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Trip Report

Visiting Spain for the first time

We traveled to Spain for the first time! and we visited two of the most important cities; Barcelona and Madrid

  • Madrid+ 5
  • Madrid
  • Madrid
  • Visiting Spain for the first time
marianna herrera
About Me:I love to travel with my family read more

EuropeSpain12 days / April 2017

Highs & Lows

Language will not be a problem as a lot of people know how to speak english

Thre's a lot f walking to do

Itinerary Overview

For our first time in Europe we decided to visit Spain. It was a long nine hour flight, but it was absolutely worth it. We first visited Madrid and the weather was perfect, we got to the apartment using the Metro, and it was really fast, once we got there the street was full of "classical" buildings that even though may be old-looking on the outside were modern and functional on the inside, we spent about 7 days there and then we went to Barcelona, the weather was way colder there but thankfully the apartment had a heating system and was pretty modern in everysense, we also used the metro and the Renfe to move around the city, both were really fast and intuitive so it was really easy to use without getting lost. We visited stadiums, museums and cultural centers in each city and even though Barcelona's official language is catalan, they also spoke Spanish so we had no problems.

  • 6 Nights: Madrid
  • 6 Nights: Barcelona
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Madrid

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As soon as we arrived at the Adolfo Suárez Barajas airport in Madrid, we knew it would be an amazing experience. The day was sunny but it felt a little cold. We were on april so it was Spring Season. We decided to use the subway to get to the apartment, at first it seemed like an old building with classical style but on the inside it was pretty modern. We visited both the Reina Sofía museum and The del Prado museum and visiting both of them took almost a day, we also had the opportunity to visit the Stadium of the Real Madrid FC where you could see the field, the dressing rooms ,and also the museum dedicated only to legendary moments and players of the team. We then visited  "El Rastro" a place where on Sundays you can buy a lot of things at low prices, and at the end of our trip we went to the park "El Retiro" where we spent a nice afternoon next to the lake.

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Barcelona

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When we arrived in Barcelona it was way colder than we expected it to be, we had to wear gloves, scarves and jackets most of the time. We stayed at a little town called "El Prat de Llobregat" that seemed like pulled straight out of a Tale, it was small and cold but it was filled with tiny pretty stores, bakeries and restaurants, we used the subway and the Renfe (high speed trains) to move around and it was pretty effective. The first days we decided to visit everything related to Gaudí like the "Casa Museu de Gaudí" the  "Park Güell" and the famous "La sagrada familia" all of them were an important part of Barcelona's culture and it was absolutely worth visiting them. We also went to the Camp Nou, The Barcelona SC's stadium, wich also had a museum dedicated to the most memorable moments and players of the team. At the end of our trip we visited Montjuïc, a font that offers a water and light show at 6pm, watching the beautiful show was the best way to say goodbye to the city.

Q & A

  • Restaurant recommendations?

    We mostly ate at buffets because it was a cheaper option, but we tried traditional food at the Plaza Mayor and it was absolutely worth it
  • Tips you would give a friend?

    Wake up a little early to make the most out of every day, specially if you're staying for a short period of time
  • Packing tips?

    You should take good foot wear with you, because there's a lot of walking to do if you want to visit the museums
  • Transportation Tips?

    We decided to use the subway rather than the Taxis, it is faster and less expensive
  • Any surprises?

    We were definitely not expecting Barcelona to be so cold, so we weren't prepared with the right clothes.