Barcelona Travel Guide
Barcelona seems to find its way onto most people’s itineraries… and for good reason. It has a vibrant food scene, a plethora of unique historic architecture, great Mediterranean weather, beautiful beaches, and arguably the best nightlife in Europe. This Barcelona travel guide will help you plan your trip and hopefully give you some tips for getting the most out of your time in the city.
15 Best Things to Do in Barcelona
Las Ramblas
Never mind a lot of sailors shun this chain of promenades that runs out of Plaça de Catalunya down for the Columbus Monument at the shore. If you are a tourist it’s some of the activities you need to do. In summer you’re going to be under the color of the tall plane trees along with shuffling throughout the audiences that pass alive landscapes, street actors, bird-sellers and blossom stands. Periodically you’ll grab the whiff of waffles (gofres) being chucked. Upon getting into the water you are able to keep moving across the planks to pay a stop by to the Maremagnum mall or Barcelona’s Aquarium.
Sagrada Família
This is really where to start your experience through Barcelona and the dreamlike works of Antoni Gaudí. His little basilica is really actually just a job of scale and ambition that’s still just approximately three-quarters whole longer than the usual 140 years later Gaudí first became involved. If its spires are finished it will probably be the greatest church construction on earth, and scarcely looks like any spiritual arrangement you have observed on your own life. The Sagrada Família joins several architectural fashions, for example, Catalan Modernism, Art Nouveau, and Spanish Late-Gothic, however, Gaudí’s masterpiece defies these sorts of definitions once you appear openmouthed at the ceiling of the nave.
Casa Batlló
Still another of Antoni Gaudí’s very postcard-friendly creations, this flat block was not generated from scratch, however, it had been a re-model undertaken at the beginning of the 20th century. You won’t have to own seen Barcelona comprehend that the building’s roof, the tiles which would be the improvement of a fantastic dragon. Like most of his work that the interior and beyond Casa Batlló has that sinuous caliber, together with few lines that are straight, along with also fantastic focus to detail. Simply take the mushroom-shaped fireplace onto the noble floor, which enjoys a comfy grotto that was designed for visitors to heat in cold temperatures.
Quadrat d’Or
Even the Quadrat d’Or (Quadrant of Gold) is also now a place of the Eixample district famous because of the Modernist architecture. Inside this region, the unique avant-garde buildings were motivated by the work of Antoni Gaudí and assembled in the late 19th and early 20th century.” The principal road through it’s the Passeig p Gràcia. Various architects left their own mark on the neighborhood, and an outcome is a form of this Modernist design. A veritable open-air memorial, the more Quadrat d’Or delivers beautiful surprises every stage along with the method. Visitors find interesting information on ceramic art, stained glass windows, wrought iron ironwork, decorative reliefs, wrought iron, and figurines.
Casa Milà
Also called La Pedrera, since the leading part of the building looks somewhat as the surface of a quarry,” CA-SA Milà has been performed in 1912 and is still just another symbolic Gaudí construction. It’s just one of the of Catalan philosophical works to be UNESCO recorded and has been the final Gaudí construction on Passeig p Gràcia. Architects will love the modern creations here, for instance, self-supporting stone facade and underground carpark. It was intended for its industrialist Pere Milà I Camps to function as the home, together with apartments for rent to the top floors. The coherence involving the plan of this construction along with CA-SA Milà’s decor is a true joy to watch, which is all from an occasion when Gaudí was on the very top of his match.
City Beaches
Barcelona’s beachfront boardwalk goes for kilometers. It is going to have a fantastic hour for from Barceloneta to Diagonal Mar in your foot, however, it is really a walk that actually makes it possible to recognize that exactly the city. Even the western-most shores such as Sant Sebastià are more and more pliable but are all also endorsed by Barceloneta’s tight lattice of stylish shops and pubs with terraces and outside seats. Since you proceed over the shore following the Olympic Port you are going to come across a little more room and more Barcelona locals. At length, only up from Platja de Llevant may be your new and massive entry Mar mall, re-vitalizing a former industrial portion of the metropolis.
