Budget Dining in Barcelona: How to Do it Right

Travel Blog  •  Eva Holland  •  06.04.09 | 10:38 AM ET

Photo by visualpanic via Flickr (Creative Commons)

The first time I visited Barcelona, I was at the tail end of a 10-week backpacking trip around Europe. I had just four days left before I caught a plane back to the U.K. (where I’d been living) and then home to Canada—and, predictably, I was out of money.

My British and Canadian bank accounts were both tapped out, and while I could still charge my dorm bed—a clear necessity—to my credit card, I stubbornly refused to charge restaurant meals or withdraw cash for groceries on it. (The interest will kill you, y’know.)

Instead, for my remaining days in the Catalonian capital I spent just €10 on food. Suffice to say, there was more tuna-with-pasta involved than there was fine Spanish cuisine. This, I can tell you with certainty, was the wrong way to do budget dining in Barcelona. No fresh, local seafood, no crema catalana, not even a glass of wine. I was so fixated on saving money (or, in this case, not going any further into credit card debt) that I missed out on any local flavor whatsoever.

I thought back to those bleak tuna days today, when I saw EuroCheapo’s excellent tips on eating cheap in Barcelona. The post follows up on last week’s handy list of five Barcelona spots where you can eat for less than €6, and between the two, you’ve got a headstart on a tasty and cheap experience in the city.

I can’t wait to get back to Barcelona myself—only this time I’ll budget accordingly, and pass on the tuna pasta.

Tags: Budget Travel, Cheap Travel, Food, Travel Tips, Europe, Spain, Barcelona, News and Briefs

Eva Holland is the senior editor of World Hum. Her writing has also appeared in the National Post, the Montreal Gazette, the Ottawa Citizen and WestJet's Up! Magazine, among other publications. She's based in Ottawa, Canada.


4 Comments for Budget Dining in Barcelona: How to Do it Right

Zach 06.04.09 | 6:32 PM ET

Tapas bar, shortest toothpicks.

How to budget 06.05.09 | 4:04 AM ET

Interesting story!  My wife and I are in the Czech Republic and we are having some money problems our self’s.  Thanks for the great tip on relaxing a bit and enjoying the culture that we are surrounded by!

Bilety lotnicze 06.09.09 | 11:17 AM ET

Its a shame being on a trip at a foreign culture and not being able to get a taste of the food. 30% of the travel experience is in the food - 70% in the sights themselves.

Hostels Barcelona 06.29.09 | 11:28 AM ET

if you want to try tapas best places to go is Andalusia or north spain. although great food in Barcelona and surroundings

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