Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to present to you my very first listicle (a writing piece formed in a list) of this blog. I don’t want to focus only on reviewing yoga studios but also give my readers an expat’s POV on Barcelona’s life. Today, I would like to reveal 10 reasons why it is worth living in this Catalan capital.
1. Art is everywhere.
All of Barcelona’s iconic buildings like Sagrada Familia, Casa Batlló, La Pedrera, Casa de les punxes to name a few, are easy to access and you don’t even need to enter them to discover their beauty.
Art is everywhere and you can literally “walk on a piece of art.” If you pass Las Ramblas, you can find an amazing mosaic of Joan Miró (surrealist from Barcelona).
On Passeig de Gracia, your feet will have a close encounter with Gaudi, for real. The hexagonal tiles which are paved along this famous sidewalk were designed by Antoni Gaudi. Take a look at the elements that they are presenting and try to study sea life symbolism there.
Although it has a bad reputation, the neighbourhood of Raval hides some artsy pearls too.
Starting from El Gato de Botero (a statue of a fat cat made by a famous sculptor from Colombia), through eye-catching, story-telling graffiti in almost every corner (check for example Agora Juan Andrés Benitéz)
to a mural made by a star from New York City - Keith Haring (AIDS awareness message next to MACBA Museum).
These are only a few examples of the works of art that you can bump into and even touch while just strolling through the city. You can admire those timeless, meaningful pieces anytime, for free.
2. You can walk everywhere.
Barcelona is Spain’s second-biggest city when it comes to population but its area is 6 times smaller than Madrid (only 101.9 km square). It is still quite a big city but not so overwhelmingly. Public transport is very well developed here, but you can ditch it almost completely and just walk everywhere. Everything is pretty close to each other and usually, it is easy to navigate. You just need to remember that going up always means towards the mountains (Tibidabo) and down - towards the sea. Maybe it is easy to get lost in the little corners of the Ciudad Vella (Old part of the town), but most of the time, Google Maps comes to the rescue.
Nevertheless, you can achieve your 10 000 steps goal effortlessly because walking around Barna is a pure pleasure.
3. International environment.
Ain’t no secret that there is a huge expat community in Barcelona. This city has already attracted more than 300 000 foreigners from all over the world and this number is only growing. Thanks to such a diversity of cultures, you can feel like home away from home, no matter where you come from. If I miss pierogi (one of our national dishes in Poland), I can just pop into Krakoviak (Polish store, Carrer Sicilia 326) and buy a few bags of that lovely dish or simply purchase ingredients to make them by myself. Chileans can find Pisco (an amazing alcoholic beverage from South America) easily and Argentinians a range of good steaks here and there.
Whatever taste you may crave, there is definitely a place in Barcelona where you can find what you want.
4. You can make friends easily.
I came to Barcelona completely alone. I knew just a few people, but I’ve never really felt lonely. Being in the right place and at the right time helped me to find amazing people that made my life better. Some may wonder why it is so easy to make friends here?
The answer is simple - it is the Spanish atmosphere and the vibe of this cosmopolitan city that connect people with each other.
Here, people tend to stop and slow down so there is always time for a glass of cava (sparkling wine). And with more cavas, more friends! Obviously, you don’t only make friends in bars.
In Barcelona, it is natural to get on well with flatmates, coworkers or people that go to yoga class with you etc...
If that’s not enough, there are several expat groups on Facebook and almost every day there is something going on that may give you an opportunity to meet some new faces. There is also this app “Meetup” where according to your interest, you can join like-minded humans for example for beach volley, swimming, hiking and so on.
5. Nightlife.
Oh, good old times before covid... Barcelona is not the same anymore...
Nightlife in Barna was very rich and there would always be so many options to choose from. Whether it is techno underground place, a rooftop bar with good house dj sets, big day festival (how much I miss Brunch in the Park...), a fancy club with commercial music, reggaeton or salsa bar, open roof club, rock, jazz or anything you can think of, you shall find in Barcelona.
Summer is always full of events and what everyone always waits for is fiestas de barrio. Each bigger neighbourhood of the city has its own unique atmosphere so to show it off, there will be a full-on weekend party in the whole zone. The most popular ones are Fiestas de Gracia and Fiestas de Sants. In Gracia, every street turns into a different world because their habitats create a theme using recycled materials. From a Ski resort, you can jump into a Jungle or Hogwarts, then get lost in a haunted house and probably then end up in the concert, making new friends over a beer. Every year, the level of creativity of the people who make that event happen amazes me.
