Tag Archives: gastronomy

5 reasons to visit Barcelona

We all know that Barcelona is a magical city and that without a doubt, you have to visit it, if you are still hesitating whether to come or not, today we present you 5 reasons why you should visit Barcelona.

Places of interest

If we had to list the 10 most characteristic things you can not miss during your visit to Barcelona. Without a doubt we would choose the following places. We would start the visit by the famous Sagrada Familia, one of the most characteristic works of Gaudi and that today is still under construction. We would continue the tour visiting La Pedrera and Casa Batlló, two emblems of the city that we are sure will surprise you. In the neighborhood of Gracia, and very close to the Batlló house, we will visit the Casa de Vicens, another work of art by Gaudí. A house of Moorish influence.

Other icons of the city are the Tibidabo, the Montjuic Castle and, of course, the Parc Guell. 3 places you should not miss thanks to their historical importance, the last two, and the Tibidabo to contemplate breathtaking views of the city.

Finally, we want to recommend 3 museums that we love such as the Museum of the History of Catalonia, the Picasso Museum and the Museum of Modern Art.

Activity for the whole family

There is no better way to explore the city, and enjoy some time with family or friends, than by bike. Born Bike Barcelona offers cultural guided tours, private tours and bike rentals. Everything for you to enjoy Barcelona on wheels, and without having to worry about public transport. 

4 guided tours to explore the port area and the Mediterranean coast, enjoy a tour of Montjuic, the oldest Barcelona or even the tapas tour. The best tours for you to discover first hand everything that a city like Barcelona has prepared for you.

Gastronomy

Of course, visiting Barcelona and not eating anything typical of the area should be a sin. During your visit to Barcelona, as you explore all its corners, taste typical dishes such as pa amb tomata, the most traditional dish that serves as both breakfast and tapa. Another of the star dishes and even celebrated abroad are the calcots. Onions cooked on the grill and then eaten with a romesco sauce. 

Other classics such as coca catalana, escalivada, butiffara with mongetes or roast chicken a la catalana, can not miss on your menu. Or the star dish of every December 26th, the cannelloni. Made with all the leftovers from the previous days.

Finally, and for the sweetest palates, savor sweets such as panellets, crema catalana, xuixos or buñuelos de cuaresma.

Supporting local commerce 

Due to the current situation, another reason why we want to encourage national tourism and your visit to Barcelona is to support local commerce, which is suffering so much from the consequences of the coronavirus. 

That is why we recommend that you sit on the terrace of your neighborhood bar, establishments dedicated to tourism or small family-run lodgings. Another tip we want to share with you is to share your experience with family, friends and even social networks and platforms such as tripadvisor. All these recommendations help future users to get a better image of the establishment and, as we all know, are of great importance in the modern times in which we live.

Finally, we suggest that you make reservations. By making these reservations, you are helping the establishment to manage its resources in a better way and this translates into less waiting time for its users. However, there are many establishments that have this reservation system, such as bars, adventure activities, tours and even parking lots. If this is your case, we want to remind you that you can compare and book your parking space at the airport of El Prat, Barajas or whatever your airport of departure is with Vuelapar. With this platform, you will be able to compare and book your parking space saving time and money.

Weather 

In Barcelona you will enjoy an enviable climate. Winters are characterized by being mild, and usually does not fall below 8 degrees and with an average of 4 days of rain per month. And on the other hand, summers are warm but without reaching extreme temperatures. With minimum temperatures of 20 degrees and maximum temperatures of 29 degrees, with an average of 2 days of rain per month. The autumn and spring months are also characterized by being very mild and with pleasant temperatures. In conclusion, a perfect climate so you do not have to worry and enjoy your visit to Barcelona to the fullest.

We are committed to cycling

Passionate about outdoor activities, sports and bicycles, we have united to ride and enjoy Barcelona fun, healthy and different. The bike is also an alternative solution to circumvent the city and the most efficient means of transport in terms of energy. It is the most practical, healthy and durable: it does not produce smoke, does not make noise, it does not consume energy and helps to recover the streets, the spaces of coexistence of citizens.

Une image contenant vélo, extérieur, bâtiment, terrain, born bike tours barcelona

The bike has many advantages and here are five of them:

1. Increased safety: The bike is a safe transportation that helps reduce the number of car accidents through variation in speed. However, we must not forget to circulate with caution and pay attention to other users of the road.

