Weekend in Barcelona Without Kids

Couples without children have an advantage over families when visiting Barcelona. Barcelona is a city made for leisure. Couples can park themselves at a tapas bar along Las Ramblas and slowly sample calamares, aceitunas, bacalao, and pinchos as time slips by. A culinary undertaking that would of necessity be wrapped up in 20 minutes with kids can be easily stretched into delicious hours.

Couples who are serious about tapas can even join a tapas walking tour, nibbling their way through the city. Barcelona is close to Catalunya's principal wine growing region, so wine enthusiasts will want to sip local wines with their tapas. Non-drinkers can experience the specialties orxata (chufa juice) or granizado (a sweet iced coffee drink with orange or lemon juice) as an alternative.

In a weekend's time, this itinerary will introduce you to the essence of Barcelona. The order of these activities matters not, with the exception of a guaranteed encounter with sardana.

Visiting Gaudi's Architectural Masterpieces

Appreciating Antoni Gaudi's structures requires attention to detail. Couples without kids have the freedom to concentrate exclusively on the unique Gaudi creations.

From the magnificent Park Güell, which has been declared a UNESCO site, to the imposing Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's architecture is unforgettable. It is also a defining element of Barcelona. To see all of Gaudi's buildings requires extensive travel through the city, for Gaudi designed private homes as well as public enterprises. Casa Batlló, Casa Vincens and Casa Milà is each breathtakingly exotic in its own right. Besides these must-see Gaudi masterpieces, there are numerous other structures he built scattered about, each a surprise to behold.

Absorbing Art

Fundacio Joan Miró and Museu Picasso are two museums every couple visiting Barcelona should spend time inside. If I had to choose one, it'd be the Miró. From its intriguing Mont Juic location to its inspired, colorful collection, this museum is one of my favorites in all of Europe.

Meandering Along Las Ramblas

The tree-lined boulevard running through Barcelona is known as Las Ramblas. While it's a continuous street, each section has its own name, thus depending on where you are along it, you may be on Rambla de Santa Monica, Rambla de los Caputxins or another Rambla altogether. The different names are a convenient way to differentiate the neighborhoods through which Las Ramblas passes.

Las Ramblas was made for strolling and people watching. It's a bustling hub of activity populated with living statues, flowers and small pets for sale, sidewalk bars and art stalls.

Drink from Font de Canaletes, and the fates will allow a return visit to Barcelona.

Joining in Sardana

Catalunya's national folk dance, sardana, is worth learning for it's spontaneously performed throughout the city. Some places it can be found on schedule include the front of the Cathedral, (Wednesday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons) and Plaça San Jaume (Sunday evenings).