Barcelona is by far my favorite city in Europe. It is a beautiful city with lots to do and see. What I like about Barcelona is that it has a city with everything that a good city needs, but Barcelona has also a beautiful beach, so if you want to escape the big city life, there is a whole beach about 15 minutes away with the metro.

If you are wondering what you can do in this beautiful city then keep reading on further!

Best things to do in Barcelona

Admire La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia is probably the most famous thing to do in Barcelona. You can find this beautiful basilica in the district Eixample.

La Sagrada Familia was designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudi. Since the year 1882, the basilica is almost always being worked on. At the moment they think they will be ready in the year 2030.

You can see the basilica from outside, but you will not be disappointed when you take a look in the inside! La Sagrada Familia has also two towers you can visit, here you can find a stunning view over Barcelona. But now with the rules for Covid it is unfortunately not possible. The reason is that it is to small in the towers.

La Sagrada Familia has also a app which is worth downloading. in the app you can find the following:

photo’s of La Sagrada Familia
the history of La Sagrada Familia
read about Antoni Gaudi
the rules about the dress code and much more
which metro or bus line you need to take to get there
the rules about Covid
the opening hours
and you can purchase the tickets here (if your ticket includes a audio guide you can download it in the app)

opening hours:

Monday – Saturday: from 09:00 to 18:00
Sunday from 10:30 to 18:00

prices:

normal ticket: €26,-
guided tour ticket: €30,-

Get here tickets for La Sagrada familia, with an audio guide and access to one of the towers.

Enjoy the views in Park Güell

Park Güell is also designed by Antoni Gaudi, it is a massive park where you can enjoy the work of Antoni Gaudi. Here you can also find the best views over the city of Barcelona, in my opinion. If you visit this park in summer time make sure to bring a bottle of water, because you’ll probably be there a pretty long time walking around.

Tip: if you decide to walk to Park Güell, you really need to walk via the street Carrer de Molist. Trust me, it is the climb really worth it! When you are at the stairs at the end of the street stop for a minute and take in the view over Barcelona. From here it is a 5 / 10 minute walk to Park Güell.

Park Güell is open everyday from 09:30 to 19:30

A general ticket is €10,-

* you can purchase the tickets till 17:30, after this there are no more ticket available because of the closing time.

Check Getyourguide for tickets to the park.

Take a look in Casa Batllo

Another work from Antoni Gaudi is Casa Battlo, the outside of the house is already beautiful to see but the inside is also really interesting to see.

The duration of the tour is a small hour, because Casa Batllo is a famous attraction in Barcelona I would advice to purchase the tickets online.

Casa Battlo has also a roof terrace where you have stunning views over Barcelona, Unfortunately when I was there it was a gloomy day. But the view was still really beautiful!

opening hours:

Tuesday to Thursday from 09:00 to 18:30
Friday to Monday from 09:00 to 20:00

prices:

Adults: €35,-
children up to 7 year may enter for free
children from 7 up to 17 year: €19,-
students: €29,-
for 65+: €32,-

*The tickets also include a audio guide which is available in different languages: Dutch, Spanish, Catalan, English, France, German, Italian, Chinese, Portuguese, Japanese and Russian.

Get here tickets for Casa Battlo.

Stunning views at Casa Mila

Casa Mila is another famous design from Gaudi. I really liked this house, it was very interesting to see the inside of Casa Mila. From the rooftop there are really beautiful views over Barcelona!

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 09:00 to 18:30

prices:

La Pedrera Essential: €25,-
the unseen Pedrera: €28,-
La Pedrera night experience: €35,-
La Pedrera Premium: €32,-
La Pedrera Essential & night experience: €45,-

Check Getyourguide for tickets to Casa Mila.

*Keep in mind that it was a gloomy day when I visited both Casa Batllo and Casa Mila. But it is still a stunning view from the rooftop. Imagine what the views will be like when there is a perfect blue sky.

