These days it seems all I do is travel. Most trips involve carefully curated itineraries and cramming all the sights, food, and adventure into a few days.
Every now and then I’m more than pleased to take an actually relaxing trip. Earlier this year, my friends and I rented a house in Marfa, TX (one of my absolute favorite spots) to unwind. We roamed the desert, played board games, and built a fort in our living room. It was a great time to reconnect and enjoy each other’s company. Can’t wait for the next one.
Seville is described as the quintessential Spanish town. It’s definitely got a lot of charm and plenty of sights to see.
Where to Stay
We stayed in an apartment in the city center, which is close to most of the tourist attractions.
Eats
Fargo – Possibly my favorite meal in town came as a break from paella and bread heavy traditional food. The diner is very trendy and serves vegan and gluten-free organic dishes. It’s popular with Americans.
El Pinton – This spot is perfectly Instagram-worthy. Grab some light tapas and…
El Pasaje Bar– We swung into this bar for some happy hour tapas and glasses of sangria.
Drinks
Luckily we were in town on the weekend and Seville has a vibrant night life. Most of the gay bars are along Alameda de Hércules.
Bohemia Bar – You’ll find the bears at this watering hole.
El Bosque Animado – This was my favorite gay bar in town. It was perfectly rowdy but we managed to snag a patio table to sit back at.
El Baron Rampante – This one is similar to the El Bosque and sits next door. Their patios are essentially one.
La Carboneria Bar – If you’re looking for flamenco but don’t want to pay for a show, this bar offers free flamenco performances. But do be prepared for plenty of drunken tourists.
Sights
Cathedral of Seville – Get the best view of Seville by climbing to the top of La Giralda and wait for the bell to ring out.
The Real Alcázar– My favorite site in Seville, the Alcazar is a Moorish palace with impressive tile, gorgeous gardens, and tranquil courtyards.
The Jewish Quarter – If you’re walking around to all of the typical tourist spots, you’ll find yourself strolling through the Jewish Quarter. Slow down, it’s definitely charming.
Plaza de España – You won’t find a stick of shade at this place, we learned that the hard way. It was a sweltering day when we decided to wander around the plaza.
Metropol Parasol – Arguably the largest wooden structure in the world, the Metropol Parasol hovers over a small plaza and marketplace. We stopped here for lunch and of course Instagram opportunities.
Granada was one of my favorite places on this trip. We made a quick stop there since it’s on the smaller side. While I’d love to spend more time relaxing here, you can definitely see the entire town in 24 hours.
Where to Stay
We stayed in the Albayzín neighborhood, one of the oldest areas of town, in an apartment with amazing views of the Alhambra. Pebble paths wind through buildings and reveal cafes and shops. It’s tough to lug your suitcase through but makes for a charming walk.
Eats
Kebab King – Pretty sure this is a chain I’ve seen internationally, but we were starving after an afternoon of hiking around. Our priority was getting fed quickly and this place actually had great reviews.
Omka-Kool– Granada is an amazing mix of Arabic and Spanish cultures and I was eager to see that combination in food. Venture slightly off the beaten path for Moroccan style tapas.
Drinks
Although Granada is on the smaller size, there are a few gay bars to check out.
Tic Tac – On the smaller side but worth a visit for a drink.
Six Colours – This was probably my favorite in Granada. It’s on the smaller side but seemed to have a younger and more diverse clientele than the others.
Shop
Wander around the marketplace in Albayzín for great leather goods, textiles, and ceramics. I came home with several dishes, bowls, and my favorite new picnic blanket.
Sights
The Alhambra – Our first stop in Granada and probably what I was most excited about on this trip. The palace grounds are huge. We were lucky to be staying nearby and walked there, but be warned you’ll be walking a lot. There are several lush gardens and palace buildings with gorgeous tile and fountains. You might recognize a few spots if you watch Game of Thrones.
The second stop of our journey was Valencia. It’s a much quieter city than Barcelona or Madrid, which is surprising considering its size and coastal location. If you were unaware, like I was, Valencian (similar to Catalan) is the primary language followed by Spanish. Spanish is obviously common, but some of the city’s signage and bus information is written in Valencian.
Valencia is a gorgeous and modern city with so much beautiful architecture and inspiring street art.
Where to Stay
We stayed in a beautiful studio apartment in the city center, Ciutat Vella. It was extremely convenient to everything we wanted to do.
Eats
Sagardi – This Basque tapas bar serves bites on toothpicks buffet style. Help yourself and at the end of your meal, your server will count up your toothpicks for your bill. Be sure to grab a glass of Agua de Valencia while you’re at it.
La Valenciana Arroceria – We started out our dinner by being greeted with a glass of vermouth. The restaurant offered a multi-course pre-fixe menu that we shared plus an additional entree. It was way too much food, but we were more than happy with it. After dinner, we gifted a glass of a digestif. Our server offered some of the best service we had at any restaurant in Spain.
Drinks
Sundal– We visited on an off night, so we were only the people in the bar. Still, we were happy to have some gin & tonics with free potato chips. Maybe on your visit the dark room will be busy, too.
Cafe de las Horas – This is a gay friendly cafe with plenty of outdoor seating in the plaza.
Horchatería de Santa Caterina – Drink plenty of horchata when you’re in town. We hit up this spot for some of the sweet stuff. You should also try it with the pastry, a fartón. They’re pretty large, so you may want to share.
Shop
Mercat Central – This market is located in a beautiful gothic building. It’s been updated with plenty of modern touches. We stopped by to sip on sangria and more horchata.
