40 Best things to see & do in Barcelona

Gaudí spent his last years obsessing over the Sagrada Família, this ornate, turreted cathedral with its iconic turrets like melting candles.

Although only the Birth Façade and crypt were completed before he died, and nearly all the plans were lost during the Spanish Civil War, the foundation that owns it has decided to carry on building it according to Gaudi’s surviving drawings.

Funded by ticket admissions, it’s already, even critics admit, the most spectacular church of the 21st century. But it’s quite a labour of love – it’s slated to be finished by 2026.

When Barcelona is prosperous, it builds with breathtaking flair. Its superb Gothic buildings are engineering marvels; not for their height, but their width.

During the late 19th century, the city evolved its own Modernista style, related to Art Nouveau but filled with Catalan national symbols (notably dragons).

It also produced one extraordinary genius, Antoni Gaudí, whose inspiration went beyond mere decoration to the forms of nature herself. Today Barcelona is reinventing again; just visit the new 22@ District.

There are three Modernista masterpieces in a single block on the Passeig de Gracia, but Gaudi’s Casa Batllo (1906), a shimmering, colour-drenched townhouse designed as an allegory of a dragon, is the most astonishing.

Commissioned by textile industrialist Josep Batllo when Gaudi was at his artistic best, this dazzling widely acclaimed Modernista masterpiece is now a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site.

The facade is especially beautiful, and though it’s expensive to tour the interior, it’s even more magical inside: brightly tiled, fluid-looking and full of art.

One highlight is the open-air rooftop, where you can admire the bold, surreal chimney stacks and snap photos of the city.

Officially known as Casa Mila, but immediately dubbed La Pedrera, ‘the stone quarry’ by critics, this extraordinary apartment block was Gaudi’s last building before he devoted the rest of his life to the Sagrada Familia.

It’s hard to imagine a more spectacular swan song, with a façade inspired by a sea cliff, complete with fantastical forged iron balconies resembling seaweed. The famous stepped roof features twenty-eight colourful chimneys – known as espanta bruixes (witch-scarers).

It marked the culmination of his experimentation with natural forms, and it’s been called the precursor of Surrealism, Expressionism and Cubism.

One of the original apartments, with no right angles anywhere and where Gaudi designed every single detail down to the doorknobs, is part of the visit.

In 1902, Eusebi Guell bought two farms set on a natural balcony and commissioned Gaudi to create an exclusive walled housing estate. It flopped, but Park Guell has never failed to enchant as a city park.

Enjoy the fairytale guardian’s houses, mosaic lizard, sinuous stone viaducts, 86-columned Sala Hipostila – the base for an extraordinary, broken tile-clad serpentine bench by Gaudi’s collaborator, Jujol – and sweeping panoramic views across Barcelona.

Gaudi actually bought one of the three houses in the park and lived there from 1906 to 1925, before moving to a hut by the Sagrada Familia. It’s now a museum.

Although it may seem whimsical, Gaudi and Guell loaded the park with allegories and symbolism, some personal, some Rosicrucian, alchemical and mythological. It is much, much stranger than it looks.

‘Més que un club‘ (more than a club) is the motto of local football team FC Barcelona, majestically headquartered in the legendary 99,354-seat Camp Nou stadium, built in 1957 with funds raised by supporters.

This high-tech, multimedia experience includes a look at the impressive pile of silverware Barca has gathered, plenty of film footage, visits to the changing room, players’ tunnel, press area and pitch, and – thanks to digital trickery – the chance to have your photo taken with some of the club’s most famous players.

One of Barcelona’s most popular museums, and an absolute must-visit for football fans.

Catalan cuisine has traditionally been creative, combining sea and land ingredients, sweet and savoury, and French influences with Mediterranean and Iberian. Seafood, vegetables, wild mushrooms, nuts and fruit, pork and poultry are the main local ingredients.

South of Barcelona lies the interesting wine region of Penedes, set in pretty hills that cascade down towards the Mediterranean.

Although especially known for its sparkling wine (it contains 95% of the world’s cava producers), Penedes also produces light, fruity whites and full-bodied reds.

There are two main wine towns to aim for: Sant Sadurni d’Anoia and Vilafranca del Penedes, both of which have Modernista grace notes. Vilafranca also has a famous Sunday market.

Great art is in Barcelona’s blood. Although much was lost in the city’s turbulent past, the Catalan National Art Museum has the world’s greatest collection of Romanesque murals, salvaged from remote Pyrenean chapels; both Picasso and Miro, Barcelona’s 20th-century masters, were inspired by their bold otherworldly figures. The same museum has a treasure trove of elegant, courtly Gothic art from Barcelona’s golden age, notably by the great Jaume Huguet.

The city’s second golden age, beginning in the late 19th century, produced Ramon Casas and Santiago Rusinol avant-garde painters headquartered at the Quatre Gats cafe that cultivated the young Picasso.

Other key figures include theorist and abstract expressionist Antoni Tapies, one of the leading figures of 20th-century art in Europe; the famous conceptual artist Angels Ribe; Agusti Puig, heir of Picasso and Miro; and the jovial street artist El Pez.

