What is the number one thing to do in Barcelona?

On this site's list: stand inside Gaudí's forest of stone at the Sagrada Família. Then sit on Gaudí's mosaic bench at Park Güell, and walk through the house of bones at Casa Batlló. The order is this site's own: what a first visit should do first.

What can you do in Barcelona for free?

3 of the 20 things on this list cost nothing: Gothic Quarter and the Cathedral, Santa Maria del Mar and El Born and La Rambla and La Boqueria.

What is there to do in Barcelona when it rains?

11 of the 20 are under a roof: Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló, La Pedrera (Casa Milà), Picasso Museum, MNAC, National Art Museum of Catalonia, Santa Maria del Mar and El Born, Palau de la Música Catalana, Fundació Joan Miró, Casa Vicens, FC Barcelona Museum and Camp Nou and Flamenco show.

What is there to do in Barcelona at night?

Casa Batlló, La Pedrera (Casa Milà), Gothic Quarter and the Cathedral, Santa Maria del Mar and El Born, Palau de la Música Catalana, La Rambla and La Boqueria, Flamenco show, Tapas and Catalan food and The sea, the port and the Barceloneta are all at their best after dark.

How many days do you need in Barcelona?

The 18 things on this list that are in the city add up to between 24 and 44 hours of visiting, by this site's estimates, without the time to get between them. At about six hours of visiting a day, that is 4 to 8 days for all of them, and three or four days for the first ten.

What are the best day trips from Barcelona?

Montserrat (an hour from Barcelona) and Girona and the Dalí Museum (north of Barcelona). Each takes a full day.

The 20 best, in orderBest things to do in Barcelona

What to do in Barcelona, from the first morning to the last night: the 20 things worth your time, in the order this site would do them, with how long each takes, what it costs and when to go.

