“Barcelona feels a bit surreal – appropriate, since Salvador Dali spent time here and Spanish Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí designed several of the city’s buildings. Stepping into Gaudí’s Church of the Sacred Family is a bit like falling through the looking glass – a journey that you can continue with a visit to Park Güell. Sip sangria at a sidewalk café in Las Ramblas while watching flamboyant street performers, then create your own moveable feast by floating from tapas bar to tapas bar.” – TripAdvisor
I always include a basic list of things to do in Barcelona for clients who are traveling there. There are, of course, so many things to do and see in Barcelona that I can’t cover everything, but this is kind of a quick start guide for people who want a few things to do without having to plan too much out.
Table of Contents
Quick List of Things to do in Barcelona
This is exactly how I paste it into itineraries.
So many museums! So many parks! So much architecture to marvel at! Here are just a few suggestions for your time in Barcelona:
- The Museu Picasso and Fundacio Joan Miro
- La Sagrada Familia
- Park Güell
- Visit Barri Gotic, the oldest section of Barcelona. The Museu Picasso is here as well as the 4 Cats restaurant, which was a haunt of Picasso and his friends.
- See the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc light show – Wednesday through Sunday at 9:30 pm during the summer months (Unfortunately as of July 2025 Font Majica is closed due to drought conditions. Check the website for updates.)
- See the labyrinth at the Parque de Laberinto de Horta, a little bit off the beaten path. Open daily from 10:00 to 9:00.
- Go shopping or have a nice meal in the Rambla de Catalunya.
- Conde Nast Traveler says “to get some of the best vistas (and pictures) of the [Sagrada Familia], have a drink at the rooftop bar of the Hotel Ayre Rosellón. (Now a Sercotel.) It’s basically touching the back of the famous attraction, and you’ll get to see the upper parts of the façade that aren’t easily visible from the ground.”
Here’s a great Eater map of 38 essential Barcelona restaurants and some roundups of Barcelona’s fantastic rooftop bars – read them here, here and here.
A Few More Suggestions
- Go shopping in Passeig de Gràcia. It features La Casa Batlló and La Casa Milà, both designed by Gaudi. The road itself can be traced back to the Roman era, but nowadays it is an extremely popular shopping street, with prestigious designer shops as well as more accessible brands.
- Wander La Rambla: Barcelona’s most famous pedestrian strip is always a hive of activity, with buskers, peddlers and tourists mingling amid the crowds at cafes and shops on the boulevard. The adjoining Barri Gòtic is packed with relics of ancient Rome, 14th-century Gothic churches and atmospheric cobblestone lanes lined with shops, bars and restaurants.
- Hit the beach! Avoid the busier Barceloneta and check out Sant Sebastia instead. Sant Sebastia is the closest to the eastern end of Barcelona and stretches for over a kilometer, making it one of the longest beaches in Barcelona.
- Visit a Hammam to experience Turkish baths and massage rituals.
Rituels d’Orient is highly regarded spa hammam three miles from the Serhs Rivoli Rambla.
Aire Ancient Baths is located in an old and restored industrial building from the 18th Century, next to the Born market.
Conde Nast Traveler describes Aire as, “Romantically dark, with curtain sheers barely shielding those being massaged in a glass room. Candles, lanterns and steam warm up exposed brick walls and columns.”
Self Guided Barcelona Walking Tour
And I usually include a walking tour for clients that don’t want a lot of formal or guided tours. This one covers El Born and Sant Pere and was adapted from Frommers, which has an incredible selection of four completely free self guided walking tours available on their website.
Barcelona Walking Tour: La Ribera Neighborhood (El Born & Sant Pere)
Many artists have set up their studios in La Ribera neighbourhood, inheriting the past of the neighbourhood where Barcelona city’s artisans used to live. Many street names remind us of the ancient trades and skills: Mirallers (mirror makers), Sombrerers (hatters), Argenters (silversmiths), etc. The streets grew up around the Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar which is a masterpiece of Catalan Gothic architecture.
Start: Plaça de l’Angel (Metro: Jaume I).
Finish: Arc de Triomf at northern end of Parc de la Ciutadella (Metro: Arc de Triomf).
Time: 2 to 3 hours.
- Plaça de l’Angel
This small, atmospheric square stands at the busy junction of Jaume I and Laietana on the eastern edge of the Barri Gòtic.
Directions: From the Plaça de l’Angel take Carrer Boria right; then turn left into Carrer Mercaders and immediately right again to Plaça Santa Caterina. - Mercat de Santa Caterina
The oldest working market in the area.
Directions: From the south-facing side of the market take Carrer Sant Jacint, turn right into Carrer Corders, and then south into the Placeta d’en Marcus. - Capella d’en Marcus
Well worth a peek is this diminutive 12th-century chapel nestling in the tiny Placeta d’en Marcus, near the junction of calles Montcada and Carders.
Directions: Continue south across Carrer Princesa to reach your next stop. - Carrer Montcada
This charming medieval street would be interesting enough to stroll along even if it didn’t contain three of the city’s most interesting museums. - Museu Picasso
Located in no fewer than five former palaces in Carrer Montcada, the Picasso is the most popular museum in Barcelona.
Directions: Your next stop is on the same street. - Museu Tèxtil i d’Indumentària
Over 1,000 years of fashion fill the salons of this extraordinary museum, which spreads throughout a fine period house, the Palau dels Marquesos de Llió, and features the original medieval ceilings. - Take a Break
Carrer Montcada is a convenient spot for a break between museums.
Directions: Continue on the same street. - Museu Barbier-Mueller d’Art Precolombí
Housed in the 15th-century Palau Nadal close to the Museu Picasso and the Museu Tèxtil i d’Indumentària.
Directions: Continue down Carrer Montcada to the Passeig del Born. Turn right onto Carrer de Santa María. - Santa María del Mar
Built in the 14th century during a period of just over 50 years (quick for the time), this grandiose, high-vaulted basilica, honoring the patron saint of sailors is one of Barcelona’s most imposing Gothic structures.
Directions: Go back to the Passeig del Born. - Passeig del Born
With the Born Market at one end and the church of Santa Maria del Mar at the other end, the Passeig del Born still retains its medieval flavour on the terraces of its fashionable bars. Check Culture Trip for more info on this historic avenue.
Directions: Your next stop is at the end of the avenue. - Antic Mercat del Born
This massive building, with its wrought-iron roof, was formerly one of the city’s biggest wholesale markets. It is scheduled to reopen as a museum and cultural center, but as yet there is no firm date for reopening; 2012 looks like the earliest.
Directions: Cross the Passeig de Picasso just past the eastern end of the market to enter the Parc de la Ciutadella. - Parc de la Ciutadella
This 75-acre oasis of greenery came about in the late 1890s after serving as the site for the Universal Exhibition. Its many highlights include statues, fountains (one designed by a young Gaudí), a boating lake, a waterfall (La Cascada) with a giant hairy mammoth sculpture, a zoological museum, two arboretums, and a small botanical garden. There’s also a science museum and the Catalan parliament. Stroll to the northern end of the park to view the Arc de Triomf, which served as the entrance to the Universal Exhibition.
– Adapted from Frommer’s
Looking for more lists of things to do?
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