5 Days in Barcelona and Madrid

Ya girl finally got to live her Cheetah Girl dreams in Spain this past February. This trip easily became one of my favorite vacations EVER (tied with my trip to Iceland).

I curated my itinerary from YouTube travel vlogs, Pinterest articles and recs from friends along with the help of my travel buddy. Here’s what I was up to during my five days in Espańa!

(Bonus: If you’re traveling in February/early March like me, you can see my recommendations on how to dress for the weather here.)

Barcelona Day 1- Mercado de la Boquiera, La Rambla, Picasso Museum

Getting around

Once we landed in Barcelona, we purchased train tickets at the station conveniently attached to the airport. We took the train into the city to the neighborhood of Born where our Airbnb was located. Ticket machines offer instructions in several languages. Taking the train was a very efficient and affordable way to travel. Highly recommend. I used my phone to navigate on foot and from station to station (Check with your cell provider to see options for international data plans. I paid $10/day for international data through AT&T).

Mercado de la Boquiera

This outdoor food market was so dope! There was fresh fruit, juices, baked goods and drinks in vibrant colors as far as the eye could see. Of note, because this market is outdoors, you will see a number of pigeon friends hanging out around the stalls. Weak stomachs beware of possible food poisoning. I had a bomb empanada here and was fine. My years of eating trace E. Coli at Chipotle finally paid off. When in doubt, ask for your food to be warmed up if possible.

How Much Spanish Do I Need to Know?

Here we put our limited Spanish to the test (i.e. pointing and exclaiming “empanada” followed by “gracias”). It was a relief to find that shop owners spoke a good bit of English in relatively touristy areas, enough to answer simple questions and make recommendations. The people of Barcelona speak Catalan, a language derived directly from Latin and thus sharing similarities with Spanish, French, and Italian. Knowing some Spanish, however, is still better than none at all.

Picasso Museum

We then wrapped up the night with a trip to Museu Picasso de Barcelona, a museum housing one of the largest collections of works by Picasso. The museum was free between 6:30pm-9pm on Thursday, so we stopped by. Pro-tip: A number of museums in Spain are free and open to the public during specific hours, usually in the evenings. Check before purchasing tickets if your itinerary is flexible.

Exploring Born and La Rambla

We ended our night on La Rambla, a major tourist and shopping street. It was cool visiting the exclusively European stores I recognized from the international YouTubers I’ve been following for years. We then walked a few more minutes back to our Airbnb in the neighborhood of Born. I LOVED Born. The area was much less crowded, yet just as vibrant and bursting at the seams with unique shops and local cafes. Most nights we passed up on clubbing to go back to our neighborhood to bar/tapa hop. If I ever return to Barcelona again, I’ll definitely stay in Born.

Our AirBnb

Views from our balcony

Barcelona Day 2- Park Guell, Gaudi House Museum, La Sagrada Familia

Park Güell

After breakfast at a local Born cafe, we started our day at Barcelona’s famous Park Güell. All park visitors must purchase tickets to enter. We purchased tickets online for quicker entry. Our tickets included a complimentary bus ride from a nearby train station. Bonus: This is one of the sites where the music video “Strut” was filmed in The Cheetah Girls 2. My travel buddy and I filmed our own video here. You can view it on my Instagram lmao.

The park’s focal point is a sea-serpent shaped bench on the main terrace that features an array of colorful tiles forming a beautiful mosaic.

Gaudi House Museum

Also nestled within the park is the Gaudi House Museum. Antoni Gaudi was a an inconic Catalan architect who’s stunningly unique structures can be found all over Barcelona. He originally planned Park Güell to be a housing development where individuals could purchase plots to build their own homes. His home was located here and became one of only two homes to be built before the park was abandoned for several years. You can buy tickets to tour his home and learn more about his life.

La Sagrada Familia

Our next stop was the world famous Sagrada Familia, a massive Catholic basilica also designed by Gaudi. Unfortunately, Gaudi was run over by a tram and killed before the Basilica’s completion. Interestingly enough, this massive basilica is still being constructed to this day. It’s set to be completed in 2026 to coincide with the 100 year anniversary of Gaudi’s death. The details in this massive structure are so intricate and breathtaking. I was thoroughly impressed. Anyone who visits should grab a headset from the entrance to take in all of the details with a self-guided audio tour.

