Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links: I will earn a small commission, if you make a purchase through these links, without any additional cost to you.

Barcelona is located on the east coast of Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the second largest city in Spain (after Madrid). At the same time, Barcelona is the capital of the autonomous region of Catalonia, situated in the north-east of Spain. As you will immediately realize when you get to Barcelona, there are two official languages in Catalonia: Spanish and Catalan. In fact, every sign that you see around you is written in both tongues. For instance, on every exit sign the words “Salida” (Spanish) and “Sortida” (Catalan) are always displayed.

Barcelona is surrounded by hills and mountains: so, walking around the city is quite an exercise, as many streets are really steep (tip: when you visit a neighborhood, plan your visit so that you start from the top-most point and then you can walk downhill)! On the other hand, there are several beautiful viewpoints which offer great views over the city.

Moreover, Barcelona is renowned for its architecture, thanks to the unique style of Antoni Gaudi: one-of-a-kind buildings dot the city and make Barcelona so special. They look like they have come from another world. Probably the Sagrada Familia is the most famous of them.

Furthermore, the people of Barcelona have a very strong bond with the local football team F.C. Barcelona. Somehow, it represents their pride as Catalans in the world. It is not a case that the motto of the team is “més que un club” (more than a club). You will feel it everywhere when you walk around Barcelona.

I have visited Barcelona twice (every time I spent 3 nights there). I think that’s enough to have a general visit of the city. Of course you can stay more and perhaps go around the city at a slower pace or exploring the surroundings as well. By the way, check out my post about slow travel.

So, are you ready to explore this fabolous city? Before looking at my itinerary, let me give you some general information about Barcelona.

How to get to Barcelona

Barcelona has an international airport named El Prat Josep Tarradellas Airport (usually simply known as El Prat airport, IATA: BCN). Moreover, most of lowcost airlines fly also to the airports of Girona (IATA: GRO) and Reus (IATA: REU), which are located about 90 km (56 miles) and 104 km (65 miles) respectively from Barcelona. They have connections to major European cities: check out for instance Ryanair website. Then, you can get from Girona airport or Reus airport to Barcelona by bus.

Otherwise, if you are travelling through Europe for instance, you can consider to get to Barcelona by bus or train from other major European cities.

How to get around Barcelona

The best way to get around Barcelona is by the Metro. The Barcelona Metro is made of 8 lines identified by different colours.

In addition to the Metro network system, you can also get around Barcelona by bus.

Check out Barcelona transport network website for further information.

When is the best time to visit Barcelona

As I mentioned before, I have been in Barcelona twice, once in May and once in December. Winters are mild in Barcelona, so it is fine to spend all the day out walking around the city. On the contrary, I would not recommend visiting the city during the summer, as it may get too hot.

Where to stay in Barcelona

Eixample is one of the best areas to stay in Barcelona. It is located really close to the city centre and you can get to all major attractions on foot or by public transport. Moreover, the area is quite safe too. I stayed at the Hotel Caledonian: I definitely recommend it.

What to do in 3 days in Barcelona

Let’s now see an ideal itinerary which will let you get the most out of your 3-day visit to Barcelona.

Day 1
- Plaça de Catalunya
- Las Ramblas
- Mercat de la Boqueria
- Barri Gotic
- Catedral de Barcelona
- Port Vell
- Playa de la Barceloneta
- Font Màgica de Montjuic
Day 2
- Plaça de Catalunya
- Passeig de Gràcia
- Casa Batlló
- Sagrada Familia
- Parc Guell
- Camp Nou
Day 3
- Teleferic de Montjuic
- Castell de Montjuic
- Jardins de Miramar

Day 1

Plaça de Catalunya

Plaça de Catalunya is the ideal place to start any walking tour in Barcelona, as it is an important crossroads in the heart of the city. In fact, from here Las Ramblas begin and they go south-east; on the opposite direction Passeig de Gràcia begins. Finally, the large avenue Gran Via de Les Corts Catalanes crosses Passeig de Gràcia from south-west to north-east just a few metres from Plaça de Catalunya. Moreover, L1 and L3 Metro lines stop at Plaça de Catalunya.

Las Ramblas

Las Ramblas are long avenues that begin in Plaça de Catalunya and finish at the Monument a Colom (Monument dedicated to Cristoforo Colombo) in Barcelona harbour. We say “Las Ramblas”, in the plural form, because actually this avenue is split in five different sections; walking from Plaça de Catalunya to the harbour, they are:

Rambla de Canaletes
Rambla dels Estudis
Rambla de Sant Josep (or Rambla de les Flors)
Rambla de Caputxins
Rambla di Santa Monica

So, commonly people refer to them simply as “Las Ramblas”. The walk from Plaça de Catalunya to the Monument a Colom along Las Ramblas is about 1.4 km long (0.87 miles).

