Car-free streets, locavore restaurants, underwater winerieshere’s how Barcelona is fighting overtourism.
Coke Bartrina
Last fall, I went on an exhilarating trip to Barcelona.
If I mention this to friends, they tend to bring up the water-pistol protests.
The view from the Majestic Hotel & Spa.Credit:Coke Bartrina
Before I went, I read about packed streets lined with shops selling cheap trinkets and bachelor-party revelers.
It didnt sound like a place anyone would want to visit.
It also didnt sound much like the Barcelona I used to know.
A car-free “superblock” in Barcelona’s L’Eixample district; the Municipal Sailing Center, on the Moll de Gregal at Port Olímpic.Coke Bartrina
How much could Barcelona have changed in those years?
Tourism supplies 14 percent of Barcelonas gross domestic product.
Might there still be ways for people to visit the city responsibly that both locals and visitors would welcome?
From left: Carrer de Pas Claris, as seen from the Almanac Barcelona hotel; the rooftop bar of the Almanac Hotel.Coke Bartrina
If so, what would such a trip look like?
The place bore little relation to La Boquerias legendary past as a place where residents did their daily shopping.
Inside was the Barcelona of my memories, as though Id moved not just through space but also time.
From left: An ElixSea boat, with the Barceloneta neighborhood in the background; ElixSea co-owner Gergő Borbély.Coke Bartrina
We ordered cava and some dishes the waiter recommended: garbanzo beans with blood sausage; sauteed mushrooms.
They were delicious, with Catalan flavors I cant quite find outside the region.
Just as we left the market, we walked through my firstsuperilla.
From left: Va de Cuina, chef Jordi Vilà’s specialty-food shop; Catalan delicacies at Latorre Punset.Coke Bartrina
People were sitting on schoolbus-yellow benches and eating at tables under wide trees that provided ample shade.
Quiet pervaded the space: it felt akin to a small, tranquil park.
From thesuperilla,we headed to Latorre Punset.
From left: The lobby of the Cotton House Hotel, Autograph Collection, a hotel in L’Eixample.; a suite at Cotton House.Coke Bartrina
Latorre Punsets housevermutwas piquant and complex, my favorite of the trip.
With every step, I felt as though I was taking in more of the citys singular grace.
Later, I asked Alex Cardona what he thought sustainable tourism in Barcelona might look like.
El Racó de l’Agüir, near the Sant Antoni market.Coke Bartrina
People should also attempt to understand the diversity of the culture.
(Cardona told me Al Kostat is where he goes to celebrate his birthday with his parents.)
I still long for his delicate oysters topped with scrambled eggs, chicken cannelloni, and buttery pumpkin cappuccino.
A suite at the Majestic Hotel & Spa.Coke Bartrina
I enjoyed just strolling around Barcelona.
The galleries I visited were empty except for the people working there.
When I wanted a break, I had no trouble finding a spot at Al Kostat.
From left: Casa Batllò, a home designed by architect Antoni Gaudí on Passeig de Gràcia; a stairwell at Casa Batlló.Coke Bartrina
Bar Canete gets its fish and seafood from Catalan fish markets, and the produce is locally grown.
A band was playing out in the street.
Located on a hill with sweeping views of the city, the Fundacio Joan Miro is rightly popular.
From left: The Mercat de Sant Antoni; the atrium of Casa Batlló.Coke Bartrina
The playfulness in Miros art seems to take hold of the crowds, who become excited and animated.
But fewer people know to visit Espai 13, the contemporary art space in the museums basement.
Miro conceived of Espai 13 as a place for new generations of artists to show their work.
From left: Tapas at Bar Pinotxo; the Michelin-starred restaurant Mont Bar.Coke Bartrina
I wouldnt visit the foundation without also seeing the latest basement exhibition.
Casa Batllo is perhaps the Gaudi creation I love most.
For a while, I had almost let myself forget.
From: Jordi Vilà’s Al Kostat restaurant; paella with red mullet at Al Kostat.Coke Bartrina
Chef Artur Martinez said he adapts to the calendar of local vegetables.
We cook what we have, he said.
We go with what the suppliers can provide.
I spoke with one of those suppliers, fisherwoman Cristina Caparros, on a pier in La Barceloneta.
Shes afraid of losing everything within five years.
I asked what, if anything, travelers could do to be helpful.
First of all, visit the city, Caparros said.
Despite reports of overtourism, Barcelona still needs some of the business.
Cardona then added, Dont eat salmon.
It would help, he said, if people cared more about where products came from.
Wild salmon comes from Norway.
Why not eat Catalan-sourced food when youre in Catalonia?
Some people believe Barcelona doesnt need tourists, he said.
Some people believe the earth is flat.
The submerged cellars also create temporary artificial reefs that attract marine life.
The breakfast is superlative.
Majestic Hotel & Spa: Some suites at this historic hotel on Passeig de Gracia have glass-walled balconies.
From the roof-deck pool, you could see almost all of Barcelona.
Aurt: At his Michelin-starred restaurant, Artur Martinez builds a tasting menu around ingredients sourced from local suppliers.
Bar Canete: A lauded tapas place in El Raval.
Disfrutar: This Michelin three-star carries on the modernist-cuisine legacy of El Bulli.
Be prepared for 28 courses served over four hours.
El Raco de lAguir: Extraordinary dishes steps from the Sant Antoni market.
Try the signature baked arroz quatretondeta, made with chorizo, ribs, chickpeas, and botifarra sausage.
Mont Bar: This innovative Michelin-starred restaurant is also refreshingly casual.
Ultramarinos MarIn: Fresh local seafood and meats, hot off the grill or from the wood-fired oven.
Chef Borja Garcia trained at Noma and the Basque destination restaurant Asador Etxebarri.
Check out its sister store, Conservas Latorre.
Mercat de Sant Antoni: A 143-year-old food market where residents shop for the days groceries.
Get tickets in advance.
Casa Batllo: One of Gaudis most popular buildings.
If its after 6 p.m., youll receive a glass of cava as you walk through the house.
Fundacio Joan Miro: The artist Joan Miro created this building in collaboration with the architect Josep Lluis Sert.
check that to stop by Espai 13, a basement space devoted to the work of contemporary artists.
Museu Nacional dArt de Catalunya: This museum of Catalan art has broad views of Barcelona.
