‘Cava’ is Catalonia’s very own take on France’s Champagne, a fruity, sparkly, sophisticated treat made with methods stolen from Spain’s Northern neighbour in the 19th Century. The homeland of Cava is the Penedès region, located approximately 40km southwest of Barcelona. The region is surrounded by rough and rocky elevation of Montserrat, and enjoys an ideal climate for wine-making.

In Spain a toast isn’t a toast without Cava, and so naturally during holidays, especially Christmas Eve (La Noche Buena) and New Year’s Eve (La Noche Vieja) the refreshing sparkling wine is particularly popular. However the fun-loving residents of Barcelona don’t need a special occasion to enjoy a glass of bubbly, and year round they can be found tucking into a glass at ‘Xampanyerias’ or ‘Champagne Bars’ dotted around the city. Find our guide to the best Cava bars in Barcelona below and if you find yourself in town, it’s well worth dropping by one to sample the authentic, bustling atmosphere of Catalans at play. Do like most young Catalan do and grab a quick bite and a glass before hitting the clubs. A traditional Cava bar will close at 10 or 11pm, so make sure you are in before 8pm to find some coveted personal space and enjoy your tipple accompanied by a ´bocadillo´(Insider’s-tip: Cava without tapas is as inconceivable as Barcelona without La Sagrada Familia, the two simply belong together! Often these tapas will take the form of bocadillos, small and tasty sandwiches).

Xampañería Can Paixano

There's always a scrum at Can Paixano

El Xampanyet

Counter strike at El Xampanyet

La Vinya del Senyor

Located in a small square in front of the Santa Maria del Mar church, La Vinya del Senyor, is a specialist wine-bar which also boasts excellent Cava. The walls are lined with over 300 wines, many chosen as the perfect complement to the bar’s various tapas dishes, which include some top-quality cheeses, hams or cured beef. Although the bar itself is relatively small, there are plenty of seats outside where you can enjoy the view of the church, a wonderful example of the Mediterranean Gothic style with a memorable rose-shaped stained glass window. If you’re looking for a more relaxed way to enjoy a glass of bubbly, La Vinya del Senyor is definitely one of the best spots to enjoy a chilled glass of Cava and watch the world go by.
Placa Santa Maria 5

Cavamar

Sipping Cava cocktails by the sea

Clos Montblanc

Just off the Passeig de Gracia, one block away from Gaudi’s Casa Mila, lies the wine bar Clos Montblanc. The bar of the winery by the same name, the winery itself is located in Barberà de la Conca, very close to two symbolic locations in the history of Catalonia: the fortified town of Montblanc and the Monastery of Poblet. The wine bar opened in 2010, and a good place for a quick sip after some sightseeing, or to pick up a gift, such as a bottle de Montblanc Cava Brut Rosat (€6). Glasses of Cava are served with complimentary small dishes, such as olives.
C/Pau Claris 169
www.closmontblanc.com

Lifestyle Barcelona offer an array of different Cava and Spanish wine related experiences, so follow the link for some food and drink activities in Barcelona such as their Champagne and Cava tasting.

Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau

Ornamentation on the hospital pavilions

Palau de la Musica Catalana

Antoni Rigalt's inverted dome in the Palau's auditorium

Casa Terrades

A Gothic fairytale castle in Barcelona

Caixa Forum

Industrial-sized exhibition centre

Fundacio Tapies

A friendly building behind an intimidating facade

If you want to compare the styles of Barcelona’s great trio of Modernista architects, you can actually see the work of all three side-by-side on the so-called ‘Manzana de la Discordia’ or Apple of Dischord (a nice pun on the Greek saying, incorporating the Spanish use of the word apple, which also to mean block), on the Passeig de Gracia boulevard. Gaudi’s Casa Batllo sits next to Puig i Cadafalch’s Casa Amatller, which is next to Domenech i Montaner’s Casa Lleo Morera.

For more info on the Catalan capital in general and plenty of hip recommendations, check out Urban Travel Blog’s juicy city guide to Barcelona.

It was Toni Terry who started the trend earlier this month, jetting off to Dubai for some winter sun after ‘revelations’ that her husband, Chelsea captain John Terry, had being doing the dirty with a lingerie model behind her back. Everyone knows that footballers’ wives are slaves to new crazes, so perhaps it was no surprise that WAG Queen, Cheryl Cole, jumped behind the reins of the bandwagon and urged it on at full pace to Los Angeles, after it transpired that her own beloved beau, Ashley (…also of Chelsea FC), had been sending saucy pics of his top striker to a rival chavette. Who would have thought it?