Las Ramblas mark the boundary between two important neighborhoods of Barcelona: with your back to Plaça de Catalunya, on your left you will find Barri Gotic; on your right El Raval.

Las Ramblas are definitely the most crowded and lively streets in Barcelona. You will always find lots of people walking up and down Las Ramblas at any hour during the day or at night. Along Las Ramblas you will find so many touristy restaurants and shops. Moreover, you will meet also many buskers: most of them stand perfectly still like statues in crazy positions, wearing colourful costumes. They are amazing! At the same time you will meet also dealers inviting people to play the three-card Monte game: just stay away from them!

Mercat de la Boqueria

The Mercat de la Boqueria is located on the Rambla de Sant Josep, just before the Liceu Metro station if you are coming from Plaça de Catalunya. This is definitely one of my favourite spots in Barcelona.

The Mercat de la Boqueria is a large food market: you will find stalls selling meat, seafood, poultry, fruit, vegetables and local food. Just lose yourself wandering along the narrow aisles of this incredible market. Don’t forget to taste at least one of the fresh juices made from any fruit you can possibly imagine: they are great and definitely cheap (back to 2014 one fresh juice was just 1 €)!

Finally, keep in mind that the Mercat de la Boqueria is closed on Mondays.

Fresh juices stall at the Mercat de la Boqueria

Barri Gotic

Barri Gòtic, located on the north-east side of Las Ramblas, is the historic centre of the old town of Barcelona. Just get lost wandering along the narrow streets of this charming quarter and discovering local bars and restaurants.

The main landmarks in Barri Gòtic are the Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia (also known simply as the Cathedral of Barcelona), the Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya, the Church of Santa Maria del Pi and several museums.

Port Vell and Playa de la Barceloneta

At the end of Las Ramblas you will find the huge Monument a Colom. Then, turn left and walk along the harbour quay (Port Vell), until you get to the Playa de la Barceloneta, where you can relax for a while after your walk!

Font Màgica de Montjuic

The Font Màgica de Montjuic is a wonderful fountain show where music, water and lights mix together creating a magical atmosphere. It is located in Plaça de Carles Buïgas, at the end of the Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina, in front of the Palau Nacional. The closest Metro station to the Font Màgica is Espanya (L1 or L3 lines). This is definitely a great way to finish your day! Check out the schedule of the show, as it changes according to the seasons.

Day 2

Passeig de Gràcia

Start your day again in Plaça de Catalunya, but, instead of heading to Las Ramblas, go in the opposite direction to Passeig de Gràcia.

Passeig de Gràcia is an elegant large avenue: it is the main shopping street of Barcelona and it is the heart of the Eixample district. But Passeig de Gràcia is not just about shopping: walking along this boulevard you will also have the opportunity to see amazing buildings featuring modernist architecture, like Casa Batlló and La Pedrera, designed by Antoni Gaudí. I definitely recommend visiting at least one of them.

Casa Batlló

Casa Batlló is located in Passeig de Gràcia. It is a beautiful example of Gaudí’s modernist style. It is a true icon of Barcelona and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will be amazed by the strangely-shaped elements of the house, in particular by its colourful facade, its iron balconies and its chimneys on the roof outside.

Finally, even if it has never been confirmed, some people say that the shape of the chimneys and funnels of La Pedrera, another masterpiece of Gaudí, inspired the director George Lucas when he created the characters of the Storm Troopers and Darth Vader in the Star Wars Saga. Well, I can definitely say that at least they resemble them. You can judge for yourself if you are a Star Wars fan: what do you think?

Sagrada Familia

After visiting Casa Battló, you can head to the Sagrada Familia. From here, you can take the L2 line (purple line) at the Passeig de Gràcia station to Badalona and then get off at the Sagrada Familia station.

The Sagrada Familia is perhaps the greatest masterpiece among Gaudí’s work. This impressive church is still under construction: today, according to the last estimates, it should be finished by 2026. When completed, it will feature 18 spires and it is going to be the tallest church in the world (172.5 m; 566 feet)!

After observing the beautifully carved sculptures on its facade outside, I definitely recommend visiting the Sagrada Familia inside too. The shapes of its elements inside will surely remind you somehow of Casa Battló and La Pedrera. You will be amazed by its majestic pillars and its colorful stained glass windows.

