The 33 Best Things To Do in Barcelona, Spain

On the north-eastern coast of Spain, Barcelona is the country's second-largest city and the capital of the Catalonia region. This vibrant city has outstanding architecture, excellent cultural attractions, mouth-watering tapas and one of the best football teams in the world.

Barcelona has a subtropical-Mediterranean climate which essentially means the weather is warm and pleasant almost all year around. Even in the 'cold winter months' (December to February) the temperature is usually around 10-12ºC (50-54ºF) and snow is very unlikely.

In the height of the summer in August the temperature stays around 29ºC (85ºF). And being on the coast with fantastic beaches means you can paddle in the Mediterranean sea every day.

So, no matter the season you are visiting the city, plan your activities with our guide to the best things to do in Barcelona:

Top things to do in Barcelona for city lovers 

Barcelona is an urbanite’s paradise! Take a look at a few of the top things to do in Barcelona for city lovers.

1. Visit Parc Güell on an Ebike

A Gaudi-designed park with landscaped gardens and architectural elements on Carmel Hill, Parc Güell is one of Barcelona’s must-see attractions. Getting there and getting around the park can involve a great deal of strenuous walking, but a 9-speed electric bike can transform the experience.

You can hire one of these easy-riding bikes in the city, or you can join an Ebike tour that includes visits to the Dragon Stairway, the Hypostyle Room, and the viewing terrace, as well as a visit to the Sagrada Familia church and light refreshments.

2. Take the Cable Car to the castle

Montjuic Hill is home to a castle, the Botanical Gardens, an Olympic stadium, the Joan Miro Foundation, the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) Museum, Poble Espanyol, and Magic Fountain. While those attractions are among the cool things to do in Barcelona, getting there can be just as fun. Take the Montjuic cable car for a journey with a difference – and, yes, that includes amazing views of the city.

There are two cable cars in Barcelona: the Montjuïc Cable Car and the Port Cable Car.

The Transbordador Aeri del Port (Port Cable Car) was built for the 1929 Barcelona Universal Exposition and links the Barceloneta beach to Montjuïc. The red and white cabins can hold 20 people max. and it takes 8 minutes to complete the journey, crossing the port at a height of between 70 and 90 metres. The journey begins with a lift ride to the top of the cable car tower and there are no seats in the cars but you are rewarded with stunning views of the city.

The Telefèric de Montjuïc (Montjuïc Cable Car) is on Montjuïc mountain itself. Each car holds only four people and it is newer and a shorter ride connecting Estaciò Funicular on Avenida Miramar, which is halfway up Montjuïc and near to the station where the Port Cable Car drops you, to Montjuïc Castle at the top. This additional cable car is for those who wish to see the castle and the views from the top of the mountain.

3. Enjoy the view from a Sagrada Familia tower

No visit to Barcelona is complete without taking in the architectural marvel that is La Sagrada Familia. The yet unfinished minor basilica is a masterpiece of soaring columns, otherworldly symbolic sculptures, and ethereal light filtered by stunning stained-glass windows.

Make your visit all the more memorable by purchasing a ticket or joining a guided tour that offers access to one of the church’s two towers and the spectacular views they offer. Note that you’ll take the lift to the top of the tower, and descend by stairs, so be ready for some exercise!

4. Join a paella cooking class in Barcelona

Paella, a platter of fragrant rice and seafood or meat or vegetables or all three, is one of the quintessential Spanish dishes. Learn how to cook it the authentic Spanish way while in Barcelona.

Join a paella cooking class with a Spanish chef, roll up your sleeves, and spend a few hours making your own platter with their expert guidance. This is certainly one of the best things to do in Barcelona, Spain!

5. Go on a free walking tour 

A free walking tour is the perfect way to orientate yourself in the city or to explore specific districts with a local guide. The ‘free’ bit is a something of a misnomer, as most free walking tours operate on the understanding that participants each will tip the guide between €5-10. What’s more, you’ll need to book a spot on the tour of your choice.

6. Las Ramblas pedestrian street 

This mile-long, tree-lined pedestrian boulevard is one of the longest and most famous main streets in Europe. Las Ramblas runs from Plaça de Catalunya to the waterfront dividing the Old Town into two parts. This wide, shady avenue is a popular place for a daytime or evening stroll. There are plenty of street entertainers along the promenade plus shops selling flowers and souvenirs. You can also enjoy dinner at one of the many outdoor cafés and restaurants.

At the centre of Las Ramblas, don’t forget to admire Gaudí’s masterpiece, the Fountain of the Three Graces.

