Barcelona 3-day itinerary
Spain
Where to go and what to see in Barcelona – a 3-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Dana Facaros.
Bucket list experience:
Gaudi’s Park Guell
In 1902, Eusebi Guell bought two farms set on a natural balcony and commissioned Gaudi to create an exclusive walled housing estate. It flopped, but Park Guell has never failed to enchant as a city park.
Enjoy the fairytale guardian’s houses, mosaic lizard, sinuous stone viaducts, 86-columned Sala Hipostila – the base for an extraordinary, broken tile-clad serpentine bench by Gaudi’s collaborator, Jujol – and sweeping panoramic views across Barcelona.
Gaudi actually bought one of the three houses in the park and lived there from 1906 to 1925, before moving to a hut by the Sagrada Familia. It’s now a museum.
Although it may seem whimsical, Gaudi and Guell loaded the park with allegories and symbolism, some personal, some Rosicrucian, alchemical and mythological. It is much, much stranger than it looks.
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Destination Guide >Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience
Spain
Where to go and what to see in Barcelona – a 3-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Dana Facaros.
You can take the metro to Lesseps station, but then it’s a 20-minute walk up a steep hill. A taxi may be a better bet (it’s a 10-minute ride from the centre), and it’s usually fairly easy to find one to take you home again. If you have a ticket for the hop-on-hop-off bus, it stops nearby on Travessera de Dalt. The paths in the park are accessible but some are fairly steep, and there is a steep hill from where the buses stop (including the hop on hop off bus) to the entrance.
Park Güell only allows entry to 400 people every 30 minutes, so book a ticket online well in advance or risk waiting around at the entrance (or not getting in at all). Once inside, you’re free to wander around at will – the park’s website offers an app guide and a map to download. There are some pretty cafes and souvenir shops in the streets just south of the park.
Barcelona’s outdoor sights are mildest and most pleasant in spring and autumn – July and August get too warm for walking around in the heat of the day. Avoid the crowds by getting to the Park when it opens at 10am, or an hour before closing.
Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity
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Our writer’s recommended tour operators to book with
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Can arrange corporate VIP services, hotels and restaurant bookings, private chauffers, helicopter transfers, tickets to Camp Nou, private shopping or personal assistants and yacht hire.
Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Large but stylish and hip modern hotel with all the bells and whistles, in the heart of Barcelona’s shopping district.
Official star rating:
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Glamorous design hotel near Barcelona’s best dining and drinking, with one of the city’s loveliest rooftops.
Official star rating:
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
A strikingly modern concept, Room Mate Emma delivers good looks on a budget, in an enviably central location.
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Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
This chic, minimalist spa hotel in Eixample has smart rooms, a pretty secret courtyard and an indoor pool.
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Catalonia, Spain
Spain’s cultural heart has unforgettable architecture, a pioneering arts scene, creative cuisine and nightlife that buzzes till dawn.
Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Gaudi’s extraordinary, iconic masterpiece – and the most spectacular church of the 21st century.
Best for ages: 8+ | £23 | Any
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Marking the culmination of his experimentation with natural forms, Gaudi’s landmark apartment building resembles a giant cliff face battered by the sea. Inside, a remarkable Gaudi-style apartment, an attic filled with architectural exhibits, and the extraordinary roof and chimneys.
Best for ages: 8+ | £25
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
The former home of the Batllo family, Gaudí’s shimmering, colour-drenched townhouse is a Modernista masterpiece.
Best for ages: 8+ | £32
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Gleaming white museum housing a cutting-edge collection of international and Catalan contemporary art.
Best for ages: 18+ | £10
Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
The first private home Gaudi designed, this bright Orientalist building only opened to the public in 2017, so it’s a relatively new addition to Barcelona’s Modernista scene – as such, its brightly-tiled and painted interior is often blissfully quiet.
Best for ages: 13+ | £12
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Only Barcelona is crazy enough to put a funfair on a mountain, with hair-raising rides swinging over the void. There are majestic views over the entire city – especially from the ferris wheel or airplane ride.
Best for ages: Any | £25
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Design is Barcelona’s middle name, and this museum is a temple to it, filled with old and new fashions, furniture, decorative and graphic arts.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
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A thrumming, lively street running through the heart of Barcelona towards the sea, is a magnet for outlandish street performers – and tourists.
Best for ages: 4+ | Free