Three Days in Barcelona as Digital Nomad: Work-Joy Balance

Our itinerary balanced work and exploration seamlessly. On our arrival night, we satisfied our hunger at Honest Greens. Honest Greens is always one of my favorite options when I want to have a healthy lunch or dinner in a cozy atmosphere. It was delicious and we are never disappointed. Then we went straight to bed. I have to tell you that the quality of the beds is pretty ok. With expertise in testing beds and pillows, I can assure you, they were of good quality.

The following day, I structured my time into two segments. In the morning, my wish was to find a cool specialty coffee shop near the Auditorium. I also wanted to make a circle around some shopping stores and then find a place to work. We went to Hidden Coffee, it was a 2-minute walk from Axa Auditorium, which was perfect. Plus, they open early in the morning. They serve different specialty coffees and cupcakes. The atmosphere was pretty cool, Bohemian style with high and low tables and a bar where you can fit your laptop if you need to work as well. We ordered coffee from Ethiopia and a berry and lemon cupcake that was delicious. I totally recommend this coffee shop.

Diagonal Avenue was pretty near walking distance from the coffee shop, so I decided to get the bus and go straight to Paseo de Gracia. On this street you can find most of the clothes stores in Barcelona. I’m a retail design student, so I wanted to see the interior design of some flagship stores that are located on the avenue. We went to Rituals, Adolfo Dominguez, Uniqlo and Hermes. You can find the best inspiration here and buy some interesting stuff as well.

For focused work, I discovered Santander Bank's Workspaces a couple of streets away from the hotel. This was an absolute lifesaver. This space provided ample tables with charging points and private rooms, fostering an ideal environment for productivity. Moreover, it was a hub for networking among fellow digital nomads.

In the afternoon, we went for pancakes. I did a little research looking for the best pancakes near me and I found them at Café Pendiente. The atmosphere was very nice. The owner and server were very sweet Argentinian people. They have an interesting menu for brunch as well.

New day, new coffee. Today we went to Raw Studio. The coffee here was totally different from the day before but really awesome as well! They don't have any non-caffeinated coffee options, so you’ll need to order another drink if you don't want to have caffeine. They also have a brunch menu, and I tried the vegan waffles with mascarpone and berries. It was great. During the week laptops are not allowed, so I went back to Santander Work Café.

At lunch time we wanted some Japanese food, so we went to Ikibana Sarriá. It’s an Asian fusion restaurant with different areas and a nice, covered terrace warmed by heaters. You can order sushi, different curries, yakisoba or even meat and fish. They have a very nice menu and the service provided by the servers was perfect.

In the afternoon, we went on a book store tourism search. We’re a bit of freaks about books, Tashen works in books and design. We went to Altair Bookstore, which is a travel-focused bookshop. You can find any guide from anywhere. Whatever you want to see, you will find it here. If you need recommendations for a rare or complicated destination, this is your place to find inspiration and information! In the entrance, they have a big board with lots of notes from people who are going on a big trip. They offer whoever reads that note to join them. I loved it!

We also visited the Finestres Bookstore. This is divided into two stores, one in front of each other. One store is just for the arts (music, films, architecture, design) and the other one is for literature. They also have small sofas where you can sit and read a book for free. They say it is one of the most beautiful bookstores in Barcelona, and really it is!

The third day we took a work break and went for a bit of sightseeing. We started the day at Indigo Café, a new coffee shop on the same street of the hotel that has awesome brunch. This coffee shop is really big, the attention is great and the coffee and cupcakes are next level. The only thing I didn't like too much was that it’s a closed space with no windows and I missed a bit of natural light. But it is very pleasant to be there as the ceilings are very high and they have natural details such as small trees and plants inside the bar.

We went straight to visit the Arch of Triumph because it is the only monument we had never visited before! This trip was not for sightseeing purposes but we wanted to see something new as well. It reminded me of being in Paris. Then we went to see Sagrada Familia (I’m in love with this building and for me it is a must to always go and visit it). We stopped at the Sercotel Rosellón Rooftop, which has the best views, to have a drink. You will need to book in advance because it’s 100% full and you can't enter without reservation.

During the afternoon, we strolled around the city to soak in the enchanting atmosphere of Barri Gotic before preparing for dinner. For the last meal of our trip, we went to a restaurant called Cheese's Art. I’ve never been in a raclette restaurant, so I was amazed by how interesting it is. They’re specialized in fondues and raclette and it is so delicious. We ordered a fondue per person with beef. They all come with tons of bread and you can add potatoes as well. It was an awesome experience. The waiters were super good at taking care of the fondues, if they needed more fire or less. They brought you a small griddle where you could cook the meat to your liking. After dinner we went for a vermouth at Café de l'Architecte, located in the Hotel Casa Sagnier. We love to come here, the atmosphere is so relaxed and cool at the same time and the vermouth is great.

Barcelona was mostly about work, but hey, with some smart planning, we nailed the balance between hustle and having a blast!