2. Better mobility: Did you know that the bike is faster than the car over short and medium urban distances? In the city center with all the prohibited senses and pedestrian spaces, the bike is the fastest transport.

3. Take care of the environment: Cycling is a key factor in reducing environmental contamination levels.

4. Greater pleasure: a cyclist occupies five times less space than a motorist, whether he is stopped as if he moves. These data have very deep implications in the well-being of residents, who can enjoy more peaceful, quieter and safe spaces.

5. Healthier: Cycling is one of the most beneficial exercises for health because large muscle groups are mobilized during the effort. If it is practiced regularly, it allows to keep in shape. In addition, it helps prevent coronary heart disease, hypertension, cholesterol and diabetes.

To book a tour or rent a bike nothing simpler, contact us
Born Bike Tours Barcelona
Carrer de la Brandsa n ° 1 08003 Barcelona
50 meters from Barceloneta metro station L (4) Yellow
✉️info@bornbikebarcelona.com.
🔹www.bornbikebikebarcelona.com.
📲 (+34) 93 319 00 20

Spanish village in Barcelona

El Pueblo Español is a museum that offers contemporary art, architecture, crafts and gastronomy. The site is made up of 117 full-scale buildings, which make up a typically Spanish town with its streets, houses, squares, theater, school, restaurants and artisan workshops. 

statue of a woman in blue clothes from Pueblo Espanyol, in Barcelona

It was built for the international exhibition that was held in Barcelona in 1929, an idea promoted by Joseo Puig I Cadafalch (Catalan architect) where they created a small town that brought together the main characteristics of all the towns in Spain. They also worked together with Joseo Puig, Francesc Folguera and Ramon Reventós, and the artists Xavier Nogués and Miquel Utrillo, in order to achieve this exhibition, they made various trips through Spain taking photographs, drawings, observing the styles and creating concepts of the different places.  

Today there are various activities, exhibitions or events. 

Tourists can visit it by taking their ticket on the website  : www.poble-espanyol.com  

Our recommendation is to rent a bicycle and tour the mountains of Montjuic, where you will find various monuments, museums and historical buildings. 

Experience the culture and the tradition of Barcelona while you are pedaling through La Mercè 2018 festivity

September 20th, 2018

Photo by Feradz

From the 21st to the 24th of September, you have a very important date with Barcelona, in order to enjoy the cultural activities that the city has prepared only for you -well, and for other miles of people too-.

As we always say, the best way to get to know a city is introducing yourself in its festivities, because popular celebrations are the best show of the local’s environment, their culture, their tradition and their gastronomy. In Barcelona, the most remarked festivity -because each neighbourhood has each own festivities- is La Mercè celebration. And this year it will be celebrated from the 21st to the 24th of September.

From expositions, “cercaviles”, castellers, giants, sardanes to the night concerts and light shows.

You should be fit riding the bicycle, if you want to arrive at everything!

Take a look to the daily activities programming in https://www.barcelona.cat/lamerce/en and take the most advantage of this celebration. You only can enjoy it once a year.

 

The Easter Week, some perfect days to pedal through the streets of Barcelona

March 27th, 2018

Photo by Mari Carmen Díaz

This Easter Week say goodbye to the umbrella and prepare yourself for a tour through the activities in Barcelona with your bicycle. Here are some suggestions.

Park and garden tour

Barcelona is a beautiful city because of its beaches, its architecture, but, also because of its parks and gardens distributed through different points of the city. One of our favorite parks is the Parc de la Ciutadella. By bicycle or walking, this lovely and immense park, in the center of the city, is one of the most passed through parks.

But, if you feel more courageous, you can go to the Laribal’s Gardens by bicycle, in the district of Sants-Montjuïc, away from the center, but with incredible views.

And, in order to close the triangle, in the other extreme of Barcelona, we have the Horta’s Labyrinth, the oldest park of Barcelona.

One of beaches, please.

Pedaling through the Passeig Maritim, you will enjoy the tranquility of these days at the beach. Although you could think that this is a perfect destination for summer, these days the beach is also beautiful and very, very calm. So, it is one of the best moments to enjoy its breeze.

Gastronomic tour.

From the beach to the center is a nice pedaling experience by bicycle, without hills and full of bars and restaurants where you can rest, refresh yourself and eat some tapas –the typical Spanish appetizers-. But, if we are talking about eating during these days, above all, you shouldn’t miss the famous Easter “mona” cake. Although it is supposed that it has to be a present for our godsons and goddaughters, these cakes are delicious and this is a dessert that we should enjoy.

