LE MAG by AMARANTE LVA

You have planned your travel to a dot. You know all the museums, parks, galleries, monuments and markets you shall visit. You have your luxury apartment in Barcelona secured and even your to-take list is prepared. You have read about the best restaurants and cafes in the area and have all the lunches and dinners planned and re-planned. However, what you need to jot down, are some must-tries that you cannot let yourself miss in Barcelona.
When it is hot outside and you walk all day through, you never feel like heavy food or crockpots. You are looking for something fresh, easy, not-too-big and tasty. Tapas suit it best. We will not be talking about cold cuts, just mind that they are must-tries too. Absolutely unavoidable.

Gambas al ajillo
Shrimps with a garlic touch. 





Pulpo a la gallega
Olive-oil drizzled octopus with potatoes.





Croquetas/buñuelos de bacalao
Cod croquettes.





Chipirones a la andaluza
Fried baby squid 




Escalivada
Smoky grilled vegetables


Can be perfectly married with anchovies.

Planning your trip to Barcelona you must have faced the choice of the area where to stay. Barcelona is not a big city and has only 1,600 million people, but its neighborhoods are very different in terms of safety and features. So when picking up a luxury apartment in Barcelona depending on your trip preferences, you might chose one area over another one.


Number 3. Diagonal Mar
If you are planning a beach holiday, Barcelona is a great place for that. Located right in the city line, Barcelona enjoys several sandy beaches including Barceloneta, Bogatell, Mar Bella and Nova Mar Bella. All easily reachable by public transport or by taxi, these family-friendly beaches with cafes and restaurants are beloved both by the tourists and Barcelona residents. If you are a lover of fresh design and condominiums with a pool, a gym, a tennis and other facilities, your area is Diagonal Mar, home to Mar Bella and Nova Mar Bella beaches and a big shopping mall, located just within 10 minutes drive from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Spectacular Seaview Penthouse, Barcelona

Diagonal Mar Park, Barcelona

Diagonal Mar Park, Barcelona

Luxury Duplex Penthouse Mar, Barcelona

Number 2. Ciutat Vella: el Born
Those looking for the most authentic experience shall pay attention to the Old City, or Ciutat Vella in Catalan. Comprising of four neighborhoods, La Barceloneta, el Raval, el Gotic and Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera and home to the famous Las Ramblas, this area is located in the city centre. With plenty of new elegant cafes, designer & handcraft shops, cocktail bars and workshops, the place is being living a rebirth these days. Barcelona´s big secrets keeper, Ciutat Vella boasts typical gothic architecture, narrow streets and fortified walls going back to the Roman Empire history. El Born and el Gotico are considered to be the most cosmopolitan, chicest and boheme neighborhoods of the area.

El Born, Barcelona

Barrio Gotico, Barcelona

Gothic Quarter Deluxe Studio, Barcelona

Gothic Quarter Deluxe Studio building entrance, Barcelona

Number 1. Eixample
If you are coming for a lot of sightseeing, fine dining and walking around, your area is Eixample. Situated right in the city centre and comprising two main neighborhood, Eixample Esquerra and Eixample Dreta, this area hosts the many of the main sightseeing points of the city including La Pedrera and Casa Batllo by Antoni Gaudi, the main half-pedestrian street of Barcelona, Rambla de Catalunya, and the emblematic Passeig de Gracia. Within a short walk from Sagrada Familia and full of restaurants, cafes, bars and luxury shops, Eixample has converted into a must-live for any Barcelona tourist.

Casa Batllo on Passeig de Gracia, Barcelona

Golden Collection Apartment, Eixample

Golden Collection Apartment, Eixample

Rambla Luxury Residence, Barcelona

Luxury Spa Palace Apartment, Barcelona

One cannot help trying tapas when spending a holiday in Barcelona. All those savoury patatas bravas,  crunchy calamares a la romana, limpsmacking brochetas de langostinos, delicious pulpos a la gallega and other small local-food dishes do not let you just pass by. There are as many views on what the best tapas bar in Barcelona is as tapas themselves. Here comes our point of view.

Number 1. Bar Mut (Carrer Pau Claris 192, 08037 Barcelona)
For more glamorous and elaborated tapas, come to this place and do not forget to make a reservation as you might stay without a table. Must try: shrimp and yolk carpaccio.