20
Things to do, in order: 3
Cost nothing: 11
Are under a roof, for a wet day: 8
Take two hours or less

Show

All 20

1Church
Picture: Jopparn, CC BY-SA 3.0
Stand inside Gaudí's forest of stone at the Sagrada Família
Church, Eixample
Gaudí's unfinished basilica, begun in 1882 and still rising, with its branching columns, its coloured light and two carved façades, the Nativity and the Passion.
Time to allow
1.5 to 2.5 hours
Cost
Ticket with a start time, sold online
Best time
In the late afternoon, when the sun is low on the west windows
4.8337,346 Google ratingsFrom €33.80
Read the guide
2Garden
Picture: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sit on Gaudí's mosaic bench at Park Güell
Garden, Gràcia
A hillside garden city that never was, built by Gaudí for Eusebi Güell from 1900: the mosaic dragon, the columned market hall and the long serpentine bench over the city.
Time to allow
1 to 2 hours
Cost
Ticket with a start time for the monumental area
Best time
At opening, before the crowds and the heat
4.4244,209 Google ratingsFrom €21.50
Read the guide
3Monument
Picture: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0
Walk through the house of bones at Casa Batlló
Monument, Passeig de Gràcia
The town house Gaudí remade for Josep Batlló in 1904 to 1906, with a front of bone-like balconies, a dragon's back for a roof and rooms without a straight line.
Time to allow
1 to 1.5 hours
Cost
Ticket
Best time
First thing in the morning, or an evening visit
4.7222,110 Google ratingsFrom €29
Read the guide
4Monument
Picture: Yair Haklai, CC BY-SA 4.0
Walk among the chimney warriors on La Pedrera's roof
Monument, Passeig de Gràcia
The apartment block Gaudí built for the Milà family in 1906 to 1912, a wave of stone on the Passeig de Gràcia, with a roof of chimneys like helmeted warriors.
Time to allow
1 to 1.5 hours
Cost
Ticket
Best time
Early in the morning or after four
4.6115,166 Google ratingsFrom €29
Read the guide
5Walk
Picture: Suicasmo, CC BY-SA 4.0
Get lost in the Gothic Quarter around the Cathedral
Walk, Barri Gòtic
The old heart of Barcelona, on the site of the Roman town of Barcino: narrow lanes, medieval squares and the Gothic cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia.
Time to allow
1.5 to 3 hours
Cost
Free to walk, a ticket for the Cathedral's roof and choir
Best time
Early in the morning, before the shops open
4.685,719 Google ratingsFrom €18
How to do it
6Museum
Picture: Enric, CC BY-SA 4.0
See how Picasso became Picasso at his Barcelona museum
Museum, El Born
Picasso's early years, the teenage prodigy of Barcelona, and his series on Velázquez's Las Meninas, in five medieval palaces on the Carrer de Montcada.
Time to allow
1.5 to 2.5 hours
Cost
Ticket, free at set times with a booking
Best time
A weekday morning, booked ahead
4.440,620 Google ratingsFrom €37
Read the guide
7Museum
Picture: Felix König, CC BY 3.0
Stand before the Romanesque Christ of Taüll at the MNAC
Museum, Montjuïc
The art of Catalonia from the Romanesque to the twentieth century in the Palau Nacional on Montjuïc, with the finest collection of Romanesque wall paintings in the world.
Time to allow
2 to 4 hours
Cost
Ticket, free on Saturday afternoons and first Sundays
Best time
A weekday, then the terrace at sunset
4.739,872 Google ratingsFrom €12
Read the guide
8Church
Picture: Kent Wang, CC BY-SA 4.0
Climb to the roof of Santa Maria del Mar and wander El Born
Church, El Born
The great church of Barcelona's medieval sailors and merchants, the purest Catalan Gothic, built in the fourteenth century in fifty-four years, in the heart of the lively Born quarter.
Time to allow
1 to 2.5 hours
Cost
Free to enter at set hours, a ticket for the roof tour
Best time
Late in the morning, then the Born's bars in the evening
4.740,779 Google ratingsFrom €21
How to do it
9Monument
Picture: Tudoi61, CC BY-SA 4.0
Look up at the glass sun of the Palau de la Música
Monument, Sant Pere
The concert hall Lluís Domènech i Montaner built for the Orfeó Català in 1905 to 1908, Modernisme at its most exuberant, with a stained-glass skylight like an upturned sun.
Time to allow
50 to 120 minutes
Cost
Ticket for a visit, or a concert
Best time
A morning visit, or better, an evening concert
4.756,316 Google ratingsFrom €20
Read the guide
10Walk
Picture: Moheen Reeyad, CC BY-SA 4.0
Walk La Rambla and eat at La Boqueria
Walk, La Rambla
Barcelona's famous promenade, from the Plaça de Catalunya down to the sea, with La Boqueria, the great food market, halfway along, and the arcaded Plaça Reial just off it.
