These are just a few links I use to find attractive day trips and activities in the area around Barcelona and beyond.

Meetups

These are meetup groups that organize one-day trips, and can serve as inspiration if you want to do your own trip with a rented car, or if you have your own transport.

• Plan B
• Enjoy Catalonia
• SMexperiences
• Yepalo
• Descubridores de Barcelona
• Nature & Friends
• Back to Nature

With Kids

• Sortir amb nens
• Mammaproof
• Totnens

Around Girona

• Turisme Girones

My Favorite Trips

For adults or the whole family:

• Sitges
• Cardona Muntanya de Sal
• Hiking in Montserrat (or just visiting)
• Catalunya en Miniatura
• Wine tasting (there are many similar options)

For Kids:

• Toboganes Can Matas in Sant Cugat
• Parc de la Costeta in Begues (3 great slides)
• Granja D’Aventura Park (or other similar farms)
• Minilandia
• Cycling in El Prat

If you’re interested in purchasing expensive fashion items as an investment or simply as a hobby, one effective strategy to make this more accessible is to find the items on a used goods website.

Not only does this approach make luxury items more affordable, but it also allows you to participate in a thriving market for pre-owned high-end goods, where items often retain their value and can even appreciate over time.

Understanding the Luxury Resale Market

The luxury resale market has experienced significant growth in recent years, driven by factors such as increasing awareness about sustainability and the desire for unique, high-quality items.

The luxury resale market is a thriving industry that is gaining momentum across the globe. Already sizable at an estimated $25–30 billion in 2020, industry watchers predict an annual growth rate of 10–15 percent over the next decade. This surge is thanks in part to the success of specialized digital trading platforms, as well as changes in consumer behavior​.

The Main Players: Vestiaire Collective and TheRealReal

Two of the leading platforms in the used luxury fashion space in Europe are Vestiaire Collective and TheRealReal.

Vestiaire Collective

Vestiaire Collective is a global marketplace for pre-owned luxury and designer fashion. With international offices located in Paris, London, New York, Berlin, Milan, and Hong Kong, it caters to fashionistas who adore the hunt for a good bargain but never sacrifice quality and style. The brand was motivated by the question, “Could there be a way to extend luxury pieces’ lifespan by bringing them back into circulation?” and voila, Vestiaire Collective was here. Their goal is to promote fashion sustainability by keeping clothes out of landfills by increasing the number of times they are worn​.

Pros: Vestiaire Collective offers a wide selection of pre-owned luxury fashion items from a variety of designer brands, including unique and rare pieces that may not be available elsewhere. The platform guarantees the authenticity of the items being sold, employing a team of experts who examine each item for signs of counterfeiting. Quality control measures ensure that items are accurately described and in good condition. By buying pre-owned items from Vestiaire Collective, you participate in sustainable fashion practices​.

Cons: Prices can vary significantly due to the peer-to-peer nature of the marketplace. Depending on your location and the seller’s location, you may incur shipping fees and potential import duties or taxes. The return process can sometimes be complex, and it may take longer to receive a refund compared to other online retailers. Sizing and fit can be challenging with pre-owned items online, and returns due to sizing issues may be more difficult.

Features: Vestiaire Collective provides robust search and filtering capabilities, allowing you to narrow down your options and discover items that match your preferences. The platform also has a rigorous authentication process in place to verify the authenticity of items listed on the platform, giving buyers confidence in their purchases​.

TheRealReal

TheRealReal is a luxury consignment store established in 2011. It’s an online platform that turns pre-owned luxury goods into sellable items, extending the lifecycle of these products, similar to Vestiaire Collective’s mission​. TheRealReal offers a broad range of product categories, from clothing and accessories to jewelry, home décor, and fine art, and offers these luxury items at discounts of up to 90% off​​.

The Appeal of Luxury Goods as Investments

Many people are surprised by the high price tags of luxury designer bags or vintage cars, but the truth is that these items can increase in value over time, making them a great investment. The factors that contribute to the appreciation of luxury goods include brand reputation, rarity, and condition. For example, handbags are one of the most popular classes of alternative investments worldwide. The same goes for vintage cars and certain prestigious sports cars. These items not only retain their value but can appreciate, making them a worthwhile investment.

