What to do in Barcelona (What to See and Where to Stay)

Barcelona (or basically the whole of Spain) was probably the number one city (country) on my travel bucket list since I was a child. Now that I visited it, I can say, that it's really one of those cities that you will want to go back to. I loved it and I loved the vibe, and I already have more Spanish cities on my bucket list.

When to travel there?

We were there from the 10th until the 14th of February and it was perfect. Sure, it wasn't really warm but the weather was nice and sunny, and most importantly - there were (almost) no crowds. I feel February is the perfect time to visit and explore the city regarding the crowds.

How many days do I recommend?

If you want to see as much of Barcelona as possible (and also visit a few museums and churches) I would recommend five days. Four to see and enjoy the city, and one day for a day trip to other popular places like Costa Brava or Montserrat.

Where to stay?

We stayed in Acta Voraport Hotel because it was one of the cheapest for our dates (middle of February). It doesn't really matter which part of Barcelona your hotel is located in because you can go anywhere by metro. The hotel was nice, and the breakfast was okay, you can see more in the photos. One last thing - the hotel has an amazing rooftop that is perfect for seeing the sunrise/sunset and enjoying a view over the city.

Hotel Acta Voraport

What to Eat?

You have to try Spanish traditional food, like patatas bravas (spicy fried potatoes), paellas (a dish made with rice, often served with chicken and vegetables), and tortillas, you also have to try churros with chocolate. You have lots of restaurants around the city but the best places, according to locals, are in the Gothic quarters.

How to Get Around the City?
It's easy to get around the city - you have metro stations everywhere, and there are also buses. We walked a lot but it's such a big place that you can't get everywhere by foot, so I recommend metro. You can buy tickets for one ride or 10 I think. We went with 10 but still used them all and ended up buying a few more individually.

What to do and What to See?
Barcelona has so much to offer, I included some places that we visited and also some more ideas at the end. There are entrance fees for a lot of them and they are a bit expensive if you plan to visit as much as possible but most of them are worth it. I would also recommend buying all the tickets online because they do cost less + you don't have to wait in lines. 

La Barceloneta

I am a big beach person, so of course, we stopped by the beach. It's a nice area, great for a long walk, there are also a lot of restaurants and bars. You can swim in the sea but it was too cold when we were there.

Park Guëll

I was so excited for this park, I saw it all over social media and everyone always takes photos here. You do have to pay an entrance fee but I would say it's worth it. It's a big park that you can stroll around and take photos. The most famous part was very crowded though, you can't just easily get a nice photo on the steps because there is never space. I can't imagine how it is in the season when there are even more people there.

Bunkers del Carmel

I saw this location on TikTok and I immediately saved it to my must-see list. Bunkers are located a steep walk away from Park Guëll, there are lots of stairs but it's worth it because you are awarded with the nicest view over the whole city. This is easily one of my favourite places in Barcelona - and completely free. I suggest buying a drink and some snacks and waiting for the sunset. One more thing - bring something to cover yourself with because it can get cold.

View from the bunkers

La Sagrada Familia

Probably the most famous spot in Barcelona, it's always high on travel bucket lists of the city. I really recommend visiting it because it's a masterpiece and I was so impressed with it. Again, it was pretty crowded. The tickets are around 30€ but if you buy them online beforehand they are 26€ (or 24€ if you are a student or under 26 years old). Honestly, the inside didn't impress me much, I would even say that if you are on a tight budget, pick something else to visit, like Casa Mila, for example.

Casa Mila (La Pedrera)

If I'm honest, at first, I didn't have Gaudi's Casa Mila on my list-of-places-to-visit-in-Barcelona list but I'm glad that we went. It's a big house with an amazing design, it's also known as La Pedrera house (meaning "stone quarry” in Catalan). You need to see the rooftop, it's big and has an amazing view. The online price is 25€, it's a bit much, but worth it more than the Sagrada Familia (imho). You also get some devices and headphones, and the app guides you through the rooms in the house.

View from Casa Mila's rooftop

Casa Amatller and Casa Batllo

We only saw these two from the outside and they are beautiful. Casa Amatller was designed by Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Casa Batllo by Antoni Gaudi. We didn't have time to visit the inside but from what I can see on photos, it's worth it. Tickets for Casa Batllo are around 30€, Casa Ametller is cheaper.

Gothic Quarter

They say that if you want to experience the Spanish lifestyle in Barcelona, you should visit Gothic quarters, and they were right, there is just so much to see - from little souvenir shops to restaurants, cute bars and street foods. One of the most famous monuments here is the Gothic Cathedral. Also - if you like to party or if you would just like to experience the Barcelona nightlife - apparently this is a place to be. 

Photo by Jack Prew on Unsplash

Photo: Yoav Aziz

La Rambla

La Rambla is the most famous street in Barcelona, it's more than a kilometer long. All through the street you have shops (souvenirs, clothes, everything) and restaurants.

Just explore the streets

I would recommend getting lost in the streets, discovering the buildings and different parts of the city, visiting the souvenir shops, getting drinks and enjoying the surroundings, visiting churches, trying street food, etc. One thing that I would also recommend, is free walking tours, we took an old-city tour and Gaudi and Sagrada Familia tour.

Camp Nou

The stadium was at the top of my Barcelona list. Even if you are not a football fan, you have to visit it, it's such a huge experience. The entrance fee is again around 30€ but here it's totally worth it. We were there for a couple of hours, you get to see the inside of the stadium, as well as the outside. In the end, you also have an official FC Barcelona store, so you can get some items for that Barca fan in your life.

Some more places to see that I have on my list for the next time when I'm in Barcelona:

Mount Tibidabo (the hill overlooking Barcelona), Montjuic (meaning "Jewish Mountain", the most famous hill in Barcelona), Parc de la Ciutadella, Arc de Triomf (we only saw it from the bus), La Boqueria, Palau de la Musica Catalana, Columbus Monument (again, we only saw it from the bus). Also consider one-day trips, popular trips are Mont-rebei, Montserrat, Sitges and Costa Brava. If you are interested, I made a quick bucket list of things to do in Barcelona that can guide you around the city (photo below). I saw a few of these on Pinterest and they do come pretty handy.

Barcelona Bucket List

Thank you for reading!