Spain’s most popular tourist city, with beaches, nightlife, interesting Moorish architecture & Gaudi buildings, vibrant city life.
Spain is like the big city version of a small city. Everything is walkable and vibey. Shops, bars, restaurants, on every corner. Seems like ever neighborhood can be cool if you know where to look. Having Spanish as the main language is super easy as well for the many people who already speak or have familiarity with Spanish.
3-5 days is the solid minimum. But you’ll easily fill a week without boredom.
Where to stay:
- Dreta de l’Eixample – generally considered the city center. Big streets with big stores, lots of people running around, shops and restaurants, etc. Always busy and noisy. Iconic Gaudi architecture and the infamous Sagrada Familia are found on the main street. Choose this area to be more centrally located to everything. Avoid if you want something more peaceful, or small hip neigborhood feel.
- Gothic Quarter (aka “Barri Gotic”) – awesome area. It’s very touristy, but also hip, lots of cool Moorish architecture, and near other tourist areas as well.
- Barceloneta – this is if you want to be by the beach. I personally don’t like Barcelona beaches. Crowded and thieves, etc. I really don’t even treat Barcelona like a beach city.
- Sant Antoni & Gracia – farther out neighborhoods that are also very hip and cool, more chill but still vibrant. But also reasonably close to the tourist areas. These areas are also cheaper to stay as well.
No matter where you stay, don’t be afraid to go further out if you need to save on costs. Barcelona’s public transport is pretty good and can get you anywhere reasonably fast enough. Also the city is nice and safe enough to walk at night.
Hostels & Hotels:
- Sant Jordi – classic party hostel chain. Friendly, nice vibe, a little crowded but lots of people for you to meet. And for being a party hostel, it honestly wasn’t that rowdy. You can do both socializing and chilling.
- OneFam Paralelo – really nice little intimate hostel. Awesome dorm rooms where dorms feel like your own private cubby home.
Barcelona is a vibe. Feel free to explore different hostels and read reviews. Some are huge “no rules” party hostels (like Sant Jordi). Others are smaller and more intimate (like OneFam Paralelo).
Neighborhoods, walking areas, public squares:
- La Rambla – busiest and most touristy walking street. Full of people and things. Busy at day and night. During holidays, cultural events and parades are also held here. WATCH OUT FOR PICKPOCKETS. A common route would be to walk from Placa de Catalunya all the way down to Placa Reial.
- Placa Reial – most touristy square with beautiful buildings and trees, open-air restaurants and bars all around. Very busy at all hours. At night is a common meeting place for youngsters before heading off to a party elsewhere.
Activities to do:
- Viewpoints, landmarks, sunsets, hikes:
- Carmel Bunkers – classic viewpoint high up with 360 degree view of Barcelona below. Bring some snacks and wine, and have a picnic at sunset time. Also bring a sweater in case it gets windy and cold.
- Buildings & architecture:
- Sagrada Familia – big gothic cathedral by Gaudi. Beautiful to see from the outside, both day and night. And now that it’s been heavily restored…totally worth paying to go inside as well.
- Parc Guell – aka “Gaudi Park”. A touristy park with lots of interesting architecture and design by Gaudi. Also features a nice view of the city below.
- Moorish architecture – in the Gothic Quarter neighborhood. Walk around and take photos.
- More Gaudi architecture – Casa Batllo, Casa Mila (La Pedrera), Casa Calvet, Cripta de la Colonia Güell, and Cascada Fountain at Ciutadella Park. Look up photos and read reviews.
- Parks, gardens, green spaces:
- Parc de la Ciutadella – aka “Ciutadella Park”. Nice big park with many areas for many activities. Has both busy parts and chill parts.
- Beaches, bridges, water-points:
- Arts, museums, culture:
- Markets, shopping:
- Gothic Quarter is my favorite shopping area. Unless you need a big mall like Placa de Catalunya.
- Tours:
- Walking tours – definitely a highly recommended way to explore key areas of Barcelona for free, and with helpful explanations and tips for other fun things. You’ll also meet lots of other people. Tons of free walking tours available either through your hostel or those donation-based ones.
Restaurants & Cafes:
- So many good ones everywhere. You really can’t go wrong. Just explore or look up online.
Bars, clubs, and nightlife:
- There many bars everywhere. Just a matter if you’re looking for a drink, or you want to party.
- Beach area – go inside a club to buy drinks and dance. Go outside to hangout by the water when you want some air. Late at night, you’ll notice many drunk guys just walking right up to and peeing straight into the water. Girls will usually walk into the neighborhood streets and pee right between cars.
- Opium – classic nightclub by the beach with lots of sexy youngsters. Use this place as a marker since there are several more just like it nearby.
- Placa Reial – another common nightlife area with bars. Go inside to drink and dance to music. Go outside to drink cheaper or smoke and cool off by the fountain, meet others, etc.
- Concrete area – I forgot the official name. But lots of youngsters meeting up here to party outside on the street at night. No bathroom, so everybody (including girls) are peeing on the street or right around the corner, with friends standing by to provide privacy.
Miscellaneous tips:
Itinerary:
- DAY 1 –
Nearby towns:
- Madrid
Unfiltered notes: