Best of Spain: Barcelona

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Let's talk about Barcelona!! (Or Bar-th-elona if you're talking like a local). It's a gorgeous place with a really fun nightlife, great beaches, and incredible art and architecture. 

Honestly Barcelona is one of my favorite places. There's so much to do and see and it's just a really fun city.

I've been there twice at the time of this writing (Feb 2023) and I already want to go back. The first time I went was in fall of 2019 with my dad (and my second kid! who was a baby at the time). Then I took my husband and the rest of my kids in the fall of 2022. For your convenience, here's a map of all the best stuff! It's color coded too 🤓

✨ Best of Barcelona ✨

Yellow = To Do
Blue = Beaches
Red = Eats
Green = Museums

(If clicking the map doesn't work, copy and paste this in your browser to see the full map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/edit?mid=1NVIICu5vo-uo_S7C5GJ3pi0vwt1m5S8&usp=sharing)

It was actually quite the journey to get this picture...you can read the whole account here.

You can use the map to guide your trip. Or pick your favorite things from the list. For detailed explanations, keep reading. Here are all of my favorite things to do in Barcelona:

1. La Sagrada Familia (DO NOT MISS THIS!)

This is hands-down one of the most INCREDIBLE things I have ever seen (manmade or natural). It is absolutely, astoundingly gorgeous and it isn't even finished yet. 


Photos by Diego Allen on Unsplash


Photo by Auriane Clément on Unsplash

You can read more about the basilica's history and the architect, Antoni Gaudi (hint: he's kind of a big deal in Barcelona). It's an incredible place! I love the colors of the windows and the feeling when you are inside the building (it feels very open, personal, and spiritual to me). 


The outside:

 
Me, my dad, and daughter outside the basilica in the fall of 2019

 
Our family outside the basilica in the fall of 2022

The inside:

 
Inside the basilica                                                 Me in one of the towers in 2022

You can buy tickets to La Sagrada Familia here 
or copy and paste this link: https://sagradafamilia.org/en/tickets

Note: The first time I went I got just regular tickets (without the audio guide and towers). The second time I got the towers and audioguide. Honestly, I preferred it better without the audioguide! The towers were pretty cool but you can also see similar views at Park Guell so they weren't a dealbreaker for me. If I was going again, I would just get regular tickets. I liked looking around at my own pace listening to Rick Steve's free audioguide rather than trying to stick with the tour group! 


2. La Rambla
   
This is such a fun place to look around! ⚠️ Warning: This place has a big fat target on it for pickpockets. Be HYPER aware of your belongings, don't leave your bags unattended or out of reach, and remember constant vigilance⚠️ 

 

One of my favorite things in Barcelona was going here and listening to Rick Steves' walking tour of La Rambla and surrounding areas (listen to it on the free app).  In this walking tour, you'll also see #4 and #5 and some other amazing things along the way as well. It was super fun to walk around and listen to the history of the city. Other huge pluses are that 1) it's free and 2) if you want to take more time somewhere, it's easy to pause the audio and then jump back in when you're ready. 

Here are some things we saw on the walking tour:

  

3. Park Güell 
If you didn't get enough of Gaudi at La Sagrada Familia, then definitely go to Park Guell! It's a whimsical, interesting, and beautiful park with an incredible view of the city and ocean. I loved it. 
 


You can buy tickets to Park Guell here 
or copy and paste this link: https://parkguell.barcelona/en/buy-tickets


4. Mercado de La Boqueria

This is a super fun and lively market! It's right on La Rambla so I would start at the top of La Rambla and then make a detour over here. (They also have bathrooms at the back for 1 or 2 euros!). There are tons of delicious nuts, fruit, meats, food, and so many fun things to look at. 

Mercado de la Boqueria is free :)

5. Attend a FC Barcelona futbol (soccer) game 
Photo by Christian García on Unsplash

I haven't been to a match in Barcelona (I did go to one in Madrid!), but I don't think you can go wrong with futbol in Spain. Just the energy of the fans alone would be worth it, but you've also got world-class soccer players on top of that. 

You can buy tickets to upcoming matches here
or copy and paste this link: https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/tickets/football

Note: that every child (regardless of age!) needs their own ticket to any event.

