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Tibidabo church on the hill above Barcelona at sunset

Best Things to Do in Barcelona

You could fill a week with Gaudí alone. Don't. The city is at its best when you mix one big ticketed sight a day with markets, neighbourhoods and the sea. Here's our list, roughly in order of priority for a first visit.

  1. The Sagrada Família. The one sight that lives up to every photo you've seen, and the interior is the real reason to go. Our Sagrada Família guide covers tickets and towers.
  2. The Gothic Quarter. Narrow lanes, the cathedral, Roman columns hidden in a courtyard and small squares that open up out of nowhere. Follow our Gothic Quarter walk.
  3. Park Güell. Gaudí's mosaic-covered terrace and dragon staircase, with a view down to the sea. Timed tickets only for the main area. See our Park Güell guide.
  4. Casa Batlló or La Pedrera. Two Gaudí apartment buildings on Passeig de Gràcia, a few minutes apart. Casa Batlló has the more theatrical interior. La Pedrera has the better rooftop, a landscape of twisted chimneys that look like helmeted soldiers. One is enough for most people.
  5. Palau de la Música Catalana. A concert hall by Domènech i Montaner with a stained-glass skylight that hangs over the audience like an upside-down sun. The guided tour is fine, but a concert is better.
  6. Santa Maria del Mar. A 14th-century church in El Born, built by the port workers and fishermen of the neighbourhood. Plain, tall and full of light. It's the calmest big building in the city.
  7. The Picasso Museum. Five medieval palaces on Carrer Montcada, filled with his early work. If you expect the famous Cubist paintings you'll be disappointed. If you want to see how a teenage prodigy became Picasso, it's fascinating.
  8. Montjuïc. The hill above the port, with the MNAC (the national art museum, home to a superb collection of Romanesque church frescoes), the Fundació Joan Miró, the 1992 Olympic stadium and gardens. Take the cable car up from the port or the funicular from Paral·lel metro.
  9. A market. La Boqueria on Las Ramblas is famous and crowded, so go early. Santa Caterina in El Born, with its wavy, multicoloured roof, and the rebuilt Sant Antoni market feel more local.
  10. The beach. Barceloneta is the closest and the busiest. Walk north to Bogatell or Nova Icària for more space. Swimming is comfortable from June to October.
  11. Bunkers del Carmel. Civil War anti-aircraft platforms on a hilltop, now the city's favourite sunset spot. The whole of Barcelona is laid out below you, with the Sagrada Família in the middle.
  12. Hospital de Sant Pau. A former hospital complex by Domènech i Montaner, all tiled domes and garden pavilions. Far fewer visitors than the Gaudí houses, and just as beautiful.

If your dates line up, a local festival beats any museum. La Mercè in late September brings human towers (castells) and the correfoc, a parade of fire-spitting devils running through the streets.