In July, friends from Vancouver were spending a month in Spain hiking the Camino del Santiago. They invited us to join them at the end, so we planned a trip to Barcelona, where they’d be flying back to Canada from – and it was a great idea!
We flew with Maisie as a tiny baby back from Vancouver, and then last summer just before she turned one we went on holiday with my family. The flight home from Malaga included a lot of sick, an exploded coke can, and both she and I crying. To say I was a little apprehensive about our next flight would be fair.
The best way I know to get rid of apprehension is to prepare prepare prepare! I gathered up all the advice I could find online and tried to follow it as best I could – I booked flights at sensible times that wouldn’t interrupt our regular schedule, packed a couple of favourite toys and also some new activities for the trip, downloaded some favourite shows to Maisie’s tablet, and packed lots of familiar snacks.
We arrived at the airport in plenty of time to have dinner, but after some hassle at security (one of the staff was on a power trip to the extent where we complained about them because they really stressed us all out and made us jump through unnecessary hoops), we didn’t have loads of time. We’d been trying to placate Maisie with snacks during the security fiasco, which she proceeded to throw up on the Starbucks floor. She didn’t eat much after that but the flight itself went really well. The only trouble we had was that she did not like wearing the seatbelt and wanted to switch laps a fair amount.
I had pre-booked a taxi with a car seat to get us to our accommodation in the city centre, but when the car arrived it didn’t have one in it. In European taxis it’s legal for a child to just sit on an adult’s lap but it feels so sketchy but we didn’t have any other options that wouldn’t take over an hour to organise – our accommodation was only 20 minutes away in the city centre so we figured it wouldn’t be so bad, but then the driver had the wrong address and it ended up taking 45 minutes to arrive. Thankfully we’d been brushing up on our Spanish on Duolingo!
When we did arrive it was after 11pm, and when we got inside the entryway, it was so tiny – I was thankful we had packed light but even so, the lift was very small so could only fit one adult, Maisie and a single bag. I think it’s safe to say at this moment of time we were wondering if the trip was just going to be a bust and we should’ve stayed home.
But then we got through the front door, and our apartment was lovely. We switched on the air conditioning and let Maisie explore a little bit, then got her to bed.
Tuesday we planned to meet our friends at Park Guell. We figured that there’d be tickets available on the day, so we took the metro and then walked up the big hill to get there (reminded me of Seattle), and then a couple with a pram coming the opposite way told us it was all sold out for the day. We contacted our friends to re-arrange the plans, and we headed back to the city to go to Palau Guell instead, and would meet them later.
Palau Guell was right near our apartment and Maisie was pretty tired after we were done there (and after a midnight bedtime!), so we headed back and she had a couple hours sleep. It was actually lovely to have a little afternoon break in the air conditioned apartment and recuperate for the afternoon. It was glorious weather – around 29ºC and very sunny, so a little AC respite was nice for us Brits.
We met our friends near Mercato Boqueria, shared some grapes, and then wandered toward the old town. We stopped at a playground for a little while and Maisie burned off some steam while we chatted. Maisie warmed to our friends straight away which was really lovely, and kind of out of character for her! We went to eat a huge dish of paella together which was both delicious and also a great experience. Maisie ate lots of rice and prawns and watched Finding Dory while we ate, then ran back and forth outside the restaurant with Tom chasing her, and then walked up and down some church steps with me. We ambled back to La Rambla and said our goodbyes to get the little munchkin back to bed.
Wednesday, we decided to have a slower day. We went to La Sagrada Familia, ahead of time we had decided not to go in, and to save that for our next visit when Maisie is a little older. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but amazing to see in person. I guess I am used to approaching a cathedral from further off and appreciating the grandeur as you approach, but here, you get out of the metro station and it’s literally right there in front of you! The detail you can see as you circle around the building from across the street is amazing – it’s not like any architecture I’ve seen before, and definitely worth bustling with the hoards of tourists to see it. We came across another city playground right next to the cathedral, so Maisie played for a while and then we wandered to get some lunch and finish our lap of the cathedral.
After this we went back to the top of Passeig de Garcia to have a look at some Gaudi buildings. It was very impressive, and the architecture in general is just lovely – so many old and traditional buildings. Maisie wanted to walk, or more accurately be chased, down the road which took our attention off the surroundings a little, particularly when she dove headfirst into a puddle. We decided to go and have some chill time at home. She didn’t nap, so we figured we’d go for a more relaxed dinner at the Mercata Boqueria – she loved trying different bits and running round the emptier sections. We went home via a supermarket, knowing we’d be having an evening in and bought some dessert and watched The Crown after Maisie went to sleep!
Thursday, Maisie woke up really early so Tom took her out to find a playground. We were staying in an area “undergoing gentrification” according to the AirBNB info, and in general it felt pretty safe and was great walking distance to La Rambla and a metro station. But walking the opposite way from La Rambla to where this park was, Tom said he didn’t feel great being there, and there was an obvious patch of wee in the playground, so they had to go and find somewhere else. On the whole, we felt very safe in the city.
