Barcelona – quick travel guide

Spain’s most popular tourist city, with beaches, nightlife, interesting Moorish architecture & Gaudi buildings, vibrant city life.

Barcelona 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. With its Catalan culture, language, architecture, lifestyle and identity…Barcelona is identified by the locals as being in Catalonia.

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. Very touristy but also hip, lots of cool Moorish architecture, and near other tourist areas as well.
    • El Born – trendy posh area charactered by small medieval streets and cute cafes, boutiques, bars…located right next to Gothic Quarter and usually walked around together.
  • 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.
  • Gracia, El Raval, Sant Antoni – farther out neighborhoods, very hip and cool, cheaper to stay, more chill but still vibrant. Also reasonably close to the tourist areas. Gracia is more hip nowadays (considered by many as the best) but Sant Antoni will catch up soon enough.
  • El Poblenou – cheaper area that is close-ish to all the main touristy areas.

The areas above are my favorite. But you can definitely stay 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 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.
  • Generator

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:

  • Eixample – busy city center area with many many tourist things to see. Big squares, Gaudi architecture, walking streets and parks.
    • Placa de Catalunya –
    • La Rambla – busiest and most touristy walking street. Full of people, shops, street vendors, street performers. 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.
  • Placa de Catalunya & La Rambla
  • Gothic Quarters & El Born
  • beach areas
  • Placa d’Espanya & Montjuic –

Activities to do:

  • Viewpoints, landmarks, sunsets, hikes:
    • Carmel Bunkers (north) – most popular viewpoint, good elevation and still within the city, offering an intimate 360 degree view of Barcelona below. Arrive ~1hr before sunset with snacks and wine, and sweater in case of windy and cold. Area closes after sunset and they kick you out. You can get here by bus which
      • Mirador del Nen de la Rutlla – when cops kick you out of the bunkers, walk towards this viewpoint and enjoy all the views along the way. There will be less people to block your view. Also…it’s a more direct viewing angle of the sunset, so you might even prefer to head down just before sunset.
    • Montjuic (south) – multiple viewing angles of the city, surrounding water, set within in a large park area with historical castle/fortress on top. Many beautiful areas to walk, things to see. Lovely all-day activity if not more. Can walk back down to the city or take cable car.
      • Montjuic Castle – I didn’t go in because everybody said the views from outside are just as good as from within, and that the castle itself was kinda empty and boring. The photos I saw on GoogleMaps confirmed this IMO.
      • garden
      • view
    • Mount Tibidabo (north) – beautiful highly elevated view from farther away. With a big church and amusement park on top of the mountain. Can be a family fun activity for the kids. Generally, people feel Tibidabo might have a nicer view of the city below…but Montjuic is preferred because it has multiple angles of the city and many more things to do and see, also less likely to be cloudy compared to Tibidabo.
    • Urban viewing points – Mirador de Colom, Mirador Torre Glories, Hyperview Barcelona, Barcelona Cathedral, Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, Sants Martirs Just i Pastor. All viewing points from within the city.
  • Buildings & architecture:
    • Gaudi architecture – beautiful unique building designs by Antoni Gaudi.
      • Sagrada Familia – big gothic cathedral by Gaudi. Beautiful (and free) to see from outside, both day and night. And now that it’s been heavily restored…everybody says it’s totally worth paying to go inside as well. Or you can go like Sunday 7-9am during mass for free.
      • Parc Guell – aka “Gaudi Park”. Touristy park with lots of interesting architecture and design by Gaudi. Also features a nice view of the city below. I think it’s well worth the entry price.
      • 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.
    • Moorish architecture – in the Gothic Quarter neighborhood. Walk around and take photos.
    • Palau de la Musica Catalana – only modernist concert hall recognized by UNESCO. Looks amazing from inside and out. You can pass by outside for free. A tour inside costs 20eu but you could watch a flamenco show for 40eu.
    • Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau – beautiful Catalan hospital, lookup photos online and see for yourself.
  • Parks, gardens, green spaces:
    • Parc de la Ciutadella – nice big park with many areas for many activities. Has both busy parts and chill parts. Has beautiful fountain for tourist photos.
    • Parc Guell – tourist park with beautiful Gaudi architectural details and panoramic views over the city.
    • Passeig de Sant Joan – green pedestrian walkway. Nice to chill and pass by some markets and vendor booths when walking around the neighborhood.
  • Beaches, bridges, water-points:
    • Unless you really like beach, I don’t see beaches as a big part of Barcelona’s charm. There are much better beaches in Europe, and more importantly much more interesting things to do in Barcelona. With that said…you can research which beaches are nicest.
  • Arts, museums, culture:
    • Many museums, flamenco dancing (Palau , art exhibits.
    • Flamenco dancing – this is Spain after all (although the capital of Flamenco is in Madrid). I recommend watching it at the Palau de la Musica Catalana…great show at a beautiful historical venue for 40euro.
  • Markets, shopping:
    • Gothic Quarter, El Born, and Gracia are my favorite shopping areas since they have more boutiques.
    • For common brands and big name labels, you can find those in Eixample. For a big mall, see Placa de Catalunya.
    • Mens brands (I liked):
      • Equis Barcelona – nice curated collection of multiple boutique labels.
      • Syngman Cucala – mainstreamish version of trendy B&W stuff.
      • OZZ Barcelona – edgy trendy stuff.
      • 1772 – edgy trendy stuff.
      • Bunker Second Hand Shop – many cool labels.
    • Westfield La Maquinista – heard this was a good big mall, if you need one. It’s out of the center.
  • 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.
    • Montserrat –
    • Castel in SW