Bar Mut Barcelona

Number 2. Cerveceria Catalana (Carrer Mallorca 236, 08008 Barcelona)
Beloved by the travellers from all over the world and completely full all the time, this tapas bar benefits form a central location and extremely efficient personnel. You might wait for quite some time for a table, but never for a dish. Must try: huevos cabreados.

Cerveceria Catalana Barcelona

Number 3. Paco Meralgo (Carrer Muntaner 181, 08036 Barcelona) Minimalist in design, the place offers a vast menu of creative haute tapas to all the tastes. Do not miss: bombas Paco Meralgo.

Paco Meralgo Barcelona

Number 4. El Quim de la Boquería (Stall 606, Mercat de la Boquería, Las Ramblas 91, 08001 Barcelona). Located right on the famous Boquería market, the place offers an authentic experience with fresh tapas made of the seasonal foods. Must try: revuelto de setas al oporto.

El Quim de la Boqueria Barcelona

Number 5. El Xampanyet. Located in the heart of the Old City (Carrer Montcada 22, 08003 Barcelona) this blue-tiled-walled traditional bar serves the classical tapas and gets full in the snap of a finger for you to have an authentic experience in a loud and packed Spanish bar (in a positive sense).  Must try: anchovies and home-made drink xampanyet.

El Xampanyet Barcelona

For accommodation, we invite you to check our luxury holiday apartments in Barcelona

We want the holidays to be perfect. They just must be perfect. We are waiting for this period all the year and do not want to fail or even jeopardize them. So when planning a trip we want to plan everything to a dot. The time, the things to do, the accommodation, the transport, the food, the guides, the clothes, absolutely everything.
One thing that might look a bit unimportant, but is actually the keystone of the travel is the moment of the year to visit the place in question. It depends on various factors such as the situation of the place, climate, events to be held, the party you are travelling with, public holidays, flights frequency and what kind of holiday you are up to. It is quite clear that going to the mountains in winter and in summer are two absolutely different trips. As well as going to the mountains with your friends in the mid-thirties and with three children under three.
So what is the best time to visit Barcelona?
Let´s start with the climate. If you are coming for a beach holiday and your main desire is to tan and relax, then July and August are your months. Be prepared, Barcelona and its beaches will be quite packed, so if you are looking for some hot weather and seclusion, a luxury apartment with a private pool in Barcelona might be a better solution for you rather than a hotel. The swimming season varies from ano year to another and normally starts in mid-June though you will see some people sunbathing at the beginning of May; it finishes at the end of September.

Barceloneta Beach, Barcelona

Barceloneta Beach, Barcelona

Luxury Pool Penthouse, Barcelona

Though walking around looking at the sightseeing points of the city with the sun beating down, +29 C and quite high level of humidity is not the best solution. If you come primarily to enjoy the works of Gaudi, museums, beautiful parks, try the delicious local food and do some cultural tourism, then the best period would be mid-Apil through June and September, October. Barcelona doesn´t have a lot of rainy days throughout the year, and the infrequent rains normally tend to fall in September, October and November. Find out what to do in Barcelona on a rainy day here.

If you are a big foodie and come for shopping, you shall know that some places remain closed in August for the early leave, so if you want to try it all, avoid August.

Bar Mut, Barcelona

Cerveseria Catalana, Barcelona

If you live in a Northern country, the winter in Barcelona with its +8-9C will seem very mild to you, so coming for Christmas will bring you a lot of nice moments. Just bear in mind that the cold seems colder with high humidity.

Visit Barcelona and don´t go shopping is a crime. Having a vast any-wallet-friendly offer, Barcelona is full of shops with the goods of all kinds and styles coming from all over the world. You can find something special almost everywhere, but there are some main spots visiting which you will never fail.
For Barcelona designers and handmade clothes, visit el Born neighbourhood. It has plenty of small boutiques with very particular items from jewelry and bags to kitchenware pieces that, you can be sure, your best friend won´t have.

Colmado, el Born, Barcelona

Bon Vent, el Born, Barcelona

For world-known luxury brands like Chanel, Gucci, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton, visit Passeig de Gracia, one of the main streets of Barcelona. Be prepared to spend some time in the queue in order to enter some shops. Santa Eulalia, a multibrand shop located in Passeig de Gracia 93 with its chic cafe is a total must.

