The capital of Catalonia in Spain is a cosmopolitan city on the northeastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
Barcelona is a highly popular tourists’ destination home to some of Spain’s most iconic attractions within walking distance of each other, impressive architecture and art, museums, seaside and beaches, and great surrounding attractions.
Enjoy a great dining and drinking scene, vast shopping opportunities and outdoor markets, recreation activities, festivals and much more.
Barcelona is a modern city with a very rich history spanning more than 2000 years, including Roman age temple columns, ancient city walls and stone corridors, Medieval’ Gothic quarter, magnificent palaces and 14th century cathedrals.
And the gems in the crown, the most beautiful examples of 20th century architectural masterpieces by the Catalan architects Antoni Gaudí and his architectural contemporaries.
Visit the Gothic Quarter and its impressive remains of a Roman quarter and the Roman daily life exhibition, the 14th century Romanesque and Gothic Barcelona Cathedral, and the 19th-21st centuries Basilica de la Sagrada Família, Gaudi’s most famous work and the symbol of the city.
Walk the famous La Rambla promenade, and the adjacent pedestrian streets and enjoy the outdoor markets, shops, cafes, and restaurants, all the way to the vibrant Beachfront.
Visit the colorful and vibrant La Boqueria indoor Food Market, one of Europe’s largest and most famous fresh food produce market.
Take the Harbor Cable Car to Montjuic Hill, a symbolic hill where true gems of Barcelona’s architecture can be found together with amazing panoramic views and gardens perfect to stroll and relax.
Visit the highly popular Camp Nou stadium and museum, home to the world famous Barcelona FC football club.
Camp Nou Stadium
La Rambla Boulevard
La Boqueria Market
In the evening have dinner near Placa Reial one of Barcelona’s most vibrant squares, or visit Port Vell, Barcelona’ old harbor and beachfront promenade home to Europe’s largest aquarium, and the Maremàgnum mall with its shops, cinema, bars and restaurants.
Antoni Gaudí is probably the artist most identified with Barcelona. While visiting the city admire his magnificent works such as Parc Güell, Palau Guell, Casa Mila, Casa Vicens, Casa Batllo, and visit the museums honoring his fellow artists such as the Picasso Museum, Joan Miro Foundation (museum), and many others.
Stroll and relax in one of the beautiful gardens in the city, Parc Güell, Parc de la Ciutadella, or Collserola Park, Barcelona’s metropolitan park.
In Summer spend a day or more in one of the fabulous city beaches, Sant Sebastia, Sant Miquel, La Barceloneta, and others, to enjoy their water sports facilities, and sailing and kayaking along the coast.
Families with children will enjoy in addition to the general city attractions, the children oriented attractions such as the Barcelona Aquarium and Zoo, the Barcelona Maritime Museum (MMB), the Cosmo Caixa Barcelona science museum, and the Funicular to Tibidabo Mountain to enjoy the Tibidabo Amusement Park.
Eixample Quarter
Montjuïc Hill
Gaudi's Casa Batllo
Barcelona is a celebration of gastronomic culture. Taste the celebrated Catalan cooking, molecular gastronomy, Basque-style tapas bars, Galician seafood taverns, avant-garde Japanese restaurants, and much more.
At night , have a drink at the beach followed by a flamenco show or a jazz basement visit, experience a local Tapas bar and a dance in one of the cities clubs.
The best neighborhoods to find a good bar are El Born, El Gotico, and El Raval. And if you have some time and stamina left, walk the streets of Barcelona to explore more than 30,000 shopping opportunities for any taste and pocket.
Barcelona has a Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters, where rains are expected in the autumn and spring.
Spend at least 3-4 days in the city, arriving by plan or by a cruise ship, to enjoy at least its major attractions and special vibes.
If time allows Thetjpy.com recommends few days of traveling out of the city in the nature rich region of Catalonia including;
- The Pyrenees Mountains, Girona, Figueres, and Montserrat Abbey in the north
- The Volcanic Region of Garrotxa in the northwest
- The Costa Blanca coast to the Southeast
- The beautiful Penedes wine region and the beach towns of the south.
With Barcelona as a hub, most of the region can be traveled in few 1-2 days trips.You can also consider shortening your visit of Barcelona and continue with your Spain Trip visiting Madrid or Andalusia.
