don’t really enjoy people coming over to their cities just to party and disrespect local traditions. Do some research and educate yourself before coming to the city in the arts of local customs – as in don’t go on Las Ramblas and buy a sombrero! ?

Online Open Days

Hopefully you liked our blog about what not to do in Barcelona! It is indeed an outstanding city to visit. But not only, it also has great schools! Want to become a student here? Check out our webinar for Barcelona College of Chiropractic!