Barcelona is a metropolis which wants little introduction. It’s one of the vital bustling, charismatic and standard vacationer locations in Europe. The Catalan metropolis, on Spain’s north-west coast, attracts in round 27 million vacationers yearly.
With a surprising shoreline, booming artistic scene, thriving nightlife, luggage of historical past, fairly structure and scrumptious meals, it’s simple to see why. There’s a lot to do in Barcelona and when planning a brief break, it’s simple to be over confronted with the variety of well-known websites and issues to see.
We’ve streamlined the method for you, so you may hit the bottom operating in your go to, whereas additionally avoiding the massive queues and vacationer traps, which include a big metropolis like this.
Be part of us as we focus on one of the best issues to do in Barcelona…
11 Greatest Issues To Do In Barcelona
#1. SagradaFamilia
Sagrada Familia is likely one of the most uncommon and jaw-dropping architectural initiatives in the entire of Europe, designed by world well-known Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. Development started on the UNESCO World Heritage website again in 1882 and nonetheless to at the present time work continues.
Its placing design makes it not solely a residing museum of Gaudi’s work, but in addition ever altering, as new components of the church are added. Our high tip is to get there early within the morning, beat the queues, and go to this lovely website earlier than the hordes of tour teams arrive.
The outside is a sight to behold, however you may also discover inside for a payment and go as much as the highest of church in an elevator, with views throughout town.
Planning to go to the Sagrada Familia?
Get the common admission ticket to skip the strains and discover Barcelona’s most-visited landmark at your personal tempo with an informative audio information.
#2. Gaudi recognizing
Since we’re on the subject of Gaudi, it might be impolite of us to not point out a few of his different websites round Barcelona. The architect and designer, who died in 1926, is likely one of the most revolutionary and celebrated to have ever lived.
And you’ll’t go far round Barcelona with out recognizing a few of his work – there are quite a few different massively spectacular websites across the metropolis. Casa Batllo, within the coronary heart of Barcelona, is a big mansion home, now museum, which was renovated by Gaudi again in 1904.
It’s a surprising instance of his work and ingenuity. You can too watch concert events on the roof of the constructing within the hotter months, a beautiful method to spend a night in a surprising setting.
Need to Uncover Casa Batlló?
Casa Batlló, a UNESCO World Heritage Web site, in an immersive expertise. Discover considered one of Gaudí’s masterpieces whereas studying all about his inspiring life.
#3. Mercado de la Boqueria
Now let’s speak about meals. On Barcelona’s massive pedestrianised avenue, La Rambla, which runs from the centre of town, all the way in which all the way down to the seashore, you’ll discover a thriving meals market referred to as La Boqueria.
It’s a feast for the senses with beautiful native contemporary produce, together with many small eating places, set amongst a community of passage methods.
It operates year-round and is an excellent place to seize some tasty grub at lunch-time. Do because the locals do and luxuriate in an ice-cold beer from one of many stalls and wander round till some meals takes your fancy.
High tip – watch out of your pockets and luggage on this space, the community of alleyways are a haven for pickpockets. Hold your luggage tight to you and maintain costly possession hidden away.
#4. Camp Nou
We’ve already talked about one essential Barcelona non secular website in Sagrada Familia, however the Camp Nou is town’s cathedral of soccer. The Camp Nou is the house of FC Barcelona and one of many largest soccer stadiums in the entire of Europe. It’s a feat of engineering, holding near 100,000 folks, and infrequently promoting out.
FC Barcelona is likely one of the most adorned soccer groups in European soccer historical past, with many legends of the sport having worn the membership’s purple and blue shirt – together with Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff – amongst many many extra.
Watching Barcelona play is a bucket checklist second for a lot of soccer followers and it isn’t unattainable to supply tickets, however vacationers can discover themselves paying means over and above the really helpful retail worth. Our high tip – solely purchase from official channels, don’t purchase from resale web sites.
There’s additionally a incredible soccer museum on website, which celebrates the historical past of this legendry soccer membership.
#5. The artwork of skateboarding
This may not be an apparent one for some, however Barcelona is a Mecca for skate boarders. The town’s liberal angle in direction of skateboarding in public locations and town’s revolutionary design and structure, makes it an city playground for skateboarding.
A few of the world’s finest skate boarders stay in Barcelona consequently and lots of thousand skate vacationers are drawn to town yearly from all around the world.
A few of the metropolis’s websites have legendry standing within the sport, together with MACBA, town Museum of Up to date Artwork. Each day 100s upon 100s of skate boarders observe in a giant public sq. outdoors the museum, with a number of the world’s finest usually seen within the space.
