If you follow me on Instagram, you've likely seen tons of photos from my Barcelona trip already. You can also see my style posts from Barcelona here and here. I'm by no means an expert on the city, but I've traveled there twice now, and my husband and I did tons of research and planning before we went, so I thought I'd put together a guide of what you have to see and do if you visit to make the most of your trip if you only have 48 hours in the city. We had such an amazing time and I want to make sure everyone else has an equally amazing experience (I mean, how could you not here, really). Barcelona is a magical and beautiful city with a vibrant spirit and fun vibe and I really hope to go back yet again at some point!
My husband and I prioritized seeing architect Antoni GaudÃ's work since it's such a hallmark of the city. Gaudà was an architect in the late 19th and early 20th century influenced by nature and there's nothing quite like it out there. We're also foodies, but we wanted to make sure we had time to wander neighborhoods and stop at local places, and it wasn't hard to find amazing food everywhere.
Let me know in the comments if you've been to Barcelona and what your must-hit places are! I'd love to know where to put on my list for next time! Let's get to it!
ATTRACTIONS
Park Güell
Park Güell, a public park designed head-to-toe by Antoni Gaudà is not to be missed. I highly recommend getting a guided tour, which I skipped the first time I visited. It has an incredibly interesting history, in that it was first built as a private community outside the city limits and the concept failed spectacularly. What remains is a gorgeous public park that's perfectly incorporated into nature. There are still places that were to be used for a public market, theatre space, and other buildings, covered in gorgeous mosaics and looking like gingerbread homes straight out of a fairytale. Check out a few pics below.
Sagrada FamÃlia
Sagrada FamÃlia, a basilica masterminded by GaudÃ, is the most iconic structure in Barcelona, hands down. The construction of this tall, nature-inspired basilica, began in 1882 and is still under construction today. On my first trip, I admired it from afar from all over the city and snapped some photos out front, but seeing it from the inside on our last trip gave me a whole new appreciation for it. There really aren't words to describe this amazing place but between the stained glass windows and ceilings so high my brain couldn't comprehend them, breathtaking would be the best term to use.Oh, and ladies, be sure to bring a scarf to cover your shoulders for cathedrals around the city if you're wearing sleeveless tops. Just peep some of these photos below!
La Pedrera (Casa Milà )
Oh, hey, another Gaudà building! Gaudà designed this apartment building and had his hand in everything from the structure to the handles on drawer pulls. The tour was really interesting because you can see his modern visionary style juxtaposed with early 1900s fixtures. It also goes behind the scenes in his process, which is so fascinating after seeing his work all over the city. The rooftop, where the tour begins, is filled with almost a sculpture park in itself.Montjuïc Castle
As I mentioned in my last post, we took the funicular and cable car up Montjuïc Hill to get to the castle. I've heard people say that's overpriced, but how often do you get to ride a dang cable car up a hillside of Barcelona and see the entire city? Worth every penny. The castle was essentially built to keep an eye on Catalan people so they did not revolt and try to separate from Spain, an argument that's still very much alive today.The castle was pretty bare bones since it was built for function, but it was absolutely worth it for the views. You could see the whole city below to one side, and the water to the other. It was pretty amazing to soak in.
On the way down, the cable car stopped once, and we hopped off to wander, and stumbled into The Jardins del Mirador, which was a gorgeously lush area with a giant fountain with stepping stones at the top, so it looked like you were walking on water. See all my photos of that here.
Arc de Tripomf
Though not as well known as the Parisian Arc de Triomphe, it's still pretty neat! It was built in 1888 as the entrance to the World's Fair and heads off the the lovely promenade Passeig de LluÃs Companys. It made for a beautiful afternoon stroll.
NEIGHBORHOODS
Gothic Quarter
This was a really cool neighborhood to wander. The Gothic architecture was really fun to see not only in the architecture, but in the lampposts, and details as well. Barcelona cathedral is housed here, and the gothic cathedral is pretty stunning to see. In contrast to GaudÃ's beautiful curves, the incredible intricate architecture here was a fun change of pace.We stopped for a midday meal at a wonderful restaurant in Plaza Real, Ocaña, where we had a surf and turf burger made of calamari and pork sausage, and some other tapas that were delicious! Highly recommend stopping there.
