Robin Meijer
Neighbourhoods, sights and the slow way round the city
Based in Gràcia, Barcelona.
Robin moved from Utrecht to Gràcia a decade ago and maps Barcelona on foot, from Montjuïc's back paths to the Eixample's overlooked interior courtyards. They build city breaks that skip the Sagrada Família queue in favour of quieter Modernista buildings and morning sea swims.
Latest stories
Sagrada Familia Towers: Nativity or Passion, and Why the Tower of Jesus Is Still Shut
You pick one of the two Sagrada Família towers, not both, and the climb is not for everyone. The spires you cannot go up are best seen from the street below.
Why Barcelona's Casa Lleó i Morera stops at the front door
Barcelona refused the building's visitor licence in 2016, so the stained-glass dining room is still shut, and what is left to see, the facade and the ground floor, costs nothing.
La Pedrera's Chimney Warriors On Barcelona's Passeig de Gràcia
Gaudí's wave-form roof terrace, the catenary ribs in the attic and the limestone ripple of the facade on Passeig de Gràcia, with prices, access limits and the best time to go.
Walking Gaudí's Mosaic Hilltop at Park Güell in Barcelona
Timed 30-minute slots, the serpentine mosaic bench above the city, and the free stone hilltop just outside the fence.
Barcelona's Eixample in October Without the Queues
October is the month when L'Eixample's Gaudi houses, the basilica and the grid itself all come at walking pace. Here is the order to take them in, what you pay, and what you can skip for free.
Standing Under the Stone Trees of Barcelona's Sagrada Família
How the nave reads when you walk in, when the light is worth timing, and why the best views of Gaudí's basilica are free.
The Architects Who Refused to Let Gaudí Have Barcelona
Domènech i Montaner and Puig i Cadafalch spent thirty years competing with Gaudí, building by building. Here is where to read the whole quarrel, mostly without the queues.
A Morning Tile Hunt Through Barcelona's Rambla Backstreets
Before the boulevard fills up, a two-and-a-half-hour walk into the Raval and the Gothic Quarter turns up tiled shopfronts, cloistered courtyards, and the Gaudí roofline that most people on the Rambla never notice.
Castells: The Human Towers of Catalonia and Where to See Them Rise in Barcelona
A free, no-ticket guide to Barcelona's castellers — the squares, festival days and rehearsal halls where Catalonia's human towers rise, fall, and get built again.
The City That Drinks from the Sky: Barcelona's Rooftop Bars and the Art of the High Terrace
From the 360° panorama over El Raval to the hidden infinity pool on Via Laietana and the sea-end clubs of Barceloneta — how to drink Barcelona's skyline the way the city intends, one terrace at a time.
Between Noon and Two: Barcelona's Vermouth Hour, Poured Straight from the Barrel
A calm, neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood walk through the city's most honest ritual — where to stand, where to sit, and which barrels are worth the detour.
Montjuïc: The Hill That Holds Barcelona's Best Views and Secrets
A calm, walkable route up Barcelona's green mountain — free castle-top panoramas, a Romanesque rooftop, cactus gardens and a woodland sundowner bar, minus the queues.
The best guided tours of Gaudí's masterpieces in Barcelona
A cartographer's route through Gaudí's Barcelona in 2026 — which tours are worth the money, which suit groups, and where a free walk beats a paid queue.
The Best Cocktail Bars in Barcelona
From the world's No.3 bar to a 1933 Havana-era counter and a no-bookings dive — a cartographer's map of where to drink well in Barcelona, and how to actually get in.
The Best Museums in Barcelona
An honest, walk-it shortlist of Barcelona's finest museums for 2026 — which to book, which are free when, and which suit a group over a couple.
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