Stories and tips from the destinations where we have apartments. No rush, well researched, so you make the most of the trip.
Sant Jordi: The Day an Entire City Goes Out to Buy Books
23 April in Barcelona: the rose tradition's 15th-century origins, how the book joined in during the 1920s and 30s, and why UNESCO chose that date.
Read the guide →Castellers: Eight Colles in Barcelona, and a Way of Understanding the Neighbourhood
Castells in Barcelona: the city's eight colles, UNESCO's 2010 declaration, and what a diada is, with the Vila de Gràcia as an example.
Read the guide →Sant Medir: A Baker's Promise That's Rained Sweets for 200 Years
The Sant Medir festival in Gràcia: baker Josep Vidal i Granés's 1828 promise, the first pilgrimage on 3 March 1830, and why sweets are thrown.
Read the guide →The Festa Major de Gràcia: A Full Year of Work for Nine Days of Street
The decorated streets of the Festa Major de Gràcia: a competition that began in 1920, more than 200 years of tradition, and residents' committees working by hand for months.
Read the guide →La Danza Prima: The Circle Dance Sung Without Music
La danza prima, the corri-corri and the pericote: Asturias's ancestral dances, how they're danced in a circle while singing ballads, and why the corri-corri de Cabrales is intangible heritage.
Read the guide →Havaneres and Rom Cremat: Cuban Songs Sung by Catalan Fishermen
The tradition of havaneres and rom cremat in Cadaqués and the Costa Brava: their Cuban origin, how they arrived with the indianos, and what goes into rom cremat.
Read the guide →The Hórreo: Why Half of Asturias Keeps Its Pantry in the Air
The Asturian hórreo explained: the pegollos and muelas that keep rodents out, the square floor plan and four-sided roof, and the craft of the master hórreo builder.
Read the guide →The Casa Blaua: The House an Indiano Built with Money from Cuba
The story of the Casa Blaua (Casa Serinyana), the Modernista house an indiano built in Cadaqués with the money he made in Cuba.
Read the guide →The Asturian Gaita: Why It's Everywhere, and How It's Made
The Asturian gaita (bagpipe) explained: the punteru, roncón and bag, written records dating back to the 15th century, and the 1980s revival that filled Asturias with gaita bands.
Read the guide →The Cadaqués Altarpiece: 23 Metres of Gilded Wood and Sixty Years of Work
The main altarpiece of Santa Maria de Cadaqués, the work of Joan Torras and Pau Costa between 1723 and 1729: 23 metres tall, the War of the Spanish Succession, and gilding that wasn't finished until 1788.
Read the guide →Comida en el Prau: The Bollu Preñáu, a Bottle of Cider, and the Ground
The Asturian custom of the comida en el prau: what a bollu preñáu is, where it comes from, and the romerías and bollu festivals where people eat it, from Lunes de Pascua to Martes de Campo.
Read the guide →The Rastell: Why Cadaqués's Streets Are Paved on Their Edge
The streets of Cadaqués: the rastell, slate laid on its edge in a herringbone pattern (opus spicatum) to prevent slipping and drain rainwater, and why the houses are white.
Read the guide →El Descenso de Galiana: The Avilés Street That Floods with Foam Boats
El Descenso de Galiana, part of Avilés's Antroxu since 1988: handmade contraptions that ride down through the old town in a sea of foam. When it happens, the route, and how to watch.
Read the guide →The Cementless Walls of Cap de Creus: Thousands of Hours of Hand Labour
The pedra seca of Cadaqués and Cap de Creus: the cultivation terraces, the phylloxera, and the 1956 frosts that wiped out vines and olives, and why this technique is a UNESCO heritage.
Read the guide →L'amagüestu: The Custom of Gathering Round the Fire to Eat Chestnuts
What the Asturian amagüestu is: roasted chestnuts and sweet sidra del duernu between late October and mid-November, its origins, and why it has no fixed date.
Read the guide →Lídia de Cadaqués: The Fishmonger Who Carried a Book in Her Fish Basket
Lídia Noguer (1866-1946), Lídia de Cadaqués: fishmonger and innkeeper, friend of Dalí and Lorca, and the woman who believed for thirty years she was Eugeni d'Ors's Ben Plantada.
Read the guide →Carrer Petritxol: 129 Metres, Three Wide, and the Smell of Chocolate
Barcelona's Carrer Petritxol: the city's first pedestrian street (1959), its historic granjas — Dulcinea and La Pallaresa —, the suís with cream, and why only two chocolate shops remain.
