As a student abroad, you have the opportunity to explore and
grow, not only in the place where your institution is, but weekends and longer
breaks allow for the pleasure of traveling during your study abroad trip!
As a student in Pamplona, you are very close to many great
places, France is in your backyard and you are in a nation filled with hundreds
of wonders and cities to explore. Where to go?
First things first… Barcelona!
From its Mediterranean climate, the rich history, the
incredibly vast art movement, to the food, there is a plethora of reasons to
make this voyage in a weekend.
I don’t think that it took too much convincing to win you
over on the idea of Barcelona, but let’s talk logistics now. What is the cost?
How will you get there? Where will you
stay? What are the most important things to do during your time there? These are all very important questions and
ones that all people should consider before a trip.
How are you going to get there? I’ve done a lot of looking
into the best methods for travel within Europe and Spain and one of the most
convenient and bargain friendly options that I have found so far is train. For a
round trip ticket leaving on a Friday and returning on a Sunday, the average
price that I found was $159 USD. This is not too bad and the train is a great
and safe manner of travel.
Once there, where will you stay? Hostels are a great option,
especially for students traveling. They are cheap, but also provide many great
benefits such as free breakfast and included wifi! I found one in Barcelona
that runs at about $9 USD a night. This is a great deal and also includes
breakfast. For two nights that’s only $18. This hostel is also centrally located
in the city and is in walking proximity of many attractions that a visitor may
want to see.
Now that you know where you are going to stay and how you
will get there, the real fun can begin. What to do.
Depending on classes and train schedules, you will probably
get into Barcelona later in the night, do not fret though, Barcelona is known
for its night life. One thing to do is to enjoy a night out in the club. Most
range from 10-25 euros and are going strong from 1:00am to 5:00am! That leaves
plenty of time to check in to your hostel, run for dinner, and still have time
to get ready.
For dinner there are many options, my recommendation is to
head towards the ocean and enjoy the freshness of the seafood that Barcelona has
to offer. Depending on the stature of the restaurant you choose, dinner may
range from $10-70 USD.
Because you danced the night away, sleep in a bit but make
sure you wake up in time for free breakfast! You’re going to need the energy!
You may also want to grab a piece of fruit for your bag if there is portable
fruit at the hostel.
Today is your one full day! Enjoy it! A few things you may
consider seeing are:
- Casa Batlló
- Font Màgica
- The beach! Specifically Barceloneta
- La Rambla
- Sagrada Familia
For evening pleasure, I highly recommend attending a fútbol
match if you can make it, a ticket is about 39 euros for a bad seat, but the
experience will be well worth it!
As you spend your last few hours on Sunday, enjoy some of
the more artsy aspects of Barcelona from museos to street performers.
Happy Travels!
But what will YOU do! What are the places within your price range that you would choose? Where would you eat? Where would you stay?
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