Chanel, Passeig de Gracia, Barcelona

Louis Vuitton, Passeig de Gracia, Barcelona

Santa Eulalia, Passeig de Gracia, Barcelona

And if you are not prepared to spend time in queues in search of a new purse, check the secret street with the luxury shops beloved by the Catalan people, Pau Casals and the adjacent streets. Located over Diagonal Avenue in the Upper area by the beautiful Turo Park in one of the most expensive and prestigious parts of Barcelona, the street features Etro, Rolex, a multibrand Jofre and BCBG Max Azria and more accessible Bimba & Lola (Diagonal) among others.

Bimba & Lola foulard

Do not forget to take care of your accommodation and check out our luxury apartments in Barcelona!

Mobile World Congress is the world´s mobile industry largest gathering held every year in Barcelona at the end of February - beginning of March featuring a conference, an exhibition and partner events. Offering great business and network building opportunities this year this factory of mobile-world ideas will take place between February 27th and March 2nd in Fira Gran Via and Fira Montjuic. Barcelona gets well booked every year for this dates and those who decide too late to book a place, might stay without a good one or even without any if you a re abig group and want to stay altogether. Do not loose time and book the right luxury apartment in Barcelona for MWC.

Number five
Gracia Luxury Rental Barcelona
Sleeps four. Two bedrooms. Two bathrooms.

Gracia Bijou Deluxe Apartment, Gracia

Gracia Bijou Deluxe Apartment, Gracia

Gracia Bijou Deluxe Apartment, Gracia

Number four
Diagonal Mar Luxury Rental Barcelona
Sleeps eight. Four bedrooms. Two bathrooms.

Luxury Diagonal Mar Apartment, Diagonal Mar

Luxury Diagonal Mar Apartment, Diagonal Mar

Luxury Diagonal Mar Apartment, Diagonal Mar

Number Three
Eixample Luxury Rental Barcelona
Sleeps six-seven. Four bedrooms. Three bathrooms.

Imperial Diagonal Penthouse, Eixample

Imperial Diagonal Penthouse, Eixample

Imperial Diagonal Penthouse, Eixample

Number Two
Passeig de Gracia Luxury Rental Barcelona
Sleeps 10. Five bedrooms. Five bathrooms.

Batllo Deluxe Apartment, Passeig de Gracia

Batllo Deluxe Apartment, Passeig de Gracia

Batllo Deluxe Apartment, Passeig de Gracia

Number One
Passeig de Gracia Luxury Rental Barcelona
Sleeps eight. Four bedrooms. Three bathrooms.

Batllo Design Apartment, Passeig de Gracia

Batllo Design Apartment, Passeig de Gracia

Batllo Design Apartment, Passeig de Gracia

If you are planning to come to Barcelona shortly, you must have planned your trip to a dot and know perfectly well by now where to go, what to do, how to avoid pickpockets and get the best event admissions, you must have your flights booked as well as luxury apartment in Barcelona by now, you might even know what to try out of the Catalan cuisine. Or you might be thinking you know? No, we are not going to talk here neither about the famous paella, pa amb tomaquèt, cocas, truita de patata nor calçots that everyone who has ever been to any spot in Catalonia or have read any tourist guide about this beautiful region knows. We will try to show you the dishes you might have missed.

Winter selection

Escudella i carn d´olla. A traditional Catalan soup and stew with meatballs, seasonal vegetables, bones, sausages, meats, garlic, parsley, pasta or sometimes rice. The broth with the pasta or rice is called escudella, while the meats with the vegetables are named carn d´olla and are served after the soup. When served togeter, the dish gets the name of escudella barrejada.

Escudella barrejada

Faves Ofegades. Aka faves sacsades is a traditional pot made of broad beans, sausages, bacon, mint and herbs stewed for a long time. Sometimes garlic, sobrassada, pork ribs, chorizo and onion are used, peas can replace broad beans.

Faves ofegades

Botifarra amb mongetes. Boiled white beans sautéed with a traditional sausage.

Botifarra amb mongetes

Suquet de peix. A traditional fish soup originally made by the fishers with fishes that were the hardest to sell. Nowadays it is cooked with the best fishes and seafood on the market including monkfish and bream.

Suquet de peix