The Impact of Luxury Goods on Lifestyle and Mindset

I strongly believe that surrounding myself with elite people and products significantly helps me raise my own game. Surrounding yourself with amazing quality is a perfect complement to having a growth mindset. Luxury goods, because of their high quality and the prestige associated with them, can contribute positively to one’s self-image and status. They can serve as a source of inspiration, pushing individuals to strive for greater personal and professional success.

The Contrast with Mass-Market Items

Whenever possible, I buy the best products available on the market, which are normally the most expensive. The reasoning behind that is that you get to actually enjoy an amazing product, plus you know that there is the possibility to resell it at a good price. The latter point is important to me as an investor.

In contrast to luxury goods, mass-market items typically do not hold their value and can rarely be resold for a significant amount. This is often due to factors such as overproduction, lower-quality materials, and rapid changes in trends. While mass-market items may be more accessible and affordable, their resale value is often minimal compared to luxury goods. This highlights the potential economic benefits of investing in luxury items over mass-market items.

I’ll be experimenting with both of these websites and will expand on this article based on my experiences. In the meantime, if you have your own experience to share or have other suggestions please leave a comment below.

If you’re an athlete or you take your diet and training seriously, you should take a look at the rising trend of healthy meal plan deliveries in Barcelona. It’s incredible how many options we have in this city, although I would say only a few of them are really high quality.

Here are the best healthy meal plan delivery options in Barcelona. I’ll keep updating this list as I discover more places. Please leave a comment with your favorites if you know of any more that fit the bill.

We have three categories of healthy food delivery services in Barcelona:

Fully Customized

In this case, a chef will cook for you on a daily basis, according to your needs (calories, allergies, diets etc).

This is something of a rarity in Barcelona, in fact, I don’t know of any place that offers this service via a web or mobile-based interface. However, it’s by far the best option there is.

I kind of created this service for myself as I have a friend of mine who is a top chef, and I asked him if he could start cooking for me. He took up the offer and it’s been more than two years now that we’ve got this going.

Whenever I mention this to my friends they are typically amazed that such a service exists, especially at affordable prices, so I eventually got many friends on board as well, and now I am opening it up for anyone who visits my site.

Just fill in the form below, which will go to me and the chef, and he will get back to you with a proposal for you. Keep in mind that this sort of arrangement works best if you are doing it on a long-term basis as the chef can then really get to know your needs as well as bring down the costs. If it’s a one-off thing then you’d be better served using a normal healthy restaurant from the list further down below.

As a general guide, if you go on a weekly plan (5-7 days a week), the cost would be between €25-35 per day depending on your needs. This covers all your daily nutrition including breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner. Delivery is done in the morning between 7:30 and 9:00 or in the afternoon between 18:30 and 20:00.

If you’re just starting out with meal plans and nutrition, I highly recommend that you consult a nutritionist who can prepare a plan for you that the chef can then follow. Just tick the box in the form if you need a nutritionist as well and I’ll connect you to mine.

Calorie-based meal plans

These are purely focused on fitness enthusiasts and provide meal plans and specific nutrition information:

• Miplato
• Menudiet (€40 discount if you use this link)

Meal Ingredient Delivery

These companies send you the ingredients for cooking dishes according to the recipes provided. It’s a convenient way of eating healthy food without the hassle of shopping for different ingredients and finding recipes. And you get to enjoy cooking your own food.

• HelloFresh
• LetsCookNow (25% off with the coupon JEANGALEA25)
• Foodinthebox

My Experience with LetsCookNow

Having sampled the offerings of LetsCookNow, which is a service dedicated to the Spanish market, I found it to be a delightful fusion of convenience and culinary adventure. Right from the ordering process to the actual cooking, the LetsCookNow experience has been designed to simplify home cooking without sacrificing the joy of it.

Understanding that their audience in Spain is diverse, the website is thoughtfully designed to be accessible in English, Catalan, and Spanish. This multilingual feature ensures that language doesn’t become a barrier to enjoying their service. Users can easily switch between languages at their convenience, facilitating a smoother, more personalized browsing experience.

