Barcelona
I decided for the week inbetween yingying’s departure and Dawn’s arrival that staying in paris would be such a waste of time so about i booked a weekday trip down to Barcelona!!
I wouldnt say i always wanted to go Barcelona but it was the shopping that really attracted me there first. i knew there were some pretty sights there but i had only a vague idea.
My 4 days in barcelona! well spent..i love the city, the weather, its vibe and its arts and culture. The visuals are stunning in Barcelona.





Barcelona has several of singapore’s favorite mid range brands like Mango, Zara, Pull and bear, Bershka, women’s secrets etc…
My so-called shopping trip turn out less of wat i expected. Firstly most of the prices are similar to paris just that there are more local brands like Lefties, Oysho, Uterqüe, Stradivarius, C&A and Blancoint.
Of which almost half of it are sister companies to Zara. They cater to the beachy summery barcelona and the colorful teens. As for my shopping buys, surprising most are from teh smaller locally own shops in Barcelona.
I went down the street of carrer de tallers and found some really cool vintage shops selling cheap and nice items. i bought a sweater and top from this vintage shop in the street called Holala, a nice pair of old vintage pink strap heels in another shop! haha i love my heels.
another thing to look for is Lefties in barcelona, which sells all the past season stocks from zara, mango and oysho etc… its super cheap like i got a zara skirt for 3 euros but do look out cos some of the items may have been damaged (therefore the low prices).
Theres another major cheap shopping outlet in barcelona at Diagonal Mar Centre commercial , i cant remember the name but its like the equivalent of New look.
Prices for zara here is simple, go to zara in singapore and look at the euro pricing. thats the orginal price here. so its about 20% to 40% cheaper. mango doesnt have such significant difference. There is also H&M here.
Eating:
eating in barcelona is much cheaper then in paris, food is(to me) yummier and more affordable and probably more “asian” then paris. Try out the sangria and paella at least once. Good places to go for these is by the coast, many stalls sell paellas.
The one i had was like a major restaurant (in blue)by the beachfront for 11 euros they served: Sangrias, HHUUUGGEE Paella, bruchetta, salad and a lemon sorbert 🙂 totally full.
For cheaping living cost options you can always eat the kebabs there or falafell which is about 3 euros onwards. Or if youre really a starving traveller then go to macdonalds and select from their 1 euro burgers/fries/desserts. I usually eat the happy meal which is about 3.65 euros but serves burger+fries+drink+dessert. quite filling. haha!
Living:
I stayed out of the city and in a quiet neighbourhood. booked in Hostelworld.com and i chose gardenhouse feet up hostel. Nice quiet place to return to and has a rooftop where u can watch the city lights at night. 🙂 very clean and organized too, people are friendly.
You could always stay in hostels in La ramblas or the city area but its usually quite noisy and full of parties in the hostel or out and surrounding!! which is pretty cool depending on what you seek.
Night life in Barcelona is pretty fun, theres plenty of activities at night, like a 80s vintage party or a light show followed by dance music on the steps of the art musuem…harlem jazz clubs and the other full range of pubs and clubs. Some cost about 10 to 20 plus euros or free depending on where u head out to 🙂
Places to check out:
Sangrada familia 11euros
Casa Batllo 17 euros
La Pedrera 11 euros
Park Guell free (but gaudi museum inside is 5 euros)
Mount Tibidabo ( has a theme park but i didnt go)
Pablo Espanyo (has a popular club inside but also its a old spanish artisan village)
Walk along:
Barcelonta beach
La ramblas
Passeig de Gracia
Mount Montjuic
Metros are easy to get around in Barcelona, alot like singapore/paris and you can by the T-10 tix for about 7 euros plus which is alot cheaper then the individual.
If youre plain lazy and or still have no idea where to go then just buy a tix on the hopon bus call “Barcelona Bus Turistic” which will bring you to most of the stops
I nearly missed my flt returning cos the trains from barca to aeroport comes infrequently and the freaking easyjet check-in desk are FAR FAR FAR FAR away. I felt like i ran for amazing race. so really,leave about 1.5 hours (before checkin opens) i left 1.5 hours before check in closes haha..
umm tats it i suppose!! anything just ask on my email/tagboard