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 co-editor of World Hum. She is a former associate editor at Up Here and Up Here Business magazines, and a contributor to Vela. She's based in Canada's Yukon territory.


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

Zach 06.04.09 | 7:32 PM ET

Tapas bar, shortest toothpicks.

How to budget 06.05.09 | 5:04 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 | 12:17 PM 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 | 12:28 PM 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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