Spain

Barcelona:

Things To Do:

Bunker del Carmel: bring some food and a bottle of wine with you, go at sunset if you can!
Chill at the beach
Park Guell
Gaudi:
- La Sagrada Familia
- Gaudi House
- Various buildings around the city
La Rambla – walk up and down the strip and stop by the market, I recommend trying the fresh fruit and the macaron ice cream sandwich
Barcelona free walking tour
Barcelona Cathedral (look at from the outside)

Food:

Taco Alto Born: great, fast taco place
Brunch & Cake: really good brunch place (there’s always a line, see if you can make a reservation)
Milk: are really good brunch place (there’s always a line, see if you can make a reservation)
La Rambla Market

Abroadfest: I wouldn’t recommend buying a ticket just because you can pay cover at every event you want to go to, and a lot of the events we skipped to go do other things.

Madrid:

Things To Do:

Visit the Palace: book ahead of time
Go to sunset at Temple of Debod
Retiro Park: check out the water fountain area
Shopping:
- Girls: check out the Espadrilles at Tony Pons
- Zara
- Mango
- Pull and Bear
El Rastro Marcado: open air flea market every Sunday

Food / Drinks:

Breakfast / Bruch:
- Cereal Hunters: a small shop that sells a variety of US sugar cereals. You can get colored milk and candy in your cereal. A fun experience.
- Martina Cocina: typical Spanish brunch
Lunch:
- Jardin Secreto Salvador Bachiller: a “secret” restaurant in a garden on a rooftop. One the weekends, you’ll need to make a reservation. Phenomenal atmosphere.
- Ojala: restaurant where the basement floor is all sand. I recommend getting the tacos.
- Takos al Pastor: $1 tacos that are delicious. The line is usually long, but it’s worth the wait and after ordering the food comes really fast.
- Cafe Federal: a more modern cafe, a lot of healthy options
- Mercado de San Miguel: a small market with specialty vendors
Dinner:
- Asia Gallery: Asian restaurant in The Westin Palace Hotel, fantastic Asian food, but a bit expensive
- Amargo: tapas, restaurant has good vibes, a variety of options on the menu
- La Antonita: tapas restaurant, won a Michelin Star in 2013
  - On Cava Baja, the famous tapas street
Coffee / Tea / Drinks:
- Cafe de la Luz: great place to grab a coffee or tea, great vibes inside
- La Bicicleta: cute cafe
- Lolina: small cafe known for their moijitos
- Chocolateria San Gines: famous churro place, open 24 hours
- Circulo de Bellas Artes: rooftop bar with fantastic views
- El Viajero: great rooftop bar

Nightlife:

Teatro Kapital (7 story night club): check out the Latino music floor and the top floor because they have really cheap pizza. Note: cover is expensive.
Gabana: smaller club, great music and dancing
El Junco: a more local place with live music
Joy: medium sized club

Notes:

Watch out for pickpockets, they’re everywhere in Spain, especially the city center in Madrid and La Rambla in Barcelona
Everyone is Spain goes out very late – expect to leave for the clubs around 1am
Barcelona is much more touristy than Madrid. You will run into some language barriers in Madrid.

Background picture was taken at Park Guell in Barcelona.