At $300 Roundtrip, You Can’t Afford NOT to Go to Barcelona or Stockholm

We don’t remember the last time we saw transatlantic air travel for $303 — including taxes. This morning brought news of East Coast round-trip fares to select European cities — including Barcelona and Stockholm — for precisely that. At that price, you must go. But which city? 

Attractions: If you like architecture and haven’t seen Barcelona’s wealth of Gaudís, there’s no question. Stockholm’s best attraction is the archipelago that surrounds it — offering innumerable opportunities to swim, sail, and paddle … at least when the weather’s nice. 
Edge: Barcelona

Accommodations: Barcelona has a strong boutique hotel scene (our fave: the Serras) but for us, nothing can beat Stockholm’s Grand Hotel. 
Edge: Stockholm

Dining: As strong as the dining scene is, Stockholm’s no Copenhagen — and Barcelona’s Lasarte just earned its third Michelin star. 
Edge: Barcelona — though disregard if you really, really prefer reindeer meatballs 

Weather: Stockholm in June and July is magnificent. Otherwise….
Edge: Barcelona

Costs: Scandinavia is expensive. 
Edge: Barcelona

Ease of travel: Scandinavia is also very, very efficient. 
Edge: Stockholm

In our accounting, Barcelona wins. To tell you the truth, we’d still book our ticket to Sweden. People are weird. Also, lingonberries.