Parc de la Ciutadella

Parc de la Cuitadella is the biggest park of Barcelona and to my opinion the prettiest park I’ve ever seen. the gardens and fountains are designed by, among others, Antoni Gaudi. The park has a long history, originally it was a Citadel. Parc de la Cuitadella was built in 1715 – 1719, at the time of Napoleon the fortress was a prison. In 1888 the park was used for the world exhibition. In this time many buildings were built for the exhibition. A well known of these is the Arc de Triomf, Which stands just in front of the official entrance of the park.

make sure you don’t miss the Arc de Triomf, it is worth it!

In the summer it is often crowded in Parc de la Cuitadella, this is because a lot of people meet here with there friends. If you walk around you can see groups picnicking, listening to music, reading and just having a great time in the park. If you are looking for a spot to relax in the sun, this is the place to be! Just bring something you can sit on, a good book and some food, and enjoy your time in the park!

In the park you can also find the zoo of Barcelona and the Museu d´art modern, here you can find art from Catalonia. You can rent a boat in the pond of the park.

the park is free to enter and the opening hours are: everyday from 10:00 to 22:30.

Admire the beautiful art in Picasso Museum

The Picasso Museum is located in the famous district El Born. Here you can find the work from Pablo Picasso.

If you love museums and art then this is a must for you! It is also a great option when the weather isn’t the best.

Because it can be busy I would advice to purchase the tickets online on the website of Museum Picasso. The tickets include a audio guide, an option is to download it on your phone when you are at the museum so make sure to bring your earplugs.

The museum is pretty big, you definitely need about 2 hours to see everything.

opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 7 PM. On Mondays and holidays the Museum is closed.

prices:

General: €12,-
Reduced ( people between 18 and 24 years old, students, 65+, Holders of Libraries Card of Barcelona: €7,-
free entry: under 18 years old
free of charge times: Thursday afternoons from 4 Pm to 7Pm, first Sunday of each month.

*More information you can find on the official website of the museum.

Wander around in Barcelona

One of my favorite things to do in a new city is walk around. Wander around without navigation and see what you come across and where you end up. Barcelona has really beautiful districts, my favorites are: El Born, Eixample and La Vila de Gracia. Enjoy the architecture and the beautiful colored buildings, you might also come across street art.

When you are done with walking around, it is pretty easy to find a metro station nearby because Barcelona has many of them. you can easily buy a ticket at the station. Of course everything is in Spanish, if it makes it easier for you there is a button at the bottom right where you can change the language.

If you plan to take the metro more then 1 or 2 times then I would take a 10 ride ticket. If you are not going to use the metro that often, there are also tickets available for one ride only.

Beachday at Barceloneta

Barcelona has a bit of both, it has a beautiful city with lots to do and see but Barcelona has also beautiful beaches. The best known is Barceloneta. Note: it can be really crowded, especially in the summer. So if you don’t like that then this is not the best beach for you. there are other beaches that are less crowded, some of these can also be a little bit further away. Bogatell Beach, Nova Icaria and Mar Bella belong to the less crowded beaches.

When you are done or want to take a break from sightseeing, the beach in Barcelona is the best option!

Walk around Plaça de Catalunya

Plaça de Catalunya is the main Square in Barcelona. Here you can find the shopping streets La Rambla, Portal de l’Àngel and Passeig de Gracia which is famous for the designer stores. Around Plaça de Catalunya you can find a lot of good restaurants.

So if you want to shop in Barcelona, this is definitely the place to be.

Try Spanish drinks and food

Famous dishes like Paella and tapas and drinks like Sangria are a must to try when in Spain, in my opinion. There are a lot of good restaurants in Barcelona, here are a view of them: Barraca, Cervecería Catalana, La Mar Salada and Babia.

Buen apetito!

enjoy your trip to Barcelona!

love,

Bodien

More information:

Check on Trainline for trains to and from Barcelona.

Check tripadvisor and trip.com for hotels in Barcelona

Check kiwi for flights from and to Barcelona