There are many places in Europe that you could say are more well-known, or more traveled to than Barcelona, but this city was one that we totally weren’t expecting to be as great as it really was. At first glance, we figured that Barcelona would have a few note-worthy landmarks that we could easily cross off our bucket list, but from there it just kept getting better and better. It seemed like every corner we turned revealed something new and unexpected that made the journey that much better. Perhaps it’s sometimes worth going into an adventure without too much pretense or expectation, but when you practically travel for a living it tends to take more and more to catch your attention.

Spain overall has been a great destination, from coast to coast. Being based out of North America we rarely hear much about the country (in terms of tourism), and when we think of the term “Spanish” we tend to think of our neighbors to the South rather than its origins over the sea in Europe. Barcelona is a world-class city that has days worth of activities and Must-Dos for any avid art aficionado or urban adventurer.

The first and foremost Must Do when in Barcelona is to stop by the Sagrada Familia Basilica, which I don’t think you could miss if you ever looked over the Barcelona skyline. This building has been under construction for over 136 years and is still ongoing. The architectural style is something completely unlike any religious structure you have been in, thanks to its grand architect Antoni Gaudí. His design influence is prevalent across the whole city and was an inspiration to many designers since.

If you enjoy this type of architecture you would really get a kick out of Park Güell, which was co-designed by Gaudi too in the early 1900’s. This park is a great representation of his Organic style, which attempts to incorporate the feeling of naturally occurring formations within his building style. The entire place almost feels like being on a movie set from some fantasy world, and I can only imagine how much more surreal this place must have felt about 100 years ago when it first opened to the public.

There are many other UNESCO World Heritage sites across the city, and they all tend to draw in a lot of tourists. These are great spots to stop and take photos to send back home to your friends too. Some of our other favorite stops were the museums, in particular, the Dali Museum and the Picasso Museum. These two places house some of the most recognized art in the entire world thanks to their 20th-century painters.

Maybe it was that spirit of creativity and originality that sparked a renewed feeling of wanderlust in Barcelona. Or maybe this place just resonates well with people on a certain frequency. You could call it magic or majesty, or whatever, but it was definitely undeniably in the air.

From here we are headed on to more stops on the Iberian Peninsula, as we continue on to Madrid and then ultimately Portugal on this trip. The Summertime seems like a great time to visit, and everywhere we go here is bustling with tourists and people having a good time.