Although the public at large might enjoy a laugh at the predictable messes that these material girls get themselves in for with their no-good but filthy rich husbands, the truth is we’ve all picked a wrong ‘un down the line – and usually discovered our mistakes the hard way. And whilst we don’t want to give too much credit to Cheryl and co., their idea of dealing with heartbreak via a holiday has got to be their greatest contribution to society they’ve made thus far (except for maybe this video). So to celebrate the unlikely occasion of WAGs starting a new travel trend Urban Travel Blog have decided to come up with their own list of great getaways for all the jilted Romeos and Juliets out there. From the self-indulgent to the spiritual, with plenty of single shenanigans in between, here are our seven best holidays for getting over your ex-boyfriend or girlfriend… they’re almost worth getting dumped for.

Self Love Island

A spa on Hvar: the holiday the boyfriend can't spoil

No, not that type of self love (…although it can’t hurt). In this instance we mean take the chance to treat yourself how your ex should have been treating you, if they weren’t too busy making whoopy with their new colleague from work. Now is the time to book yourself a single room at the Spalmaris Spa resort in Hotel Podstine on the almost Arcadian island of Hvar in Croatia. When you’re not busy getting rubbed down by some Slavic sexpot or getting the princess treatment with a Mediterranean Royal Pedicure, you can always rub bronzed shoulders with Europe’s yachting elite in Hvar harbor. Where better to be revitalized and single?

Retail Remedy in Rome

Expensive? Frankly my dear...

Spending money on yourself is a good way of reaffirming your self worth in the face of your unceremonious jilting. Especially if it’s with your partner’s credit card, or you’re draining the joint account. Why not head to Rome for a splurging spree – it may not have quite the associations with fashion as Milan does, but you’ll find all the same designer names, plus amazing markets such as Porta Portese and Campo de Fiori. Guys should remember not to use up all your ex’s credit on the first day… after all you’ll want to save a fair few euros for buying champagne for the sultry Italian of your dreams at Bloom club. Whilst girls would be well-advised to die their hair blond and wander around with a map in their hand looking helplessly lost (and single) … the dark handsome strangers will be lining up to whisk you away in their Vespas.

Mead in Manhattan

There’s nothing like a good drinking session to get over an ex… or at least numb the pain for a few blessed beer-soaked hours. If mead is your favourite medicine then ‘hop’ on a plane to New York and sign up for a tour of the Chelsea Brewery, one of the few still operating in Manhattan. Meet Market Adventures organize single tours of this sacred site, giving you an alcohol-fuelled chance of continuing the fun long after last orders has been called on your quest for the Holy Ale.

Photo Therapy

Prague's breath-taking scenery cures all ills

What you need in a time of emotional crisis is – pun intended – something to focus on. If that thing happens to be a stunning Czech model so much the better. Sign up for a week learning the art of photography with Aclass and not only will you pit your lenses against the amazing architecture of Prague and Brno – two of Europe’s most beautiful cities – but you’ll also learn how to direct a fashion shoot with a Pantene model and Miss Czech finalist, amongst other good lookers! Alternatively, for a one-day experience that will get your shutters in a flutter why not try your hand at photo dating in London?

Art Break City

…a much healthier destination than Heartbreak City for the spurned singleton is balmy Barcelona. Pack your paintbrushes and head over to the Catalan capital where Swiss-born art therapist Cora Egger will teach you how to easel the pain away in her specially-designed LOM studio. According to her studies (and she holds several diplomas in the field) painting can be a very effective tool for externalizing all manner of traumas and drawing a portrait of your ex (presumably so that you can savage it afterwards) can prove surprisingly beneficial. If it doesn’t work then there’s always Barcelona’s sunny beaches, raucous nightlife and plenty of cheap Cava to fall back on…

A Drop In The Ocean

Ex-girlfriend equals ex-problems

Nothing will seem more insignificant than your ex when you’ll battling the might of Atlantic ocean armed with only a 2m piece of plastic. Enrol at the Berbere surf camp in Morocco and not only can you spend every day receiving expert tuition at arguably the world’s most sexy sport, but you’ll be surrounded by amazing scenery and the local customs of the indigenous Berbere people. And if you don’t fall in love with Mother Nature and the ocean, then there’s always those superfit surfing instructors to sidle up to.