Montserrat, the ‘sawn mountain’, is a jagged massif rising from the plain, 40km outside Barcelona, and famous for being the spot where St Peter allegedly hid a black statue of the Virgin, carved by St Luke, in a cave. The Virgin is now enshrined in a honey-coloured Benedictine monastery, set against undulating rock said to have inspired Gaudi – the setting, now a national park, is so extraordinary that it’s a famous honeymoon spot for Spaniards.

Funiculars ascend to the Santa Cova trail, Sant Joan trail, and (most spectacular) Sant Jeroni trail at the summit. Or join the pilgrims in hiking up – it takes three hours if you’re fit, four if not.

Garcia Llorca called it the ‘most beautiful street in the world’ and it’s hard to argue: curving sinuously for a mile down to the sea. It threads past the flower and bird market, news kiosks and cafés, endless ‘living statues’ and street performers, and some of the city’s most important monuments: the Baroque Palau de la Virreina, the Liceu Opera and La Boqueria market.

It is, however, a tourist trap, always crowded and bustling and plagued by pick pockets. It can be a bit overwhelming, but it’s worth a quick walk down on your way to the waterfront, market, or another of the landmarks nearby., to say you’ve done it.

A second outpost of the excellent Amsterdam Moco. These privately-owned museums specialise in contemporary art and exhibitions from famous artists such as Banksy, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Salvador Dali. The museums aim to make modern art accessible to a wider audience, featuring works that are often controversial and thought-provoking.

One of the most influential artists of the 20th century, Barcelona native Joan Miro commissioned his good friend Josep Lluis Sert to design a museum for contemporary art bathed in natural light.

Inside (and out on the terraces, overlooking Barcelona) are Miro’s own playful, surreal, brilliantly colourful paintings, sculptures and textiles, as well as works by other major artists (notably Alexander Calder’s Mercury Fountain).

The Foundation also hosts some of the city’s top temporary exhibitions.

Immaculately white and full of light, MACBA, as it’s known, champions cutting-edge international and Catalan contemporary art, dating from the mid 20th century onwards.

The museum aims to preserve a record of post-war art, with three modern periods represented: the 1940s-60s, 1960s-70s and the contemporary period.

Designed by the American architect Richard Meier, MACBA is a powerful symbol of the changes in Raval, a neighbourhood that was once an insalubrious slum – it even has skateboard-friendly ramps.

Ponderous and strange, Gaudi’s Art Nouveau town palace, commissioned in 1886 by the oligarch Eusebi Guell, is full of astonishing innovations, from its sweeping ramp to the subterranean stables, lofty parabolic cupola, and chimney sculptures covered in broken tiles.

Barcelona holds significance in Picasso’s life as it was where he spent his formative years and received his artistic education. Although he never returned to Spain after the Civil War, he wanted Barcelona to have works he had created there as a young man.

In 1963, this museum opened in a restored Gothic palace on Barcelona’s medieval millionaires’ row, which had degenerated into a slum, leading the way for a revival of the now hyper-trendy Born District. Donations over the decades have added to the collection, including Picasso’s 58 paintings inspired by Velazquez’s Las Meninas.

Museum housing the major collection of the works of the late, great Abstract Expressionist Antoni Tapies. Catalan artist Tapies, born in 1923, was a prominent figure in the art world, known for his innovative approach and exploration of materials, and his fascination with symbolism. He was associated with the Art Informel movement and was known for his abstract, textured paintings that incorporated everyday objects.

The foundation houses an extensive collection of his artworks, including paintings, sculptures, and prints. and its all housed in a stunning Modernista building.

Barcelona’s waterfront is two-mile sweep of sandy beaches, esplanades, boardwalks and marinas, seafood eateries, trendy clubs, and chilled-out cafés. Amongst locals, it’s a popular spot for a walk, cycling or rollerblading; start facing the sea at the Christopher Columbus statue on Las Ramblas, then head left.

Watch for world-renowned public sculpture along the way, including Roy Lichtenstein’s ‘Barcelona Head’ and Frank Gehry’s ‘Flying Fish’.

Covering Catalan art over a thousand-year period, this museum features an especially rich collection of Romanesque art, including a unique series of tenth-and 11th-century frescoes detached from Pyrenean chapels. The Gothic and Modernista sections are nearly as rich, and there are plenty of Grand Masters in between.

The first private home Gaudi designed, this bright Orientalist building only opened to the public in 2017, so it’s a relatively new addition to Barcelona’s Modernista scene – as such, its brightly-tiled and painted interior is often blissfully quiet.

Montjuic is a broad hill on the confluence of the Mediterranean and the Llobregat River – it was also the birthplace of the city. Today you’ll find several attractions worth visiting all clustered there: the Miro Foundatin, the Magic Fountain, Spanish Village, Barcelona Ethnological Museum, and the National Art Museum of Catalonia.

