After spending several years traveling as a digital nomad in search of an ideal place to settle in, our choice fell on Barcelona.
I think it’s one of the best destinations in Europe for online entrepreneurs, lifestyle designers and freelancers. The closest alternative I’ve found is Lisbon, and I’ve compared the two in my Lisbon vs Barcelona article. In a nutshell, Barcelona is the better place lifestyle-wise, but Lisbon wins on the taxation front due to its NHR programme and lack of tax on crypto. It would also probably be fair to say that if you’ve already made your money and want to be around investors and well-off families, Cascais (seaside town close to Lisbon) is the better option for you.
This is a subjective post as every person/family has their own needs and requirements from a place; Barcelona just happens to fit mine very well. Here’s why. I will list both positives and negatives. People tend to criticize me for looking negatively at countries or cultures, but I only try to be realistic.
I choose to live in a city/country not because everything there is perfect, but because the good things outweigh the bad ones by a very significant margin. This ratio can change over time so I do evaluate my thoughts every few years, keeping into consideration the alternatives available.
Although I do my best to integrate wherever I am, that doesn’t mean that I’ll adopt the negative aspects of that culture, nor do I stop wishing that those aspects would change over time.
With that in mind, I’ll be going through all the best and worst things about Barcelona.
The Good
Sport is in Barcelona’s DNA
Barcelona is a city where sport is held in very high regard. You can easily practice any kind of group sports, and there are great locations for individual sports too. Do you love running? You have the hills and mountains all to yourself, not to mention the seaside promenade. Beach volley, check. Football, check. Cycling, awesome. Padel, of course! Swimming? At many gyms all year round or in the sea. The list never ends. The only problem I have is deciding what sport to practice!
A big chunk of Barcelona owes its origins to the Barcelona Olympic games in 1992, and today one can still feel that ambiance pervade the city. There are many gyms to choose from at all price ranges, with many of them having an indoor pool. The topology of the city also presents natural invitations to practice sport. There are some awesome hills and mountains to climb if you’re into cycling, or you can head to the beaches for a swim or try your hand at SUP.
When I arrived in Barcelona I also fell in love with padel, and this city, along with Madrid, is the top place to be for any padel amateur or pro player.
One can also find several apps designed to help people access many gyms and sports facilities for one monthly price, which is very convenient.
I don’t need to mention that Barcelona is home to one of the most famous football clubs in the world, Barcelona FC.