We paid for a 5pm check out so that we didn’t have to vacate before noon, which meant we got to enjoy our last day! We walked down to the waterfront and along the harbour, then turned towards the old town to go to the older cathedral. Maisie fell asleep as we strolled so we enjoyed looking at all the old buildings and meandering the narrow characterful streets. Then we realised we could probably fit in lunch while she slept – so we aimed our wandering to a tapas bar, where we got to sit and enjoy delicious sea food and potatoes, which Maisie also enjoyed when she woke up! After this it was time to head back and pack – we detoured through Placa Reial where Maisie got to have a last good run around in the city!
Thankfully our Duolingo swotting helped us out again on the way to the airport – we decided to take the metro, and didn’t realise it was a train ride and not the metro all the way – understanding signs and notice boards got us there on time! The train journey was actually great for Maisie too – she got to stand up and wriggle unlike in a taxi. The return flight was good – we got a whole row to ourselves so Maisie had her own seat! But she also puked in some pretty bad turbulence and now HATES aeroplane seatbelts with a passion.
Overall we really enjoyed the trip and would definitely like to visit Barcelona again. There’s great architecture, food and scenery, the people are great, and there is a lot to see and do. It’s very child friendly and easy to get around.
My Hot Tips for Travelling with a Toddler
Barcelona specific – we found the metro very easy to navigate and great value for money, it was generally very stroller friendly too, we only had one station where we had to carry it up and down a set of stairs. At that point we were grateful for a lightweight travel stroller!
The apartment was amazing. It had a separate bedroom and air conditioning which meant we still had space to hang out when Maisie was asleep and it allowed us to reset before heading back out to the humid Barcelona summer air. We took my sister’s Chromecast with us so that we could satisfy the family’s Bluey needs. We had a small kitchen which meant we had the capacity to feed Maisie at home or take sandwiches out with us for her lunch, and also that we could refrigerate milk for bedtimes! The final benefit of this apartment was a washing machine – we were able to do a load of laundry half way through the holiday for sick/puddle-covered clothing!
Planning just one main thing per day helped us to set our expectations before we went and didn’t leave us disappointed when we couldn’t do everything the city had to offer. Travelling with a toddler is different, and she’s a member of the family so equally needs to be considered – Barcelona was great for having playgrounds dotted around and quiet streets for her to walk and run in. The major positive thing with Barcelona is that it’s close enough to go back to in a few years time!
What We Ate
I didn’t really mention food above, because again, travelling with a toddler is a bit different – you can’t eat in the same way we would have when travelling before Maisie. Although it wasn’t a key player in the holiday this time, we enjoyed what we did have, so here’s an overview…
Tuesday – Tom and Maisie went on a scout for breakfast and grocery staples. Came back with chocolate croissants from Cafe 365, and milk, bread and jam from the shop.
Lunch time we made Maisie a jam sandwich for when we were out. We ended up snacking on crisps when we found out Park Guell was a no-go and then ate lunch at Cafe 365 on our way back home, we had some great sandwiches – Tom had ham and I had goats cheese. I also had a delicious pineapple juice, while Tom had coffee!
Dinner we ate paella with friends!
Wednesday – Tom and Maisie went to Cafe 365 for coffee and pastries, this time apple tarts. We think Cafe 365 is a local chain – they’re all over Barcelona and a pretty good find! We’d usually go for more of a local indy, but it’s better to go somewhere bigger and more noise-friendly with Maisie!
Lunch – our old faithful Cafe 365 was right near La Sagrada Familia, and with a choice of that, Starbucks, Taco Bell or Five Guys, we decided to go with another tasty sandwich. We had a ham and cheese sandwich and a patata sandwich (Spanish omelette). We went out a little later today so Maisie had pasta at home before we left. She did have a donut at 365 though.
Dinner – we returned to Mercato Boqueria and picked up a few different bits from various vendors: chicken and cheese croquettes, empañadas, boquerones, olives, strawberries, and some oysters. We stopped at the supermarket on our way back for snacks: pastries (which were horrible), Principe biscuits, yoghurts for Mai, and some crema Catalana.
Thursday – Tom and Maisie went to Cafe 365 for croissants and coffee.
Lunch – as Maisie was asleep we decided to go to the tapas place Tom remembered from his last visit to Barcelona. It was great – we ate a bomba (potato and meat in a ball, deep fried, and in sauce), a plate of octopus, a plate of mixed fried seafood (boquerones, squid, and a white fish), patatas jai ca (essentially patatas bravas), and olives. We were truly stuffed, and it was lovely to be able to sit and enjoy the tapas. Maisie woke up toward the end and finished off the potatoes and also tried some octopus which she loved.
Dinner – we ate at the airport, Tom had a patata sandwich, and Maisie and I shared a large pizza slice, followed by a fruit pot!
Ellen Wiggins 