After you’ve been to take a look at the artwork, chill out with a beer within the sq., which is commonly thronging with life, and watch skate boarders on the high of their craft.
#6. Eat native meals
Many vacationers go to Barcelona and anticipate tonnes of tapas eating places to be dotted across the metropolis’s streets. And though you can see tapas spots to eat at, tapas aren’t a Catalan dish.
Understanding Barcelona’s historical past is import – town is the biggest within the Catalonia, an autonomous group, which has fought all through the years to interrupt away from Spain and return to being impartial.
Consequently, they’ve their very own delicacies and may generally fiercely struggle towards Spanish dishes like tapas. So, ensure that to get a number of the native conventional tasty meals.
Pan Catalan is an absolute staple right here, usually eaten for breakfast – its skinny crispy bread layered with crushed tomatoes, olive oil and salt. Scrumptious. Escalivada is one other easy, but lovely dish – roasted purple peppers, eggplant and onions combined collectively.
Additionally they take charcuterie very critically and you will discover wonderful hams and salamis on this space.
Arros negre is one other very fashionable dish, which is shared with buddies or in huge household teams – just like paella, it’s a black rice dish, which is given its color by squid ink, and full of pretty sea meals.
#7. Train on the seashore & get your cycle on
You may really feel fairly heavy after just a few days of munching your means round Barcelona, so getting just a little sweat on gained’t go a miss. Thankfully, Barcelona has you lined for that.
The town’s seashore is filled with folks exercising year-round – with many sports activities services on the sand and alongside the massive promenade which runs north alongside the coast.
It’s additionally an extremely cyclable metropolis, on account of its largely flat geography, with a fantastic community of cycle lanes.
Our high tip – attempt to minimise your use of the busy metro system, which will be crowded and stiflingly scorching in the summertime. Get out on a motorcycle as an alternative.
#8. Road artwork and graffiti recognizing
Barcelona is an extremely artistic place and though it has many unimaginable artwork galleries and exhibition areas, we expect a number of the finest work is out on the streets. The town is likely one of the most painted in the entire of Europe and you may’t go far with out seeing color oozing out of the partitions.
From full constructing commissioned jobs, to bucket a great deal of unlawful graffiti on the facet of vans, trains, metros and all-over public areas – it’s a pleasure to stroll round.
A few of the finest hotspots for avenue artwork embody the El Raval and Poble Nou districts of town – the place you may see works by a number of the world’s most well-known avenue artists.
Get on the market and get recognizing – what’s extra, it’s completely free.
#9. Craft beer
Barcelona has a rising fame on this planet of craft beer. The town’s is awash with unimaginable craft beer bars and town is residence to considered one of Europe’s most adorned and well-known craft breweries, referred to as Storage.
It’s a paradise for beer lovers, with many taprooms by world well-known brewers located within the metropolis, together with the Danish Mikkeller, however there are additionally smaller operations cropping up on nearly a day by day foundation.
Bar hopping is an absolute should whereas visiting Barcelona.
Our favourites:
- Storage
- Biercab
- Freddo Fox
- Mikkeller
#10. Life by the harbour
The realm round Barcelona’s harbour is buzzing with life all year long and it’s a fantastic place to sit back and chill out on one of many many heat days within the metropolis.
Take within the rays and watch the yachts go away the harbour or do because the locals do and curler skate or skateboard in one of many pretty waterside public areas.
If that’s not for you, why not go to the native aquarium, wine and dine at a harbourside restaurant or take a cable automobile from the harbour to the hillside Parc de Montjuic.
The realm is a central hub of exercise within the metropolis and isn’t a spot to be missed.
#11. Nightlife
Individuals come from far and large to absorb Barcelona’s nightlife. The town has a booming music scene and town has a packed occasions calendar as consequence with gigs and DJ occasions on nearly each evening.
You possibly can see world well-known musicians play within the metropolis or get misplaced in cavernous, underground, techno nightclubs. It’s a metropolis which dances well beyond dawn on weekend nights and when you’re on the lookout for a celebration, you’ll all the time discover one in Barcelona.
Remaining ideas
Barcelona is kind of rightly one of the vital standard locations in the entire of Europe. It attracts in tens of millions of vacationers yearly who come to see town’s world-famous websites and soak in its artistic bustling vibe.
It’s simple to see why it’s so standard, with greater than 300 days of sunshine, a pumping nightlife, lovely eating scene, a big seashore and world main sights. However there may be extra to town than simply the headline vacationer websites.
Now we have tried to present you a flavour of each, in our greatest issues to do in Barcelona information, and hope you’ll now go to town and absorb each the touristy and the genuine facet of town. Now get on the market and get dancing, tasting and ingesting your means round considered one of Europe’s hottest metropolis locations.