La Barceloneta
La Barceloneta is a hopping seaside neighborhood that used to be a fisherman's village. It was fun to wander around later in the evenings and found an amazing dinner spot right on the beach, Ca la Nuri. That photo of the beach below is what I took from sitting at our table! We had amazing paella and it was obvious our waiter was pretty amused by us trying to order, which meant it wasn't as much of a typical tourist place. We ordered an after dinner drink on the recommendation of the waiter and had a blast walking the beach after dinner.El Born
We checked out this neighborhood for dinner and cocktails on our second day and it was full of locals and visitors alike. Businesses were tucked away on side streets and it was really fun to explore. Get your vermouth and cava fix here for sure! We grabbed a fancy cocktail at Dr. Stravinsky, an incredibly cool cocktail bar and distillery with insanely delicious drinks. We had an amazing tapas dinner at Tantarantana.La Rambla
La Rambla is a total tourist destination, but I feel like it's something you just have to do. It's a large pedestrian walkway down the middle of the city and it's teeming with restaurants, markets, and also pickpockets. We saw even locals grab their purse handles tight as they crossed onto La Rambla. Just hold onto your bag, and you'll be fine though! Be sure to stop off at Mercado de La Boqueria, a huge market in Barcelona. You can get fruit, veggies, fish, scorpions, or just some fresh juice and a snack to walk with while you soak it all in.FOOD AND ACCOMMODATIONS
Retrome Hotel
I cannot say enough good things about the hotel we stayed in! Retrome, a retro-themed boutique hotel in the Eixample neighborhood caught our eye from the retro decor, but was amazing beyond that. Barcelona has done a lot to crack down on AirBnBs, and their prices were pretty high compared to even Paris, so I'd definitely recommend doing a hotel here instead.Each room is decorated differently and there is a common area shared by rooms on one floor, and at least one other on another floor. The hostess that checked us in greeted us with glasses of cava, a champagne-like sparkling wine from the region, and got out a map to show us all the things we definitely needed to check out while we were there as well as some fun neighborhoods to wander.
Food
As for food, I highly recommend finding something to eat as you wander. Look for places that don't look to be filled with tourists or have English menus for a more authentic experience.Spanish eating means lots of small meals! I loved the fact there are basically two breakfasts: first thing in the morning you grab a pastry with coffee, and then mid-morning, go for a ham sandwich on crusty bread. Eat a late lunch (or two) around 2 or 3:00, and head out for dinner around 9 or 10:00. This night owl sure did love that schedule!
Here are some things you shouldn't miss:
Tapas: Tapas is the Spanish way of eating: small plates. This makes for an amazing trip experience because then you get to try a little bit of everything! Tapas often includes olives, cheeses, meats, croquettas (fried balls filled with ham, cheese, or potato), smoked fish, pa a tomà quet (bread with tomato), patatas bravas, and more.
Paella: Paella, a rice dish that comes with your choice of meat and other ingredients is not to be missed. To be clear, paella is not from this region of Spain, so some people will tell you to skip it here. However, the paella I had here is still 238947 times better than any paella I've ever had in the US, so if this is your only stop in Spain, this is a must.
Vermouth: Vermouth bars are huge in Catalonia, the region that Barcelona is in. Run into one and be sure to try a couple of different types!
Cava: This sparkling beverage like champagne is this region's specialty. It's a must have if you like sparkling wine.
We found a great resource in a fellow KC blogger who has recently moved to Barcelona, Gimme Some Oven. She has a food blog and awesome recommendations on a google map, so you can see some of her faves on the map near wherever you are in the city if you're looking for a recommendation.
Lastly, Barcelona is such a walkable city, but I highly recommend getting metro passes to make zipping from one neighborhood to the next super easy, especially if you ever need to pop back to your hotel and sit down and take a 10 minute power nap (no shame!). We were also so glad we got tickets for all the attractions we went to in advance. That really helped us pass some lines and get in quicker. However, most of them do require you to get a ticket for a specific time. We found it easiest to get our tours out of the way first thing in the day and then we could wander freely after that!
Be sure to let me know in the comments if you have any other questions about Barcelona or any recommendations of your own, I'd love to hear them!
-Molly
-Molly
Be sure to check out my other 48 Hour City Guides Here:
Paris (coming soon!)
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