Barcelona

There is more than one TapaTapa in Barcelona - the one we visited (twice!) is situated in the heart of Barcelona, on Passeig Di Gracia.

The restaurant serves a good variety of tapas at reasonable prices.

It's got loads of seating indoors, but there's also outside seating with some warming fires to keep out the Autumn chill. 

On the first night I ordered a portion of fries with Aioli sauce and Calamari, and a very refreshing Estrella Damn for €25, and on night two I tried their potato, prawn and fried egg dish with the Loin steak (cooked very rare!).

Delicious!

Did you know that Barcelona has it's own Arc de Triomf? I didn't! And yet it does, and it's super impressive.

Made from mostly red brick, with stone elements, it's built at the head of a wide, long, lively boulevard.

It may not be as large as the Paris version, but it's lovely, and well worth seeing. 

This is definitely a n Off-the-beaten path type of adventure, but it's well worth it, as it provides spectacular views of the city, while doubling down as a family day/afternoon out. 

To get to Tibidabo, you need to take a local bus to the North side of Barcelona, and then a Funicular up to the top of the hill. At just under 1km, the railway is not very long, but it provides great views going up the way. Once you reach the top, discover the fairground that just magically seems to exist at the top of the hill, in the shadows of what appears to be two churches built on top of each other!

As I said, the views down the mountain to the South are spectacular, and you can see all the way up the North East Coast and down to the South West of the city too. 

This is a very family-friendly activity, with loads for the kids to do while the parents enjoy a coffee and a wander around the Church grounds. it's very affordable too (for the funicular at least; £12 or so).

probably at the top of every tourists bucket list for barcelona, and with good reason, Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece is just that - a true masterpiece! 

Being popular, it's a bust attraction, but the sheer scale of the building means that even when it's at capacity, it seems spacious. The ceiling goes up FOREVER, and the stained glass windows would be an attraction in their own right in any other location. 

There are more pillars than I cared to count, four massive stairwells in each corner (which aren't accessible, unfortunately), a subterrainean chapel, museum and shop; all of that is before you head up the 60 meters or so to the Passion Tower - after which you'll need to descend 400 stairs via a narrow stairwell...

All in all, this was probably the highlight of our weekend; We spend an hour and a half in the church and towers which, for me, is a long time!

Entry tickets are much cheaper purchased in advance, and I'd recommend getting the tower add-on for an extra £10!

Whether you're a football fan or not, I'd suggest visiting the home of one of the most successful and colorful clubs in the history of football. 

Camp Nou is about 1/2 an hour by bus from the center of the city which, considering how efficient the local transport is, makes it well within reach even on a flying visit. 

the full experience includes the interactive tour and access to the stadium itself, but during our visit the stadium was under construction and unavailable. Nevermind.

The interactive tour just by itself is well worth the £30 we paid. i could have spent an hour just in the trophy room! The amount of silverware this club has won is unbelievable, and they even have the Ballon d'or's on display. 

I also like that the focus isn't just on the men's team; the woman;s team get's just as much airspace as the mens team, and they're well deserving of it!

On completion of the tour we had access to a viewpoint overlooking the construction of the stadium, after which we headed into the shop; 3 story's of goods, insane!, and then stopped at the cafe for a well earned rest.