When my first LetsCookNow box arrived, it was neatly packed with fresh ingredients, all carefully portioned to minimize waste. LetsCookNow does not provide printed instructions (unlike HelloFresh), but you can watch a video and the step-by-step process online. I used my iPad for following along. It’s perhaps less wasteful to not print all those recipes, but I do enjoy having a printed paper I can throw about in my tiny kitchen without being too bothered if it gets dirty during the process.

As someone who has struggled with portion sizes and complex recipes, LetsCookNow’s approach to healthy cooking at home was a breath of fresh air.

The meals themselves were a mix of local Spanish flavors and globally-inspired dishes. Each ingredient was of good quality, and the recipe was easy to follow, leading to a delicious meal that brought the distinct taste of international cuisines to my home kitchen.

Indeed, LetsCookNow introduced me to various global flavors – from the spices of Moroccan cuisine to the tangy, savory notes of Asian dishes. This wide range of meals catered to different moods and preferences, providing flexibility and excitement that’s often missing in daily cooking.

One thing that stood out about LetsCookNow was their commitment to sustainability. The packaging was primarily made of recyclable materials, and there were clear instructions on how to properly dispose of it.

The delivery process of LetsCookNow was nothing short of exceptional. The service demonstrated meticulous attention to detail, from the thoughtful packaging to ensure ingredients remained fresh, to the punctuality of the delivery itself. My box arrived right on schedule, within the selected time slot, eliminating any concerns about waiting or rescheduling. Each ingredient was carefully packed to prevent damage or mixing during transit.

In terms of cost, the service offered good value for money. Considering the high quality of ingredients, the variety of meals available each week, and the sheer convenience of having everything delivered to your doorstep, the pricing was justifiable.

In a nutshell, my experience with LetsCookNow was more than just about convenience. It was about rediscovering the joy of cooking and tasting new cuisines, all from the comfort of my own kitchen. Whether you’re a busy professional, a food enthusiast, or someone just learning to cook, LetsCookNow offers a service that caters to your needs while bringing a world of flavors to your table.

I’ve liked the service so much that I’ve asked the guys at LetsCookNow to provide a discount to my readers, as I’d like you to try them out as well and let me know what you think.

Healthy food delivery

These are restaurants that consistently churn out high-quality food without being as strict as the previous ones:

• Tres a la Cuina
• Coco Kitchen
• Fish & Greens
• The Healthiest Choice

If there are days when you feel like cooking at home, I highly recommend the FitMenCook app for its recipes and fantastic dishes. Video instructions are also included, and it is available in both English and Spanish.

Here are some similar services that operate in the US and Canada. We might be seeing more of them opening up in Europe in the future if their models prove to be successful.

• Sun Basket
• Blue Apron
• EveryPlate

Why We Don’t Cook Anymore

Before we had children, we used to cook at home a lot and also eat out very frequently. In Barcelona, you can find lots of great options for lunch since most restaurants have a menu del dia, which means a set menu for a fixed price that is usually excellent value for money.

Given that we both worked from home, it was a nice break from work to go out and have a nice lunch somewhere before getting back to work.

However, once we had children, our free time was much more constrained and we preferred to outsource our diets to the experts and thus eat healthier and better.

In 2020, the COVID crisis accelerated the trend of healthy food meal plan deliveries in Barcelona. Basically, many kitchens opened up, and they cook dishes and concentrate on selling them via delivery apps or by customers picking up their orders at the kitchen. This minimizes the costs of having tables and staff serving those tables, not to mention not being troubled by the COVID restrictions.

As a customer, I love the idea. It’s a trend that has been picking up steam in the United States as well. What we’re seeing is essentially the nascent era of cooking as a service. In much the same way as we have outsourced a lot of our daily chores to specialized services, cooking seems to be the next chore that is going to be outsourced in developed nations.

Cooking has traditionally been the role of the woman, and it takes up quite a lot of time to shop for the ingredients, cook and then clean up after. If you have a family with a few kids, it takes even more time. If you calculate it, it could easily take 4-5 hours a day once you factor in everything. Since more women are heading back to the workplace, it makes sense for them to outsource this chore.