Barcelona Day 3- Casa Batlló, Skybar, El Nacional, Gothic Quarter, Port Vell

This was our least planned, yet most fun day!

Casa Batllò

This gorgeous underwater themed home was designed by Gaudi for a wealthy Spanish family. Tickets to tour can be purchased online or in person. This house was stunning.

Mojitos and Patatas Bravas at Skybar

We then walked the Passieg de Gratia, a busy commercial street full of shops and eateries before setting our sights on rooftop drinks at Skybar.

Name a prettier mojito, I’ll wait!

The Gothic Quarter

Outside of Born this was my favorite area to explore with its Gothic architecture and beautiful winding alleyways full of shops selling everything from affordable leather goods to ceramics. I bought most of my souvenirs here for just a few euros.

30 seconds after stepping into the Gothic Quarter, we were already buying gelato

Port Vell

We stumbled upon Port Vell on our walk from the Gothic Quarter to Born and stopped for waterfront libations. This mojito may have you standing in a dimly lit bathroom staring at your own reflection for several minutes…so I’ve heard ;) .

El Nacional

We wrapped up our favorite day with dinner at El Nacional, a gorgeous indoor foodcourt featuring several restaurants and bars serving delicious drinks and food! Perfect last night in Barcelona .

Madrid Day 4 - Royal Palace of Madrid, Plaza Mayor, Mercado de San Miguel

We took an early morning train from Barcelona to Madrid for ~$100. The train ride was about four hours long.

Tapas at Tapa Tapa

…yeah that was the name of the restaurant.

Sol and Palacio Real De Madrid

When you fold and forget to buy tickets to tour the royal palace, you end up taking artistic photos through the grandiose gate encircling it. Still worth seeing and was a few minutes walk from our Airbnb in Sol. Sol was poppin and super close to many points of interest.

Plaza Mayor

This massive public square is the perfect place to grab food or do some day drinking .

4 story Primark and Grand Via

We had to make a stop at the 4 story Primark on Grand Via another major shopping street featuring all your faves from Zara to Nike. (Sidenote: visiting Zara in Spain where it originated was an out of body experience, 10/10 would recommend). Back to Primark. Think Forever21, but Irish. I didn’t buy anything here but it was worth visiting just to see the madness.

Mercado de San Miguel

A must visit. This indoor food market across from our Airbnb was the MVP of our trip. We came back three times to try all of the delicious and cheap tapas and alcohol. We came, we ate, we double fisted, and we conquered. Definitely check it out .

We tried our luck with paella here. Everyone says you have to try this dish when you come to Spain because it’s apparently so good. It was not .

In all fairness, the seasoned travelers in my IG DMs informed me that it’s much tastier in regions near the sea where paella originates. Fair.

Madrid Day 5- Federal Cafe, Random Museums, Ginko Restaurante & Skybar, Mercado de San Miguel (again)

The Federal

We started our last full day in Madrid with a bomb breakfast at Federal Cafe. Go. Thank me l8r.

Thyssen Bornemisza Museum

Unfortunately our plans to visit El Retiro Park, and more specifically Palacio de Cristal were foiled due to strong winds that prompted officials to close the park for the day. We opted for another free museum. Not much else to say. It was a museum. Very pretty.

Ginko Restaurant & Skybar

After the museum, we did what we do best and visited yet another gorgeous rooftop bar. We grew tired of walking around in the winds and opted for an Uber ride there.

Mercado de San Miguel

Our third visit to the market to blow our last few euros prior to departure the next day. Is anyone surprised?

I thoroughly enjoyed both Barcelona and Madrid. Both were super easy to navigate around both on foot and via public transportation. We easily walked 12 miles a day, exploring cool neighborhoods and wandering aimlessly into cafes and local shops. (Of note, Uber is not available in Barcelona, but we were pleased to find that it was in Madrid. Otherwise, taxis are your best bet). I spent about 60 euro/day indulging in all the tapas, alcohol, and deserts my little heart desired! You can probably get by on less if you’re not a foodie because food is super affordable. If you’re a fashion rat like me, go ahead and leave some space in your suitcase. The shopping in Barcelona and Madrid were phenomenal, and you’ll definitely want to pick up a few things before you leave.

Again, Spain was a dream, and I will definitely have to return to eat myself through another city.