If you’re a student studying abroad in Europe and looking for the perfect spring break experience with fantastic food, divine beaches, a killer night life and, of course, enough culture and sights to keep you occupied, then Barcelona is the place for you.  

With its perfect spring-break weather—spring temperatures are a steady 55–65°F with plenty of sunshine—Barcelona has something for everyone. It’s an easy trip for backpackers by train via most metropolitan cities in the European Union. It also has the second-largest airport in Spain (behind Madrid), so flights there are abundant and well-priced.

Both the airport and the main train station, Estacio-Sants, are reachable by public transportation, whether you take the local subway system or a bus. Once you reach the center of Barcelona, it’s easy to walk anywhere you want (especially during the spectacular spring months); or you can simply jump on the subway. Thanks to Renfe, the user-friendly national rail system, it’s also very easy to leave crowded Barcelona for a day trip into the quiet countryside if that’s what you’re looking for. 

Hostels in Barcelona are easy to find and—most importantly—clean when compared to many other cities. For the sake of convenience, book a reservation online in advance. HostelWorld.com and http://www.hostelbookers.com are the tried-and-true Web sites for backpackers in search of a decent hostel. One of the least expensive, cleanest and most conveniently located hostels is the Downtown Paraiso  Hostel. With 24-hour hot showers, free Wi-Fi, a community kitchen and brightly painted and decorated rooms, the Parasio is a perfect place to meet travel companions and friends. While most spring-breakers travel in groups of anywhere from three to six, don’t worry if you don’t have many (or any) comrades with you. The hostel culture in Barcelona is warm and friendly and Barcelona is a great place to travel solo. (Almost all students who study abroad in Europe elect to travel during their break, so it really is an ideal time to make friends with students from different universities in other countries.)  

But if hostels aren’t for you, it’s also easy to find nice hotels for almost the same price as the nicer hostels. The best source for finding hotels is through EasyToBook.com; this Web site can help you find last-minute deals if you’re already in Barcelona and in a pinch: Its search engine lists over 800 hotels in the area. (The Web site is also fantastically useful for finding places to stay in other European cities).

And as everyone from Penelope Cruz to Woody Allen knows, Barcelona is the perfect place to find love, fall in love or be in love. Make sure you bring your sense of adventure and leave your inhibitions at home—anything can happen in Barcelona, especially with the people you meet at the hostels. 

There are some obvious tourist sights that any spring-breaker will want to see during daylight hours. To instantly start your love affair with Barcelona, head right over to Las Ramblas and visit Mercat de la Boqueria; the fascinating unfinished Sagrada Familia as well as the rest of architect Antoni Gaudi’s work: Park Güell, Palau Güell, Casa Vicens, Casa Calvet, Casa Batlló, Casa Milà; the Barcelona Centre of Contemporary Culture, the Museum of Catalan History, The Dali Museum, the Maritime Museum. Other essential stops for art lovers include the Picasso Museum and Gallery, the Gallery of Joan Miró, the Museum of National Art of Catalonia and the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art. 

If you become tired of museums and churches, don’t miss a chance to see an FC Barcelona football game. But do try to book tickets as far ahead as you can—soccer is the most popular sport in Spain (as it is in the rest of Europe). Even if you aren’t a big soccer or sports fan, attending a Barcelona game is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for any American. In fact, soccer (or football as it is called everywhere else) is the most popular sport in the world outside of the U.S., and the people of Barcelona give new meaning to the term “die hard fans.” The soccer season runs almost year round—preseason games start in July and the playoffs are completed in May. Tickets are pricey but worth every euro and are available on the club’s Web site at FCBarcelona.com.
 

The entire Catalan culture in Barcelona seems custom made for the spring-breaker. Dinner is served late—8 P.M. at the earliest—and restaurants don't really start hopping until 10 P.M. Bars are open all night, with crowds not usually arriving until almost 1 A.M. Any bar-hopping backpacker will feel right at home here.

The typical Catalan fare is tapas, which are small plates of food. You can easily order 2–3 tapas for a full meal and more if you are really hungry. Because Barcelona is  right on the water, it’s also known for seafood. If you don’t think tapas will do it for you, order seafood paella, a rice dish made with fresh shellfish. The Spanish and Catalan restaurants are very vegetarian-friendly; you can find just as many patatas bravas (spicy potatoes) as you can meatballs. Other traditional tapas include mixed olives, empanadas, cheese, croquetas and salads. 

When night falls in Barcelona, the fun really begins. Because people are out so late for tapas and sangria, bars are open—and busy—later than anywhere else. The bar culture in Barcelona is phenomenal: Some of the most fun and original places are within walking distance of each other.

For those who want more than the drink-and-talk scene, you can start your night off at La Bolsa Stock Exchange. As the Wall Street stock exchange prices its shares, this bar prices its drinks based on demand. Your martini could be dirt cheap, but only as long as no one else in the bar is ordering it—but if everyone else is ordering the same drink, then expect the price to go up accordingly. Once a night the market crashes and people flock to the bar to order cheap drinks before the demand goes up again.

Another fantastic bar is Espit Chupito (“chupito” meaning “shot”). This wild place serves over 500 different kinds of shots, some of them served with fire and costumes. It’s definitely a place to check out at least once during your visit.  

For a smaller bar with an international crowd, check out Belly in the Eixample district, a bar known for its mixed drinks. If you’d rather drink with the locals, scope out the underground hotspot Casa Paco (not to be confused with the famous bar in Madrid with the same name). This low-key and unlikely hangout has a very large terrace and is a great place to hear live music.

No matter what your scene is, you can’t go wrong with any bar in Barcelona. One of the best bets, however, is to grab a table outside at any café you pass and order a pitcher of sangria. You may even make friends with passersby. 

After the bars are closed, wake yourself up with a trip to the beach. Barcelona’s beaches can be packed with beachgoers like anywhere else (some also say they can get dirty and always beware of bag-snatchers), but bring a towel, your iPod, and you’ll forget anyone else is around. If you’re a fan of the beach bar, visit Nova Icaria, the beach by the Olympic arena. This beach has at least three bars and two restaurants and it’s easy to pass an entire day here. If you’d rather do some jogging or biking on a beach then Bogatell is the beach for you. It’s larger than Nova Icaria but doesn’t have as many places for pit stops. It’s always a party at Barceloneta and San Sebastian beaches, which are popular among tourists and locals respectively for their fantastic restaurants, sand and walkways. Of course if these crowded spots aren’t for you, you can always catch a train out of town for a more pristine and serene experience. 

There are too many places to choose from when trying to decide on spring break spots. But for art lovers, bar hoppers, beach bums, food fanatics, football fans or those spring-breakers who are just looking for a beautiful place to spend a week, Barcelona is it.

by Alaina Scarano-Isbouts