Read the guide →The Eixample's Beach: The Secret Garden of the Torre de les Aigües
The Jardins de la Torre de les Aigües, an open block interior in Barcelona's Eixample: the 1867 water tower, the pool nicknamed 'the Eixample's beach,' and why it closed in 2018.
Read the guide →Herboristeria del Rei: The 1823 Apothecary Hidden Beside Plaça Reial
Herboristeria del Rei, on Carrer del Vidre since 1823: royal herbalist to Isabel II, an Isabelline interior by Soler i Rovirosa, a marble fountain, and a bust of Linnaeus.
Read the guide →Casa Beethoven: 30,000 Scores Holding Out on La Rambla Since 1880
Casa Beethoven, on Rambla de Sant Josep since 1880: the oldest still-operating shop on La Rambla, with more than 30,000 scores and the only historic music shop left on the boulevard.
Read the guide →Cereria Subirà: 1761, Barcelona's Oldest Shop Still Sells Candles
Cereria Subirà, open since 1761 on Baixada de la Llibreteria: Barcelona's oldest still-operating shop, its imperial staircase, and the candles that light the Sagrada Família.
Read the guide →Casa Gispert: The 1851 Wood-Fired Oven Still Roasting Almonds in the Born
Casa Gispert, on Carrer dels Sombrerers in the Born: open since 1851, with a Roman-style wood-fired oven still roasting nuts, which didn't even stop during the Civil War.
Read the guide →The Cadaqués Gallery That Brought Duchamp and Hockney from a Former Anchovy Factory
In 1973 an Italian-Swiss architect cleared out an abandoned anchovy factory in Cadaqués to make room for art. Half a century later, Galeria Cadaqués – Huc Malla is still the village's most important gallery.
Read the guide →Pastisseria Quer: 147 Years Baking in the Same Cadaqués Oven
On Avinguda Caritat Serinyana, the Quer family has run the same bakery since 1879: five generations, a Civil War along the way, and a brioche brought back from France.
Read the guide →Escanda Bread and Belgian Chocolate: Gijón's Neighbourhood Artisans
Panadería Perales and its wood-fired oven, Valentino Chocolatier and its handmade Belgian pralines: a route through Gijón's neighbourhood shops where the craft still rules.
Read the guide →Where the Valley Eats: The Nalón's Old-School Cider Houses
El Puente and Mejuto in El Entrego, La Cabaña in Sotrondio: the cider houses where the Nalón Valley really eats, with mining-heritage stews and poured cider.
Read the guide →Colmado Múrria: The 1898 Shop That Still Smells of Coffee
Colmado Múrria in the Eixample, opened in 1898: a protected Modernista façade, coffee roasted in-house, and the history of Barcelona's colonial grocery shops.
Read the guide →The Train That Goes Into the Mountain: the Ecomuseo del Valle de Samuño
In Langreo, a mining train sets off from El Cadavíu, climbs through chestnut groves, and goes more than a kilometre into the Socavón Emilia, a 19th-century mine. You have to experience it.
Read the guide →Plaça del Diamant: A Square, a Novel, and a Shelter Underfoot
Plaça del Diamant in Gràcia: the jewellery origin of its name, Mercè Rodoreda's novel, the statue of la Colometa, and the 1937 air-raid shelter.
Read the guide →Down the Mine in a Cage: Inside the MUMI
The MUMI in El Entrego, opened in 1994 on the old spoil heap of the San Vicente mine, takes you down in a cage into a simulated mine. The essential visit in the Valle del Nalón.
Read the guide →Cafè del Centre: 150 Years of History at a Marble Bar
Cafè del Centre, opened in 1873 in the Eixample, was a bourgeois club, a beer hall, and a refuge for anti-Franco intellectuals. Today it's still open, and award-winning.
Read the guide →Open Workshops and Shops with a Name in Cadaqués
Jeweller Gemma Ridameya, the Taller de Tabakov, artist studios open to the public, and the shops of always: the Cadaqués you buy unhurried.
Read the guide →Forn Anglada: The Bread That's Come Out of the Same Oven for 150 Years
In Ullastrell, on the outskirts of Barcelona, the Anglada family has been baking sourdough bread in their original wood-fired oven for more than 150 years. It's worth the trip.
Read the guide →Tables with a Surname: Eating in the Cadaqués of Always
Casa Anita, Es Baluard, El Marítim, Boia Nit, Es Grec: the historic restaurants and bars of Cadaqués, their families, and the stories behind them.
Read the guide →Cabrales Without Leaving Gijón: A Visit to La Quesería
La Quesería in Gijón has spent more than 13 years selecting Asturian cheeses. A guide to understanding Cabrales, the blue cheese with D.O.P. status since 1981 and medieval roots.