In my opinion, leaving the cooking to a specialized chef will also most likely result in you eating a healthier and more varied diet. A kitchen with a good chef will be churning out many different dishes, while if you cook at home you will most likely eventually stick to a small variety of tried and tested dishes. Unfortunately, we are also living in a period in history where food has become very processed, and good raw materials are not easy to come by. A chef who buys raw material in bulk has the expertise of being able to distinguish between poor and great quality fish, poultry etc, and he can even buy it at a cheaper price due to his contacts and the amounts he is buying.

Even without calculating the monetary value of time spent on cooking, food is easily the biggest monthly expense for my family after rental payments. Since switching to purchasing most of our food from one of the kitchens, our costs have remained equal, but we have gained a lot of extra time and eat way better since we have a professional chef with years of experience cooking for us.

Here are some reasons for giving up cooking your own food:

• Gaining extra time
• Spending more time with your partner and kids
• Letting the pros do the work
• Better control your portions
• Protecting yourself from injuries (burns, cuts etc)
• Less cleaning up
• No grocery shopping

Another benefit for me specifically as I pursue athletic excellence for the various sports I practice is that I can have my dietician coordinate with my fitness coach and chef to make sure I am getting exactly the right fuel for my workouts and upcoming tournaments. If I had to do this myself I would definitely get it wrong and it would be too time-consuming.

Cooking at home on occasion is of course still a nice idea, especially when it involves all family members and serves as a relationship-building activity. It’s also great to go out for a nice meal at a restaurant every once in a while.

My Guidelines for Eating Well and Maintaining a Healthy Diet

Over the past few years, I’ve taken a keen interest in nutrition as I realized that overall health and fitness is a result of both training hard and about eating the right foods.

Here are the rules of thumb for the food I eat, whether it’s prepared for me by the chef of whether I’m cooking myself:

• Whole grains or their derivatives (wholewheat bread, pasta, etc.) in all meals, except those that include potatoes.
• Legumes every day but in smaller quantities than wholewheat cereals.
• One or two vegetable types in every dish (for example boiled broccoli).
• Between one and three fruits per day, preferably local and seasonal products (this doesn’t include packed or bottled fruit juices that are typically full of sugar). Eating fruit is preferable over juicing it, as in the latter process you lose almost all the fiber in the fruit, and the resultant juice has a high concentration of fructose.
• One lactose product per day, preferably fermented. I go with Greek yogurt for breakfast or as dessert.
• Fatty foods in moderate quantities, giving preference to vegetables and keeping a healthy balance between omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids.
• Keep refined foods to an absolute minimum (cereals, oil, sugar, etc).

The image above shows the food portions I aim for in every meal.

Apart from the actual contents of meals, I also try to keep the following two golden rules in mind:

• Remain frugal, which is easier when the above guidelines are observed as dishes will typically have a high content of fibre which helps one feel full and stay full longer.
• Chew properly to facilitate digestion and intake of the food’s nutrients.

Keeping these bases covered it’s quite easy for anyone to establish their preferred ingredients/diet based on their location, physical activity, and local supply of products.

This is going to be a highly opinionated post about my thoughts on Lisbon and Barcelona. It’s written from the viewpoint of an entrepreneur/investor who appreciates the good things in life and is also planning the future of his kids.

I’ve lived in Barcelona for several years and visited Lisbon many times. I have friends who are entrepreneurs and investors who live in both cities. Right from the outset, it is obvious that I can’t probably draw an accurate or scientific comparison between the two cities as I’ve never lived in Lisbon. The whole point of the article is to sort out my thoughts and possibly decide to live long-term in one of these cities.

I’m absolutely in love with Barcelona (and Spain in general), despite its many problems, and for many years have considered it the best place to live in the world. However, while Barcelona’s attractiveness has been declining over the past few years due to several reasons, Lisbon has been gaining a lot of traction. Given that 5 years ago I would have told you that Barcelona is clearly my favorite and that Lisbon would come in at second place, I am forced to revisit the question to see whether the choice is not that clear anymore.

