If you’re looking for your next city adventure, look no further than Barcelona!
Mini breaks are becoming our go-to type of holiday to experience new places with food, cultures and things to do. One city that was top on our list was Barcelona!
And having now returned from the beautiful city, here’s what we thought. So if you’re interested in visiting the city and to see what it has to offer, read on!
Having looked into Barcelona and what it has to offer, we soon realised we needed at least 2-3 days to be able to visit everywhere we wanted. There’s so much to do so I’d recommend making an itinerary before you go.
Where we stayed
We stayed in the 4 star Barcelona Princess which is situated about 10-15 minutes from the city centre, next to the beach. The hotel had everything we needed with two infinity pools and an open bathroom with stunning views into the city.
We could even see the Sangrada Familia from our room! We thought this hotel was perfect for couples and we’d definitely stay here again. Plus taxis and the Metro where only a minute or two walk away.
Getting around Barcelona
In terms of travelling around in Barcelona, your best bet is by the Metro. After the first night of getting taxis, we soon realised the Metro was by far easier and cheaper. We got a 48 hour ticket for 15 euros each.
It was so easy to navigate where you needed to be, we just used google and it would explain which line you needed to be on, and how many stops. Even with the Metro we still managed to walk 30 miles over the 3 days. You’ll stumble upon places and some of the sightseeing spots are within walking distance of each other.
Eating & Drinking
Okay, probably the most important thing while you’re away is the food! The first night we stumbled upon a pillared square that was filled with lots of restaurants. Spoilt for choice really. We went back to this place on our last day for lunch and realised it was in the heart of Las Ramblas known as Placa Reial. We ate Tapas both times and it was delicious! There were even street acts on through the day and on a night. You can simply sit here and watch the world go by.
Of course, we had to go to the food markets. We went to the Mercat de la Boqueria which is also in Las Ramblas. About 5-10 minutes away from the square. Its a foodies paradise filled with sweets, smoothies, seafood, cured meats, pastries and lots more! The smoothies are freshly squeezed and the chorizo pastries are worth trying, trust me! Make sure you don’t go on a Sunday as it tends to be shut!
We didn’t go with any recommendations this time. The best places are always what you stumble on I think. There are lots of outdoor seated restaurants all across the city so you don’t have to look far to find one that looks good enough to sit down.
Throughout our stay, we lived off tapas, Gelato and Aperol. There are lots of bars even around sightseeing spots if you do like ‘pit stops’ as we do. I even tried my first Paella whilst we were away and it was delicious! So on average, you’d be paying about 8-12 euro for a main. 5-10 euro for a cocktail whilst beer and wine is pretty reasonable.
Things to do in Barcelona
To the best parts of Barcelona now! There is SO much to do here. It all goes by personal choice of what you want to see and we decided to pick the top go-to places. Throughout our stay, we booked the excursions through Getyourguide. We used this when we went to Venice too. It’s handy to download the app so they can just scan you into places.
Gothic Quarter
There’s lots of sightseeing areas in Barcelona, the new side and the old. We went to the Gothic Quarter first which is within walking distance from Las Ramblas. There you will find the oldest parts of the city such as the Cathedral of Barcelona and even some Roman ruins still standing.
There’s also Bishop’s Bridge right next to the cathedral, which looks very similar to the bridges of sighs in Venice too. Already we loved the architecture of the old buildings and we knew this was a city we would fall in love with. After a glass or two of wine, we had a guided tour in the Santa Maria Cathedral. This was only ￡7 for an hour tour and it took us to the bell tower with panoramic views of Barcelona.
Just next to the Gothic Quarter, you’ll also find a park that contains the Arc De Triomf. This is the bridge of Barcelona and not far from here you’ll find the zoo and a boating lake. It was 6 euro to go on a boat and there’s lots to see and stumble upon over a Gelato or two.
Gaudi’s Creations
When we were researching things to do in Barcelona we come across the architect Gaudi. Whether you’ve heard of him or not, he is responsible for a lot of the beautiful buildings in Barcelona. So of course, we wanted to visit most, if not all of them.
We visited Park Guell which is a huge park in the centre of Barcelona. It features lots of quirky designs and mosaics. It is free, but you do have to pay to see the ‘monumental zone’. We paid around ￡11 each and it something nice to do if you’ve seen everything else. Plus it was a gorgeous day so to take in the views, whilst catching a tan isn’t bad!
There’s also two of his famous buildings in what seemed like the designer walkway. My personal favourite is the Casso Batllo.
This stunning green building is filled with ceramic, stained glass and an unusual scale-like roof. They say this replaced Saint George killing the dragon. The photos don’t do this justice. Just further down the same street you’ll also find Casa Mila La Pedrera. This is known as the stone quarry building and even has metal along with the windows that replicate seaweed. Again, very unusual but to say you’ve seen them!
The last of Gaudi’s work that still remains unfinished is the Sagrada Família. The famous unfinished Cathedral that’s over 100 years old. We paid about £60 to get in for us both, but it was worth it. The detail inside is just exquisite. Photos just don’t show it justice and it’s nice to say you’ve been before it gets finished in 2026.
Finally, you have to visit the Magic fountains if you want to see something spectacular on the night. It starts from around 8.30pm and crowds in the thousands join to see the show. We did this on our last night as a special thing to do before we left.
That’s Barcelona in a nutshell! If you love architecture and the beauty in cities, you’ll want to visit Barcelona. There’s nothing not to like! I hope this persuades you to go if you haven’t had the chance already.