7. Food tour 

You will already know the Mediterranean diet is one of the most nutritious and healthy diets in the world. And you can find authentic local food at La Boquería market on Las Ramblas. This traditional market was initially for selling meat and fish so the fish carousel at the centre of the building remains one of the highlights. If you don't fancy cooking, simply make sure you choose seafood from a Barcelona menu as it is as fresh as can be and tastes amazing in a delicious paella. The market also has fruit, vegetables, spices and other food products.

Top things to in Barcelona for romantics 

Known as one of the most romantic cities in Europe, discover some of the top things to do in Barcelona with your partner (not forgetting about the exquisite countryside just beyond the city limits).

8. Take a private Barcelona wine tasting tour

Barcelona is almost surrounded by various wine growing regions, Penedes and Priorat among them. Treat yourself and your beloved to a private wine tasting tour that takes you into idyllic countryside, where you’ll visit boutique wineries, taste their produce, and enjoy a delicious country lunch. You’ll agree it’s a special way to spend a day.

9. Do a Spanish cooking class together

Fresh, fragrant, and sometimes spicy, Spanish cuisine is known and loved around the world. Spend a morning with your special someone in a Spanish cooking class that starts with shopping for fresh ingredients at a local market and then goes on to see you prepare a four-course lunch with the guidance of a local chef.

10. Enjoy boating on the lake at Parc de la Ciutadella

Enjoy a splash of classic romance by going boating on the lake at the lush Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona’s El Born district. You’ll find the lake at the centre of the park, and you can hire a rowboat for a few Euros.

Take the experience up a notch by packing a picnic hamper and enjoying a bite to eat while on the water.

11. Go on a morning hot air balloon ride

The A 7am start is a small sacrifice to make for one of the most fun things to do in Barcelona for romantics. A guide will take you to the Montseny mountain range, a UNESCO biosphere reserve about an hour’s drive from the city.

When you reach your destination, you and your partner will board a hot air balloon and enjoy unrivalled views of some of the most beautiful scenery the region has to offer. Once back on terra firma, you can enjoy a scrumptious breakfast at a countryside restaurant.

12. Take in a flamenco show with dinner

Head to one of the city’s many tablaos and take in a show featuring the passionate Spanish dance known as flamenco.

Standard tickets usually include the show only, so elevate the evening by finding a tablao that offers a dinner option. Tablao Cordobes is one of the best in the city. Make sure you book a table to avoid disappointment.

Cool things to do in Barcelona with the family 

There’s something for everyone in this warm and welcoming Spanish city. Take a look at our top picks of cool things to do in Barcelona with the family.

13. Enjoy a show at the Magic Fountain

Head to Plaça de Carles Buïgas, el Poble-sec, Sants-Montjuïc, and enjoy a spectacular show of water, lights, and music at the Magic Fountain. Shows take place on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 9pm to 10pm.

14. Have fun at Parc d'atraccions Tibidabo

Spend a few memorable hours with the little ones at Parc d'atraccions Tibidabo, one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. You’ll find an incredible variety of classic and modern rides and attractions for the young and the young-at-heart, as well as restaurants and much more. The amusement park undoubtedly is one of the most entertaining things to do with kids in Barcelona.

15. Find your way through the maze at Parc del Laberint d'Horta

Make your way to Barcelona’s Horta-Guinardó district, where you’ll find Parc del Laberint d’Horta. The park contains two sections, namely the neoclassical and romantic gardens.

There are sculptures depicting Greek mythology and Catalonian folk motifs, as well as fountains, pools, and springs throughout the park. The big attraction is the hedge maze on the lowest of the neoclassical garden’s three terraces.

16. Do experiments at the CosmoCaixa Science Museum

A hands-on science museum, CosmoCaixa Science Museum offers you and the kids opportunities to explore physical, technical, geological, chemical and mathematical relations by doing hundreds of experiments. If you have a Barcelona Card, you get free admission.

17. Relax with sun, sand, and sea at Bogatell Beach

Spend a morning or afternoon of fun on Bogatell Beach. The relaxed atmosphere offers the perfect break from the hubbub of the city, while the stunning variety of facilities, amenities, restaurants, and shops promise to elevate the experience from being just another day at the beach.

It is a real treat in a city to have world-class attractions and a major business hub plus award-winning sandy beaches too so do make the most of that Mediterranean coastline. The main beach is Barceloneta where you can enjoy a morning run along the boardwalk and then join in the water sports including paddle boarding and surfing. And the beach is not just for relaxing as beach volleyball teams are there most days.

This was a fishing village area so the local restaurants and cafes alongside the beach are very good. And there is a nightlife scene too.

Explore Barcelona for the nature enthusiast 

Barcelona’s certainly no concrete jungle. Mediterranean nature surrounds and permeates the city. Explore some of the best things to do in Barcelona for nature lovers.

