Why Barcelona is an excellent place to travel in August

I've been to Barcelona twice, both times in August, and each holiday has been a great occasion to relax, feel the local flavors and incredible colours the city has to offer. Barcelona is surely defined by its accentuated sense of identity, culture, language and traditional events.

Only during my last visit in Barcelona did I attend the Gracia Festival. Hence, if you are in Barcelona in August, I highly advise you to head to the up-town district of Gracia and feel the vibe of this special festival. Gracia Festival is unique, vibrant and represents a great occasion to blend in with the locals. No other place in Barcelona offers such a bohemian atmosphere, exciting feeling and contact with dancing, joyful people. Why is this street festival organised? Well, each street from Gracia neighborhood competes in order to win the prize for being the best decorated street. Therefore, no wonder you will discover Game of Thrones, Roman Style and dwarf style themed streets. You will find here more information about this event: http://www.festamajordegracia.cat/

This post is not about the usual touristic attractions one would find in Barcelona. La Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, La Pedrera are well known for their exquisite architecture. Gaudi's Art-Nouveau style defines numerous buildings and many travel specialists dedicated broad articles to Gaudi's works. What I am going to do is advice you to alternate las fiestas with simply going to the beach. I do think a summer holiday in Barcelona should include at least one day at Barceloneta beach or at any other beach near the city.

Close to the beach, Port Olimpic, one of the city's most important leisure areas, awaits with numerous fish and sea food restaurants. Among them, the restaurant La Barca de Salamanca is a must, thanks to the speedy service, fresh fish and bloody sangria (https://labarcadelsalamanca.com/). Also, don't miss Frank Gehry's goldfish sculpture at Port Olimpic base.

The traditional paella is not to be skipped and, if weight watch is not a concern, enjoy a big cone of ice-cream after finishing la paella, it goes perfectly with a day at the beach.