Hi! I’m Shanta, and I spent my Winter 2025 Semester abroad in Barcelona studying at UAB. Studying abroad was the best experience of my life, and here are a couple of tips and tricks for making the most of your time in Barcelona!
Barcelona is home to incredible restaurants and food, you just have to look in the right places. I used the app Beli to find a lot of restaurants that ended up being my friends’ favorite restaurants abroad! Some all-time favorites include Oaxaca (Mexican), Luigi (Italian), and Harry’s (Italian). I also recommend asking locals where they like to go; they always know the best spots in town.
When you see a restaurant with big photos of tapas and other food all over the entrance, and if they have someone standing on the sidewalk trying to get people to eat at the restaurant (especially if it’s near a tourist attraction) the food will probably be bad quality and a tourist trap. Understated places are much better.
Who doesn’t love a sweet treat after a meal? Churros, gelato, and chocolate-covered strawberries are some of my Barcelona favorites. For impeccable gelato, head to Badiani, and for chocolate-covered strawberries, try the Mercat de la Boqueria. Churros will be amazing wherever you go, so see what’s closest to you and give it a try!
Google Maps and City Mappers will become your best friends! Pin your school, apartment or dorm, and any other spots you end up frequenting as locations in both apps. That way it’s easy to get there whenever you need to quickly.
Try biking! One of the most fun ways to spend a day in Barcelona is to rent an e-bike, bike around your neighborhood and down to the Barcelonetta beach, where you can bike along the boardwalk with palm trees on either side and a beautiful beach right next to you. You can rent bikes through the Lime, Uber, and FreeNow apps, and there are usually several available on every street!
Get a 30-day T Mobilat card for the metro once you arrive. Familiarize yourself with the stop that’s closest to your dorm or apartment so you’re always able to make your way back. Don’t try to sneak onto the train if you forget your card; they will fine you up to $100! It’s always better to miss a train and be a few minutes late than to get caught without your train card.
During that first week when you get to Barcelona before classes begin, make sure to plan how you will get to class every day. My apartment was near campus, so I was able to walk, but some of my friends took the train or the bus. Decide what works best for you and learn it.
Download Bolt and FreeNow. Like Uber and Lyft, but with taxis, these apps will allow you to call a taxi in advance and track your location. For safety, it’s better to call a car using these apps, because in case of an incident, you can report it.
Barcelona is relatively safe, but pickpocketing is the biggest problem. To stay safe, never leave your phone on a table, even if it’s right in front of you or you’re inside a restaurant. Similarly, don’t leave your purse on the floor by your chair, or a phone in a jacket pocket hanging off your chair. Have everything secured to your body in some way at all times, and be aware of your surroundings, especially when in a big crowd.
Make sure you have your friends’ locations on FindMy or another location-sharing app, and that they have your location. It is easy to get lost when moving to a big city, and having your friends' locations is so important to keep everyone safe.
For Uber rides late at night, share your ETA with a friend. Whenever you go somewhere alone, make sure at least one person knows where you are and approximately when you plan to come back home.
Always know where your passport is. When you’re at the airport, check that you still have it before you move to a different area. When you are traveling make sure you know it’s safe, and in Barcelona, leave it in a safe spot in your dorm.
Sagrada Familia - Get a ticket to see the inside, it is beautiful and so unique, definitely worth it! Book at least 1-2 weeks in advance.
Casa Battlo - get the blue ticket. Evening rooftop concerts on weekends.
Parc Guell
Barcelonetta Beach
Rent a canoe at Parc Ciatudella
Barcelona Cathedral
Bunkers del Carmel - sunset is beautiful
Hike Montserrat - plan a whole day for this, it takes some time to get there but is so worth it for a nature escape
Kiss mural
Arc de Triomf
Montjuic
Tibidabo - for a fun day with an amusement park and a beautiful cathedral
Jardins de Joan Maragall
Plan ahead! If you think you’re booking things too early, you’re not. Every week you delay booking could be another $100 you’re spending on a weekend, so once you know your plan, book asap.
Use websites and apps like Google Flights, Skyscanner, and Expedia to get the cheapest flights. On Google Flights, you can track the price of a certain flight, and it will email you when the price changes, so you can determine the best time to book.
For cheap accommodation, check Hostelworld and Booking.com. You can also get great deals on Airbnb, especially if traveling with a group of friends. It was often cheaper to split an Airbnb and share beds than to get beds in a hostel.
Book your trip far in advance if going on popular weekend trips, such as Oktoberfest, St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin, Valentine’s Day in Paris, etc. Activities, museums, restaurants, and more will also sell out, so don’t forget to book those in advance too.
Get out of your comfort zone! Study abroad is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so push yourself to try new things. Try a cooking class, learn how to salsa, make new friends, and learn some of the language. You never know what new passion you’ll unlock or what kinds of people you’ll meet unless you try something different!
Document your trip! Update your family and friends about your adventures! Collect one of the same thing in every city you visit (postcard, magnet, etc), take photos and videos, journal, scrapbook. You will never forget your abroad experience, and having physical ways to remember it will stay with you forever. I collected postcards in every city, and I made a collage of all of them that I’ll frame and hang up in my bedroom in Ann Arbor.
While you explore Barcelona, make time to explore the rest of Spain and travel outside of Spain as well! Some of my favorite memories from study abroad are from my trips to Morocco, Italy, Greece, and Valencia. If you’re into fitness, there are lots of classes you can book through ClassPass, as well as several gyms in the area. I got a membership at DiR, they have many locations around the city and it was super convenient.
If your school offers it, take an art or architecture class that includes field trips to museums and monuments in Barcelona! I learned about and saw so much art that I never would have found without my class (The Great Art Collections).
Read the emails you get from your program about Weekly Events in Barcelona and ways to immerse yourself in the culture, and take advantage of the program's included trips and classes. They are such great resources and opportunities to make the most of your time abroad.
Have fun and enjoy every moment of abroad, it truly is the best decision you can make :)
