La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s obsession and last burden, and Barcelona’s most famous church is a gorgeous monstrosity of stones and sculptures that will fascinate you. La Sagrada Familia (the Holy Family in Spanish) is a masterpiece of architecture you have to see before your death (or before you leave Barcelona) and we’re here to ease your task by giving you tips on how to fully admire La Sagrada Familia and go straight to the point! Have a look:

La Sagrada Familia in Figures :

• Years of construction : 128 (so far…)
• Completion year: 2026 ?
• Towers : 8
• Size : 12,800 m2
• Highest point : 170 m
• Stones employed so far:  22 different types
• People working on the site: around 350 persons
• Visitors: 2.5 millions each year
• Cost of the construction: € 18 million JUST for 2009…

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Gracia was once a small village that became part of Barcelona after the “Eixample” (the extension) was build at the end of the 19^th century. Gracia is situated directly above Eixample and as an originally tiny village it has a noticeablely different layout. The streets are narrow and short. There are a few longer streets such as Calle Verdi, which starts at the top of Placa de la Revolución and goes all the way up to Barcelona’s most famous parc: “Parc Guell designed by Antonio Gaudi”. The street is named after the world famous opera music composer from Italy: Guiseppe Verdi who lived from 1813-1901.  Read more...

Ojos de Brujo The Most Famous Musicians from Barcelona

Ojos de Brujo originated in Barcelona, the group’s name (eyes of the sorcerer) refers to a way of looking at the world and everything in it with a certain degree of depth and wisdom, something similar to reading between the lines, as the group members explained.

Some of the Most Famous Musicians from Barcelona formed the group Ojosde Brujo in 1996 after continuous jam sessions in the neighbourhood Raval where the founders often met at Carrer dels Escudellers number 6 with a lot of other now world famous musicians. The place turned into a Mecca for all kinds of musicians from North Africa, Southern Europe, and Latin America. People used to meet each other and improvise even performing live on the streets for free.  Read more...

Everybody is on Facebook nowadays, even the great Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi who built the Sagrada Familia, Park Güell and many more buildings in Barcelona. Here are some very unusual pieces of information about Gaudi’s life. More about Gaudi’s biography is about to come on SuiteLife website. Don’t miss it!!

PortAventura: Family Amusement Park in Barcelona

Last Saturday, I went to the biggest theme park in Barcelona; PortAventura. PortAventura is a major family amusement park that covers around 34.000m2 and 33 attractions. Though it’s not very close to Barcelona, people refer to it as the amusement park of Barcelona. The train from Sants Estació will take you there in 1 hour and 15 minutes for about 9 € roundtrip.

My roommate was smart enough to buy our entrance tickets online, so we could sneak past the immense queue and enter the park immediately. Just to give you a tip: if you plan on going for a one-day trip or a weekend away and want to skip the queue for buying your entrance ticket, check the Spanish version of the website (.es) since there are no one-day or two-day tickets available on the English website (.com).  Read more...

La Catederal - La Palma, Mallorca

I couldn’t believe it took me five years of living in BCN to venture off and explore the island of Mallorca but I suppose what I was subconsciously longing for was the opportunity to see it through a native’s eyes.

We jetted off on Thursday quick 1/2 hour flight to Palma the capital.  <try Vueling.com for cheap flights>  The Palma airport parking lot is a jungle of car rental companies so ask around for the best rate <we got a smart car for 50 € for 30 hours at a great budget company called Record>.

We took off and an hour later slammed into the coast.  The lazy picturesque town of  Port Soller is an hour’s delight.  The little rocky beach littered with sun umbrellas splashing children topless sunbathing beauties.  The centuries old town rolls off into the hills in the distance.  A little antique train passes behind the beach bringing a handful of tourists and families to the beach stop.  A bicycle cop stops to flirt with a young girl sitting on a bench. We’re back in the car bathing suits still dripping wet and off on our winding ascent up and over the Tramontana mountains.  Read more...

Sometimes you just need to get away from it all for a day. Here are some recommended destinations for day trips from Barcelona:

Life’s a Beach!:

Sitges: Sitges is a small town just a 1/2 hour train ride down the coast. If you’re trying to escape the tourists, then this is not the place. However, the beaches are nicer and there is abundant nightlife. Big gay community here and during Carnival it’s off the hook!

How to get there: The fastest way is to jump on the RENFE (leaves every 30 minutes) train from Passeig de Gracia station. Shouldn’t cost more than about 5-8 Euros roundtrip. For rates and schedules check out www.renfe.es

Tossa de Mar: Tossa is truly a gem of the Costa Brava. This small town is host to a gorgeous beach, excellent restaurants, and even ancient ruins. Try the Pandora’s Box walking tour, or just lay out in the sun and throw the frisbee. Either way, you’ll be glad you got away for the day. Tons of info here: www.tossacostabrava.com  Read more...