Barcelona in Summer: Gay Travel Tips for Catalonia

Summer in Barcelona Gay Travel Tips for the place to be in Europe’s warm South along the Mediterranean Sea. A vibrant city in Spain full of historical treasures like the Casa Milà (La Pedrera) and the unfinished Sagrada Família, a lively beach atmosphere, the red cable car cabins, and a cultural life with museums, opera, and theater. We spent a long gay couple city weekend in the home of Gaudí in summer exploring Mediterranean cuisine, spectacular views, and unexpected free open-air opera highlights. We didn’t even try to see everything the city has to offer since even a long weekend trip is not enough to see all the highlights of the Catalan city of Barcelona. We tried to go with the flow wandering off the tourist tracks through the old town of Barcelona falling into hidden shops, eating delicious ice cream, and waiting for the sunset at Barcelona’s beach. It was not difficult to enjoy Barcelona, no, it was a wonderful experience for us gay travelers. Tasting the Spanish (gay) life in Catalonia made us hungry for more, for more of the Catalan and Spanish temper, everywhere around the city. Join us gay travel bloggers on our Gay Couple City Weekend and see Barcelona Gay Travel through a couple of men‘s eyes!

Barcelona olé for a perfect Summer Break

The city of Barcelona is one of the main hot spots in Europe where travelers from all over the world can enjoy the Spanish Catalan way of life at its best. Great weather conditions, amazingly delicious and healthy cuisine combined with the tradition of enjoyment, siesta, and wonderful mild Spanish nights. Especially that part is such a wonderful experience: sitting outside in the streets, tasting a Spanish Cerveza (beer), and talking about everything and the world until the sun rises over the Mediterranean Sea. Take your time to bike or walk the city and explore the narrow and winding alleys full of treasures just waiting for you to be discovered. From Barcelona Airport (BCN) you are within half an hour by taxi in the city center. Furthermore, you can fly to the Airport Girona, but you have to calculate at least a 1.5 hours bus ride in your itinerary. Once here in Barcelona, it is hard to leave again…

Walking detours through the City of Barcelona

If you are choosing to stay in the center of Barcelona, the easiest way to the beach is to take one of the main streets south towards the beach and harbor area of Barcelona. But be warned: you will miss the charming secret corners of the old town part of the city. Trust us in this and take your time to wandering around the small side streets where no one else is going but you and be sure, you will find the most beautiful secrets you can imagine. Therefore, it is irrelevant if you are trying some tapas on a hidden square, an ice bowl at a secret fountain or, like we did, falling into a carnival shop making their own masks out of paper mache. Take the unexpected detour and take it as an important and magical piece of Barcelona.

Getting into Holiday Mood at Barcelona Beach

But even if you are taking your time exploring the city’s heart by walking around, it will bring you sooner or later downhill closer to the beach. But this is not bad at all, don’t you agree? On our way to the beach along the harbor area with all the yachts, restaurants, and markets, we could literally sense the ocean breeze with a note of sun lotion, wine, and Catalan music sounds from the restaurant’s terraces. Holiday, yes it feels like a vacation being away from daily life in the warm south of Europe.

Jardins de (Gardens of) Mossèn Costa i Llobera

Visitors can find more than 800 different types of cacti and succulent plants at the curious botanical garden not far from the city center of Barcelona. We took the Port Cable Car from close to the beach and slowly started to walk downhill through the cultivated nature with a touch of the flower island of Madeira at Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera.

All Infos for a Gay Couple City Weekend Barcelona:

• Exploring Gaudí Barcelona at Casa Milà (La Pedrera) >
• Flying over the harbor city Barcelona by Cable Car >
• All info for a Gay Couple City Weekend Barcelona >
• All about our One Day The Cruise Stopover Málaga >

Dinner at with very special Spanish Cerveza

A day on the beach made us hungry and thirsty. Thus, on our way back to the old town city center of Barcelona just a short walk from the beach we made a dinner stop at “La Fresca”. A variety of local and international beers combined with pasta for Daan and a good burger for Karl was exactly what we needed. We can recommend the small restaurant and bar on the ground floor of a Spanish building at the Carrer de la Maquinista street with open windows and Spanish music to stave off our hunger.  More Info about La Fresca >

Open Air Opera at Arco de Triunfo de Barcelona

Replete and stuffed we walked hand in hand along the beach promenade at dusk in a Northern direction, looking at handsome Spanish guys sporting at the open air beach gym. We took a left turn through the Ciutadella Park with the golden Cascada Monumental at twilight. A beautiful moment of the day. Suddenly, we heard a loud sound of music coming from the Arco de Triunfo de Barcelona at Passeig de Sant Joan. After following the music, we ended up in the middle of the public screening of La Bohème of Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu opera house. In front of the impressive backdrop of the Arco de Triunfo, we listened to a wonderful performance under the open sky peacefully together with hundreds of locals and travelers. For more information about Opera in Barcelona click here >