Hi guys, hope you're all doing well? Safe to say a lot has changed in the last year and I've taken a step back from this blog, whilst adjusting to life in lockdown like a lot of you guys. Now with a light at the end of tunnel and hopefully I can get back to work filming weddings soon, I thought why not publish this post! Especially when travel is more likely this Summer :)
I'm super grateful we managed to have a really nice holiday in Barcelona last February before the world turned upside down! We wanted to somewhere not too far and some place warm, I last visited Barcelona 10 years ago so thought it would be really nice to go back with Hang and little one. We've been away on 4 holidays with our son, which were all beachy/resort holidays with shuttle services etc. So Barcelona was our first city holiday as a family but it was fine, my son had a great time exploring and I wanted to share some tips and things to in Barcelona with kids! Our son was 22 months when we were in Barcelona, which I think was a good age as he understands a lot more and didn't need as many naps.I was a bit worried about being cooped up in a small hotel but I'm so glad we chose to stay at Midmost Hotel. It's a beautiful boutique hotel near the University area and was ideal as that's where the airport shuttle bus stops. It was also walking distance to a lot of the sights and restaurants, as we didn't want to rely on the metro to get around. There's also a really nice rooftop if you want to get some air and take in the views. We requested a cot in our room but little one preferred to sleep with us in the big bed!
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BARCELONA ZOO
The grounds of the zoo is also really nice to walk around lots of beautiful animals and landscape to look at. We saw lots of animals as you can see from the photos below, including flamingos which I've never seen before! The only animals not 'available' at the tine were tigers and lions, which was a shame but we really enjoyed seeing all the sea animals as well as the giraffes and elephants. Compared to London Zoo, which gets very busy and crowded this was perfect to explore with kids. We spent about 2.5 hours here but you could easily spend half or a full day here as there's plenty to see! Also just to add after the zoo, we walked to the Gothic Quarter and visited the Cathedral.
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PARC GUELL
I was unsure how kid friendly Parc Guell would be as it's been so long since I last visited but I wanted Hang and my son to visit this parc, as it really is magnificent. You have to pre book tickets with a time slot on line, otherwise you'll end up waiting for a long time if you just turn up. Adult tickets are €10 and kids under 7 are free, included in your ticket is a shuttle bus to and from Alfons X station. We arrived and managed to get around parts of the parc with the pram but there were some steps up and down, which we had to carry the pram down. I also put our son in the harness so I can keep an eye on him when he was running around! We had a really nice time exploring the parc and there are lots of paths we could use with the pram, so there is accessibility access.
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When we visited last February, there was construction work and it was also very crowded even though we arrived for 10.30am - so expect a lot of tourists! It is hard to get photos on your own, so expect to queue up.
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BARCELONA AQUARIUM
We weren't planning on vising the aquarium but we actually managed to do a lot of sightseeing so thought it would be nice to visit the aquarium as well. We took our son to the London Aquarium when he was around 10 months but it was extremely crowded and the paths were so narrow and busy! The tickets for Barcelona aquarium are quite pricey but there was a lot to see inside and it was spacious, which made it a more enjoyable experience - €21 for adults free for under 4's. Little one loved all the activities after seeing all the sea life, including a submarine control room, which he didn't want to leave! As well as all the sealife, there's lots of play areas indoors and outdoors, which it good to make a day of it.
The aquarium is also in a really nice location right by the port, so you can look out into the water and see all the boats, which was a nice view. It's also located next to a big shopping center with lots of restaurants and shops. We walked down the Port Vell, which was near Las Ramblas and then back to our hotel so it was a nice walk back in the sunshine.
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PARC CIUTADELLA
After our visit to the zoo, we walked to Parc Ciutadella, which is a beautiful park near by. There were lakes, fountains, sculptures and lots of green open space to explore. It's a great place to relax and take a break from sightseeing if your kids want to have an ice cream break and run around.
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PLACES TO EAT
Bacoa Burger - tasty burgers, fast service, spacious dining.
Cheese and Cake - nice cosy restaurant, fresh tasty food, close to the Sagrada Família.
Bun Bo Barcelona - Gothic quarter, not truly authentic Vietnamese in my opinion but the food and coffee was nice!
Ciudad Condal - If you only eat at one place, definitely go to this tapas restaurant! We ate around 6.30pm and there were long queues around 8pm. Everything on the menu was so tasty and flavorsome, we polished off the 1lt of sangria and the desserts were delicious too - less that €4 each! The menu is not very toddler friendly but little one was asleep so he didn't eat here.
Flax & Kale - Nice place to relax with a coffee in the daytime or glass or wine and the best kale chips in the evening!
I really hope you found this post useful if you're thinking of travelling to Barcelona with your little ones. I know travelling is not an options at the moment but it's good to think positive and plan ahead! Feel free to pin this image on Pinterest for future reference :)
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Have you been to Barcelona? Any places I missed?
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