Sights
Playa de la Malvarrosa – The beach is a bit of a trek from the city center, but definitely worth your time. It was fairly quiet when we arrived, which was perfect. We rented an umbrella and chairs right near the water and napped for most of the day.
Platja de l’Arbre del Gos – This is a gay and clothing optional beach south of the city. It’s a much longer trip there, so we didn’t visit. But if you’ve got some time on your hands…
The City of Arts and Sciences – This gorgeous complex holds a museum, aquarium, garden, and opera house. We never went inside but spent a long time wandering the grounds and taking plenty of photos.
Túria River – The river has long since been diverted its banks have become a park that runs through the city. This was one of the only places I saw people actively working out. It’s a beautiful walk and there’s an interesting playground for children with a giant structure of the storybook character Gulliver.
Graffiti – I saw some amazing street art in various plazas and alleyways. Be sure to wander as much as possible.
The first stop on our tour of Spain was Barcelona. Checking out this city’s amazing architecture and vibrant culture has always been one of my dreams.
I always thought Catalan was more of an unofficial language in the region, but a few days before heading out I decided to learn a few words and phrases. Catalan is definitely the primary language but the city is pretty international so English and French are commonly spoken alongside Spanish. It’s definitely nice to know some phrases but you won’t be lost at sea without it.
Where to Stay
We stayed in an adorable apartment in the Gothic Quarter, close to the water but just out of view. It’s such a convenient location but you should also consider staying in Eixample, the gayborhood.
Eats
Everyone knows I hate eating at chain restaurants, but Sensi Tapas, a Barcelona chain, had been highly recommended. A narrow space with exposed stone walls, it’s got a cool modern vibe and delicious bites, so it made the grade for me. You’ll want one of everything and at least one pitcher of sangria.
Barcelona made me break another rule, when traveling I hate hitting up the same spot more than once. But El Casal was an adorable cafe just a few steps from our apartment. It was such a convenient spot for “breakfast” when we were rushing out of the apartment at midday. If you make there before noon, they have a breakfast menu that includes a smoothie, coffee, and pastry.
I probably didn’t get the memo, but why doesn’t anyone in Spain eat breakfast? I mean real breakfast like eggs, bacon, and toast. If you’re starving for a traditional English or American breakfast, check out the Alice in Wonderland themed Milk Bar. We loaded up on mimosas and made friends with the other Americans that packed into the place.
Like all good gays, we carved out an afternoon for shopping and were fortunate to stumble into Bosco for tapas and cocktails. It’s a trendy corner spot just out of the tourist’s view. Surprisingly, they have several veggie tapas on menu. After eating multiple meals made of meat, fried food, and bread, it was such a relief to get greens back in my diet.
On our last night in the city, we opted for a bit an upscale seafood dinner. We headed for the Barceloneta neighborhood, which is full of touristy diners near the beach. You can probably eat at any of them without noticing a difference, but we chose Can Majo, which some friends had recommended.
Drinks
Set out early for the Sky Bar to get a gorgeous view of Barcelona. Watch out for drink prices. We had two gin and tonics for 16€ each. Ouch. We also made the mistake of visiting around midnight and found the entire city was pitch black from that vantage. It was pretty peaceful, though.
Since our trip to Barcelona fell on the early half the week, most of the gay bars were on the slow side. As we were making our way into Arena, I noticed some other guys were handing the bouncer cards for free entry. I asked where I could get one and he sent me a few blocks away to Cafe Bar Punto. We ordered some drinks and the bartender handed us free passes to Arena. This is where we discovered quite possibly the best thing about Spain’s gay bars: free potato chips. Matt was beyond ecstatic for the chips.
After we polished off a bowl of potato chips, we made our way back to Arena. We headed down into the basement for more cocktails and dancing. It might have been slow, but definitely not sleepy. I’m still not sure how it was suddenly 4am when he stumbled out. If you’re looking to make friends, check out the dark room.
We also checked out Metro Bar but unfortunately it was pretty empty that night.
Shop
One of my favorite things was wandering through the market places for fresh fruit and juices. La Boqueria market is the most well known, huge but full of tourists. There are also plenty of small restaurants and bars in the market and nearby. Mercat Santa Caterina is a beautiful modern structure with fewer tourists.
If you’re looking to score some new outfits for your journey, Passeig de Gracia has plenty of clothing stores. We spent an afternoon grabbing cheap Zara and Bershka threads.
Sights
Our trip was inspired by Rick Steves’ Spain Guidebook and we actually followed several of his walking tours. I definitely recommend taking a stroll around town to see the Gaudi architecture.
As if we hadn’t been walking enough, we also spent an afternoon hiking around Park Guell. It’s a bit farther away from the city, but well worth the trip. There’s also a gated area you can pay to visit. When you hike to the top you’ll get some incredible views of the city.
You also definitely have to check out La Sagrada Familia church. It’s an unfinished Gaudi masterpiece. Their ticketing system lets you purchase tickets for a set time in advance, so instead of waiting in line you can lounge around a cafe with sangria. The foundation has an ambitious goal of completing the church by 2026, the 100 year anniversary of Gaudi’s death.
Art museums are easily my favorite places to visit. The Picasso Museum gives you an in depth look at some of the lesser known works by the artist as well as plenty of historical context. Do yourself a favor, don’t do the math on the dates in the exhibit. I’ll just say Picasso was extremely accomplished at a very young age.
Barcelona was such a fun place to visit and I’ll definitely have to be back, at least in 2026 for the completed Sagrada Familia church.