Park Güell
Roundoff your Gaudí experience having a vacation for the particular garden complex on Carmel Hill. Many make the day at the component of Gràcia for anyone magnificent panoramas over Barcelona from the park’s key terrace. You have observed such serpentine benches along with their mosaics on postcards as well as in pictures. Elsewhere you can find colonnades, sculptures and fountains, all from the architect’s distinguishing style. In the event that you still have not had enough Gaudí you are able to input his House-Museum, where he lived in 1906 to 1926, using furniture and decorative items created with his display.
Barcelona City History Museum
The Annals Museum Keeps a Couple of Roman Websites around the Northeast Peninsula, as the temple of Augustus and the Funeral Way on Plaça de la Vila de Madrid. However, Plaça del Rei is the place it is possible to easily observe Barcelona’s ancient history in layers that are detailed. You’ll require an elevator down to where in fact the remnants of a garum mill, laundries, pawn stores and portions of early Barcino’s walls are typical observable. The website is large, covering 4,000 square yards, that you’ll explore via paths that are elevated. Since you climb through the memorial construction you’ll step of progress through time and input the vaults of the Palau Reial Major, chair of this medieval Dukes of Barcelona.
Montjuïc
This Metropolis district Has Been Built for the 1929 International Exhibition and Contains several High-profile Temples Such as the National Museum of Catalan Art, the Museum of Archaeology and the Ethnology Museum. Of the art museum is very advocated, and also the perspectives of this city out of the steps are magnificent. This, and built for that display was that the Magic Fountain, which places light and music shows half-hour on the weekends. That is seen through the night of course. At the top of this mountain is your 17thcentury fortress, that saw activity from the Catalan Revolt at the 1600s and throughout the Civil War at the late-1930s, after that, it had been a prison.
Fundació Joan Miró
Fundació Joan Miró
Exactly like Gaudí, Joan Miró has been a quintessentially Catalonian performer, and a trip for his memorial provides you with a much far more vibrant picture of Barcelona’s soul and design. The Fundació Joan Miró was founded by the artist at the 60 s to inspire contemporary artwork in Barcelona, also Miró worked closely with the architect Josep Lluís Sert around the memorial building’s design. What this means is there exists stability between your place and also the task inside that you won’t find often. Within there exists a sizable selection of this artist’s job, for example, paintings, paintings, and drawing. Additionally, there are temporary exhibitions of 20th and 21st-century art, and all types of educational and collaborative endeavors going on.
Gràcia
In the event that you wonder exactly what life is like from the tiny towns of Catalonia afterward, the trip to Gràcia can be ways to learn. This area was not part of Barcelona before the 20th century, also as a result of the design of tapered roads and little squares, even is like another location. It’s really a new, fashionable and cosmopolitan area with musicians and students, therefore there exists a great number of pubs, cafes and separate shops available. If you visit Gràcia throughout the Festa Major in August that the area has been transformed whilst the occupants bond to decorate different roads in creative tactics to function as greatest from the locality.
Palau de la Música Catalana
This turn of the century concert-hall is still another bit of Barcelona’s UNESCO-listed tradition. It was built with Gaudí’s modern, Lluís Domènech I Montaner for its Orfeó Català, a Barcelona choral society. It was at the same period when commissions and investment by wealthy Aztec industrialists were serving a generation of musicians and designers to generate a brand fresh awareness of identity. The hallway is actually really just a sublime place for opera, symphonies and folk music, so take a good peek at the program once you want your journey.
Plaça de Catalunya
This is actually the ideal meeting point from the metropolis. It is right in the Bottom of the posh Passeig p Gràcia and at the top of Las Ramblas. If you should be awaiting friends in the day for dinner or planning for a buying trip daily NOW here at the Ciutat Vella or even Eixample may well undoubtedly be greater than a couple of minutes by walking using this expansive square. Barcelona’s flagship division of El Corte Inglés is here, of course, if you are a newcomer into the town and desire to go oriented you might go inside to get a map.
