What to see, do & eat in Barcelona
Main areas of the city to explore
The Gothic Quarter: the historic heart of Barcelona, with tiny streets, squares and churches. Includes the Plaça de la Seu, old Jewish Quarter, Pont del Bisbe marble bridge and Plaça de Sant Jaume.
L'Eixample: middle-class district with elegant avenues, great shopping and Gaudi buildings. Passeig de Gràcia street is the "Champs-Élysées" of Barcelona.
Las Ramblas: long boulevard that links Plaça de Catalunya to the port and is the main tourist area (watch your purse-this is pickpocket central).
El Born: stylish, trendy area around Passeig del Born avenue, with atmospheric old alleyways and tapas restaurants. It goes from the Arc de Triomf, down Passeig de Lluís Companys into Parc de la Ciutadella, and on to the Santa Maria del Mar church.
El Raval: bohemian, multicultural area, full of galleries and buzzing nightlife.
La Barceloneta: old fishermen's district near the sea worth a wander and to check out the city beach.
Montjuïc park is worth a couple of hours: ride the cable car, see the Montjuic Castle and the National Catalonia Art Museum.
Gaudi sites
Spain’s most famous architect, Antoni Gaudi’s work is all over his home city. The highlights are: the Sagrada Familia cathedral, the Park Güell, and his three houses houses — Casa Batlló, Casa Vicens and Casa Mila (called La Pedrera). Here’s the official site for all Gaudi-related tickets.
Getting around
Hop-on-hop-off bus, great to get your bearings when you arrive.
The metro system is excellent and safe.
You can hail taxis from the street or use the FreeNow app.
Best Museums
Palau de la Música Catalana (stunning!)
Eating out
Local Catalan specialties to try: fricando, a veal-mushroom stew and fideuà, like paella but made with short noodles. There’s arroz negro, black rice from squid ink, and esqueixada de bacalla, shredded salt cod salad. Breakfast is a simple bread with tomato and olive oil. Barcelona does great paella (eaten for lunch only). Expect to spend €35–€60 per person in a mid-range restaurant incl. wine and reserve in advance for dinner (from 8.30pm) and at weekends. Keep an eye out for the 3-course “menu del dia” chalkboards on weekdays.
A few suggestions to plug into Google Maps to get you going:
Mercat San Antoni is a good covered food market & much better than Mercat La Boqueria (a tourist trap).
Ca l’Estevet - tradtional family run restaurant for local Catalan specialties.
Maleducat - creative and cosy with modern, tasty Catalan sharing plates.
Bar Cañete - fab seafood at a great spot.
Cruix- solid dining option with good menus, check website for details.
Vivo Tapas: beautiful, buzzing art-nouveau bar (some sidewalk tables) with excellent tapas at a good price point.
La Paradeta: fun seafood joint — you pick the fish and they cook it for you.
Cal-Pep: popular old tapas place, bit rough-and-ready. No menu, tell them your tastes & they bring tapas. Reserve table/ or queue for bar seat.
El National: huge, stunning food court with lots of different eating options.
El Xampanyet: cosy tapas bar with a good atmosphere.
Ziryab Fusio Tapes: great Catalonian wines & tapas with Levant & North Africa flavors
If you’re in the mood for paella, here are 9 top places to choose from (reserve!) based on where you’ll be out exploring at lunchtime.