What to Do in Barcelona

For the Halloweekend, my friends and I decided to take a trip to one of the most popular travel destinations in Spain, Barcelona. There is so much culture and history in this city that even though I spent 4 days there, I would gladly go back; however, while we were there, we did manage to visit all of the must-see sights, including all the Cheetah Girls 2 filming locations.

Keep reading for places to visit, things to do, and some amazing food recommendations.

My biggest piece of advice for Barcelona is to get the right metro pass. My roommate and I got the unlimited 3 day pass because it supposedly was the only one that included airport transport, and you got to take any bus, metro, or train as many times as you wanted. However, when we went to use it on certain buses late at night, it wouldn’t work.

I would recommend that you buy the 10 trip pass. We did the unlimited because we weren’t sure how often we would use the metro and it would be cheaper, but the 10 trip pass ended up being cheaper once we counted how many times we used our passes. Our friends were also able to take any bus at night, and they could use it to and from the airport. The 10 trip pass is the best of all worlds.

Things to See:

Mount Tibidabo - If you are a Friends superfan like me, then you’ve probably already heard of this mountain. Located on the edge of Barcelona, Tibidabo offers an amazing view of the city and the coast. You can use swipes from your metro pass to take the Funicular to the top, which is an experience itself. There is an amusement park at the top, but there is also an overlook that is free to visit, as well as a church.

Barceloneta Beach - If you visit Barcelona during warmer weather, you’ll most likely want to make a stop here. The beaches are located in a part of Barcelona nicknamed Barceloneta. There are tons of restaurants and shops located nearby. My friends and I also booked an hour tour on a boat that left the harbor in this area for only 12 euros. You can book the boat tour we took here. 

Be careful if you go to the beach to never leave your stuff unattended. I had my feet in the water and I was right by my phone and shoes, and a guy tried to take some of my stuff, even though I was right by it. This led to me wrestling to get my phone back, which I did, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Park Guell - This iconic park, used as a filming location for Cheetah girls 2, was designed by the artist Gaudi. It has stunning views of the city and gorgeous tiled architecture. You can buy a ticket for 10 euros and spend a couple hours walking around. I recommend buying tickets ahead of time at this website because they sell out fast for the day. 

Parc de la Ciutadella - This park located near the coast is home to impressive fountains and a waterfall. It is definitely worth walking around.

Arc de Triomf - This picture perfect arch is located within sight of Parc de la Ciutadella and is a great photo taking location.

Sagrada Familia - One of the most famous sights in Barcelona, this church is located in the heart of the city. It costs about 30 euros to tour the inside. One of my co-teachers said it wasn’t really worth it to go inside, so we just went to see the outside.

MOCO Museum - The MOCO, or Modern Contemporary Museum, is in a secluded spot. It can be easy to miss but worth searching for. I’m not a huge art museum person, especially modern art because it is usually different from what is historically considered art, but this was probably one of my favorite art museums I’ve ever been in (including the Met and MOMA in NYC). They had really cool exhibits and interactive pieces.

Casa Batllo - This house, another of Gaudi’s works, has unique architecture that gave me cottage core vibes. It was very unique and interesting, definitely worth stopping by.

Cathedral of Barcelona - The cathedral in Barcelona was not as impressive as the Sagrada Familia. Every big city in Europe seems to have a cathedral, and Barcelona’s wasn’t that impressive to me. If you have limited time in Barcelona, this might be one thing you can skip if you don’t have time.

La Boqueria Market - This expansive outdoors market is fun to explore. There are tons of Spanish cuisine vendors where you can grab a snack of fresh fruit, or sit down for a meal with friends.

Las Ramblas - This street walks you through the heart of the city. It passes by many sights like Casa Batllo and the cathedral, and has lots of shops that are fun to pop in. Be careful here, because it is a common place for pickpockets.

Places to go out:

Chupitos - This is the bar of 1,000 shots. They are all unique and crazy. My friends got one that was on fire that they put a straw through and drank.

Dow Jones Stock Bar - At this bar, the least popular drinks are the cheapest, and the prices fluctuate on what gets ordered. Additionally, the stock market crashes every hour and the prices reset. If you do want to go here, go early because it gets busy and they stop letting people in.

Opium - I didn’t actually go to this club, but I put it on this list because it is the most popular one in Barcelona. If you want to go, buy tickets ahead of time a day or two in advance, otherwise you could be stuck paying 25 euros at the door.

Best Restaurants:

La Desayuneria - This brunch spot, which also has locations in Madrid, was amazing. Everybody left stuffed, and their menu has unique and delicious items on it. The prices were all around 10 euros for a meal. The line was long when we got there but it went very fast.

The Benedict - Another brunch spot located near the coast. We were waiting in line (only like a 15 minute wait) and they gave us free samples of their smoothies, which turned out to be amazing, so we all ordered one. 

The Ranch Smokehouse - My friends from Alabama were excited to eat here because they have been barbecue deprived in Spain. I’m not a BBQ expert, but it seemed to live up to their southern expectations. It was a little expensive, around 13 euros for a burger, but my roommate and I split a combo of three meats and two sides which made the meal a little cheaper.

La Campana - Lastly, it wouldn’t be one of my blog posts without it, the best gelato in Barcelona. This place made it to the top of the list because they had Red Velvet gelato, which I had never seen before. It was so good I made my friends go back with me so I could get more the next day.