There's something curious about Barcelona...

When I have read posts, or talked to people who have been to Barcelona, they either loved it or hated it.

WHY?

I fall in the hate camp. My whole family hated it. We couldn't wait to leave and get on with the France portion of our trip.

It's the *only* place I've ever traveled to where I felt this way. I had good expectations going in.

So tell me your experiences. Love or hate? Why?

I LOVED it!

Why? I think because I went for a weekend trip and I hadn't planned too far in advance / had no expectations. So then, when I got there, the architecture / Park Guell really had me open jawed. I was also there in a February, so it was off-season and not as many 'tourists' which is always what I prefer. My boyfriend and I also found some back-streets with local restaurants that were really lovely and traditional too. I found it a really accessible city break, with cultural and traditional pro's to complement

I loved it as well. My girlfriend and I went there for 5 days and had a fantastic time. Saw all the Gaudi sights, explored the centre and some of the parks around the city. The weather was fantastic for the most part as well.

Sure, there were plenty of tourists, but it is Europe. What do you expect?

I've never met anyone who hated Barcelona, and I'd be interested to hear why you do.

I'm another fan of Barcelona. I've been a few times and always had a great time.

It's an easy place to just wander around looking at the architecture and I love the cathedral in the medieval district, it's amazing.

Then there's the fruit and veg market and as Kathryn said, the back streets with lots of delicious food to be found. Yeah, I love it.

Of course love it! The best atmosphere, sightseeing, Spanish people, food, activities...
Why did you hate it? Did you have a bad hotel? Or something particular happened?

Well, we liked the place we stayed; we rented a small apartment just off of Las Ramblas. The sightseeing was pretty good. I really liked the big market, the concert we went to in one of the old churches, and the park (La Ciutadella --sp?), and the Gaudi and other architecture. Nothing really blew me away though. The food was ok, some good, some just ok.

But I guess what turned me off were the people. We came across so many rude people I couldn't believe it. The nice, helpful ones were the exception. I wasn't expecting that at ALL. But it seemed like everywhere we went something would happen, but I have no idea why. I think perhaps it's just a difference in culture. I don't know.

It frustrates me though, not understanding. And like I said, I know others have had the same experiences (good and bad). I just wish I could understand why there is such a difference.

Well, I understand... Barcelona is Catalonia so it is a specific region of Spain. People are a bit different than maybe in south of Spain..But also you should remember that Barcelona is full of tourists and there are some people who are not really fond of them - looks like you just met them.. but the city has so much to offer that everyone should find something suitbale for him or herself. Probably you are not planning to come back but if, then maybe you should research some more what you would like to do/see apart from sightseeing. Thanks for sharing for comments! Good luck!

Yes, that could be...maybe we just ran into the wrong people. We were there in November, so it wasn't a big tourist season. I have heard that it's different in other parts of Spain.

Maybe some day I can go back and have a different experience...

Thanks for your input.

They lost a soccer game so not sure how i feel about this city anymore LOL

I think Barcelona's a great city; very vibrant with nice places to eat and go out. Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy it but maybe if you visited at a different time of year, you may enjoy it more then. If not, hopefully a different part of Spain might appeal to you.

Claire

I know. So many people do love it.

It's true, perhaps on a different trip I would have a different opinion of it. I do think I would probably enjoy other parts of Spain. I guess I will find out if and when I get to go back.

Thanks for all your responses!

Try to return in late September for La Merce festival and you'll perhaps change your mind. In fact you might find that it becomes one of the greatest experiences of your life.

I've never found the people to be particularly unwelcoming, although as a tourist I tend not to have expectations that are too high. I think it takes effort and luck to find a local person who really wants to interact and make friends.

At the 2010 Merce we shared a table with a group of about six elderly Catalans who had brought a picnic to the wine festival (a regular feature of La Merce) and when we returned with our 2nd bottle of cava they must have decided we were alright because they shared their food and some of their opinions (on food, wine, life and other profound topics) with us. It helped that my g/f is fluent in Spanish and can at least get to grips with Catala but we had a lovely few hours. I can think of quite a few other situations in quite a number of visits to the city, but perhaps because we don't go looking for it, sometimes it finds us. As an aside we were back at the wine festival two nights later and had an equally charming evening with an ex-pat Brit couple who had lived in Catalunya since the 1980s - and all because we had a spare glass.