Read the guide →Family Llagares: Gijón's Cider Told From the Inside
Viñao and Acebal, two family llagares in Gijón founded in the late 19th century, tell Asturian cider from the inside: the press, the espicha, and generations of craft.
Read the guide →Bar El Roure: 136 Years, Three Families, and a Recovered Name
The history of Bar El Roure in Gràcia, opened in 1889: the name lost under the dictatorship, only three families in 136 years, and its sandwiches named after footballers.
Read the guide →The Cadaqués Fish Market: The Village That Wakes Before You Do
The daily fish auction each morning at the Cadaqués harbour, the artisan anchovies of Quimeta and Eva, and where that fish ends up at lunchtime.
Read the guide →Learning to Vermut in Gràcia: Three Bars with History
Casa Pagès, La Vermuteria del Tano, and Bar Canigó: three historic vermouth bars in Gràcia (1922, 1927, and the late fifties) where the midday aperitif becomes a neighbourhood routine.
Read the guide →Compartir: Three El Bulli Chefs Put Down Roots in Cadaqués
The story of Compartir, the restaurant opened in Cadaqués in 2012 by Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch, and Mateu Casañas, head chefs at El Bulli.
Read the guide →Casa Múgica: 126 Years of Flowers on Calle San Antonio, Gijón
The Casa Múgica flower shop, at San Antonio 20, was founded in 1894 by Pedro Múgica, a Basque gardener who had run the public gardens of Vitoria and San Sebastián. It closed in 2020.
Read the guide →The Anchovy Factory Where Duchamp Exhibited: Galeria Cadaqués
How Lanfranco Bombelli turned a Cadaqués anchovy factory into the gallery that first brought Duchamp, Beuys, Hockney, and Jasper Johns to Spain.
Read the guide →Pozo San Vicente: The Mine the Miners Ran Themselves
In El Entrego, the headframe of the Pozo San Vicente still stands — the mine the SOMA union ran from 1926, with better wages and an hour less on the shift.
Read the guide →Quimet i Quimet: A Tiny Temple in Poble Sec
Quimet i Quimet, opened in 1914 in Poble Sec and in the hands of the same family ever since: tinned-fish sandwiches, 500 bottles on the walls, and not a single chair.
Read the guide →Pastisseria Quer: Five Generations Behind the Same Counter
The story of Pastisseria Quer in Cadaqués: founded in 1879, five generations of the same family, and a bakery that survived even the Civil War.
Read the guide →Federico Verdú: The Turrón That's Been Sweetening Gijón for Almost a Century and a Half
The story of Turrones y Helados Federico Verdú, the family from Jijona who arrived in Gijón in 1882 and, five generations on, still make handmade turrón today.
Read the guide →The Mercat de Sant Antoni: 140 Years of Neighbourhood Life and a Different Sunday
The history and life of the Mercat de Sant Antoni: the 1882 iron hall, the 2018 renovation, and the Sunday book market that has filled the building every Sunday since 1936.
Read the guide →Two Days in Cadaqués: What to See
A 2-day guide to Cadaqués and Cap de Creus: the old town and Santa Maria, Dalí's house in Portlligat, coves, fresh fish, and the shuttle bus to the lighthouse.
Read the guide →The Best Coves of Cap de Creus
A verified 2026 guide to the coves of Cap de Creus: Jugadora, Fredosa, Guillola, s'Alqueria and Sa Conca, with the lighthouse shuttle and swimming tips.
Read the guide →Cadaqués Off-Season
Autumn and winter are Cadaqués at its best: the painters' light, the tramontana wind, and a village that's lived in again instead of just photographed.
Read the guide →Dalí in Cadaqués: Portlligat and the Genius's Route
A guide to Dalí in Cadaqués and Portlligat: the House-Museum with compulsory booking, the avant-garde circle that visited him, and the Cap de Creus rocks that inspired his work.
Read the guide →The Nalón Valley: Authentic Asturias
A guide to the Nalón Valley, Asturias's green, uncrowded side: the MUMI mining museum, the Samuño mining train, Laviana, the Ruta del Alba and the Senda del Oso.
Read the guide →Gijón in a Weekend
Gijón in a weekend: the Roman baths of Cimavilla, Chillida's Elogio, San Lorenzo beach, the Laboral, and cider, plus the August 2026 eclipse and Semana Grande.
Read the guide →Asturian Cider Culture
How to pour it, the culín, cider mills in Xixón, and the cheeses of the Picos: a real guide to Asturian cider culture, a UNESCO Intangible Heritage listing since 2024.