Haven’t you you decided yet? Come to Born Bike Barcelona Tours, we are going to help you 😉

These holidays, experience Barcelona like a local person

July 25th, 2017

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Fiestas, gastronomy and architecture are the three keys that will help you to enjoy Barcelona as though you had lived here all your life.

Barcelona keeps its high level of activities during the whole year, but, during summer, coinciding with the fiestas of some of its districts is much easier.

During these fiestas, all families in the neighborhood work in the organization and in the celebration. For this reason, if you are looking for typical elements of the popular Catalan culture -sardanes, grallers, giants, music…-, in these fiestas, you will find them.

During the next weeks we will announce them.

Gastronomy is another one of the essentials keys, in order to get to know the culture and, in addition, this is one of the best pleasures which we can access easily. In Barcelona, walking through the narrow streets in the center, at the Gòtic or the Born, at the port or, even, in other neighborhoods like Gracia or Sants-full of pedestrian streets and squares- we will be surrounded by restaurants and bars, where we will be able to eat some tapas -Spanish appetizers.

Finally, architecture, the one which we can find walking at the street level, is the key that has converted Barcelona into the most important modernist city. You shouldn’t miss that.

The best of all of this is that you can achieve all these key points while you are riding your bike placidly around the city.

What should you eat if you are visiting Barcelona? The most popular gastronomy

May 16th, 2017

Photo by Javier Lastras

Barcelona gathers the most traditional food of the Catalan cuisine. The major part of the bars of Barcelona have menu which combines sea and mountain foods perfectly.

In order to get familiar with a city, its people and its culture, getting close to the bars and restaurants which offer us the popular gastronomy of the place is essential.

Barcelona is not different in this aspect, and all its tapas (Spanish appetizers) and menus are characterized by their perfect mixture of sea and mountain. So, in this case, bars, restaurants and markets are an obligatory visit.

You cannot only eat the “pa amb tomàquet” (tomato rubbed on bread). In spite of being one of the best inventions of our gastronomy, you shouldn’t miss combining it with some cold meat (fuet, llonganissa, cheese, ham…) or with fried squid or with some “seitons” (anchovies) in vinegar.

When you choose the menu, you should be guided by the seasonal food. During winter, you will be grateful for a good stew, a Catalan “escudella” or a fricassee. At the beginning of spring it should be some “calçots” with romesco sauce. During summer the “coca catalana” (Catalan tart) or the “escalivada” with cheese will help you renew energy. For autumn, a soupy rice with mushrooms. And the jack of all trades during the whole year is the Catalan sausage with beans.

Obviously, to base the typical Catalan gastronomy only on these dishes is miscalculate the Catalan food, but a list with all the typical Catalan dishes won’t fit into only one blog post. So, you should get a good gastronomic guide which will help you not to miss any of the delicious morsels that Barcelona offers.

Barcelona is going to be dressed up by the Carnival this week

February 21st, 2017

From the 23rd of February to the 1st of March, this fiesta of the popular culture is going to be present in the city, with a great number of performances and activities for all ages.

Carnival is a great date for going to visit other cities, because it is a fiesta which is enjoyed and, at the same time organized, by a lot of entities of the local society. A fact that turns that into a unique piece of popular culture.

From costumes, your Most Gracious Highness the King of the Carnival, to the Catalan sausage -made with egg, which is typical of the “fatty Thursday”, because gastronomy also enjoys this fiesta. All in all, it’s a combination that you will not be able to resist.

Take your bike and take a ride through the different activities of the neighborhoods. Go into the markets and taste the diverse varieties of the Catalan sausages. And, specially, go to one of the two great events of this Thursday: at 6 p.m. at the Palau de la Virreina, the Seven Ambassadors. At the same time, at the Plaça Sant Jaume, the arrival of the King of the Carnival with animation will take place.

Take your bike and pedal through the dressed-up streets of Barcelona!

Pedaling through the activities in Barcelona during this weekend with the fiesta of Sant Antoni

January 24th, 2017

On the evening of this Saturday, the 28th of January, you will have work if you want to celebrate this fiesta of Sant Antoni with the best traditions.