Parc Güell

Now you can resume your tour around Barcelona: next stop is Parc Güell. The Metro stations closest to Parc Güell are Lesseps and Vallcarca on the L3 line (the green one). From the Sagrada Familia you have to get back to the Passeig de Gràcia station and then take a train on the L3 to Trinitat Nova.

Parc Güell is located on a hill: so the streets around it are really steep. At the same time, the park is easily accessible thanks to the escalator available in Baixada de la Glòria. The most convenient entrance to enter the park is located on the south-east side on Avinguda del Santuari de Sant Josep de la Muntanya (there is another one on the north side of the park dedicated to visitors arriving by coach).

Parc Güell is a urban park designed by Gaudí in 1900. While the northern part of the park is just a pinewood and it is free to access (from here you can have great views over Barcelona), in the southern part of the park Gaudí showed again all his genius. Commissionned by Güell, originally the park was supposed to be a new neighborhood for luxury houses. After the commercial failure of the project, the area was transformed into a park. You will definitely feel like being in a fantasy world. This is in fact one of my favourite spots in Barcelona. It is the perfect place to relax for a while.

Finally, I definitely recommend buying your ticket online in advance to avoid the queue at the entrance.

Camp Nou

If you love football, you don’t want to miss a visit to the legendary Camp Nou when you are in Barcelona.

The Camp Nou stadium is home of the football team F.C. Barcelona. It is located in the neighborhood of Les Corts, in the west side of Barcelona. To get to the Camp Nou by Metro, you can get either the L3 line (the green one) and get off at the Les Corts station; or you can take the L5 line (the blue one) and get off either at the Collblanc station or at the Badal station.

The Camp Nou was inaugurated in 1957 and, with a capacity of 99,354 people, it is the largest stadium in Europe. The complete tour inside the Camp Nou include a visit to the museum (displaying the trophies won by F.C. Barcelona throughout the years among other things), the locker-rooms, the press room, the grandstand. You can even walk along the pitch (actually you cannot cross the sideline). While the basic tour is 26 € today, the full tour has become quite expensive (it is 59 €!).

View over the Camp Nou from the grandstand

Day 3

After the tight schedule on Day 2, I suggest spending your last day in Barcelona at a more relaxed pace. Perhaps your return flight is scheduled later in the day. So, I recommend visiting the Montjuïc gardens and, if you have time, taking a final walk along Las Ramblas (and perhaps tasting one last fresh juice at the Mercat de La Boqueria!).

Montjuïc

Montjuïc is a hill, 185 m high (607 feet), located in the south-west of Barcelona. To get to the top of Montjuïc, you can take the Telefèric de Montjuïc, an aerial tramway. It is a two-leg journey. First, you need to get to the Parallel Metro station on the L2 and L3 lines. From here, you have to take the Funicular de Montjuïc, which will lead you to the Parc de Montjuïc. From here you can take the aerial tramway (known locally as cable car) to the top of the mountain. Consider that, while the funicular is included in your Metro ticket, you will need to buy a ticket for the cable car.

The cable car makes three stops:

Parc de Montjuïc, where you can visit several art museums;
Castell, where you can visit an old military fortress;
Mirador, the highest point, where you can have amazing views over Barcelona.

The journey by the cable car is an incredible experience, as you will have impressive views during the ride. If you feel like doing some exercise, I suggest taking the cable car on your way up only and then taking the walk downhill at the return. Spend some time relaxing in the beautiful Jardins de Miramar: they are wonderful gardens featuring fountains and sculptures along their paths.

This is the end of my suggested itinerary: I hope you will enjoy it when you visit Barcelona!

If you wish to buy a travel guide of Barcelona before your journey, I definitely recommend one of these by Lonely Planet.

If you are looking for accomodation in Barcelona, book now with Hostelworld or Expedia!

Did you like this post? What’s the landmark that impressed you most? Leave a comment below and follow me on social networks to get the latest updates!

Finally, if you love Spain, check out my posts about Formentera, a wonderful island in the Mediterranean Sea, and Fuerteventura, one of the awesome Canary Islands!

Barcellona, cosa vedere in 3 giorni (itinerario ideale)

Disclosure: questo articolo contiene link di affiliazione: guadagnerò una piccola commissione se completerai un acquisto attraverso questi link, senza alcun costo aggiuntivo per te.

