Unmapped Gems
CityBest May – June, September – October

Barcelona

Gaudí's city, but the good tapas bars are the ones without a queue, tucked into Gràcia's residential streets.

Barcelona's landmarks pull the crowds toward the Eixample and the Gothic Quarter, which leaves neighbourhoods like Gràcia and Sarrià-Sant Gervasi to residents and whoever bothers to walk a bit further. Best outside peak summer, when the heat and the cruise-ship crowds both ease off.