What to see in Barcelona in 5 days

1. Sagrada Familia (The Holly Family), the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world is designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudí. Construction of the Sagrada Família began in 1882. and it is still not finished. He lived to see complete only one façade, the Nativity Façade, the apse, one tower and a crypt where he was buried. His work on Sagrada Família is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Seeing the Sagrada Familia and not going inside is a mistake you’ll regret. The interiors are as spectacular and like no other church.

NOTE: To see inside of the basilica reserve tickets online a couple of weeks in advance!

2. Parc Güell is not another green area but more of a garden complex. It includes unique architectural structures which are now the main attraction. The whole parc with the ceramic tiled fantastical structures and mosaics was designed by Antoni Gaudi. He tried to use organic shapes in the park structures. Today is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

NOTE: Parc is situated on a steep hill. The metro stations are rather far and below so beware if you are not in good condition. It is better to take metro L3 to station Lesseps than Bus 116 to the main entrance or Bus 24 or V19, lines that stop on the eastern side of the park.

3. Casa Batlló is one of three unusual buildings along Passeig de Gracia. Together with Casa Amatller and Casa Lleo-Morera, they make up the “Block of Discord”. It was a house of the family Batlló and Gaudí completely renovated the original building. As one of his masterpieces, it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The roof terrace is one of the most popular places in the entire house with a famous dragon back design with ceramic tiles for the dragon scales.

NOTE: To understand Gaudi and the beauty of his work it is worth going inside and having the full experience. Must reserve/buy online tickets far in advance.

4. Casa Mila also known as La Pedrera, was designed by Antoni Gaudi and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The apartment building was built between 1906 and 1912. The unique structure has no straight lines. The interior and the roof are attractions worth seeing. Famous chimneys and ventilation towers along with wonderful views of Barcelona.

5. Barri Gòtic is the historic centre of the old city of Barcelona. The Gothic quarter charm lies in its narrow medieval streets and lovely squares filled with trendy bars, clubs and Catalan restaurants.

There are also old churches and some museums worth seeing like Picasso Museum.

6. La Rambla is the most famous street in Barcelona that runs between the neighbourhoods of the Barri Gòtic and the El Raval runs the most famous street in Barcelona – La Rambla. This pedestrian street is lined with trees and cafes and is always crowded with locals and tourists.

7. Cathedral ‘La Seu’ or Barcelona Cathedral is one of the largest and most impressive churches in Catalonia. It is also known as the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia. From the roof, there are wonderful views of Barcelona.

Inside the Cathedral is the Gothic cloister which encloses the Well of the Geese. There they keep 13 white geese, the number explained by the belief that Eulalia was 13 years old when she was martyred.

8. Art Nouveau de Sant Pau is the hospital built at the beginning of the 20th century by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, the architect of Modernisme. Today is a UNESCO heritage site. Sant Pau is the world’s largest Art Nouveau complex, a city within the city. The site consists of 12 pavilions set in green space and interconnected by a kilometre of underground galleries. One of the most underestimated sites in Barcelona, a must-see place.

NOTE: Located only 10 minutes walk from Sagrada Familia.

9. Montjuic Hill and Castle Monjuice

Montjuic is a hill southeast of Barcelona’s city centre, on one side out above the port and on the other it faces Placa Espanya. The hill is best known as the site of the 1929 International Exhibition and the 1992 Olympic Games. The many attractions on Montjuic include the Palau Nacional ( Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya), The Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, The Spanish Village or Poble Espanyol (an architectural open-air museum where you can see over 100 houses brought from across the country),

10. Palau de la Música Catalana is an architectural jewel of Catalan Art Nouveau. It is the only concert hall in this style to be listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The building was designed by Lluis Domenech i Montaner who also designed the Hospital Sant Pau.

11. Plaça d’Espanya, Magic Fountain

Placa de Espana is Barcelona’s biggest square beneath Monjuic Hill. Here you find Plaza de Toros de las Arenas that was buit as a bullring. Besides bullfights, there were many concerts held in it and today it serves as a shopping mall.

12. Palau Güell is a house located in El Raval, also designed by Antoni Gaudi and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Guell was a wealthy industrialist and Gaudi’s patron and the house became Guell’s family home until he died. Later the building was used by the police during the Civil War for torturing political prisoners

13. Joan Miro Foundation is a museum devoted to the works of Joan Miro who was a native Catalan born in Barcelona. The museum is located on Montjuic Hill. Miro’s purpose was to create a place where young artists could experiment with contemporary art and also have a place to display their work to the public.

14. Parc de la Ciutadella, Arc de Triomf

This park in Ciutat Vella was established in the 19 century and for many years was the city’s only park.

The Arc de Triomf was constructed in the form of a traditional European memorial arch but was the main entrance gate to the World Fair of 1888. which was held in the Parc de la Ciutadella.

15. Museu d’Art Contemporani MACBA – Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art is located in the Barcelona El Raval district. The modern and very impressive building is the work of Richard Meier.

Every day we tried 4-5 different tapas. Tapas are hot or cold snacks that you combine at your choice that can serve as a whole meal.

And you must have paella. We discovered a very local restaurant inside the Barcelonetta area Bar Bitacora which had the most delicious paella domestic style. Rambla Street is too commercial. Cosier is on Placa Real or a very popular food place Market La Boquería with food for every taste.

And there is always shopping. In Barcelona, there are many shopping streets, malls and markets. Besides souvenirs, we suggest you look for leather accessories. Spain is famous for its very quality leather shoes and bags. Most special shoe types are ballerinas.