Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona Birthday Trip: Sangria, Sights & Celebrations
Barcelona was the perfect place to celebrate my birthday! We stayed in an Airbnb right off Las Ramblas, which was in the heart of everything. On our first night, we had dinner along the Ramblas before heading to Dr. Stravinsky—one of the top 10 bars in the world. We barely made it in before midnight, but just in time to start my birthday with incredible cocktails and the entire restaurant singing for me! (I'll be writing a whole post about the best bars we visited in Barcelona, so stay tuned for that!)
The next morning, my breakfast of champions consisted of doner kebab and sangria—a winning combo, if you ask me. While riding the train, I got the best birthday surprise—a street performer singing Bella Ciao (from Money Heist), my favorite show/song. If you know me, you know how excited this made me!
Exploring Barcelona’s Iconic Landmarks
Our first stop was La Sagrada Família, one of the most breathtaking buildings in the world. We have been before, so this time, we admired it from the outside. I highly recommend going inside if you haven't before, the stained glass windows create a rainbow-like light effect, making the entire space feel magical. Tickets to enter start at €26, and you can buy them in advance here.
Next, we walked to La Pedrera – Casa Milà, a famous Gaudí masterpiece. Unfortunately, it was partially closed due to rain when we went, but it’s another spot I’d recommend for first-time visitors. Tickets start at €28, and you can purchase them here.
From La Sagrada Família to La Pedrera was around a 30 minute walk, but the streets are so pretty with so much to see. The buildings are all so unique, we were definitely getting tired from all the walking, but at least the view was nice!
At this point, I also discovered that drinking on the streets is legal in Barcelona, so while the guys enjoyed their beers, I was happily walking around with a bottle of wine—the ultimate birthday vibes!
For lunch, we returned to our favorite tapas restaurant from a previous trip, and it was just as fun as we remembered. I even tried a unique dessert tapa called Pamboll & Xocolata—a waffle with chocolate mousse, olive oil, and black olives. It sounds strange, but it was absolutely delicious. I might try recreating it at home, but balancing those flavors will be a challenge!
Meanwhile, Shiva left us at the restaurant and went all over town to find me a birthday cake. He “surprised” me with it as we walked by the port, though the box definitely didn’t look like KFC as he said! We had a beautiful little spread with drinks, cake, and an amazing view by the water—a perfect birthday moment.
Nightlife in Barcelona: Club Opium
After some downtime, we got ready for a night out at Club Opium. I’m not a huge club person anymore, but when traveling, I like to experience different nightlife scenes. However, this club felt way too American for me—they played mostly U.S. music, and I was really hoping for a night filled with Spanish beats. While the club wasn’t my favorite, I do love all of the bars we went to in Barcelona and I’ll be sharing a full guide to the best bars in my next post!
Barcelona always has my heart and is somewhere I will always find myself going back to, and this birthday trip was one for the books. From stunning landmarks to amazing food and drinks, it was the perfect mix of adventure and celebration!