Read the guide →Living in Barcelona for a Few Months: A Neighbourhood Guide
An honest neighbourhood guide for living in Barcelona a few months: Gràcia, Poblenou, Sant Antoni, Eixample Esquerra, and Poble-sec. Transport, tax, and work, 2026.
Read the guide →The Barcelona That's Not on the Postcards
A real guide to Barcelona without the clichés: the Búnkers del Carmel, Modernista Sant Pau, neighbourhood markets, and Montjuïc, with 2026 hours and key dates.
Read the guide →Barcelona for Remote Work
An honest guide to remote work in Barcelona in 2026: which neighbourhood to choose, cafés and coworking spaces in 22@, transport, wifi, and the digital nomad visa.
Read the guide →How to Get to Cadaqués from Barcelona and Girona
How to get to Cadaqués from Barcelona and Girona in 2026: by car via the AP-7 and the winding GI-614, Moventis Sarfa bus, train via Figueres, and where to park.
Read the guide →Where to Park in Cadaqués and Get Around Without a Car
How to park in Cadaqués in summer 2026: the Saba car park at the entrance, the free riera except Mondays, the car-free centre, and the shuttle to Cap de Creus.
Read the guide →Cadaqués with Kids: A Family Plan
Cadaqués with kids: easy-access coves, Dalí's house in Portlligat, gentle kayaking in the bay, and where to eat with little ones, at an unhurried pace.
Read the guide →Cadaqués in a Day: The Express Route
Cadaqués in 24 hours: the old town and Santa Maria, Dalí's house in Portlligat, a swim, sunset at Cap de Creus, and a seafood dinner. Express 2026 route.
Read the guide →The Best Day Trips from Cadaqués
A 2026 guide to the best day trips from Cadaqués: Portlligat on foot, Cap de Creus, Sant Pere de Rodes, the Roses citadel, and Dalí's Figueres.
Read the guide →The Picos de Europa from the Nalón Valley
A guide to planning a day in the Picos de Europa from the Nalón Valley: Cangas de Onís, Covadonga and the Lagos, the 2026 transport plan, and when to go.
Read the guide →What to Eat in Asturias: A Food Guide
A 2026 food guide to Asturias: fabada, cachopo, cheeses like Cabrales, cider culture, and desserts like arroz con leche. Where to find them and how.
Read the guide →Oviedo in a Day
A guide to Oviedo in a day: the old town and Cathedral, the pre-Romanesque churches on Mount Naranco, the Fontán market, a statue route, and cider on Calle Gascona.
Read the guide →The Senda del Oso by Bike: A Practical Guide
A practical guide to cycling the Senda del Oso: a nearly flat greenway through Teverga and Quirós, the bear enclosure in Proaza, bike hire, the different stretches, and plans for families.
Read the guide →The Best Beaches in Asturias Near Gijón
The best beaches near Gijón in 2026: the urban San Lorenzo and the wild Silencio, Gulpiyuri, Rodiles and Xagó. How to get there and read the tide.
Read the guide →The Best Neighbourhoods to Live in Barcelona
An honest guide to six Barcelona neighbourhoods for living there for months: Gràcia, Poblenou, Sant Antoni, Eixample Esquerra, Poble-sec, and El Born.
Read the guide →Barcelona with Kids: A 3-Day Plan
A family guide to 3 days in Barcelona: Park Güell, Ciutadella and the Zoo, the Aquàrium, Tibidabo, and CosmoCaixa. 2026 hours, prices, and stroller logistics.
Read the guide →How to Get Around Barcelona: A Transport Guide
Barcelona's 2026 transport guide: metro, bus, tram, FGC, and Rodalies, T-usual prices and other passes, Bicing, and how to get from the airport to the centre.
Read the guide →The Barcelona Markets Worth the Trip
A 2026 guide to Barcelona's markets beyond the Boqueria: Santa Caterina, Sant Antoni, El Ninot, La Concepció, and Els Encants. What to buy and eat.
Read the guide →The Northern Costa Brava: Postcard Villages and Coves
From Roses to Portbou: a guide to the northern Costa Brava, with the coves of Cap de Creus, Cadaqués, Port de la Selva, and Llançà. Day routes and real advice.
Read the guide →How to Reach the Cap de Creus Lighthouse When the Road Is Closed
Car access to the Cap de Creus lighthouse is restricted in season. How the shuttle from Cadaqués works, what it costs, and how to walk up instead.
Read the guide →The Coves of Cap de Creus, One by One: Real Access and How to Get There
Which coves of Cap de Creus lie inside the Strict Nature Reserve, which have open access, and which you can only reach on foot from Cadaqués or by sea.
