With its unique Catalonian culture, delicious tapas, and major architectural landmarks, Barcelona has long had a place on all kinds of tourist itineraries. Nearly 9 million tourists visited Barcelona in 2015 and many more come for work and study—and thanks to the city’s good vibes and good weather, some of them decide to stay. Italian and Chinese, Pakistani and Argentinean, they infuse an already easygoing population with an international mix of people who appreciate the good life.

Barcelona is huge—a sprawling city that climbs hills, spreads itself down boulevards, and pours itself into the sea. Its top sights, like the unfinished Sagrada Familia, the magical Park Güell, and the medieval-turned-hip neighborhood of El Born are worth a visit. But tourists curious about what Barcelona’s “good life” entails will have to get off Las Ramblas—the city’s tourist artery and a “great place to get pickpocketed and buy once-frozen paella with terrible sangria made from a mix,” according to one local.

Spend some time just hanging out, and here is what you’ll find. Shirts and sheets blowing in the wind on laundry lines overhead, alongside Catalonia’s unofficial “Estelada” flag for independence. Young people juggling and slack-lining in the park. Surfboards perched on bikes on their way to the beach.

To get a taste of a neighborhood where people really spend their time, locals recommend the district of Gràcia, technically a suburb, but very much in the city. In Gràcia, scooters dart through skinny streets that open up into plazas lined with restaurants. This is Barcelona, so it won’t be easy to find one that opens its kitchen before 8pm, but by 10pm, you’ll find groups of families and friends enjoying the plazas every night of the week. Grab a seat and order some of the ubiquitous patatas bravas. Bedtime is later down here, and for those unaccustomed to the pace, it may feel like time has been suspended and the day extended. More time to enjoy the good life.