Restaurants & Cafes:

  • So many good ones everywhere. You really can’t go wrong. Just explore or look up online.
  • Lascar 74 – classy cozy seafood restaurant with indoor/outdoor seating.
  • Cumpanama – casual Peruvian restaurant with reasonable prices for food and drinks, and big portions. Most importantly, great taste! If you don’t know Peruvian food, I’d suggest the arroz con mariscos and cerviche mixto.
  • Salero (Gracia) – super nice and highly recommended restaurants.
  • Mikan – highly recommended restaurant by
  • direkte boqueria – super fancy highend, amazing dining experience all around. Many people say it’s their absolute favorite in Barcelona and liked it more than even Michelin restaurants they tried.
  • Xl Xampanyet (El Born) – iconic popular seafood tapas place. Go for Brunch.
  • Vinitus (Eixample) – amazing seafood tapas. There’s a line but we got seated earlier than predicted.
  • Empanada chain:
    • Empanada Club – lots of filling, good taste. I’m very happy.
    • Muns – soft bread, but little filling. good taste.
    • Tio Bigote – bad reviews cuz of such little filling. I didn’t even try.

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:

  • HALF DAY:
    • Start Placa Catalunya, walk down La Rambla until you reach end of walking strip. Then cut into Barri Gothic area, exploring around Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi and Cathedral of Barcelona.
    • Next go to El Born area, lunch at El Xampanyet, then explore around Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar…lots of interesting Moorish architecture and small streets with shops.
    • Now head to Parc de la Ciutadella, walk past the fountain and see the lake for 5 mins, then see fountain (going up the stairs as well). Spending sunset at the fountain ain’t bad. Explore Placa Reial area at night, have dinner anywhere you want.
  • FULL DAY:
    • Start at Sagrada Familia, walk past Casa Mila and Casa Batllo to reach Placa Catalunya, then walk down La Rambla until you reach the end of the walking strip. Then cut into Barri Gothic area, exploring around Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi and Cathedral of Barcelona.
    • Next go to El Born area, lunch at El Xampanyet, then explore around Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar…lots of interesting Moorish architecture and small streets with shops.
    • Now head to Parc de la Ciutadella, walk past the fountain and see the lake for 5 mins, then see fountain (going up the stairs as well). Spending sunset at the fountain ain’t bad. Explore Placa Reial area at night, have dinner anywhere you want.
  • 3 DAYS:
    • DAY 1 – copy full day itinerary.
    • DAY 2 – Park Guell, Gracia area (also Vila de Gracia), then Camel Bunkers for sunset.
    • DAY 3 – Placa Espana and Montjuic in morning, and beach area in afternoon/sunset.
  • 5 DAYS:
    • DAY 1-3 – see previous
    • DAY 4 –
    • DAY 5 – Mount Tibidabo or Montserrat

Nearby towns:

  • Madrid

Unfiltered notes:

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