What to see in Barcelona

Barcelona highlights

The places you can’t miss. In the app we sort them by day and close to each other.

1. Sagrada Família

   Gaudí’s basilica; book an entry time slot.

2. Park Güell

   A modernista garden with views over the city.

3. Gothic Quarter

   The cathedral and medieval alleyways.

4. La Boqueria Market

   The market on Las Ramblas; best in the morning.

5. Casa Batlló

   A modernista façade on Passeig de Gràcia.

6. Barceloneta

   A city beach and grilled fish.

7. Montjuïc

   The castle, the MNAC and the Magic Fountain.

8. El Born

   Santa Maria del Mar and independent shops.

9. Casa Milà (La Pedrera)

   A rippling stone façade without a single straight line. The roof terrace, with its warrior-like chimneys, is the highlight.

10. Palau de la Música Catalana

    A modernista concert hall with an inverted stained-glass skylight above the seats. Visit by day or with a concert ticket.

11. Sant Pau Recinte Modernista

    Twelve pavilions of a hospital that was in use until 2009, with gardens, mosaics and tunnels between the buildings.

12. Santa Maria del Mar

    Pure Catalan Gothic: widely spaced octagonal columns and a nave that seems wider than it is.

13. Bunkers del Carmel

    Civil War anti-aircraft batteries on a hilltop, with 360-degree views over the city and the sea.

14. Parc de la Ciutadella

    A park on the site of the old Bourbon fortress: a monumental waterfall, a boating lake and the Catalan Parliament inside.

15. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

    The world’s finest collection of Romanesque mural painting, removed from churches in the Pyrenees. The terrace looks out over Plaça d’Espanya.

16. Parc del Laberint d'Horta

    A neoclassical garden from 1792 with a cypress maze. Visitor numbers are capped, so it’s hardly ever crowded.

Day trips from Barcelona

We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

• Sagrada Família ★ 4.6 (121,104 reviews)
• Montserrat ★ 4.6 (9,388 reviews)
• Park Güell ★ 4.4 (90,854 reviews)
• Girona and the Costa Brava ★ 4.9 (220 reviews)

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Book ahead

Tickets that sell out or have long queues, and closing days.

• Sells out · 60 days ahead Sagrada Família

  Tickets go on sale about two months ahead and sell out fast at Easter and in summer. Beware of websites imitating the official one: this is the basilica’s own.

  Official ticket office
• Sells out · 14 days ahead Park Güell

  Capacity in the monumental zone is limited and mid-morning slots sell out days ahead.

  Official ticket office
• Long queues · 7 days ahead Casa Batlló

  A week ahead is enough, but buying in advance saves you the queue on Passeig de Gràcia.

  Official ticket office
• Opening hours Sagrada Família

  Open every day.

• Opening hours Casa Batlló

  Open every day of the year.

Typical food of Barcelona

The dish you have to try there and how to make it at home, to whet your appetite before the trip (or to go back to Barcelona from your kitchen).

Crema catalana

The dessert of Barcelona and all of Catalonia: a milk and egg-yolk custard scented with cinnamon and lemon, with a layer of burnt sugar that cracks when you break it. It’s traditional on 19 March, St Joseph’s Day.

• Serves 4
• 30 min

Ingredients

• 500 ml whole milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 100 g sugar (plus a little more for burning)
• 20 g cornflour
• 1 cinnamon stick
• The peel of 1 lemon

How to make it at home

1. Heat the milk with the cinnamon and the lemon peel (without the white pith) and leave to infuse for 10 minutes off the heat.
2. Beat the yolks with the sugar and cornflour until pale.
3. Strain the milk, mix it gradually into the yolks and return everything to a low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens (without letting it boil).
4. Divide between small earthenware dishes and leave to cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
5. Just before serving, cover with a thin layer of sugar and burn it with a blowtorch or a hot iron.

The trick: Burn the sugar at the last moment: if you do it earlier, the moisture softens it.

Frequently asked questions about Barcelona