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Bucket list trip:

Last updated: 20 June, 2023
Expert travel writer: Dana Facaros

Where to go and what to see in Barcelona – a 3-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Dana Facaros.

Editor note – Dana has not included specific recommendations of where to stay each day unless it’s necessary. Instead, see the ‘Where to stay’ section in her Barcelona destination guide.

Day 1

4

Start with the biggie: La Sagrada Familia. Book weeks, if not months, in advance, otherwise you likely won’t get in. Next, take a cab to the Passeig de Gracia, then stroll southwards taking in Gaudi’s Casa Batllo. Continue down through Las Ramblas to the sea and have dinner at the waterfront, followed by a Flamenco show.

La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

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Bucket List Experience
Exterior view of the Sagrada Familia at sunset

Gaudi’s extraordinary, iconic masterpiece – and the most spectacular church of the 21st century.

Adult price: £23

Best for ages 8+

Duration: Any

Casa Batllo

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

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Bucket List Experience
External view of the colourful facade

The former home of the Batllo family, Gaudí’s shimmering, colour-drenched townhouse is a Modernista masterpiece. One of three Modernista masterpieces in a single block.

Adult price: £32

Best for ages 13+

La Rambla

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Street filled with people

A thrumming, lively street running through the heart of Barcelona towards the sea, is a magnet for street performers, tourists and pick-pockets.

Best for ages 4+

Promenade stretching away to Hotel Arts, busy beach on the right, line of palm trees on the left

Barcelona’s beautiful, palm-lined shore, from the 18th-century Barceloneta district to the ex-Olympic village, is a two-mile sweep of beach and boardwalk packed with trendy cafés and clubs, great for walking, cycling and rollerblading.

Duration: Any

Day 2

4

Start early (before it gets hot) and spend the morning wandering Gaudi’s surreal Guell Park (again, book well in advance). Then take a taxi to the Picasso Museum, before getting lost amidst the boutique and cafe-filled medieval streets of the gorgeous El Born district. Stop by and admire the 14th-century Santa Maria del Mar. In the evening, opt for the night tour of Gaudi’s La Pedrera before dining with locals on tapas in the Eixample district.

Park Guell

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

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Bucket List Experience
Landscape view of Gaudi's Park Guell

Gaudi’s endlessly playful, imaginative garden is a lyrical delight, with majestic views over Barcelona.

Adult price: £6

Best for ages 4+

Picasso Museum Barcelona

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

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Bucket List Experience
Interior view of the Picasso Museum showing paintings on the white walls

Absorbing collection of early and late works by Picasso, in a beautiful Gothic palace. The collection includes Picasso’s 58 paintings inspired by Velazquez’s Las Meninas.

Adult price: £11

Best for ages 18+

Church of Santa Maria del Mar

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Front facade of the church

Barcelona’s Gothic jewel was built in the 14th century by the sea-faring community in only 50 years – hence its rare stylistic harmony. During the Spanish Civil War, its accumulated Baroque decorations burned, leaving behind the bare bones of its sublime interior.

Best for ages 18+

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Casa Mila (La Pedrera)

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

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Bucket List Experience
Close up of the external facade, curvy design with ornate iron balconies

Gaudi’s otherworldly masterpiece, shaped like a curvaceous cliff with a surreal roof guarded by twenty-eight knight-like ‘witch-scarers.’

Adult price: £25

Best for ages 13+

Day 3

5

Visit the Barcelona FC museum if you love football, or the Catalan National Art Museum at Monjuic if you love art. After lunch, pay homage to Barcelona’s great surrealist artist at the Joan Miro Foundation, then take the breathtaking cable car ride over the port back to the city. Spend your final few hours at the beach or walking the promenade, with dinner by the sea.

Barcelona FC’s Camp Nou

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

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Bucket List Experience
Aerial view of the stadium

In Europe’s biggest stadium, FC Barcelona’s museum is the third most visited attraction in Spain, and a must for sports fans.

Adult price: £22

Best for ages 4+

Miro Foundation

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

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Bucket List Experience
External view of the building facade

Luminous museum of modern and contemporary art, housing the world’s top collection of works by Joan Miro. Set in a striking rationalist-style building, designed by Josep Lluis Sert.

Adult price: £10

Best for ages 18+

Cable car to Montjuic Hill

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

View of cable cars going through trees with city in background

Take to the top of the Montjuic hill for spectacular city views (there’s also a stop for Montjuic Castle). Go in the other direction over the port to the San Sebastian tower.

Adult price: £10

Best for ages 8+

Duration: 5 mins one way

Promenade stretching away to Hotel Arts, busy beach on the right, line of palm trees on the left

Barcelona’s beautiful, palm-lined shore, from the 18th-century Barceloneta district to the ex-Olympic village, is a two-mile sweep of beach and boardwalk packed with trendy cafés and clubs, great for walking, cycling and rollerblading.

Duration: Any