In a wider context, this can also be taken as a Spain VS Portugal article, but I feel that focusing on Lisbon and Barcelona, in particular, is more important, as those two cities have a very different feel to the rest of the cities in each country. While they benefit from country-wide benefits (such as tax incentives in Portugal) as well as problems (Lisbon does not save itself from the red tape and bureaucracy that Portugal is known for), there are many more things that are quite specific to each of these two cities.

Business-friendliness

In Barcelona, it is quite frequent, and it was especially so in 2020 with the pandemic crisis, to see newspaper articles asking whether there are enough help programs for entrepreneurs and businesses.

This led me to realize how the local government has got it all wrong. The question to ask is the following:

Are there too many obstacles to entrepreneurship?

In Barcelona’s case, in my opinion, the answer to that question is absolutely non-debatable. It’s a resounding yes. Anyone who embarks on an entrepreneurship journey in this city is doubly a hero in my view. First to go against the grain and take the big risks that all entrepreneurship necessitates, and second for having the patience and grit to deal with all the bullshit one has to go through to legally start a business and maintain it. Not to mention that if they are eventually lucky and good enough to turn that business into a huge success, the government will be the first in line to heavily tax the business and the entrepreneur as if it had some huge part to play in that success.

Spain manages to attract many wealthy expats and entrepreneurs due to the climate, beauty and history of the country, but then discourages them from taking an active part in the economy with high taxes, complicated procedures for operating businesses, as well as the language barriers.

Portugal, on the other hand, is wide open for business. Lisbon has been attracting many expats over the past years, mostly due to the NHR scheme but not only. The NHR scheme has now been dropped, so it remains to be seen how this will affect things.

Taxation

Arguably the biggest reason for the influx of expats to Portugal has been the NHR scheme which permitted retirees, investors and entrepreneurs to receive their incomes tax-free in Portugal for a period of 10 years. However, this has now been canceled.

Spain, on the other hand, burdens you with many forms of taxation, including wealth tax and the modelo 720 report which is extremely cumbersome and intrusive.

It’s no surprise that tons of Spanish and expat entrepreneurs, high-income earners and investors are moving to other jurisdictions like Andorra and Portugal. Others who have been considering their options for moving from their home country skip the Spain option altogether. Catalonia, the region within which Barcelona resides, has the worst tax oppression in Spain.

Portugal does not require any such reporting nor does it levy wealth tax, which is a big relief given that these two things are what most expats feel most burdened by in Spain. If not on the NHR programme, however, taxes are in the same region as those in Spain. Barcelona has higher income taxes compared to Lisbon though.

On the other hand, it is also a valid point to think that the NHR could have been considered as a kind of trap to lure you in with the promise of no taxation, knowing that once you settle in the country it will be hard to leave once the ten years are up, and will compensate for the lost taxation in early years by spending another 20-40 years paying high taxes in Portugal.

Language

A much higher percentage of Lisbonites speak English when compared to the Barcelona natives. You will find signs in English, contracts can be in both Portuguese and English, and you will have no problem navigating the daily needs if you only speak English. This has made Portugal a hotspot for native English speakers like Americans and British, who are less likely to speak other languages. For Europeans who are used to learning and speaking multiple languages, the barrier is usually lower in Spain, but in Barcelona, you also need to deal with the fact that a lot of the official documentation is in Catalan, including signage. Many times a Spanish version is not available either. For those who are struggling to even learn Spanish, also having to deal with Catalan can be a deal-breaker.

I’m a big fan of learning langauges and have studied both Spanish and Catalan. I’ve found the process very enriching and enjoy my conversations with the locals and being able to communicate easily for my daily needs, but it’s undeniably harder to do things in Barcelona if you don’t speak Spanish or Catalan versus Lisbon if you don’t speak Portuguese.

If you’re moving to one of these countries and learning a new language is one of your highest priorities, then maybe Barcelona would be the winner in this area as Spanish is arguably a much more useful language than Portuguese on a worldwide basis. Ultimately though, once you learn any of these three languages, it’s pretty straightforward to learn the other two as they are very similar in my opinion.

