Searching for a place to slow down and breathe in the bustling centre of Barcelona may be challenging, but Bar Cugat provides a solution: a timeless bar situated in Eixample, with an elegant yet low-key atmosphere. While originally stopping in for a quick coffee, we found ourselves returning an hour later for a wonderful dinner. The clean yet eclectic interior (with an Art Nouveau poster to boot) is a great place to dine, any day of the week. Recommendations: classic tapas + vermut.

Wonderful little café in Poble Nou for light lunches and afternoon tea/coffee. The interior is fantastic and you can buy arty magazines and cute plants here.

It is a charming and welcome green space in the heart of Barcelona. It has water displays including a beautiful fountain and small lake along with lots of grass verges to lie down and soak up the warm sunshine. A great spot for relaxation, a walk... the place that I like the most is a glass building full of plants inside.

Showroom of furniture and accessories from the 60s to the 90s.

At Casa Bonay you can find pretty much everything you need. First off all the hotel bar is one of the most beautiful rooms in Barcelona, if you, for some reason want to change the environment you can just walk through a door into Satan's coffee for some of the best coffee in town or look in the little shop for books, palm-patterned shirts and other pretty things. They also host a lot of creative events here like movie screenings, beer tasting and talks.