Spain (Barcelona/ Granada/ Ronda/ Malaga)

Barcelona

Transport

Get the T10 card for adults (10 trips @ €9.95 compared to €2 per trip); T12 for children.

The T10 Zone 1 ticket will cover your transport cost from the Barcelona airport on the RENFE train to the city centre and it will count as only one journey. This can be used on bus too.

The T10 ticket can be shared and also used on more than one means of transport and all be counted as a single journey provided that your journey is less than 1 hour and 15 minutes. You can change at metro stops (not exiting the station) or jump on a bus to finish your journey or vice versa as long as the total length of the journey is less than 1 hour and 15 minutes. Once you re-enter after leaving the station, it would be considered as a new journey

http://www.metrobarcelona.es/en/maps.html

Places of interest

Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia + Tower Visit (open from 09:00 to 18:00);
Book tickets online before going. Tower visit around 10 am is a good timing to avoid crowd.

This is the landmark that you can't miss in Barcelona. Upon entrance, you can feel a sense of peace with the background music in the church. A 100 years (and still building) grand church not to be missed.

Park Guell

A park designed by famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. It's not a very big park but the colourful tiles and wavy structure is a good place to capture Gaudi's work which are not available in other part of the world.

Getting there:

Address: C/ Olot, 08024 Barcelona

Metro: Line L3, Lesseps station, then follow the tourist signs

Bus: 24 - 31 - 32 - H6 - 92

Which ever transport mode you take (Metro/ Bus), you will have to walk up a steep road to reach the park entrance, be prepared.

Montserrat

The monastery was build on top of a mountain with spectacular view. Famous for the black Madonna in the monastery. There are 2 other tram ride that you can take (and pay separately) for those who wants to go higher up the mountain. Alternatively, you can train your lungs and muscles by trekking up. There are cafes that serves warm lunch if you choose not to pack food.

Getting there:

Take train to Plaza Espanya station and change to R5 train to Montserrat (1 hr)

Get off at "Aeri de Montserrat" station and catch the cable car to Montserrat.

Cable car starts at 9.20 am (take note of the last cable car ride so that you won't miss the last ride)

There is a daily boys' choir performance at 1 pm. Don't miss it.

La Boqueria market

This market is filled with interesting food and it's a good place to sample different Spanish tapas. Seafood is abundance and fresh at this market.

After dinner, walk along Plaça Catalunya, the main square in the heart of Barcelona and Passeig de Gracia, Barcelona´s high-end shopping street. You will get to see 2 famous house by Gaudi Casa Batlló (famous dragon-inspired house) and Casa Milá just a short walk away.

Asador de aranda restaurant

We heard a lot about crispy roast piglet in Spain. Traditionally, the waiter should use a porcelain plate to cut the crispy roast piglet. However, we didn't get to see it in this restaurant. Frankly speaking, it is quite similar to our Chinese roast suckling pig.

Camp Nou

For the soccer fans, don't miss watching a match at Camp Nou.

****************************************************************

Southern Spain (Granada/ Ronda/ Malaga)

Transport
Unlike Barcelona, public transport is not as convenient in southern Spain. Thus, opting for self drive was our choice.

Malaga

Malaga was chosen as a base destination for our southern Spain trip due to it's accessibility. Usually known as the airport town as there are a lot more flights compared to Seville or Granada. Malaga is also the birth place of Picasso. We have chose to lodge in Malaga and do day trip to Granada, Ronda and Seville. Seville was skipped as one of my son was sick and we decided to take a rest day in Malaga instead.

Places of interest and eat
There are actually quite a number of places of interest in Malaga but we didn't visit them due to limited time and Malaga being the base destination of our trip, we only touch and go some places around our airBnB apartment.

We didn't particularly search for recommended restaurants and generally just followed our senses and sight. Whichever place is crowded and food looks good, we just get in and try. The locals can't be too wrong right? Wonderful and fresh seafood and my favourite is their prawn in chilli oil (Gamba ol phil phil) apart from the Paella.

Beaches nearby

Wonderful seafood at the cafe along the beach

Malaga city center @ Calle Marqués de Larios
This is the shopping belt

Atarazanas - market and there are many tapas stalls that serves fantasia food. Just follow the crowd.

Cafeteria Lucy @Calle Héroe de Sostoa, 73, 29002
This cafe is a neighbourhood cafe which serves the BEST Churros with thick yummy chocolate. We went back a few times to get the churros dipping in the addictive rich and thick chocolate.

****************************************************************

Granada

The main attraction in Granada is the place that housed the UNESCO site - Alhambra.

Places of interest and eat

There are free walking tour in Granada city which you can sign up for. Be prepared to do a lot of walking. For Alhambra, prepare to spend at least 3 to 4 hours in it and do remember that you will need to queue to get into one of the palace. It will be advisable to get a guide who can go through the history and significance of place. It will be a more meaningful visit.

Restaurante El Aguador for freshly made pizza.

On the way to Alhambra

Steep slope to Alhambra

Images from official Alhambra website

Granada street view

Ronda

Ronda is not a typical Asian's tourist spot. However, it's a gem where it housed the world's first and oldest bull pit and bridge that spanned across the "gorge".

On the way to Ronda, you will pass by olive tree farms and miles and miles of gigantic windmills that generates green energy.