Things to Do in Barcelona
Museums, monuments, neighborhoods with character, beaches and gardens: everything worth visiting, explained without rushing.
MuseumBookBarcelona Aquarium
One of the largest aquariums in Europe, with an 80-metre underwater tunnel among sharks right in Port Vell.
MonumentArc de Triomf
The monumental red-brick arch that served as the gateway to the 1888 Universal Exhibition, now the heart of a widely photographed promenade.
NeighborhoodBarri Gòtic
Barcelona's medieval old town, with narrow streets, hidden squares and the Cathedral as its centrepiece.
MonumentBunkers del Carmel
Former Civil War anti-aircraft batteries turned into the viewpoint with the best free views of the city.
MonumentBookCamp Nou
FC Barcelona's stadium, one of the largest in Europe, with a tour through the locker rooms, dugout and players' tunnel.
MonumentBookCasa Batlló
The most photographed Modernist façade on Passeig de Gràcia, a Gaudí remodel that evokes the legend of Sant Jordi.
MonumentBookCasa Milà (La Pedrera)
Gaudí's last civil work, with a wavy limestone façade and a rooftop of chimneys that look like warriors.
MonumentBookMontjuïc Castle
A 17th-century military fortress atop the hill, with the best panoramic views of Barcelona and the port.
MonumentBookBarcelona Cathedral
A 13th-century Gothic cathedral in the heart of the Gothic Quarter, with a cloister of palm trees and geese and rooftop views.
MuseumBookCosmoCaixa
Barcelona's science museum, with a real slice of the Amazon rainforest under one roof and activities well suited to kids.
NeighborhoodEl Born
A medieval neighbourhood by the port, today a hub of design shops, wine bars and the market turned cultural centre.
MuseumBookFundació Joan Miró
The largest collection of Joan Miró's work, in a bright white building designed by his friend, architect Josep Lluís Sert.
NeighborhoodGràcia
A former independent town absorbed by the city, with charming squares, pedestrian streets and a neighbourhood feel far removed from the tourist circuit.
BeachLa Barceloneta
The old fishermen's neighbourhood by the port, today the city's busiest urban beach.
NeighborhoodLa Rambla
Barcelona's most famous promenade, over a kilometre of flower stalls, terraces and human statues between Plaça Catalunya and the sea.
MuseumBookMuseu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC)
The world's most complete collection of Romanesque art, inside Montjuïc's Palau Nacional with views over the whole city.
MuseumBookMuseu Picasso
The world's most complete collection on Picasso's formative years, spread across five medieval palaces in El Born.
MonumentBookPalau Güell
Gaudí's first major commission for his patron Eusebi Güell, with a rooftop of mosaic chimneys that anticipates Casa Milà.
MonumentBookPalau de la Música Catalana
A Modernist concert hall and UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a glass-and-ceramic skylight unlike anything else in the world.
GardenParc de la Ciutadella
Barcelona's great green lung, with the Cascada Monumental fountain, a boating lake and the Parliament of Catalonia.
GardenBookPark Güell
Gaudí's Modernist park on El Carmel hill, with panoramic views over the whole city.
MonumentPlaça Catalunya
Barcelona's great central square, where the Barri Gòtic, La Rambla and the Eixample meet — an obligatory stop as soon as you arrive in the city.
MonumentPlaça Espanya
The grand square connecting the centre with Montjuïc, with the Font Màgica and the Venetian towers as a backdrop.
MonumentPlaça Sant Jaume
Barcelona's political heart since Roman times, with the Ajuntament and the Generalitat de Catalunya facing each other.
BeachNova Icaria Beach
A quieter beach than Barceloneta, next to the Olympic Port, with good facilities and fewer crowds.
MonumentBookPoble Espanyol
A scale village built for the 1929 Exposition that recreates 117 buildings representative of the whole of Spain.
MonumentBookSagrada Família
Gaudí's unfinished masterpiece, Barcelona's most visited monument and still under construction.
MonumentSanta Maria del Mar
Barcelona's purest example of Catalan Gothic architecture, built by the people of El Born in the 14th century.
MonumentBookTibidabo
The mountain that overlooks Barcelona, home to one of the oldest amusement parks in the world and views over the whole city.