Barcellona è situata sulla costa est della Spagna, affacciata sul Mar Mediterraneo. È la seconda città più grande della Spagna (dopo Madrid). Allo stesso tempo, Barcellona è la capitale della regione autonoma della Catalogna, situata nel nord-est della Spagna. Come ti renderai conto immediatamente quando arriverai a Barcellona, ci sono due lingue ufficiali in Catalogna: Spagnolo e Catalano. Infatti, ogni cartello che vedrai intorno a te è scritto in entrambe le lingue. Ad esempio, ogni segnale di uscita riporta sia la parola “Salida” (Spagnolo) e “Sortida” (Catalano).

Barcellona è circondata da colline e montagne: così, camminare per le vie della città può diventare quasi un bel trekking, poichè molte strade sono piuttosto ripide (consiglio: quando visiti un quartiere, organizza la tua visita in modo da iniziare dal punto più in alto per poi camminare in discesa)! D’altro canto, ci sono stupendi punti panoramici che offrono viste stupende sulla città.

Inoltre, Barcellona è rinomata per la sua architettura, grazie allo stile unico di Antoni Gaudi: edifici unici caratterizzano la città e rendono Barcellona unica nel suo genere. Alcuni sembrano provenire da un altro mondo. Probabilmente la Sagrada Familia è il più famoso di questi.

Scoprirai come la gente di Barcellona abbia un forte legame con la squadra di calcio locale F.C. Barcelona. In qualche modo, essa rappresenta il loro orgoglio come Catalani nel mondo. Non è un caso che il motto della squadra sia “més que un club” (più di un club). Lo percepirai ovunque mentre cammini per Barcellona.

Personalmente, ho visitato Barcellona in due diverse occasioni (ogni volta ho trascorso 3 notti in città). Penso che sia sufficiente per una visita generale della città. Naturalmente potrai fermarti più a lungo e magari visitare la città ad un ritmo più lento ed esplorarne anche i dintorni. A tale proposito, ti consiglio di leggere il mio articolo riguardo lo slow travel.

Allora, sei pronto per visitare questa fantastica città? Prima di passare all’itinerario che ho seguito, vediamo qualche informazione generale su Barcellona.

Barcellona: come arrivare

Barcellona ha un aeroporto internazionale chiamato El Prat Josep Tarradellas Airport (di solito chiamato semplicemente aeroporto El Prat, IATA: BCN). Inoltre, molte compagnie aeree lowcost operano sui vicini aeroporti di Girona (IATA: GRO) e Reus (IATA: REU), che si trovano a circa 90 km e 104 km rispettivamente da Barcellona. Hanno collegamenti con le principali città europee: visita ad esempio il sito di Ryanair per farti un’idea. Quindi, puoi arrivare al centro di Barcellona dagli aeroporti di Girona e Reus in autobus.

Infine, se stai viaggiando attraverso l’Europa, puoi valutare di arrivare a Barcellona in autobus o in treno da altre città.

Barcellona: come muoversi

Il modo migliore per muoversi a Barcellona è in metropolitana. La Metro di Barcellona è composta da 8 diverse linee, ognuna identificata da un colore diverso.

Oltre alla metropolitana, puoi valutare di spostarti anche in autobus.

Visita il sito dei trasporti di Barcellona per maggiori informazioni.

Barcellona: quando andare

Come accennato in precedenza, sono stato a Barcellona due volte, una volta nel mese di Maggio ed un’altra nel mese di Dicembre. Gli inverni sono miti a Barcellona, quindi è comunque gradevole trascorrere tutto il giorno fuori camminando per la città. Al contrario, non consiglierei di visitare Barcellona d’estate, poichè può essere piuttosto caldo.

Barcellona: dove dormire

Il quartiere Eixample è una delle zone migliori dove dormire a Barcellona. Si trova molto vicino al centro della città e da qui è possibile raggiungere a piedi o in Metro le principali attrazioni della città. Inoltre, si tratta anche di un’area piuttosto sicura. Io ho alloggiato presso l’Hotel Caledonian: lo consiglio sicuramente.

Barcellona: cosa vedere in 3 giorni

Vediamo quindi ora un itinerario ideale che ti permetterà di vedere il meglio di Barcellona in tre giorni.

Giorno 1
- Plaça de Catalunya
- Las Ramblas
- Mercat de la Boqueria
- Barri Gotic
- Catedral de Barcelona
- Port Vell
- Playa de la Barceloneta
- Font Màgica de Montjuic
Giorno 2
- Plaça de Catalunya
- Passeig de Gràcia
- Casa Batlló
- Sagrada Familia
- Parc Guell
- Camp Nou
Giorno 3
- Teleferic de Montjuic
- Castell de Montjuic
- Jardins de Miramar