Education

While I would probably send my children to a private school in either of the two cities, I see it as something of an absolute must in Barcelona. Public schools use Catalan as their primary language, giving it preference over Spanish. English comes in a far-off third place. Realistically speaking, unless public school students take private tuition, they will not be able to speak English when they leave school. This is a total fuckup in my opinion. I’ve shared my thoughts on the Catalan independence debate already, so I won’t get into that again here, but it’s a well-known fact that there is at least some indoctrination going on in public schools in order to produce youngsters that are pro-independence. That’s another thing that is unacceptable to me.

Turning our eyes to private schools, both cities offer a good selection of options where native English speakers are in charge of teaching most subjects, and where there is a reasonable expectation of a good percentage of students to be international rather than local.

Lisbon wins here, although education is not just about the school experience. I’d say kids and youngsters have more opportunities in Barcelona, especially if they excel in sports and want to take that seriously.

Accommodation

Due to the ignorant leadership of the Catalan government, in Barcelona, there has been little new development in recent years. What I would consider a basic and decently furnished apartment in Barcelona would be promoted as “luxury living” by the local estate agents, with the corresponding price tag.

The same problem exists in Lisbon but from the opposite side of the spectrum. The Portuguese market was hampered by rent controls for many years so buildings were practically abandoned by owners since there was no incentive to refurbish and maintain them. Now that the market has been liberalized things are moving once again, but it will take a few years till there is a steady supply of modern properties on the rental market. The “new” properties that are currently marketed are typically 20 years old.

Properties marketed as “luxury” are barely decent by my standards, same as in Barcelona.

Check out the following portals for finding property in Lisbon and surrounding areas:

• Imovirtual
• Longtermlettings
• Idealista
• Spotahome
• Luxuryestate
• Longtermrentalsportugal
• Sotheby’s
• Keller Williams
• Re/Max
• Urbanprofile

While the prices are also on the high side, I think if you’re looking at the premium market in both cities, you’ll find more opportunities in Lisbon. I believe that it is better to buy than rent right now in Lisbon given the dearth of good apartments on the rental market. However you will have more luck finding furnished apartments in Barcelona compared to Lisbon.

Keep in mind that it is easier to find heating in Barcelona apartments than it is in Lisbon. If you’re stuck with a non-heated apartment, be prepared for a very cold few winter months. Those coming from cold countries think this is a joke until they go through their first winter without good heating. Then they learn the lesson. I would not live in any apartment that is not well insulated and preferably have central heating.

Cost of Living

The cost of accommodation in Barcelona and Lisbon is around the same, but most other things are cheaper in Lisbon. That leaves out online shopping though (more expensive and more of a hassle in Lisbon), so it might be a tie if we factor that in.

Energy costs are more expensive in Portugal. There are also many toll roads, and fuel is more expensive too.

Purchasing a vehicle is more expensive in Portugal. Although people say that eating out is cheaper in Lisbon, on my most recent trip I found that eating at good restaurants costs just the same as in Barcelona, if not more.

Air Pollution

Barcelona is the 6th worse city in Europe when it comes to air pollution according to this study. The Spanish capital Madrid is number one while Lisbon is ranked 116th. Therefore Lisbon clearly wins in this aspect.

Weather

Barcelona has better weather than Lisbon for my tastes. I like sunny, dry days with no wind. That’s what Barcelona provides for most of the year. Lisbon, on the other hand, gets windy and wet especially in the winter months. You will need to layer up as the temperature changes rapidly during the day. It’s definitely one of the bigger dfferences. If it’s sun you’re looking for, then both cities provide a lot of it.

Transport

Moving around within the city is hands-down easier in Barcelona than it is in Lisbon, not least because of the hilly terrain that Lisbon is famous for. I love cycling around Barcelona on my Bromptons and it’s not much fun to do the same in Lisbon. The cobblestone streets don’t help either. Barcelona has a multitude of transport options available. I can think of an amazing seven convenient transport options off-hand for getting into the center from the outskirts of the city. Transport is one of the things that I’ve never had a problem with, and it’s only gotten better over the years.