Another element of the nightlife of Barcelona is botellon. It is illegal to drink in the streets but if you do it quite carefully, nothing happens. In the parks, beach or in square, people gather to have some pre-drinks before hitting the clubs. This is how we do it…
6. Culture.
Besides partying, it is the culture of the city that is definitely its biggest advantage. Everyone can find something for themselves.
Are you into art? There are hundreds of museums with fascinating exhibitions (MACBA, CCCB - Contemporary art museums, MNAC - the national museum of Catalan visual art, for example) waiting for you. Many of them have free admissions a few days a month so it’s worth following here: https://barcelonanavigator.com/free-museum-days/
Are you into history? Take a walk in a Gothic quarter and learn about thousands of years of history. Visit some historical museums there, beautiful churches hiding some fascinating stories or even sign up for a free walking tour.
Are you into football? Then you cannot miss Camp Nou and perhaps watch one of the FC Barca games or at least visit its museum.
If none of those is your thing, you can just walk around the city, eat some tapas and enjoy the views of the small little streets, have a siesta during the day or relax on the beach.
The rich culture of Catalunya surrounds you and it is available all year long. You can't help but fall in love…
7. Nature.
Even if you are not a city person, Barcelona still can be a place for you. Why? Because you will never feel like you are in a big city here. You can always calm down and chill on the beach. Check out the stunning parks like Ciutadella Park, where you can have a picnic, practice yoga, maybe ride gondolas in a charming pond or just grab a coffee next to a beautiful fountain. Have you ever felt like playing Alice in Wonderland and getting lost in a maze? Visit Parc del Laberint d'Horta and discover its magical surroundings. Another fairytale style garden, you can find in Park Guell, designed by a genius Gaudi.
On top of that, a train ride away, you have a mountain range - Montserrat with its breathtaking views and the Monastery. If you go further up north, you arrive to the Pyrenees mountains - a challenge for pro hikers with bunch of beautiful villages too. Another option is an exquisite coast of Costa Brava (which I will explain soon in one of my next posts).
8. Easy access elsewhere.
I believe, I made it pretty clear that Barcelona has basically everything, and you can live a happy life here. Yet, every expat will always be in need of exploration. So here is some good news! From Barcelona, you can easily fly to most of the top world’s locations. Direct flights to Chile, Argentina, Mexico, U.S.A, Iceland, Korea and many more may be quite affordable if you book them early enough. Thinking about a cheap weekend away? No problem! Reaching Portugal, Andorra, France, Greece or other Spanish islands is easy as pie and wallet-friendly. Additionally, you can just explore the whole rest of Spain and discover the fascinating diversity of each region. Experience Andalusia and its Arabic influences, meet the Land of the bulls - Aragon, maybe surf in the surfers’ paradise - Cantabria or sense the fresh air in the green land of Asturias, and I am just scratching the surface here... Your wanderlust will be satisfied to the fullest.
9. Eat, look & love
Whether this will be a charming little street, a cute cafe place or a plant in the park, there will always be something new to amaze you day by day.
I can’t get enough of the greatness of my favourite building in the whole city - Casa Batllo and the story it tells.
Not only the beauty of the surroundings but also the variety of the food has a special place in my heart. Spanish tapas and Catalan dishes won't taste the same anywhere else. Barcelona is so damn tasty! (And that we will discuss in another post...)
10. You’ll never get bored.
There is constantly something going on in my beloved city. Despite covid or rain, Catalan people know how to have fun regardless of the conditions.
Today (24th of September) for example, we are celebrating La Merce. This is the day of Saint Patron of Barcelona - Virgen de la Merce, and the celebration of the end of summer. This bank holiday turns streets into one big parade full of concerts, fireworks, dragons, beasts, donkeys (symbol of Cataunya) and Giants (gigantic dolls). Don’t miss the show of the Castellers (human tower) or Sardana, traditional Catalan dancing. In the night of course, there will be an omnipresent botellon, fire shows and parties everywhere. This is a perfect example of the real Catalan essence.
However, there are many more festivos here- Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day,6th of January, where “kings” are throwing sweets for kids around the city), Sant Jordi (23rd of April Catalan Valentines day), Sant Joan (24th of June, the beginning of summer)...
Those are the big scale celebrations with unique traditions but there are also a lot of cultural events, light shows, fairs, exhibitions, concerts and so on every day.
No matter what you are into or what your hobbies are, there will always be something for you to enjoy. Possibilities are countless…
Now, you know why I cannot leave this city.
Did I already talk you into living in Barcelona?
The best!