18. Wander through Parc natural de Collserola

Escape the hustle and bustle of Barcelona by spending a day at Parc natural de Collserola. The 8,000-hectare natural park is right on the city’s doorstep, so it’s easy to get to.

Explore old hermitages and country chapels, farmhouses, springs, a lush forest, gullies and streams, hiking trails, caves, and much more.

19. Discover the Jardins de Laribal

Spend a few hours being enchanted by the paths, pergolas, ponds, squares, terraces, and waterfalls of the Jardins de Laribal. The gardens, which were designed and opened in the early 20th century, are on the slopes of the Montjuïc mountain.

20. Go on a Barcelona sailing tour

Gain a different perspective on the city by joining a sailing tour. Not only will you see points of interest and the Barcelona skyline from a yacht on the Mediterranean, but you’ll also have a chance to swim and to enjoy drinks and snacks – and you might even catch a glimpse of marine life such as dolphins and whales.

21. Take a day trip for Montserrat hiking

Famous Montserrat is close enough to Barcelona for you to enjoy a day trip that includes hiking the mountain’s hidden trails, enjoying incredible views, and visiting the Benedictine monastery. This old religious centre is the home of the Virgin of Montserrat Black Madonna statue.

Top cultural activities in Barcelona 

Barcelona’s history stretches back more than 2,000 years, so you can expect it to be a cultural centre par excellence. Here are some of the best cultural things to do in Barcelona, old and new.

22. Wander through the Gothic Quarter

In a city famous for its artists, it makes perfect sense that there would be amazing street art here too. Head to the Gothic Quarter to see impressive street art down the alleyways in this historic neighbourhood.

Stepping into Barcelona's Gothic Quarter (Barri Gòtic) feels like a journey back in time to the medieval ages. The quaint cobblestone streets and Gothic facades of this traffic-free area invite exploration, and the time spent wandering is truly rewarding.

Street artists have the freedom to create at Jardins de les 3 Xemeneies (Gardens of the Three Chimneys), a purpose-built graffiti park where murals change weekly, providing a constant source of surprise. You can also find more street art in the elegant and bohemian Gracia district and the up-and-coming Poblenou neighborhood, which is dotted with disused factories and warehouses.

You’ll find busking musicians, ancient churches, outdoor cafes, uncrowded plazas, bars, cocktail lounges, restaurants, artisanal shops, and much more. The area is also fantastic for shopping as there are plenty of independent stores. And there's the Mercat Gòtic flea market on Thursdays for antiques and unique gifts.

23. Tour the Palau de la Música Catalana

Built between 1905 and 1908, the Palau de la Música Catalana concert hall is a wonder of Art Nouveau. A guided tour is the best way to appreciate the mosaics, murals, and stained glass that have made the concert hall a UNESCO World Heritage site.

24. Explore the Roman ruins of Tarragona

The modern town of Tarragona has ancient roots. Back in the day, it was known as Tárraco, and it was nothing less than the cultured capital of Roman Spain. An hour’s train ride from Barcelona, Tarragona makes for a fabulous outing. Explore the ancient ruins before filling up with a hearty lunch at a local restaurant or tapas bar.

25. Visit FC Barcelona at Camp Nou

Football is an inseparable part of modern Spanish and Catalonian culture, so be sure to add something footie-related to your list of things to do in Barcelona. Camp Nou is not only the home of the world's most famous football teams, but it is also the largest stadium in Europe with a capacity of nearly 100,000. If you can't get match tickets, you can visit the home of FC Barcelona (popularly known as Barça) for the Barça Stadium Tour & Museum. You get to see behind-the-scenes at the stadium – including an area dedicated to Messi – and admire the club trophies, memorabilia and original football shirts. There is a Virtual Experience option too so with VR glasses you can sit in the stands and relive the most exciting goals and moments as if you were there.

26. Be amazed by Gaudí’s Masterpiece

The influence of architect/designer/artist Antoni Gaudí can be felt across the city. He played a huge part in the Art Nouveau movement in Spain and created some of the city's most recognisable landmarks.

The jewel in Barcelona's modernist crown is the Gaudí-designed Parc Güell. It is a magical place filled with mosaics, sculptures and flower gardens. Columns shoot up like tree trunks, arches are jagged like cave openings and fountains are guarded by giant lizards with scales fashioned out of multicoloured mosaic tiles. Gaudí loved this area of the city and the Casa Museu Gaudí is in the house where Gaudi lived.

