Looking for tips on things to do in Barcelona on holiday? Then you've come to the right place! We present a list of our 13 best tips for your Barcelona trip. Here you'll find tips on both sights and things to do in Barcelona, whether you're planning a weekend in Barcelona or travelling around Catalonia. Barcelona is a wonderful holiday city that offers everything from sun and bathing to folk life, good food, architecture, art and history. The capital of Catalonia is simply a city that is easy to fall in love with!
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What to see and do in Barcelona
Barcelona is a city full of things to see and do! When it comes to attractions, the masterpieces of Antoni Gaudi stand out - you don't have to be interested in architecture to be fascinated by these imaginative creations. Those interested in history will also find plenty of fantastic castles and churches.
If you prefer to get active on holiday, there are plenty of things to do in Barcelona, from sunbathing and swimming to eating delicious Catalan food or trying out the nightlife. Here's our big list of 13 things to do in Barcelona on holiday.
1. walk on La Rambla
One of the must-do things to do in Barcelona on holiday is to stroll up and down La Rambla. Packed with tourists and shoppers, this pedestrianised street is also home to the famous Bouquiera food market, where you can browse cheeses, fruit and pastries.
2. Strolling in El Barri Gotic
"The 'Gothic Quarter' is a neighbourhood in Barcelona and is the oldest part (old town) of the historic centre of Barcelona. Here you can visit the Jewish quarter and see plenty of religious, cultural and political buildings, including a powerful cathedral and a royal palace.
3. go on a guided city walk
Strolling around the old quarters by yourself is cosy, but if you want to get some history, booking a tour with a guide is perfect. We booked the Barcelona Highlights tour via Expedia, and had a really good experience. The guide was very knowledgeable and we learnt a lot of exciting details about the history of the city. The highlight of the tour was the visit to La Sagrada Familia!
4. Visit La Sagrada Familia
Construction of La Sagrada Familia began in 1882 and in 1883 Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi took over the work. He devoted the rest of his life to this enormous project, which is still unfinished. The plan is for the church to be completed by 2026, but it seems unclear whether this will happen. Among other things, the construction of the central, and highest, church tower remains to be done.
That Gaudi designed this creation more than 100 years ago is hard to believe. The interior is designed to mimic a Catalan Mediterranean forest, with pillars reminiscent of trees branching up to the ceiling. The light fixtures embedded in the roof structure are meant to mimic daylight, which penetrates the overgrowth of a forest.
We highly recommend a visit here! You can, of course, visit the church on your own, but the queues are long, so there are advantages to buying 'skip the line' tickets.
5. Experience Gaudi's masterpiece Casa Batllo
Casa Batllo, or 'House of Bones' as it is popularly known, is another of Gaudi's masterpieces. Located on Passeig de Gracia, the house was designed in the early 20th century by Antoni Gaudi for the Batllo family. Today it's on public display - and it's definitely worth seeing among all the beautiful buildings!
The Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi was born in 1852 and died in 1926. Gaudi began his career as an architect in the neo-Gothic, Moorish and Orientalist style, but over time he developed his own style with organic, expressionist and surrealist features. Much of what he created feels imaginative and almost alive.
Casa Batllo is a truly imaginative house, with almost no straight lines and inspired by the soft shapes of nature and the boundless imagination of fairy tales. Gaudi also thought a lot about light, and every room has sophisticated ways of letting in light.
6. Stroll around Parc Guell
A third Antoni Gaudi attraction is Parc Guell, built in the early 1980s. The park is completely free to visit, but if you also want to access the houses, you have to pay an entrance fee. The park also offers great views of the entire city.
6. See art at the Picasso Museum
The Picasso Museum must be Barcelona's most famous museum. Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga in 1881 and as a young man he studied at various art schools in Barcelona. Although he subsequently spent the rest of his life in France, he chose to locate the museum of his art in the city where he lived as a young man.
7. Climb the Montjuic mountain
Montjuic Mountain: Another thing to do in Barcelona is to go to Montjuic Mountain, where a whole range of interesting sights are gathered. Here you'll find a castle, an art museum, the Olympic Stadium, the town of Poble Espanyol with its special architecture, the Miró Museum and the famous Fount Magica fountain, which is illuminated in the evening.
