One Week in Spain
When I went: Late May to early June
How long I stayed: 10 days
Why I chose Spain: Primavera Sound Music Festival, great beaches and good wine.
Itinerary: Toronto – Barcelona - Ibiza - Formentera - Ibiza - Barcelona - Toronto
Ibiza
Accommodations: Airbnb
Must Visit: Cala D'Hort, Hippy Market, Formentera
Must Do: Rent a motorbike, visit the beaches
Must Pack: bathing suit, sunscreen
How long I stayed: 4 nights
How to get there: Fly into Ibiza Airport and take a taxi to Old Town.
All of the Balearic Islands looked so beautiful it was hard to choose just one to visit. What drew me to Ibiza was how cheap and easy it was to fly into Ibiza airport and also how small the island was. I found a smaller island less overwhelming to visit in such a short stay. I knew we would be able to stay in the busy port town of Ibiza Old Town and also be able to explore a lot of the island and get away from the crowds.
We started off our stay exploring the picturesque cobblestone streets of old town and enjoying the roof top terrace of our airbnb. However at the beginning of our trip we were ready for adventure and quickly grew bored of the small port town.
Formentera
After one full day in Ibiza Town we decided to pack a picnic and take a ferry to the beautiful Formentera Island for a beach day. The ferry ride was about one hour long. We rented a moped at the Formentera port and after a few wrong turns we reached Playa de Illetas. The beach was beautiful and it was wonderful relaxing in the sun, but the water was quite cold.
After our Formentera day trip we had one full day left on Ibiza. We rented a motorbike and with just a paper map set off to the east side of the island to find the famous Hippy Market. After a few wrong turns we found the market and browsed the handmade jewlery and accessories. There was a pretty beach near by that was tempting to go swimming at, but we had other plans.
Cala D'Hort beach is located on the opposite side of the island, over an hour drive away. We ended up taking the long way there (my bad), down a very windy road that was some-what terrifying on the motorbike. On our way down towards the beach we spotted the most amazing view of Es Vedra, the neighboring island. The beach was beautiful and Es Vedra looked so much larger and mystic than in any of the photos I had looked at. Exploring the island on our own was my favorite part of the trip.
Barcelona
Accommodations: Casa Gràcia Hostel
Must Visit: Sagrada Familia, Montserrat
Must Do: Eat paella, Wander the streets of the Gracia neighborhood
Must Pack: walking shoes
How long I stayed: 4 nights
How to get there: El Prat (BCN) Airport, take the train into the city
We did not get to explore the city quite as much as I had wanted since we attended the Primavera Sound Music Festival for three nights, but we tried to fit in as much as we could. We stayed in the Gràcia neighborhood, which was very beautiful and had a lot of cute shops and cafes. In Gràcia we were able to find some great craft beer at Chivuo's. We also stopped at La Bodega Del Sol, a small beer store that had a wide variety of craft beer bottles from all over Barcelona and Spain. I wanted so badly to bring some home! Le Journal is another cool place with cheap cocktails.
As far as tourist attractions go, we of course visited La Sagrada Familia. It was amazing to be there and see the cathedral in real life. We did not pay to go inside since it was something around 20 euros. We also walked all the way up to Park Guell only to find that the next available tour would not be until 7pm that night. We still got to walk around the free portion of the park, but could not see many of the famous sculptures and architecture. We did see an amazing view of the city.
Montserrat
After the music festival wrapped up we had one full day left in Spain. We took an hour long train ride to see the rocky mountain range, Montserrat.
Unfortunately it was so foggy and rainy that we could barely see the mountains at all. It started to clear up just as we took the last train home. I really wanted to do some hiking around the mountains, but the weather was too bad. All we could do was head back to Barcelona and redeem our day with beer and shopping.