You can also take an enjoyable cable car up to the summit and Montjuic Castle (built 1640). The cable car climbs 270 feet (84.5 meters) along a 2,460-foot (750-meter) cable route, and has eye-popping views. The castle, however, is fairly limited in its offerings for visitors. Then either ride backdown or, if you have time, walk around the hill top and wander back down past the Magic Fountain to the metro at Espanya.

Just above Placa Espanya, the fountain (another relic of the 1929 International Exhibition) explodes into a fabulous choreographed display of water jets and colourful lights, synchronised with an enchanting musical soundtrack. The shows typically take place in the evenings, with varying schedules depending on the season.

Catalan’s gorgeous Modernista concert hall, Palau de la Musica, is a must-see for its extraordinary architecture alone. Designed by Lluis Domenech i Montaner, the palace mesmerises with intricate ornamentation, stained glass windows, and lavish interiors. Today, it serves as a vibrant cultural venue hosting a variety of concerts, operas, and choral performances.

This effervescent food market manages to pack almost a thousand stalls into its walls.

It’s famed for its fresh produce: the seafood is just off the city’s fishing boats that morning and the fruit and vegetables are locally grown and seasonal, plus there’s the usual selection of Iberian hams, olives and other Mediterranean treats.

Though busy with tourists, it’s a real local institution – the buzz is especially vibrant early in the morning and at lunchtime, when locals gather at the counters to eat tapas and street food, available to take away or eat at the counter, perched on (limited) stools.

The stalls in front take advantage of the passing tourist trade from Las Rambla: head into the interior to take in the truly mind-boggling array of goods (and lower prices).

The city’s oldest covered market was rebuilt in 2005, and crowned with an undulating roof of multicoloured tiles – peruse hanging jamon and stacks of veg, or lunch at no-frills restaurant counters.

Barcelona’s rich seafaring past comes to life in this museum housed in the city’s 14th-century medieval shipyards. It showcases an extensive collection of ship models, navigational instruments, and artefacts that explore the evolution of seafaring and Barcelona’s maritime heritage. Star of the show is a life-size model of Don Juan’s flagship at Lepanto.

Recently restored, this enormous X-shaped market from 1882 overflows with delicacies daily – except Sunday, when it becomes a flea market.

Barcelona’s biggest shindig, honouring its co-patron saint of the same name, is a three-day party for all. It features everything from human pyramids (castellers), dances of the gegants (festival giants), enormous processions, circus performances, concerts, theatre, dance, spectacular sound and light shows on historic buildings, and firework-spewing devils and dragons in a frenzied fire run (correfoc), set to the drums.

The festival concludes with a massive musical firework display over Montjuic’s Magic Fountain.

Founded in 1933, Barcelona’s oldest cocktail bar hasn’t changed since; come for superb cocktails in an evocative, Art Deco atmosphere.

Stop for breakfast at this historic milk bar, with its classic Catalan ensaimada pastries, crema catalana, horchata (tiger nut milk), hot chocolate and more.

Only Barcelona is crazy enough to put a funfair on a mountain, with hair-raising rides swinging over the void. There are majestic views over the entire city – especially from the ferris wheel or airplane ride.

The great and good of electronic music descend on Barcelona for three days each June, to explore a plethora of dance music styles and evolutions.

This is Sonar, a huge festival in and around the city, and arguably the world’s premier dance music festival.

The event attracts headliners and experimental talent, though the prime aim of hosting one hell of a party is still its driving force. Ole!

This massive pile is Catalan Gothic at its most grandiose, full of wonders: lavishly ornate chapels, Renaissance sculpted choir stalls, and the crypt of patron saint Eulalia. The cloister is especially charming, and you can climb to the rooftop for panoramic views of the city.

A fun, interactive museum covering the history of the sport and the Olympics (especially Barcelona’s in 1992). Explore the history of the Olympics, discover iconic moments, and learn about various sports disciplines. For sports enthusiasts and history buffs alike.

This royal 14th-century convent contains the finest Gothic frescoes in Catalonia, as well as a beautiful alabaster tomb of Queen Elisenda. It houses a collection of religious art and artefacts, showcasing the artistic and cultural heritage of the monastery, and the medieval period.

Barcelona’s Gothic jewel was built in the 14th century by the sea-faring community in only 50 years – hence its rare stylistic harmony. During the Spanish Civil War, its accumulated Baroque decorations burned, leaving behind the bare bones of its sublime interior.

Barcelona’s aquarium, one of Europe’s biggest, has 11,000 sea creatures, plenty of sharks and an underwater tunnel.

If Michelin stars could be award for donuts, this riotously colourful café in the Eixample would win hands down. Imaginative toppings are crammed on top pf the good old fashioned donut, from sweet to savoury, create a new culinary art form that will have foodie salivating.

Design is Barcelona’s middle name, and this museum is a temple to it, filled with old and new fashions, furniture, decorative and graphic arts.

A magnificent, red-brick Modernista factory now converted into a superb Catalan cultural centre, with edgy permanent and temporary exhibitions.