One of the few good things that the local government has done is to continue adding bike lines throughout the city, so it’s really easy to move around by bike.

Buying a car is significantly more expensive in Portugal. I would say it’s around 20% more expensive. One exercise to verify for yourself is to configure your favorite car on both Portuguese and Spanish websites, and see the resulting price. This will give you a clear picture of the difference. Moreover, some more attractive options for car features are typically not available in Portugal.

Nightlife

I have limited experience of the nightlife in both cities, all I can say is that whenever I went out in these cities I had a great time. It’s important to note that drinking alcohol on the street is not illegal in Portugal, so you will find lots of that in the city’s parks. I grew up in a similar environment and while I understand the negative consequences of allowing this, I never really experienced any significant mishaps myself. Ultimately, banning street drinking just resulted in people crowding into bars and having to spend more money there. I would therefore prefer the Portuguese way of doing things.

Friendliness of locals

This is another nuanced topic. I understand that if you don’t speak Spanish or Catalan in Barcelona you’re going to face an uphill struggle due to the low level of English literacy. You might meet people who get flustered if spoken to in English, although it’s mostly frustration about not being able to communicate rather than unfriendliness. In Lisbon, on the other hand, it’s much easier to find English-speaking locals and that might make it seem a friendlier place.

I can’t complain about the friendliness of people in either location. People in Catalunya are generally friendly, although they are perceived as less friendly than in other parts of Spain (I blame the language and separatism issues for that), and I haven’t had enough experience to comment deeply about the people in Lisbon. I have noticed a certain resentment by the Portuguese locals towards expats, mostly due to the typically big wage gap and the fact that the government seems to be doing its best to attract foreigners while perhaps giving the locals a raw deal. This resentment is visible especially if you read articles about Lisbon written by foreigners. You’ll always find some Portuguese who write negative comments related to what I just explained. On the other hand, other Portuguese are just as typically quick to jump in and slam their compatriots’ comments and apologize on their behalf, further lending credibility to the idea of the overall friendliness of the locals in Lisbon.

One observation that will be of interest to any male single readers is that you will probably find a bigger dating pool in Barcelona than in Lisbon. In Barcelona, you’ll see many beautiful local women, and that’s not as much the case in Lisbon. I’m sure it has some impact psychologically on men whether consciously or subconsciously, so I thought I’d mention it as well.

Diversity

Both Lisbon and Barcelona are cosmopolitan cities, however, I would have to say that Barcelona is hands-down the winner in this regard. It is a bigger city that has managed to draw in a very big percentage of expats from all over the world. Lisbon, on the other hand, historically has drawn in immigrants from Portuguese-speaking territories (the biggest being by far Brazil) and the rest of the nationalities are a much more recent phenomenon. Portugal feels a bit more distant from mainland Europe, not least because of its geographic location and smaller size compared to Spain.

Safety

Lisbon wins this one without any doubt. Portugal is ranked as one of the safest countries in the world, with Spain being quite a way off in the rankings.

I would still consider Barcelona to be generally safe, but there are some important problems that have not been dealt with by the authorities and are becoming bigger and tarnishing the city’s reputation internationally. Pickpockets are everywhere, and I’ve yet to meet anyone who has spent any time in the city and not been a victim at some point. Violent robbery, while almost unheard of just a few years back, is now also a significant problem especially in the center of Barcelona.

We then have the problem of home break-ins and occupation, which is the terror of any tenant and owner. You can read this article if you want to learn more about this topic. It’s a huge problem and the blame for this lies squarely on the authorities for not taking action and in some cases even encouraging occupation (as in the case of Barcelona’s mayor).

Startups and Coworking spaces

Barcelona is a bigger city with a strong startup history, and it remains one of the leading cities for startups in Europe. There is no contest here, Barcelona wins by a wide margin. It seems that everyone wants to move to Barcelona, so attracting talent is not a problem. This ease of attracting talent, moderate wages and the fantastic weather and city serve to attract companies to relocate to Barcelona or startup there. On the other hand, Lisbon is still doing pretty well and improving every year. Also check out the Lisbon entrepreneurs’ community.

