The age-old question: what to see in 3 days?
You won’t see everything. So, at the beginning, take a deep breath, vermouth in hand and let me suggest you a plan for visiting Barcelona in full chill, without the feeling that you still have x monuments and y parks to see. No, no, no, Amigos, vermouth won’t be drank on its own so OUPAAAAAA and here we go. Tranqui.
MUST SEE AND DO LIST:
1) La Barceloneta and doing nothing.
Si, the beach is a must. Nothing to say more about it. Believe me, when you say to your friends or to yourself: vamos a la playa! you start to feel that you are in sunny Spain!
Well .. vamos!
2) El Gotico and pretending to be local.
In my opinion, the most beautiful part of Barcelona! Medieval buildings in the Gothic style create an unique atmosphere. Although I recommend them at any time of the day or night, I especially encourage you to come here either: early morning or late evening! Seeing the city waking up and then when its life is at its finest – usually to the rhythm of live music played near the Cathedral of St. Eulalia – makes you feel like being part of the city, being the local.
3) Parc de la Ciutadella & picnic.
Where you feel the unbearable need to sing and dance like a Disney princess because it’s SO CHARMING. Seriously. The lake, boats, turquoise water, palm trees and absolutely stunning buildings! The park is like a candy – and it’s definitely a great place for a picnic! The locals are of the same opinion and the park, especially during the weekends, turns into an enormous PICNIC. Don’t worry, there’s enough space for everyone – the park is huge!
4) Climbing Montjuic, the green lungs of Barcelona!
Not that Barcelona lacks fresh air, especially when the wind blows from the sea so much that you involuntarily start to miss the fumes :d However, the fact is that the acres of trees go on and on around the castle, which is located on top of Montjuic. The castle is, well, decent, nothing special imho but a view! Ocroquetas, it’s epic!
I recommend doing the route by foot because it is really picturesque, but for those energy-saving: you can also take a bus to the very top 🙂
*Bus no 150 from Plaza Espanya (Pl.Espanya is like 25min from Plaza Catalunya by foot or metro L1 and L3 will take you there too).
5) Taking a real tourist photo with the Sagrada Familia.
Gaudi was some kind of crazy genius (I’ll tell you more about his works in a bit) and the intricacy of his work is amazing! If you have 16 euros free, go inside, I think it’s worth it once, but it’s just as beautiful from the outside!
Protip for photos: go to the other side of Sagrada, to Gaudi’s Park, there with the lake at your feet you will take a beautiful photo with Sagrada!
6) Wandering around Sant Antoni.
The atmospheric district with the market of the same name and close to the La Principal bar, which is also on the to-do list! It is worth venturing into the Sant Antoni district or the nearby Universitat de Barcelona! The architecture delights, and each new corner brings a new aesthetic surprise for the eyes, of course it’s pleasant 🙂
7) On the hunt for works of art that defy gravity…that’s following Gaudi’s So a visit to Gaudí’s park is recommended! Admission is paid (10 euros) and it is worth saving yourself standing in queues and buying a ticket online. The Park itself is a real work of art, the eyes sometimes cannot keep up with consuming what they see – because there is a lot going on there – and it is this type of experience of surreal beauty that stays for longer. The city is full of other works of the Artist-Genius (for example, the aforementioned Sagrada Familia, but that’s not all, Casa Vicens and Palau Guell are architectural sweets that are worth seeing) whose works seem to have no gravity. Admiring his works, one has the impression that Gaudi, apart from rejecting schemes, also decided to reject the laws of physics, see for yourself.
8) Walking nowhere!
Allow yourself to explore the city without Google Maps, you will see how wonderfully it frees you and makes you feel the city with all your heart (and sometimes with your nose!) During one of these walks, I found a beautiful park by chance! Quiet, peaceful with a beautiful view of the Palau Nacional.
Park: Jardi de la Fundacio Joan Miro
9) Enjoy the Spanish cuisine!
it’s time for TAPAS! And the best one are in La Principal! You can find my other gastro recommendations in Barcelona here. A visit to the Catalan land is not complete without trying patatas bravas, pan con tomate and my favorite croquedas (the spinach ones in La Principal are OUTSTANDING). Plus, of course, vermouth! It’s a kind of tinted wine with a strong color (and effcet 😉 ) that goes perfectly with tapas!
10) Sunset in … here I have two places to recommend! First, Montjuic hill. The second, located a bit further … Bunkers! Yes, Bunkers del Carmel is a great sunset spot! Take a beer, wine, cava with you and admire this spectacle.
*FOR VOLUNTEERS *
Poble Espanyol : a town, because this is how you can call this cultural initiative located about 40 minutes from Plaza Espana and near Montjuic. It is a monument of the cultural heritage of Spain, where in one place we can admire the architecture of different regions of Spain:Andalusia, Catalonia, Castile and Galicia… In the center of this mini-town there is a square around which restaurants and bars are concentrated. Admission is paid (15 euros) and although I think it’s worth it, I wouldn’t put it on the must list, especially if you have limited time! It’s definitely worth it, but not at the price of rushing or doing a marathon through the city.
I hope that my list will be useful to you during your sightseeing! Remember, it’s not about completing the whole thing, but about discovering Barcelona in your own way 🙂 Which point do you like the most?
Adios!