Medicinal Meditation

If you need a complete a mental rehab, how about locking yourself up in a Thai monastery – for a minimum of 10 days – where orange-clad monks will half starve you to death whilst encouraging you to achieve 8 or 9 hours of meditation per day? Just outside Chiang mai, the 15th Century shrine of Wat Rampoeng offers meditation lessons along with a set of rules that makes Her Majesty’s guests at Whitemoor seem privileged, on your painful path to enlightenment. If that particular brand of catharsis doesn’t sound like your cup of tea then you could opt for the opposite Thai treatment… Bangkok’s finest ladyboys are just down the road.

So that just about covers our vacations and travel breaks for the broken hearted. The next time you find yourself in Dumpsville, don’t mope about on the sofa; take some time off work and jump on the ex tourism trend. New environment, new skills, new people… being single could be the best thing that ever happened to you. And you never know, some time away might from home might just have the ex begging to get back with you… especially if he’s a pathetic weasel like John Terry. Just say no Toni!

If Barcelona were a woman she would be a ravishing but rebellious Miss World misfit, one who regularly neglects her beauty sleep for debauched nights out that can leave her looking distinctly worse for wear. The city’s best features, such as La Sagrada Familia, are perennially being patched up by unsightly cranes and scaffolding, graffiti (only some of which transcends to art) is splashed over shutters and walls and the household garbage of local residents and bodily excrements of fiesta people smear what might otherwise have been the picturesque streets of Barcelona’s Old Town.

Table for two?

Bizarre perhaps, but it’s the city’s rough edges that makes you love her even more. Barcelona is no too-good-to-be-true model tourist town, full of perfect paint jobs and picture postcard plazas. She is a real city who wears her fierce Catalan heart on her sleeve, dresses in the fading – but still beautiful – Modernista facades of yesteryear, and courts the company of dreadlocked hipsters, tattooed beatniks and other assorted counter-culture kids. Liberal, self-contented and loud-mouthed (especially after a caña or two), this is a city which never feels guilty about having a good time, and doesn’t care what she looks like in the morning.

Best of the Beaten Track…

Gaudi grabs the headlines when it comes to attractions in Barcelona, and it’s interesting to note that the very works once mocked for their OTT grandiosity and ‘superbly creative bad taste’ (Dali), have now become synoymous with the city’s aesthetic. La Sagrada Familia is of course his crowning glory and it really is worth braving the queues to get up close and personal with this towering cathedral, built along the architectural principles of Mother Nature which intrigued Gaudi as a boy. Gaudi’s foray into landscape gardening, Park Guell, is also well worth the metro ride north (take the green line from the centre up to Lesseps). The views over the city are tremendous and film buffs will enjoy deconstructing scenes from both L’Auberge Espagnole and Vicki Cristina Barcelona. It’s free to enter (for now!). For the rest of Gaudi’s masterpieces, including mansions Casa Battlo and Casa Mila (aka La Pedrera) on the grand Passeig de Gracia boulevard expect entry fees and long queues.

Other attractions worth dipping into are Las Ramblas (currently been cleaned up of drug dealers and prostitutes after some saucy shots of daylight ****ery made the front pages of the press). Aside from the theatrical street performers, this chaotic boulevard is also the gateway to the sensory overload of La Boqueria food market and palm-tree serenity of Placa Reial, a good starting place for a jaunt deeper into the Gothic Quarter.

Cubism taken too far

Those with a bit more time to play with should get over to Montjuic (Jewish Mountain) home to an oddball selection of cultural greats such as MNAC Museum, Poble Espanyol, Joan Miro Foundation, Caixa Forum, Calatrava’s needle and by night the delightfully cheesy Magic Fountains light and sound show. If at some point you feel your ‘museum legs’ coming on, then there’s always Barcelona’s many beaches to check out. They have their critics, but any qualms about dirty water and overcrowding is offset by the sheer entertainment provided by unabashed nudists, bronzed volleyball players, bongo-bashers/banjo-strummers, Asian hawkers, South American surfers and many more colourful characters. If the heat gets too much an ice-cold mojito at one of the chiringuitos (beach bars) = time well spent.

Hipsters’ Guide

Whereas most cities have their very own Shoreditch, Friedrichshain or Kazimierz, virtually every district in Barcelona has Bohemian aspirations. El Born is the prettiest and home to a comfortable mix of tourists checking out the superb Picasso Museum and fitting in some boutique shopping, together with arty locals going about their business, slowly. I suggest picking up a Diana camera at the Lomography store, before heading to the Passeig del Born in the evening to capture the lively buzz of Barcelona’s barflies sticking into their cañas and conversation. Elswhere, a socially-excluded immigrant population, assorted waifs and strays, and the counter culture community, are normally enough to scare the average tourist away from Raval, leaving the likes of Rambla de Raval – one of the city’s prettiest streets – to be enjoyed by the brave. All in all the Raval area is full of surprise finds, such as El Jardi restaurant where tapas is accompanied by birdsong in the Gothic courtyard of the old Santa Creu hospital.