Coworking spaces have flourished over the past 4 years in Barcelona, and the city is now blessed by a multitude of big and comfortable spaces where you can focus on work while being served healthy food and even have the opportunity to train within the same complex. I haven’t seen anything that comes close to the Barcelona spaces over in Lisbon, but that can easily change in the future.

Online Shopping

The obvious winner here is Spain. Amazon is a big player in Spain and has driven everyone else to up their game in a significant way over the past ten years. It’s an online shopper’s paradise, with same-day delivery, free returns, etc. It’s super easy to get stuff delivered and shop online for all kinds of stuff, including groceries and take-out meals. This benefit was especially apparent during the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020, when many shops and restaurants were forced to close or citizens’ mobility was restricted.

Connections

I was thinking about sea and air connections when I came to this point, where Barcelona is the hands-down winner. However, it goes beyond that really. Certain cities make you feel like you’re in a buzzing place where things are happening and where people want to live. It’s hard to explain, but I’ve felt it in places like New York, London, and Berlin. Barcelona also gives me that feeling, in fact, I can’t imagine any other place that makes me feel so alive, and I’ve traveled a fair bit.

Your Thoughts?

What are your thoughts? As I said, my article merely reflects my current opinions based on my experience of the two cities so far, and this might very well change completely in the future.

Barcelona and Lisbon are my two favorite cities in Europe, and I love them both. Lisbon seems to be on an uptrend while Barcelona, on the other hand, is passing through a rough patch and I’m not sure whether the near future will be any better.

Spain, in general, has been following a misguided tax policy that results in most entrepreneurs, investors and higher net-worth individuals feeling persecuted, even if they have spent their whole lives following the tax code to the letter and paying very high taxes for the privilege of living in Spain. This has resulted in a drain of the country’s most talented local and expat people to other countries that treat them better. I am seeing this trend accelerate dramatically in the past two years. This leaves little doubt in my mind that Spain’s time is over, and Portugal is where the action will be in the coming years.

Lisbon seems to be attracting many American and British expats in particular. No doubt they’re attracted by the fact that they can speak English in a foreign country rather than having to learn Portuguese. Lots of people from the UAE are also making the move, given that it offers similar tax advantages but arguably a much nicer social environment, better geographical location in Europe and better weather.

I’d love to hear, especially, from people who have lived in both cities, or have moved from one to the other due to specific reasons (whether I mentioned those reasons here or otherwise).

In the meantime, I’ll update my article if I can think of anything else.

A taxi from the city center to the airport costs around 35 euro. I would suggest avoiding the local taxi companies and getting a Cabify cab instead. You’ll get better service for the same price or less.

If you want to travel to the airport in your own car, this is another convenient option, since there are numerous parking options.

Aena General Parking

The most expensive option but probably the safest and most convenient is to leave the car in the airport’s own official parking. For a 4 and a half day stay (4 days and 6 hours to be exact) I was charged €53 to park in the General T1. This is by booking in advance through the web interface. According to the same site, parking without booking would cost €114.50 as it just goes by the hourly rate. If I understand correctly unused hours will be refunded when you exit the parking. The parking is located in a building annexed to the airport terminal T1, and you can just walk to the terminal in 4 minutes – no hassle whatsoever.

PROCEDURE FOR USE OF THE CAR PARK:

On entering the car park:

Take a ticket as you enter the car park. IMPORTANT: Please, wait in front of the barrier until the Automatic Number Plate Recognition recognises your vehicle and a ticket will be issued automatically. YOU MUST NOT PRESS THE BUTTON. If you press the button, the ATM will charge you the normal price and not the reservation price. Proceed into the car park and park your car in any available parking space.

On your return:

When you return to the car park, please go to the ATMs to make the payment. If you have any problems, please use the Customer Service integrated in the ATMs. Amount calculated based on the stay booked. If the actual stay of the vehicle is different, this amount may vary.

You can purchase this parking on the official site or on elParking or Parkvia. elParking offers free cancellation up to 24h before the reservation starts.

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