8. Eat Catalan food
Catalan food is not the same as Spanish food, which means that tapas are not really native to Barcelona. Despite this, you can of course find many tapas restaurants, and tapas is never wrong! Catalan food is often eaten more traditionally with a starter, main course and dessert, preferably late in the evening and ideally with a glass of wine.
9. Experience Barcelona's nightlife
People go out late, so don't start too early if you want to experience the city's nightlife. We started at a Mexican bar/restaurant called Rosa Negra. You go here for the atmosphere and the crazy decor, with dolls and colourful flip-flops on the walls. The atmosphere was great and Mojitos were being made on a conveyor belt.
At half past twelve we took a taxi to the big club Opium, located at the beach in Barcelona. The club is really fresh, with large rooms and a nice outdoor bar, where you can sit back in white sofas and look out over the beach.
10. Sunbathing and swimming
Maybe you just want to take it easy and enjoy a relaxed weekend in Barcelona? In the centre of the city is a long and beautiful sandy beach. If you come here at the right time of year, just bring your swimwear and towel to the beach.
11. Visit Camp Nou
A different type of attraction in Barcelona perhaps? If you like football, you might want to visit the huge Camp Nou football stadium. If you're lucky, you can get tickets to a match, or you can take a guided tour of the stadium.
12. Relax in a central hotel
When you visit Barcelona on holiday, you need a hotel where you can go in and recharge your batteries between stops. One of the most important things when choosing a hotel is to choose a hotel with a good location. We stayed at a hotel called Petit Palace Barcelona, which is located in the centre of the city. We enjoyed it very much!
13. Learn more about Catalonia
While in the city, you can also take the opportunity to learn a little more about Catalonia! Did you know that Catalonia is an autonomous region and that Barcelona is the capital of this region? Did you also know that the language spoken is Catalan? This is a Romance language, which is also spoken in Andorra, some parts of France and the town of Alghero in Sardinia.
Under Franco's rule, the inhabitants of Spain were forbidden to speak Catalan, so he was not liked by the Catalans. According to our half-day tour guide, Catalans still celebrate Franco's death anniversary with great joy. In Barcelona, Catalan is the main language, but signs and menus are often in both Catalan and Spanish (or Castilian).
More things to do in Barcelona on holiday?
What to do in BarcelonaWant to see more on your tour of Catalonia or during your weekend? In addition to the things we've listed, you can explore the El Raval neighbourhood, which offers vintage and unusual shops. There are also several parks, such as the Parc de la Ciudadella, or perhaps the huge flea market Els Encants vells.
If you have plenty of time, you can also travel further outside of Barcelona along the coast and visit the historic and charming city. Tarragonawhich is very nice, but is often overlooked in favour of the Catalan capital.
Facts about Barcelona
- Language? Catalan and Spanish (some also speak English)
- Residents? 1.6 million in Barcelona (2016)
- Currency? Euro
- Price point? Cheap (cheaper than Sweden)
- Time difference? None
- Emergency number? 112
- El? Like Sweden
- Water? Drinkable
- Religion? Christianity (mostly Catholicism)
Travelling to Barcelona
- FlightsThere are plenty of flights from Sweden, including the low-cost ones mentioned here, and the flight takes about 3 hours. There are two airports to choose from just outside Barcelona.
- Car: The driving time from Stockholm to Barcelona is about 29 hours (279 miles), calculated in pure driving time.
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Bosse och Gerd says:
We are really impressed that you manage to do so much during your travels - with or without a motorhome. We actually get a bit jealous of it - we often sit in an outdoor café or restaurant and the time just flies by, but you manage to do that too....
We can only blame one thing and that is that we are older than you are... (bad excuse - we realise that)....
18 February 2013 - 21:19
Ditte says:
So much fun with a good guided tour. And La Sagrada Familia is always fascinating! You can spend any amount of time there.
And what a lot you have time for....Fun!
18 February 2013 - 22:19
admin says:
Bosse and Gerd, yes, there is a lot we want to see and do during a trip! But of course it is a bit of a balance ... you actually want to have time to take it easy and just "dega" a little too!
😉
Ditte, a good guide actually gives a lot! It becomes a completely different thing than just walking around by yourself! Like this, when everything was served during a tour, it felt quite easy to see a lot!
18 February 2013 - 23:29