Your personal guide to a luxury vacation in Barcelona

When you book a luxury break, you are really just looking to do one thing: relax. Nothing adds stress to a holiday like rushing around, missing reservations and running out of cash at critical times. The key to a truly relaxing holiday is planning. Barcelona has something for everyone, and it is easy to become overwhelmed at the sheer choice of things to do. Whether it’s Barceloneta Beach or culture vulturing, think about the sorts of experiences you’d like to have and start booking tickets and making reservations a couple of months before you travel. Follow our guide to plan your perfect getaway to sunny Barcelona! For foodies El Bulli really put Barcelona on the foodie radar. Years after its closure in 2012, it is still talked about in hushed tones and ground breaking dishes such as the ‘exploding olives’ and ‘smoke foam’ have passed into food legend. While the restaurant is no more, the El Bulli influence can still be felt across Barcelona. Chef Ferran Adria now runs upscale tapas restaurant Tickets, where dishes include the ‘air baguette’ and the ‘cotton candy tree’. Make an evening of it by stopping in at the adjoining cocktail bar, 41°, or book the ‘41° Experience’ and enjoy a 41-course tasting menu of exquisite bite-sized tapas and matching cocktails. Tapas and Barcelona go together like ‘patatas’ and ‘bravas’. Plan to make a few culinary stop-offs at local favourites Quimet y Quimet, Tapac 24, El Xampanyet and the tiny Barravas. For beach bums You are never more than a 20 minute walk from the beach in Barcelona. The popular Barceloneta Beach ticks all the boxes, but for the most stunning sandy strips and the clearest waters you have to take to the sea. Hire a yacht or catamaran for a few days and sail up or down the Balearic coast, ducking into the tiny, private coves which dot the shoreline. Most sail hire companies will offer you the use of a crew, including a cook and a skipper, so all you have to do is relax on deck and enjoy the view! If you have a few days to spare, schedule a yacht trip to Ibiza, Menorca or Mallorca. It will take around one day to get there, but you can break up the journey by stopping en route to do a bit of fishing or snorkelling. For football fans FC Barcelona is one of the top teams in the world and frequently sits at the top of the Spanish Liga. For football fanatics, a trip to Barcelona won’t be complete without a visit to the iconic Camp Nou stadium and a chance to see living legend Lionel Messi in action on the pitch. Unsurprisingly, tickets for the big matches are hard to come by. Sign up to the football club’s mailouts and act fast as soon as new tickets are released. For a truly special experience, book yourself a VIP package, which guarantees you the best seats plus catering and bar services throughout the match. For culture vultures You can’t miss the Gaudi buildings in Barcelona. Quite literally, in fact – the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia towers over the city, piercing the blue sky from every angle. But to really experience the genius of Gaudi, you have to go inside. Book a guided tour of the Basilica and the towers to really get the most out of your visit. If you can, book a late morning or early afternoon slot so you can really make the most of the cool interior after a day spent walking around in the hot Spanish sun. True art lovers can go deeper into the Gaudi psyche by visiting some of the many other Gaudi-designed buildings in the city: the Church of Colonia Guell; Casa Mila; Guell Pavilions and Casa Vicens, to name just a few. The Museo Picasso holds one of the largest and most impressive collections of Picasso’s work and will easily fill half a day of your time. Book in advance to skip the queues (which can get really long in peak season), and check for upcoming exhibitions which you may be interested in. For party animals There is no shortage of premium nightclubs in Barcelona. Whether you love a warehouse rave, a sunset beach party, a sophisticated cocktail bar or an underground club – you will find it within a stone’s throw of the city centre. Head to the open air La Terrrazza to feel the evening sun on your back as you sip your sangria, or go underground with a stop off at the world famous (and surprisingly small) Moog. Again, it is worth planning ahead and booking a VIP pass to the most popular clubs to guarantee admission. Party like a local and stay out to watch the sun rise over the city, with a glass of the local Cava in your hand. Daniel Abrahams is Co-founder and CEO of MyTravelMoney.co.uk. If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.