Monday, November 10, 2014

Barcelona for Fashionistas and Urbanites

Barcelona is a real  open-minded and forward-thinking city, an amazing mix of traditions and modernity, which is attracting many urbanites from the globe.  Here my ten must-do in Barcelona for fashionistas and urbanites* (in no particular order, from my recent trip there):

1.   Don't know where to stay? One of the coolest hotel and scene of Barcelona night life is the W Barcelona Hotel and resident Eclipse Bar,  just in front of Barceloneta Beach.
Blazer and leopard print dress: Liu Jo
Stockings: Wolford
Pumps: Zara

2.   Barcelona is a Zara addict paradise: the density of Zara stores is the highest on universe in the city center (around Plaça de Catalunya), the merchandise is fully available in all styles/sizes and prices are a good 20% less than in the rest of Europe. Same applies for  Mango and Desigual. I couldn’t miss to buy two new pairs of Zara heels, ops...  :-)
Zip tights: WOLFORD
Golden Pumps: ZARA


3.    Passeig de Gràcia is the luxury shopping area, where you can find the Chanel, Saint Laurent, Prada, Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik stores.... For the shoe lovers like me: here you can find a detailed list of shoe brands and stores  in Barcelona (International and Spanish, such as Castañer, Bibi Lou, Pura López, .... )


4.    Best tapas in town (no tourist trap, just be ready to queue):  Cerveseria Catalana, close to Passeig de Gracias


5.   Antoni Gaudí is the visionary artist and architect who shaped the city late 19th and early 20th century culture and landscape, his creations are a unique mix of fantasy, art, religion and technique...



Gaudi - Casa Batlló


6.    There are many ways to move in Barcelona: you can of course walk across the city main streets, full of people and things to be seen (Las Ramblas, Passeig de Gracia, the narrow streets in El Barrio), take the modern metro or one of the frequent bus tours, that you can get on and off all day long to stop visiting the places you prefer (these bus include an audio guide to the city and wi-fi access). There are actually many other pretty cool and even more flexible options to discover Barcelona at your own pace, i.e. renting an eBIKE connected to an iPhone with a built-in GPS device with GPS, a go-cart , a Twizy (a two-seater electric vehicle), or other eco-friendly vehicles.





7.    Barceloneta Beach is one of the liveliest and coolest area in the city: you can stroll, run, skate, bike, play tennis, tennis, paddle tennis, beach volley, waterpolo and actually surf …. Prior to the 1992 Olympic Games, Barceloneta was one of the worst areas of Barcelona (an ugly industrial zone , known as 'The Catalan Manchester') .


November in Barceloneta Beach

All pics are mine, except this one by Oscar.

8.    From the Montjuïc Cable Car you can  enjoy the best panoramic views of Barcelona (another amazing spot is the Miramar Hotel terrace at sunset).

9.  Barcelona offers a full variety of cuisines and restaurants. We were suggested by some local friends to try Roig Robi': "traditional Catalan cuisine, enhanced and adapted to suit modern tastes". We liked it.


10.  La Bouqueria Food Market. In the mid of Barcelona Ramblas: "At the Boqueria people eat, shop and gossip together doing what the Spanish excel at, living life well and enjoying a sense of community."  Best place for a quick, informal lunch sitting at the market stalls and tasting jamon serrano, embutidos and other local specialties.


When visiting this city, I'm sure you'll build easily your own must-go list... Enjoy.

Thanks for visiting my website. XOXO

Spikey V.

* Urbanite = A person who inhabits one of the major cities in the world, not necessarily defined by age, but by commonalities.  An urbanite is an affluent consumer with an optimistic outlook on life that is very different from those who live in "small town" or rural areas. Urbanites are both a subculture and a contemporary lifestyle. They have 6 key characteristics: Time-poor, city-proud, media-literate, brand-centric, trend-sensitive and culturally-aware. Read more




1 comment:

  1. Hola, I agree with you: W appears to be the coolest hotel in Barcelona. I'm actually planning to visit Barcelona and stay there for new year eve. Can't wait to be there. :-)

    Kristine

    ReplyDelete