On one hand, the streets of the lovely neighborhood of Gràcia will be full of life with this Majorcan fiesta: els Foguerons, which is reaching the 25 years of celebration in Barcelona. A tradition which comes directly from Sa Pobla and gathers its community with the people of this neighborhood around a bonfire.

Don’t arrive late. Music, gastronomy and dancing will start at 9.30 p.m.

On the other hand -and unfortunately, at a very similar hour-, the neighborhood of Clot will celebrate Sant Antoni too.

In this case, the theme will be focused on a very special pork: the capgròs del Pork del Clot, a large-figure of the head of a Pork- This fiesta, which has been celebrated during the last 3 years, doesn’t leave you hungry. Its main course? A degustation of delicious tapas -appetizers-, every one of them prepared, obviously, with pork meat.

This fiesta starts at 6 p.m. and finishes at 10 p.m. -and it only costs 5€-, so, if you are still hungry, at 9 p.m. you can go directly to Gràcia. The communication between these two neighborhoods is very simple. Go to Plaça de les Glòries, start to pedal there through Avinguda Diagonal until you arrive at Passeig Sant Joan, and there burn some fat with its ascent for arriving at Gràcia. All this journey is connected by a comfortable and safe bike line.

‘La Mercè’, the great fiesta in Barcelona, is coming

September 20th, 2016

Tradition, culture, music, gastronomy… everything you want to know about Barcelona is summed up from the 22nd to the 25th of September.

Photo by: Feradz

One more year, Barcelona will celebrate its great fiesta, La Mercè, which, this year, is going to be celebrated from the 22nd to the 25th of September. And we will never get tired of repeating that: if you really want to experience the city the same as an authentic local person, a celebration like this one is the best opportunity for achieving this. So, if you are visiting Barcelona this days, you shouldn’t miss this.

During the day, you will enjoy all the activities that you can imagine for all the family in the streets of the city. During the night, you will have the best local and international music concerts. A lot of people are going to come these days in order to enjoy and keep this amazing fiesta alive, are you going to be one of them?

Remember, the 22nd is going to be celebrated as the Day Without Cars in Barcelona and the bicycle will take over all the importance in this city, maintaining it clean of fumes during this first day of the festivity.

Are you going to come with us to pedal during the fiestas?

Tips about how to enjoy Barcelona as a local person

August 9th, 2016

There are three key elements to guarantee that your visit to the city will be worth while

The fiestas
As we already explained some weeks ago, summer is the time when the major fiestas of Barcelona’s neighborhoods find place (you can consult the dates and places a few articles further down). The fiestas are a concentration of tradition and culture that gathers the local people and is even organized by them. Human towers, fok musicians, giants, Catalan music and sardanas are elements that are usually always present.

The food
Barcelona is full of restaurants and bars, from the busiest zones with a lot of people, as well as the harbor and the beach, passing through the neighborhoods with squares and the best atmosphere, like Gràcia and Sants, to the most residential ones or full of offices, such as Poble Nou or les Corts (the list, in reality, is interminable, because we have found good places to have appetizers or a good daily menu in all parts).

The architecture
Right on the street and totally free, you have real modernist jewels spread through the entire city. From buildings you can enter (and here you do have to pay) to markets full of local products, that you definitely shouldn’t miss if you like to go shopping.
Everything is perfectly connected through the bicycle lane so that you don’t miss anything and take maximum advantage of your time in the city using the best transport – the bicycle.

The markets of Barcelona, gastronomic culture and tradition

May 23th , 2016

Last days for “Love your market” in the International Week of Markets, which has been held since the 15th of May and which is going to finish next Thursday, the 31st.

Under the motto “Choose the market, choose health”, from the 15th, the 3rd edition of this initiative, the International Week of Markets, has been held and which has been joined by municipal markets of Barcelona and other ones of the province.

As we have insisted in other blog entrances, a perfect way to get to know Barcelona in a gastronomic manner and to go to shopping is visiting the incredible markets of Barcelona, which, at the same time, are architectonic jewels. But, these days, in addition, we have the incentive of the activities which are being held in these places for everyone in the family: workshops, talks, gourmet samplings and gastronomic competitions.

barcelona-market-1319601All of these activities pretend to foment the promotion of responsible, safe and healthy nutrition. At the same time, they also aim to promote the market products, fresh and high-quality products.

If you are from Barcelona or you are spending some days here, you don’t have any excuse not to take your bicycle and come to take a stroll through one of these city markets.