Barcelona

Barcelona is a must-see tourist destination if you are a big city tourism lover. Architecture, art, culture, culinary, beautiful beaches, fantastic nightlife with plenty of entertainment options – these extras are all included in one city only, the city of Barcelona!

See Top Attractions in Barcelona

About the city of Barcelona

Barcelona is the capital of Cataluña, as well as the second largest city in Spain, coming straight after the Spanish capital, Madrid. Barcelona is located at the Mediterranean Sea coats, between the rivers of El Llobregat and Besos. Besides the main Barcelona port, which is, by the way, one of the most significant ports on the continent, the city has two more yacht harbours, were usually the most expensive yachts on the planet moor.

Area – 101,9 km2
Population – nearly 1,6 million of citizens
Resort – nearly 7.5 tourists per year (or this is one of the most visited cities in Europe)
Official language – Catalonian, Spanish
Airport – El Prat

Tip: Unfortunately, alongside with the progress of the tourist in this city, there’s also big progress of the local petty crime. There are quite a lot of situations you can appear and get robbed, left with no wallet, including if you carry it in a bag, while you are enjoying any of the city’s landmarks or while you are being engaged in a conversation. So, please, take care of your personal belongings and be attentive enough for pickpockets.

What’s the most suitable time to visit Barcelona?

If you want to combine the lovely tour of this metropolitan city with a relaxing seaside vacation, then I recommend you to plan your tour during the summer season. However, as a whole, Barcelona is a place you can enjoy round the whole year because the local climate is very favourable.

Yearly min temp – nearly 5°C
Yearly max temp –nearly 30 °C
Hottest months – July, August
Coldest months – December, January, February
Possibility for rain – during autumn and spring months
Transportation
Rent a car

If you want to travel to any other destination nearby Barcelona, using a rent-a-car service would be a very nice decision of yours, but if you plan only sightseeing in the city, I don’t recommend you to get around by car. There are quite cheaper and faster ways to move from one to another Barcelona’s attraction. Besides, by avoiding getting around the city by car, you will also avoid the headache while looking for some parking space.

Public transportation

The city’s public transportation is a great and recommended mean of transportation in Barcelona. You can reach almost any selected attraction very fast with the subway. There are 144 metro stations in total, and a new train comes in a few minutes after the previous one.

The local buses are also very convenient and with a regular schedule, but travelling with them takes a bit more time.

I strongly recommend your TMB App (Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona), which is, by the way, 100% free. The application provides you with information about the current schedules and routes of all metro and bus lines, as well as a chance to get a ticket for each of these lines.

You can travel either with a bus or on a train to reach the city from the airport.

Tip: Check out the prices for the local tickets and maps in the offer for combo travel as in most cases this is the top affordable alternative to get around Barcelona. For instance, the ticket T10 is valid for travel with the train, the subway and with a bus, plus, it offers you the right to travel ten times (each time should be within the last 75 minutes).

Tourist buses

The tourist buses also represent an excellent option to get around such a big city. Moreover – here in Barcelona the tickets for such a bus are very reasonable. There’s a new tourist bus per every 15 minutes, and it might take you to any significant tourist point in the city.

Rent a bike

There are lots of cycle tracks in Barcelona, but meanwhile, riding a bike, while sightseeing is, by all means, one of the best ways to experience the city’s atmosphere. There are a lot of companies that offer rent-a-bike services and some of them even arrange specially tailored tourist tours with bikes.

Taxi

You can catch a taxi in almost any zone in Barcelona, but of course, it’s not the most affordable way to get around the city at all.

Here are the telephone numbers of the top taxi companies in Barcelona:

Book Taxi Barcelona

Telefon: +34 935210651

RadioTaxi Miramar

Telefon: +34 934331020

Radio Taxi033

Telefon: +34 933033033
Food

Dear culinary lovers, I have some news for you – in Barcelona, you will definitely get satisfied. You want to grab some tasty sandwich, tapas, paella or taste the authentic national drink Sangria? You can find them right at any corner of the city, but I strongly recommend you to visit La Boqueria Market. Save for tasty and multifarious food and drinks you will be offered here; the market provides you experience to remember for life!

Of course, there are also lots of restaurants in Barcelona, and they can all satisfy your desire for fantastic food. Most of them are situated in the downtown or Barri Gotic, El Raval, La Ribera and nearby the Port Olimpic.

If you, on the other side, plan an exquisite dinner, it would be good for you to know that there are 23 Michelin-starred restaurants in total in Barcelona. And two of them, by the way, not one or two, but 3 Michelin stars.

Personally I prefer to have a bite in any of the local restaurants or bar and dinners with the authentic environment and traditional cuisine so that I can get as close as possible to the local city’s atmosphere and charm. You will find such places in the Gracia neighbourhood, and they are, as a matter of fact, very appropriate and convenient for a quick and pleasant break on your way to Park Guell to Sagada Familia.

Activities

Swimming, walks, cycling, sopping, fun with the kids – these are just a few of the things to do in Barcelona to experience a nice vacation in the second largest city in Spain.

Beaches

The port and the old sailor’s neighbourhood in Barcelona are only 10 minutes away from downtown. And they are top starting points for a pleasant walk along the 4.5 km beachside.

Nightlife and entertainment

You will find plenty of bars and discos in Barcelona, and some of them are even located right on the beach where in summer lots of cool parties are arranged. It’s hard to tell where the best parties are because it’s all about your personal taste, but it’s good to know that in many of the greatest clubs the hottest and the authentic Barcelona nightlife starts after 2 PM.

The top attractions to see in Barcelona

Often called the City of Gaudi, because, indeed, Gaudi has contributed to the Catalonian capital life a lot, Barcelona mainly offers attractions that are “produced” by Gaudi. Yet, we should not forget mentioning the rest of the great people, who have left their marks on the city – like Picasso, Joan Miro, Lluis Domenech I Montaner.

Top Attractions in Barcelona:

Sagrada Familia
Park Güell
Casa Batllo
Casa Mila
Camp Nou
Tibidabo
Font Magica
Picasso Museum