Read the guide →Tickets for the Dalí House in Portlligat: How to Get Them
Compulsory advance booking, groups every 10 minutes, and a tiny capacity: how tickets for the Dalí House in Portlligat really work, and what to do if none are left.
Read the guide →The Tramontana in Cadaqués: What It Feels Like and What to Do on Those Days
When the tramontana blows in Cadaqués, how long it lasts, and what to do on those days: what gets cancelled, which streets stay sheltered, and why the sky shines afterwards.
Read the guide →How to Get to Cadaqués and Where to Park Without a Fight
The winding road from Roses, the bus from Barcelona, and where to really park in Cadaqués, plus the Monday market and the shuttle to Cap de Creus.
Read the guide →Cadaqués in Winter: What Closes, the December 18 Festival, and Sea Urchin Season
A realistic calendar for off-season Cadaqués: the Dalí House-Museum's annual closure, the Festa Major d'hivern on 18 December, and the sea urchin months.
Read the guide →Cadaqués to Cap de Creus on Foot: the Camí Vell and the GR-11
The 14.8 km Camí Antic from Cadaqués to the Cap de Creus lighthouse, the GR-11 marker at the Peninsula's easternmost point, and the shorter alternative.
Read the guide →Pozo Sotón or MUMI? The Four Mines You Can Visit in the Nalón
Sotón, MUMI, the Ecomuseo de Samuño and Bustiello aren't the same thing. What each one really is, what it demands physically, and which one suits how you're travelling.
Read the guide →A Cider House Manual: Culín, the Pour, and the Asturian Espicha
What a culín is, why cider is poured from a height, what to do with the last finger of the glass, and how an Asturian espicha works. Explained without the folklore.
Read the guide →The Gijón–Laviana Train (C-5): The Nalón Valley Without a Car
How to visit Asturias's former mining valleys and the Nalón Valley by public transport: what you can do on foot from each stop on the Cercanías Asturias C-5 line.
Read the guide →Ruta del Alba: How Long It Takes, and the Easy Trails in Redes
The trails of Redes Natural Park ranked by real time and effort: Ruta del Alba, Tabayón del Mongayu, Camín del Rebollal, and the parking headache.
Read the guide →The Descenso del Nalón: What It Is and When It Falls Each Year
What the Descenso Folklórico del Nalón in Laviana is, how it began in 1968, and why the old rule of the third Saturday in August no longer works out.
Read the guide →Senda del Oso: Paca and Tola Are Gone, Only the Bear Molina Remains
Tola died in 2018 and Paca in April 2025: only Molina is left in the Senda del Oso enclosure. What you'll actually see, and how to walk the trail properly.
Read the guide →Gijón's Roman Baths and the Elogio del Horizonte: Cimadevilla
The Roman baths under the square, the 3rd-century wall, and the Elogio del Horizonte, where you can hear the sea: Cimadevilla told in chronological order, uphill.
Read the guide →Seasonal Rentals in Barcelona: Requirements and the Law in 2026
What a seasonal rental is, what changed with Law 11/2025 in Barcelona, and what documents you can be asked for in 2026. Explained without the jargon.
Read the guide →Bicing Without a NIE: How to Get Around Barcelona for Months Without a Car
Bicing requires a DNI or NIE and is built for residents, not visitors. What to do instead if you're spending a few months in Barcelona without a car.
Read the guide →Remote Work in Barcelona for Free: Libraries, Neighbourhood by Neighbourhood
Barcelona's public library network: a free card, wifi, and power sockets. Which library suits which kind of working day, and when it doesn't.
Read the guide →The Sant Antoni Sunday Market: Books, Trading Cards, and Opening Hours
Every Sunday morning, the Sant Antoni Sunday market opens with old books, trading cards, and collectibles. Hours, how it works, and how to buy well.
Read the guide →Eating and Shopping in Barcelona: The Menú del Día and the Markets
How the menú del día works in Barcelona, what it costs depending on the neighbourhood, and what time to go to market to actually shop, not just look.
Read the guide →Modernisme in Barcelona Without the Queues: Sant Pau and Casa Vicens
Barcelona's Modernisme beyond the Passeig de Gràcia: the Sant Pau site, Gaudí's Casa Vicens, and the street façades that cost nothing to see.
Read the guide →Day Trips from Barcelona by Train, Line by Line
Eight day trips from Barcelona by train, organised by Rodalies line: what the R2 Sud gives you, what the R4 gives you, what the R1 gives you, and how to plan the way back.
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