If you’re planning a trip to Barcelona, for however many nights or days, you’re in for a treat.

Barcelona is one of the most popular cities in Spain, and Europe, and there are many reasons why. The city is home to mind-blowing architecture, incredible food, rich history, and many more traits that make it worth visiting.

With all of Barcelona’s sights and activities, it might be hard to tell which ones are actually worth doing. Therefore, I’ve put together a post on what things you really should do, to make for an all around great trip.

Ten Great Sights & Activities In Barcelona

1. La Sagrada Familia

Without a doubt, La Sagrada Familia is one of the most insane churches in the world. And when I say “insane”, I mean outrageously beautiful. When looking at the church, I honestly challenge you to describe it.

On the inside, it’s incredible to see how Gaudi translated nature into his work. While walking around, I even saw trees going into the ceiling! Another part of the inside that I liked was all of the colors. Without the rainbow stained glass shining all around, the church wouldn’t even be the same! 

Make a reservation at La Sagrada Familia because it’s probably terrible waiting in a two hour general admission line!

2. Park Güell

Park Güell, also known as Gaudi Park, is another one of the most amazing sights in Barcelona. At the park, you will find two houses made by Gaudi (that look like they could be in Dr. Seuss!), an everlasting wall of colorful mosaics, a lizard completely made of tiles, and many more beautiful structures Gaudi put together.

Pro tip: Get to the park before 8:00 am and you will get in for free and be able to enjoy it without the bus-loads of tourists!

3. Casa Batlló

Casa Batlló is yet another one of Gaudi’s fantastical masterpieces. Located in the center of Barcelona, the house is wondrous on the outside, which makes me think how beautiful it is on the inside. We didn’t go inside because we were on a tour, but we learned a lot about the history and architecture of it.

When you look at the facade of this house, do you see carnival masks or skulls?

4. Gothic Quarter

The Gothic Quarter is by far the most historic and beautiful area in Barcelona. As the center of the old town, you can find medieval streets and buildings, the city’s cathedral, many old stores and restaurants, and even the remains of Barcelona’s Roman wall. This area is a perfect place to spend your afternoon walking around and getting lost in the maze of Gothic architecture. Make sure to factor in a stop at Granja Duclinea for the most amazing churros con chocolate.

5. Tapas Tour

My favorite activity that we did in Barcelona was definitely our tapas tour. Tapas, the most popular authentic food of Spain, are little plates consisting of everything from patatas bravas to little croquetas. And on the tapas tour, all we did was spend the night walking from restaurant to restaurant eating and learning about the delicious food the restaurants had for us. Sounds like a perfect night, right?!

We also found ourselves a mid-tour stop at the church of Sant Just i Pastor where we got to watch the sunset from the top. This church is practically hidden, but it is definitely worth a stop during the sunset.

We loved our tour with Food Lovers Company.

6. Montjuïc

If you’re looking for a place to spend your evening, your search ends here. You must walk through Montjuïc. After taking the gondola up the mountain, all we did was stroll around, past the castle, over the city of Barcelona and enjoyed a nice sunset.

At the bottom of the mountain, make sure to see the Magic Fountain, a highly popular attraction that changes colors and does cool tricks. The area is alive with musicians and people strolling around. However, we made a dash for our hotel as soon as we saw our first intense pickpocket scene!

7. La Boqueria

La Boqueria is the best market I’ve ever been to. It is the perfect mid-day food spot and is located right in the center of the city. In the bustling market, you’ll find meat, fresh juices, dried fruit, sandwiches, fish, and much, much more. I got a sandwich made of prosciutto, butter, and bread. My favorite!

8. La Barceloneta

If you find yourself with a hot, perfect day, I highly recommend exploring the area of La Barceloneta with a swimsuit and a water bottle. We decided to rent bikes, ride along the beach, stop for lunch, and swim in the beautiful Mediterranean Sea!

Later in our five day stay, we found ourselves back in La Barceloneta, this time by the marina. We walked around the docks and eventually got to bungee jump and zorb!

9. Picasso Museum

Pablo Picasso is by far one of the most amazing and unique artists the world has ever seen. To learn about his life, art, and much more, I would highly recommend visiting the Picasso Museum. We got the audio tour and learned so much about the style of his art and got to admire his incredible technique.

10. Mosaic Class

After taking in all of that beautiful mosaic work done by Gaudi and other famous artists, wouldn’t it be awesome to try it yourself? Well, that’s exactly what we did!

We got a class with a professional mosaic artist named Livia Garreta who has made parts of Casa Batlló and La Sagrada Familia and not only was she incredibly talented, she was so funny and sweet. We each got to make a mosaic on a little piece of wood, and let me tell you, it is certainly not as easy as it looks! In the end it was a great experience that everyone should have in Barcelona.

Tips.

• In order to get around conveniently, I recommend staying at Hotel Praktik, which is located in the center of the city and happens to be on the same street a Casa Mila and Casa Batlló.
• Barcelona’s subway system is super efficient and good. Don’t completely rely on taxis!
• No matter what anyone says, be careful on Las Ramblas. It may be a popular street, but it a hotspot for tourists and pickpockets!