Must-See Places in Barcelona
Nihan Uğurlu · Keyfi Yazılarım ·
Travel memories from 2016. Hours and prices may change; check official links before visiting.
Personal travel notes, discoveries along the way and photographs from the original story.
Travel notes
I prepared this page assuming—and hoping—that you have read my Spain–Barcelona post. Please read that linked account first: it explains everything in more detail and will help you make sense of this list. A small request! Thank you, and happy reading.
1. Sagrada Família Basilica
The Sagrada Família is Barcelona's most famous and important landmark. The greatest work of Antoni Gaudí, the Catalan architect whose lasting creations gave so much life to the city, belongs near the top of your list. It is famous as the church that remained unfinished for years.
2. Park Güell
Another famous Barcelona attraction, and another Gaudí creation that appears in countless city photographs. Originally planned as housing, it eventually became a public park.
3. La Rambla
La Rambla is one of Barcelona's main tourist streets. Stroll along it and browse the shops. The centre is for pedestrians, with traffic on either side. You can walk and shop along its length, with street singers and performances as a bonus 🙂
4. Casa Milà, or La Pedrera
Antoni Gaudí created it for the art-loving politician Pere Milà. The original article gives the construction dates as '1906–1970'; that range is retained as an archival detail, not a verified date. Isn't the architecture extraordinary? 🙂
5. Barcelona Cathedral
One of the city's major religious buildings, Barcelona Cathedral stands out for its Gothic architecture.
7. Parc de la Ciutadella
This beautiful, popular park includes a boating lake, a zoo, a natural history museum in the original account, and places to stroll.
10. Barceloneta
Barceloneta is a waterfront neighbourhood just below the city centre, known for its small restaurants and cafés. It also has the nearest beach to the centre, with lovely sea and sand if you want to swim.
11. Casa Batlló
A lovely, unusual building with a roof shaped, to my eye, like a fish's back. Be sure to see it.
12. Christopher Columbus Monument
13. Camp Nou stadium
At the stadium where world-famous FC Barcelona played, visitors could watch a match or explore the club museum and various parts of the stadium.
14. Barri Gòtic
The Gothic Quarter is a joy to get lost in: lovely shops, tiny cafés, narrow streets, charming homes, street art, vintage boutiques and a magnificent cathedral. Carrer de Ferran is its busiest street, but the side streets are even more worth exploring.
Don't leave without trying Spain's famous paella and tapas, the little dishes rather like our meze 🙂