Episode 55: 5 Tips for Exploring Barcelona like a Local with Matt Ford

Angie Orth:

It's easy to put a few research hours into your travel destination before you pack your bags. Heck, that's half the fun. But what if you're looking for something a little more authentic? Well, it always helps to talk to a local. That's why today I'm back with Barcelona-based journalist and filmmaker Matt Ford. In this mini-episode, you'll hear Matt's best tips and recommendations for experiencing Barcelona from a local perspective. So, put away that dime-a-dozen guidebook. It's time to dig a little deeper and get up close and personal with Catalonia's capital city.

What languages do we hear spoken in Barcelona? Can you get by with Spanish and English?

Matt Ford:

You'll hear a lot of Catalan because we're in Catalonia and also Spanish because we're in Spain. Nowadays, if people are on the younger side, they're usually going to speak English because they do learn English in the schools, and a lot of people study all over Europe and sometimes in the U.S., so English is becoming more and more prevalent.

You're also going to hear some German because this is a big nearshoring hub for German companies. You're going to occasionally hear Ukrainian because Barcelona took in a lot of Ukrainian refugees. There are going to be a lot of different languages, but English tends to be a big common language for tourism and tourists. Unlike in Paris, where people might get really picky about how you use French, people aren't very picky about how you speak Spanish or Catalan.

I'll give you 2 phrases, say “bon dia” and “adeu.” Bon dia is hello, good day and adeu is goodbye. If you throw those out as a tourist, people are like, “Hey, you using the Catalan language. All right, I'll get you something special.” It's a good way to ingratiate yourself with the locals straight off the bat. You don't need to speak a lot of it, but people will appreciate that you're trying.

Angie:

That's so nice. It's nice when they bring you out a little extra piece of tomato bread because you tried, right?

What are your top recommendations for non-tourist areas and neighborhoods to see in Barcelona?

Matt:

I'm going to promote my own neighborhood and keep it in the community, but I think Sants is really interesting because it stems from this working-class environment. There's just a really interesting mix of very local experience, food, and local bodegas. You really get a sense of Catalan culture here. Gràcia, you get some of that too, but now they're sort of fighting off the tourism spread.

Poblenou is another village in the city that's really interesting. That's all the way on the other side, but that used to be like more factories and stuff, and so you don't have as much of the small town village as you might like in a place like Sants, but it's close to the beach. So, if you're really into the beach and you want to check out a village to get a sense of that vibe going to the village in Poblenou is interesting.

Angie:

Let's talk about the meal schedule because it is a bit different in Spain than maybe what we're used to in the U.S. What time are we supposed to eat lunch and dinner in Spain?

Matt:

Lunch is considered to be around 2 p.m. and dinner is considered to be around 8 or 9 p.m. Some places open a little bit early, they'll do a lunch service at 1, 2, or 3 p.m., but after that, almost all places are closed by 4 and then they're flipping over for dinner. The earliest places will usually open for dinner is 7 p.m., but most won't start seating people until 8. Really busy places will have an 8 o'clock service and a 10 o'clock service and those places will be going until midnight or 1 a.m. with the last service. That being said, there are places that are open the whole time, especially in the Gothic Quarter and some of the tourist areas. But the really local, really good places that you're probably going to want to try, a lot of them are only going to be open during those lunch and dinner service periods.

Angie:

How long did it take you to get used to that schedule as an expat?

Matt:

I'm still getting used to it some days, especially since I have a small child, so dinners can't wait until 8 p.m. a lot of days.

Angie:

No, I’m sorry, if I ate dinner at 10 p.m., I'm already in bed, just forget it. I'll have to skip it.

Matt:

You'll see all these people in the plazas will be out to eat and the kids will be out until 10 o'clock. So, a lot of life happens a little bit later here than it does in the U.S.

Angie:

Speaking of later, where should people go for a night out? Where's the best nightlife?

Matt:

I think like 3 out of the top 10 best-rated bars in the world are in Barcelona. Currently, I think El Paradiso is no. 1, that's in El Born.

In the El Born area, there's Dr. Stravinsky, another high-end cocktail place. The Diagonal area sort of west of Passeig de Gràcia, most people end up in the Las Ramblas, which is that main connection between Plaça de Catalunya and the port, and El Born where there are places like El Paradiso and these other cocktail bars. So, late night that's happening in a lot of that area.

Angie:

Do you have a favorite local spot? A local hangout that's great for people watching maybe in Sants where you live?

Matt:

Yeah, I really like Plaça d’Osca. There's a place where if there's an FC Barcelona game on, they put it on the big screen and a bunch of kids will be glued to the glass and watching it from the plaza. It's part of what I love about Barcelona, everybody's welcome.

So, you go to a plaza like this and there's going to be kids running around, playing, kicking a ball around, using their scooters. There's going to be dogs sitting under tables. There's going to be some guys who just brought their guitar out and are just playing some music with a drum. The whole community of all ages is going to be there enjoying the sun or the evening and chatting. It's just a very lively experience.

Angie:

Matt Ford, thank you for joining us, and thank you to our listeners for being with us.

If you're planning a trip, be sure to connect with a AAA Travel Advisor, check out AAA.com/travel, or visit your local branch.

This podcast is a production of Auto Club Enterprises. If you enjoyed it, please subscribe, and leave us a review. I'm Angie Orth, thank you for traveling with AAA.