Experience & Events

You may have heard of a little-known soccer outfit by the name of FC Barcelona, held in great affection by the locals. The atmosphere at Camp Nou is electric for home games and sports fans should make the effort to partake in what is effectively Catalonia’s national religion.

Boozing and carousing at the Festa Major de Gracia

Year-round Barcelona is full of events and experiences that will linger long in the memory, such as the firework-laden all-nighter that is Sant Joan (Sant Juan in the rest of Spain) and the enthusiastically celebrated Festas Majores: week-long street parties held in each district throughout summer, culminating in La Merce, the city-wide celebration that comes with carnival-style processions and free concerts in every placa and park. If you really want to time your visit to perfection however come for the Sonar festival. Even if you can’t afford a ticket, scores if not hundreds of parties and concerts make up a formidable and much more affordable Off programme.

Pillow Talk

Ipod docks, pink neon lights and panoramic views make the pillows at Barcelo Raval some of the most progressive in the city. This sleek circular tower is a sign of the gentrification of Raval district, but a word of warning – it hasn’t happened yet! If you’re keen to go green Casa Camper’s total recycling policy and solar panels make for a eco-friendly stay, whilst for old school charm the family-run Hotel Grau is hard to beat. Overlooking a narrow street just off Las Ramblas, visitors are recommended to check out the accompanying bar next door for homemade Vermouth served since 1862. If you prefer your own pad then there are plenty of rental firms offering great Barcelona apartments.

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For more hotels in Barcelona

Fork Out

Gastronome’s are spoilt for choice in Barcelona, and whereas Michelin stars are few and far between even the crappiest neighbourhood gaff will serve up a decent bocadillo. For upscale modern Mediterranean cuisine, with a spot of posing, Noti doesn’t disappoint, whilst a bit more rough and ready experiences can be enjoyed at Cal Pep, where you’ll have to queue for seafood tapas, or local favourite Cafe de L’Academia, which with characteristic Catalan obstinacy doesn’t bother to open at weekends. Alternatively why not go straight to the source at La Boqueria market. If kiosk restaurants like El Quim and Organic are too hectic for you, pop out the back of the market and discover Ra Town’s delightful sun-kissed, ivy-bedecked terrace.

Drop In

Hearts attack at Razzmatazz

The key areas for Barcelona nightlife are Placa Reial, favourite with the backpacker crowd and home to several bars and clubs of dubious quality, and Port Olimpic where a string of plush lounge bars serve up cocktails by day turning into clubs at night. For some more authentic options warm up at Lost-tribute-bar Bharma or student-fave Dixies before hitting the five dancefloors of Razzmatazz. Alternatively bar crawl your way around Raval, via swanky Marmalade and gritty Ambar before ending at Apolo for some indie/electro dirty beats. Alternatively take a taxi to Sala BeCool (for minimal house in winter) or the open-air La Terrrazza (balearic house in summer).

Getting There

Cheap airlines include Easyjet, Vueling, BMI baby, Wizzair, Jet2 and Ryanair (who also fly to Girona and Reus, both 1.5 hours away). BA, Iberia, BMI, Continental, Delta are the old school carriers. If you’re flying from the US, 1-800-Fly Europe can help you find flights to Barcelona. Opportunists from the UK may want to hunt around for deals on Barcelona short breaks.

More Juice

Barcelona Life is a handy resource, with great cultural and nightlife info, whilst the hopelessly unstylish Barcelona Tourist Guide does at least have every bit of practical info you could possibly need. For a wide range of local tips by local people check out the aptly named Spotted by Locals – Barcelona section.

Hard Copy

Time Out, Lonely Planet and Rough Guide are all decent guidebooks worth packing. For some more insight Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia paints a fascinating picture of Spain during the civil war, including the Barcelona street fighting. Movies-wise best to rent out Vicki Cristina Barcelona, even if the film bears little resemblance to the realities of life in the city. For that you should watch the highly entertaining L’Auberge Espagnole about an Erasmus year in the Catalan capital.

Soundtrack to the City

La Rumba de Barcelona – Manu Chao
We’re from Barcelona – I’m From Barcelona
Cadillac Solitario – Loquillo y Los Trogloditas
Barcelona – Plasticines
Barcelona – D. Kay and Epsilon feat. MC Stamina
Barcelona Ciutat Gris – Joan Isaac