6. Cathedral of Barcelona

This is part of Rick Steves' walking tour of Barcelona and it is such an interesting building. When I went there were musicians and dancers outside the cathedral and it was a lot of fun. 

Entrance to the cathedral is free :) 

7. Casa Batlló & 8. Casa Milà

Still don't have enough Gaudi? Just tour these super fun houses he designed! I've been to the outside (which was cool enough) but I hear the inside is really amazing too. 

 
                                                                       Photo by Theodor Vasile on Unsplash


You can buy tickets to Casa Batlló here 
or copy and paste this link: https://www.casabatllo.es/en/online-tickets/

You can buy tickets to Casa Milà here 
or copy and paste this link: https://www.lapedrera.com/en/visits

9. Arco de Triunfo de Barcelona 
This is a really pretty arch in Barcelona! You can read about the history of it here. This was a very hastily-snapped picture as we were speed-walking/running to La Sagrada Familia as we had a set time to be there with our tour and underestimated how long it would take to walk 😅


Seeing this is fun and free :)


10. Montjuïc
Montjuïc is basically just a flat-topped hill with an incredible view of Barcelona's harbor. There is a lot of history behind this hill and some cool older buildings including a castle.

Photo by Valdemaras D. on Unsplash

Montjuïc park is free :)
You can buy tickets to Montjuïc Castle here 
or copy and paste this link: https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/castelldemontjuic/en

11. Ciutadella Park
Ciutadella Park is a public park and has over 100 different species of plants and interesting  buildings and sculptures. You can row boats on the lake or just hang out and relax.
Photo by Steven Lasry on Unsplash

Read more about Ciutadella Park. Entrance to the park is free :)

12. Aquarium Barcelona


Other fun things in Barcelona:

Go Shopping

I looooved shopping at Primark when I was in Barcelona! Primark is a super cool store and has really great prices. The clothes are nice there too, and none of it is fast fashion. 

Rent Bikes


Renting bikes was one of my favorite things in Barcelona. Riding by bike was a really fun way to see the city. Plus it was not expensive at all and Barcelona has bike lanes everywhere so it was really nice and easy. 

Visit San Cugat

This little village is just a short (40 min) metro ride from downtown Barcelona. We stayed there and it was so cute and fun. We happened to be there around Halloween and it was so fun to watch kids go trick-or-treating in the shops there. Plus it's so pretty at night!

 



Well, that's a wrap! Hope you enjoy your exciting trip in Barcelona. Did I miss something? What was your favorite thing to do in Spain?  Leave me a comment!

Other tips about traveling in Barcelona: 

Plan Out Your Trip

  • Always buy tickets directly with the official sites (not third-party websites). Not only will you save money, but you'll also avoid scams.
  • When you're there, you may want to check the metro/train/bus times the day before you plan to take that route.
  • Consider seeing two places around the same time — for example, you can walk down La Rambla on your way to shop in Mercado de La Boqueria. 


Transportation Methods 


🛴 Electric Scooters 🚲 (or Bikes)

  • These are a great way to get from A to B quickly
  • Also a great alternative if there are strikes (which happen quite often!)
  • They are cheap and you can find them with app locators — we used Lime, Bird, Dott and some others

  

 🚇 The Metro

  • Metros are cheap and fast 
  • They connect the city really well
  • They come very often (not long to wait!)
  • They are easy to navigate if you pay attention well 

         🚶Walking

  • Frenchs (and Europeans in general) walk everywhere!
  • Bring good walking shoes!
  • It’s a wonderful way to get around and get a feel for the city

         🚙 Uber

  • Also a handy way to travel 
🚌 Buses
  • Buses are another great way to get around town
  • If you're lucky and going in the off-season (September - May), they shouldn't be too crowded 
  • Be aware that around rush hour (5-6 pm), they can get quite busy

Other transportation helps
  • Google maps is accurate and helpful​
  • If you're going to other cities, Rome 2 Rio is helpful to see ways to get from A to B, but be sure to double-check the bus and train schedules before you plan. It’s a good way to see multiple methods of travel and compare cost, times, etc

Great Resources