Time to allow
1 to 2 hours
Cost
Free to walk
Best time
The market in the morning, before noon
4.5217,711 Google ratingsFrom €14
How to do it
11Monument
Walk through the Modernista hospital of Sant Pau
Monument, Guinardó
The Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, a city of tiled pavilions and gardens built by Domènech i Montaner from 1902, a hospital until 2009 and now open to visitors.
Time to allow
1 to 2 hours
Cost
Ticket
Best time
A weekday morning, after the Sagrada Família
4.662,521 Google ratingsFrom €18
Read the guide
12Museum
Picture: Arnaucc, CC BY-SA 3.0
See Miró's own collection on Montjuïc
Museum, Montjuïc
The museum Joan Miró founded for his own work in 1975, in a white building by his friend Josep Lluís Sert among the gardens of Montjuïc.
Time to allow
1.5 to 2.5 hours
Cost
Ticket
Best time
A sunny morning, for the light on the terraces
4.515,137 Google ratingsFrom €18
Read the guide
13Monument
Picture: Daniel Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ride the cable car to Montjuïc Castle
Monument, Montjuïc
The green hill above the port, with gardens, the Olympic stadium and an eighteenth-century castle at the top, reached by a cable car with views over the city and the sea.
Time to allow
1.5 to 3 hours
Cost
Ticket for the cable car, the hill is free
Best time
Late afternoon, for the light over the port
4.462,288 Google ratingsFrom €19
How to do it
14Monument
Picture: Canaan, CC BY-SA 4.0
Visit Casa Vicens, Gaudí's first house
Monument, Gràcia
The summer house Gaudí built in Gràcia in 1883 to 1885, his first major work, tiled in green and white with marigolds and full of Moorish fantasy, open as a museum since 2017.
Time to allow
1 to 1.5 hours
Cost
Ticket
Best time
A weekday, with Park Güell the same day
4.723,396 Google ratingsFrom €24
How to do it
15Museum
Picture: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez (Lmbuga), CC BY-SA 3.0
Visit the home of FC Barcelona at Camp Nou
Museum, Les Corts
The museum of FC Barcelona, the club founded in 1899, with its trophies and an immersive tour, at Camp Nou, the stadium opened in 1957 and being rebuilt.
Time to allow
1.5 to 2 hours
Cost
Ticket
Best time
A weekday that is not a match day
4.6170,071 Google ratingsFrom €30.10
How to do it
16Show
Picture: Mercebcn, CC BY 3.0
See flamenco danced on the Rambla
Show, La Rambla
The song, guitar and dance of Andalusia, close up in a tablao. Barcelona was the birthplace of Carmen Amaya, one of the greatest flamenco dancers of the century.
Time to allow
1 to 2.5 hours
Cost
Ticket, with a drink or dinner as you choose
Best time
An evening show, booked ahead
4.75,469 Google ratingsFrom €35
How to do it
17Walk
Picture: Katherine Price, CC BY 2.0
Eat your way through Barcelona on a tapas walk
Walk, Old town
Pa amb tomàquet, bombas, anchovies and vermouth: an evening walking between the bars of the old town, the Born and the Barceloneta.
Time to allow
2.5 to 3.5 hours
Cost
A tour, or the bill
Best time
Early evening, the hour of vermouth
From €52.80
How to do it
18On the water
Picture: CPG83, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sail along the seafront at sunset
On the water, Barceloneta
Barcelona turned back to the sea for the Olympics of 1992: the beaches of the Barceloneta, the old port, and a sail along the shore at sunset.
Time to allow
1.5 to 3 hours
Cost
A boat ticket, the beach is free
Best time
At sunset, from spring to autumn
4.416,760 Google ratingsFrom €28
How to do it
19Day trip
Picture: Orlith1, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ride up to the monastery of Montserrat
Day trip, Montserrat, an hour from Barcelona
A Benedictine monastery on a ledge of a jagged mountain an hour from Barcelona, home of the Black Madonna and one of the oldest boys' choirs in Europe.
Time to allow
A full day
Cost
Train or a tour, the basilica is free
Best time
A clear day, early
4.760,824 Google ratingsFrom €52.10
How to do it
20Day trip
Picture: Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0
Visit Dalí's theatre-museum in Figueres and old Girona
Day trip, Girona and Figueres, north of Barcelona
The museum Salvador Dalí made of the old theatre of his home town, Figueres, where he is buried, and Girona's old town of coloured houses over the river Onyar.
Time to allow
A full day
Cost
Train or a tour, a ticket for the museum
Best time
A full day, the museum in the morning
4.653,376 Google ratingsFrom €65.25
How to do it

