Lady’s Barcelona Travel Guide

Today I want to bring you my Barcelona travel guide. This city in Spain is one of the most exciting places to visit in Europe, and it’s worth a special trip.

Barcelona Travel Guide

Barcelona packs the whole Earth into one city. Mountains, beaches, and urban areas coexist in a grand mix of natural beauty, rich history, and flamboyant architecture, making it one of the most unique travel destinations in the world.

But with so much to do, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the Catalan capital. Which is why I’m glad to bring you A Lady in London’s Barcelona travel guide.

I’ve been to Barcelona many times, and on each visit I discover more to love about the city. From the beaches to the Gothic Quarter, there’s a lot to enjoy here. I hope this guide helps you find the best of it.

Things to Do in Barcelona

I’ve arrived in Barcelona on a sunny day, and the weather couldn’t be better for exploring. I set my bags down at my hotel and head out to Las Ramblas, the bustling boulevard in the heart of Barcelona.

La Boqueria

I know exactly where I’m going, too: La Boqueria.

Barcelona’s most famous food market, La Boqueria is a big covered hall packed with stalls selling everything from pretty pink confections to salted cod and traditional Spanish ham. Mmmmm…ham.

I spend far too much time here exploring the variety of colorful juices, salty olives, and tiny tapas bars, grazing on chorizo along the way.

I could spend my entire trip here soaking up the smell of Spanish sausages and the sounds of the vendors calling out their daily specials to passersby.

Barcelona Sightseeing Highlights

But there’s so much more to Barcelona than just food, and I want to see more of the sights.

One of the difficult things about the city is that—like London—there are so many museums and attractions it’s impossible to pack them all into three days. And that’s where a curated Barcelona travel guide comes in.

Gaudi Buildings in Barcelona

Some of Barcelona’s top attractions include the famous quirky buildings designed by modern architect Antoni Gaudi.

His style blends innovative architectural elements—the catenary arch, a parabolic curve in the shape of an upside down chain suspended from its endpoints, for example—with playful stylistic ones.

Many Gaudi buildings in Barcelona look like gingerbread houses topped with ice cream sundaes, resulting in some of the most unique designs in the world.

Some of the most beloved of Gaudi’s buildings are in Barcelona—Casa Mila and Casa Batllo, which I visited on my last trip to Barcelona, are here—and also his most famous—the Sagrada Familia church and the fairy-tale Park Guell are in the city.

I visit these last two, taking in the sand-castle spires of the church and the colorful curvilinear forms of the park, marveling at how unique they are as I go.

The one downside is that there’s a three-hour wait for the park, which could have been avoided by booking tickets in advance online. Hopefully this Barcelona travel guide helps you avoid the mistake I made.

I also visit the Palau Guell, a mansion just off Las Ramblas that Gaudi designed for industrialist Eusebi Guell at the end of the 19th century.

Opened as a museum in 2011, it showcases more of Gaudi’s work, including stunning interiors made of heavy stone and his signature tiled chimneys on the roof. I didn’t know about the Palau Guell before, and I’m glad I’ve found it.

Museums in Barcelona

Beyond Gaudi, Barcelona has other museums with works by famous artists and architects. The Picasso museum is one of the best known in the city, and has a great collection of the artist’s early work.

I spend an afternoon exploring the collection and a temporary exhibition on Picasso and Dali, learning about the artist’s career and soaking up the color on the canvases.

Over by the Placa d’Espanya, I visit Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion, an iconic work of modern architecture and one that I’ve wanted to visit for years. I love the simplicity and elegance of the design.

Montjuic

Next door is Montjuic, a high hill with a smorgasbord of sights that deserves a place in any Barcelona travel guide. Walking trails lead to gardens and parks, and the famous Castell de Montjuic castle crowns the top.

I stop in for a visit to the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, expecting to spend a short time inside but getting sucked into one of the most amazing collections of Romanesque art I’ve ever seen.

Tibidabo

Next I head up to Tibidabo, one of the highest peaks in the city and a place that has eluded me on my previous visits.

I ascend on the colorful funicular, my eyes growing wide with the expanding views on the way.

Once at the top, I take in the amusement park—a great place for families—and the stunning church, which are as entertaining as the sweeping panoramas of Barcelona below.

Placa Reial

I also go to Placa Reial, a beautiful square just off Las Ramblas. It has lots of cafes and nightlife options, and is a great place to sit for a cafe con leche while watching the world go by.

Restaurants in Barcelona

I make time for the restaurants in Barcelona, too. The city’s markets don’t have a monopoly on good food, and I want to make sure I experience some of the other top places to eat.

I do a lot of research before my trip to make sure I eat at the best spots and include them in my Barcelona travel guide.

I start with brunch at Federal, a stylish cafe in the Gothic Quarter with excellent filled croissants and great coffee. It’s the perfect way to start a day of sightseeing in Barcelona.

I also seek out a taste of Ferran Adria’s ever-expanding foodie empire. I book a couple weeks in advance—even then I barely manage to snag a reservation—and enjoy a meal in the intimate dining room.

The food is as good as I hope, and the service is as friendly and warm as the city itself.

Barcelona Travel Guide

When it comes time to travel back to London, I leave Barcelona feeling like I’ve had a well-rounded trip. I’ve gotten the big picture view of what to see and do in the city, and found new attractions like the Palau Guell.

I hope my Barcelona travel guide is helpful in pointing you in the right direction for having a great trip to Barcelona. It’s important in a city with so much going on that it feels like the Earth stops here.

If you want more recommendations, take a look at my blog post about a London, Paris, and Barcelona itinerary. It has additional tips and suggestions for your trip to Spain.

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