Another of Gaudí's masterpieces in Barcelona, Casa Batlló is one of the strangest residential buildings in Europe. Built in 1904-1906 for the textile manufacturer Josep Batlló i Casanovas, this surreal fairy tale castle is another UNESCO site in the city. Locals know it as the casa dels ossos (house of bones) or casa del drac (house of the dragon) and it's easy to see why. The balconies look like the bony jaws of some strange beast and the roof represents St George (Sant Jordi) and the dragon. It's built in the shape of the animal's back, with shiny mosaic tile scales that appear to change colour. The twisting, tiled chimney pots add a further surreal touch to the roof.

Barcelona's most famous landmark, and the most visited monument in Spain, is La Sagrada Familia. Work began on this Roman Catholic church designed by Gaudí in 1882 and it is still not finished – he famously said, "my client is not in a hurry" (by 'client' he meant God).

Originally forecast to take 15 years, Gaudí dedicated over 43 years of his life to the project. It has already been under construction for over 130 years and has a pending completion date of 2026 – the 100th anniversary of Gaudí's death.

This signature example of his surrealist Art Nouveau architecture is rich in religious symbolism intertwined with themes of nature and unusual geometric forms. And it is going to look even more dramatic in the next decade as the plan is for the highest tower to be more than half as high again as those that stand today.

27. Museums and galleries

Barcelona has some excellent museums including Museu d'Història de Barcelona (Barcelona City History Museum) in the Gothic Quarter in a building that was once part of the medieval Palau Reial Major (Grand Royal Palace). The Museu Nacional D’Art de Catalunya NMCA (National Museum of Catalan Art) is housed in the Palau Nacional of Montjuïc, a huge, neo-Baroque, Italian-style building constructed for the International Exposition of 1929. It covers a thousand years of Catalan art from the 10th to the 20th centuries. And the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona MACBA (Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona) has around 5,000 artworks from the mid-20th century onwards.

Museu Picasso has one of the most extensive collections of artworks by this 20th-century Spanish artist. There are over 4,000 of Picasso's early works on display in sculpture, paint and engraving up to 1904. As he was apprenticed in Barcelona it seems fitting that the works seen here cover Picasso's earliest years. And perched on Montjuïc, Fundació Joan Miró is a modern art museum dedicated to Joan Miró who was born and raised in Barcelona. This leading Surrealist artist created the foundation with works from his private collection and it now has more than 10,000 of his masterpieces, from the early Surrealist paintings to the Dada-inspired later works. The gleaming white building is as stunning as the artworks inside.

Top events in Barcelona 

The people of Barcelona know how to party, and nowhere is this more evident than at the city’s top annual events. Check out our pick of the best yearly festivals and other events.

28. Dia De Los Reyes Magos

Held around 6 January, el Dia De Los Reyes Magos celebrates the arrival of the Three Wise Men who bring gifts for the baby Jesus (and for good Spanish children). The day is marked by a grand parade that starts at Port Vell and ends at the Magic Fountain, gift-giving, and indulging in sweets and King’s Cake.

29. The Calçotada

A winter food festival held at the end of February or the beginning of March, the Calçotada is all about the arrival of spring onions. They’re grilled with meat and sausages over fires and washed down with delicious local wine in an atmosphere of fun and festivity.

30. Barcelona Carnival

Usually held at the beginning of March, the Barcelona Carnival is a week-long fiesta of parades, floats, dancing, costumes, music, food and drink, and fireworks. The event’s origins are in the festivities held just before the beginning of the Christian Lenten fasting season.

31. Feria de Abril

If you’re in Barcelona in April, make your way to Parc del Forum in the Diagonal Mar area for Feria de Abril. The two-day event is a celebration of food, drink, and flamenco!

32. Sonar Festival

Does electronic arts music get your toes tapping? Make sure you’re in Barcelona in June for the three-day Sonar Festival. The festival is one of the world’s biggest events for electronic music.

33. La Mercè Festival

Held in September in honour of Our Lady of Mercy, patron saint of Barcelona, the La Mercè Festival is not to be missed! The week-long event offers a staggering variety of activities and entertainment in plazas, streets, museums, and parks.

Where to stay in Barcelona, Spain 

Barcelona is organised into neighbourhoods, each with its own unique charm and attractions. To ensure smooth travel between your desired destinations, it is best to stay within close proximity to a metro station. Capri by Fraser Barcelona serviced hotel apartments, located in the vibrant Sant Marti district, offers excellent connectivity to public transportation, allowing you to explore all corners of the city. Moreover, it provides access to several beautiful beaches and a diverse array of dining and nightlife options in the vicinity.

The hotel also offers contemporary and well-equipped apartments featuring kitchenettes, catering to those who value the convenience of self-catering accommodations. With a comprehensive range of onsite amenities designed to accommodate your 24/7 lifestyle, including a gym, restaurant, bar, and parking space you can experience Barcelona with complete peace of mind.

Check out our latest offers and book your stay with us now!