How long each one takes

The time to allow for each, shortest first, so you can see what fits into a spare hour and what needs a day. These are this site's estimates for an unhurried visit.

Casa Batlló1 to 1.5 hours
La Pedrera (Casa Milà)1 to 1.5 hours
Casa Vicens1 to 1.5 hours
Palau de la Música Catalana50 to 120 minutes
Park Güell1 to 2 hours
La Rambla and La Boqueria1 to 2 hours
Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site1 to 2 hours
FC Barcelona Museum and Camp Nou1.5 to 2 hours
Santa Maria del Mar and El Born1 to 2.5 hours
Flamenco show1 to 2.5 hours
Sagrada Família1.5 to 2.5 hours
Picasso Museum1.5 to 2.5 hours
Fundació Joan Miró1.5 to 2.5 hours
Gothic Quarter and the Cathedral1.5 to 3 hours
Montjuïc and its cable car1.5 to 3 hours
The sea, the port and the Barceloneta1.5 to 3 hours
Tapas and Catalan food2.5 to 3.5 hours
MNAC, National Art Museum of Catalonia2 to 4 hours
MontserratA full day
Girona and the Dalí MuseumA full day

The track is eight hours long. The bar ends at the longest visit, and the line inside it marks the shortest.

What visitors say

Each place's overall rating on Google, and how many people have given one. The longer the bar, the more people have been and said so.

Sagrada Família4.8337,346 Google ratings
Park Güell4.4244,209 Google ratings
Casa Batlló4.7222,110 Google ratings
La Rambla and La Boqueria4.5217,711 Google ratings
FC Barcelona Museum and Camp Nou4.6170,071 Google ratings
La Pedrera (Casa Milà)4.6115,166 Google ratings
Gothic Quarter and the Cathedral4.685,719 Google ratings
Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site4.662,521 Google ratings
Montjuïc and its cable car4.462,288 Google ratings
Montserrat4.760,824 Google ratings
Palau de la Música Catalana4.756,316 Google ratings
Girona and the Dalí Museum4.653,376 Google ratings
Santa Maria del Mar and El Born4.740,779 Google ratings
Picasso Museum4.440,620 Google ratings
MNAC, National Art Museum of Catalonia4.739,872 Google ratings
Casa Vicens4.723,396 Google ratings
The sea, the port and the Barceloneta4.416,760 Google ratings
Fundació Joan Miró4.515,137 Google ratings
Flamenco show4.75,469 Google ratings

Read on Google Maps. Ratings change, and so will this.

Where they are

Each number is a thing on the list, where it stands in Barcelona: the blue is the sea, the green blocks are the parks, gardens and cemeteries. North is up and each square of the grid is one kilometre, so you can see what is next to what and plan a day on foot.

Things to do in Barcelona: common questions

What is the number one thing to do in Barcelona?: On this site's list: stand inside Gaudí's forest of stone at the Sagrada Família. Then sit on Gaudí's mosaic bench at Park Güell, and walk through the house of bones at Casa Batlló. The order is this site's own: what a first visit should do first.
What can you do in Barcelona for free?: 3 of the 20 things on this list cost nothing: Gothic Quarter and the Cathedral, Santa Maria del Mar and El Born and La Rambla and La Boqueria.
What is there to do in Barcelona when it rains?: 11 of the 20 are under a roof: Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló, La Pedrera (Casa Milà), Picasso Museum, MNAC, National Art Museum of Catalonia, Santa Maria del Mar and El Born, Palau de la Música Catalana, Fundació Joan Miró, Casa Vicens, FC Barcelona Museum and Camp Nou and Flamenco show.
What is there to do in Barcelona at night?: Casa Batlló, La Pedrera (Casa Milà), Gothic Quarter and the Cathedral, Santa Maria del Mar and El Born, Palau de la Música Catalana, La Rambla and La Boqueria, Flamenco show, Tapas and Catalan food and The sea, the port and the Barceloneta are all at their best after dark.
How many days do you need in Barcelona?: The 18 things on this list that are in the city add up to between 24 and 44 hours of visiting, by this site's estimates, without the time to get between them. At about six hours of visiting a day, that is 4 to 8 days for all of them, and three or four days for the first ten.
What are the best day trips from Barcelona?: Montserrat (an hour from Barcelona) and Girona and the Dalí Museum (north of Barcelona). Each takes a full day.

Where to eat in Barcelona

All 20 restaurants in Barcelona, ranked

Where to stay in Barcelona

All 9 hotels in Barcelona, ranked

How the list is made

The choice and the order are this site's: what a first visit to Barcelona should do first. Nobody has paid to be on the list or to be higher on it. The times are estimates for an unhurried visit, not measurements.

Where a row shows a price, it is the lowest price of the ticket or tour its page links to, as its seller showed it on the day the page was checked. The ratings are Google's and change over time.

Museums and attractions in Barcelona Things to do, by city