Monestir de Pedralbes
An excellent model of Catalan Gothic structure, the Monestir de Pedralbes convent is located in a scenic little park known as the Jardines Reina Elisenda. This manicured backyard is full of indigenous trees, palms, cypresses, and shady trees. Queen Elisenda de Montcada set the convent at 1326 for its Order of Saint Clare. The complex includes a stunning Gothic church, a calm three-story cloister, and also tranquil convent structures. Visitors love relaxing at the calm atmosphere and researching living and work of 14th-century nuns. Yet another highlight of a call could be that your Monastery Museum, that displays a superb collection of ancient art from the 14th century in addition to after religious art generated throughout the 20thcentury.
Camp Nou
As Modernista buildings have been must-see attractions for design fans, Camp Nou can be a must-see for most football fans. Home of this FC Barcelona, the 99,354-seat arena may be the greatest in Europe and 2nd largest on earth. Attend a match here or choose the lively excursion and see the museum. Camp Nou was among the places to the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
What to eat in Barcelona
Global food is very good in Barcelona, especially when it has to do with Japanese-style noodle pubs, which are very popular in the previous ten decades. Still another fad is pintxos, Basque-style pub snacks by which yummy such things as croquettes and fish have been served on a parcel of bread stored with a toothpick (pinch). For an on average Catalan bite, there is Pa amb tomàquet, bucolic bread covered in a mixture of tomato pulp and acrylic. This regularly functions as a base for sausage or even bocatas. Take a peek at the available food tours at Barcelona.
Tip:
Take a look at the tours provided by Barcelona City Tellers, they offer a free walking trip! A fantastic way to start your trip since you’ll discover more about the metropolis also certainly are certain to get a lot of hints which matters you can complete and avert throughout your stay.
Tapas, Seafood Paella, and Cava
Spain is famed due to their tapas. Tapas are essentially miniature elements of only dishes which are thought to be snacked in bars/restaurants, but a whole good deal of folks make out a meal of sampling multiple forms of tapas. They could vary from simple to lavish, but they are normally reasonably priced. In a few areas of Spain (mainly Granada and Madrid), the tapas are now actually free so long as you are buying alcohol, however that really is becoming pretty infrequent and also you also may not think it is substantially in Barcelona.
Seafood paella (and fish generally ) is remarkably well known in Barcelona considering that the town is on the shore. But remember, since there are certainly always plenty of places selling quite lousy seafood paella.
Cava, and it is just really actually a sparkling wine such as Champagne, could as well be the state beverage of Barcelona. However, think about sangria? That is really a specialization of southern Spain plus it has just served as tourists request this… also it has infrequently made well in Barcelona.
When to visit Bacelona
The very common time to go to Barcelona is at summertime however that means a lot of individuals and caked 85+ degree weather. (on the other hand, that really is very good shore weather.) Winters are mild and also the temperatures average from the mid-50s — it is when you’ve come across the smallest number of people. Late spring and early autumn bring amazing weather and fewer crowds in the summertime, therefore people are the very ideal days to see.
Practical Barcelona Travel Tips
- Most city-run museums are free on Sundays from 3-8pm.
- Catalán may be the most important language spoken in Barcelona, however, Spanish is also spoken by almost everybody.
- Whenever you can, purchase tickets online. Attractions usually bring enormous crowds and even huger lines, and so that the savviest visitors buy their tickets ahead of time.
- Walking is the ideal method to learn more about the city. Fortunately, Barcelona is a very walkable city. They’re anywhere.
- Each Metro stop has free wi-fi, also you can find totally free wifi from lots of parts of the town, therefore getting online isn’t difficult.
- Avoid eating in any restaurant on Las Ramblas. There may be one or two exceptions, however, 99% of this time you are going to be overpaying for poor food.
- Wish to visit an FC Barcelona soccer match but can not find a ticket? Head to www.fcbarcelona.com and you can find season ticket holders selling their tickets.
- Summers at Barcelona can get hot, and winters tend to be rainy — however, the weather is fantastic throughout the spring and autumn.
- Lots of restaurants close around 2-4pm and don’t open back up to 8 pm.