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Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona, Barcelona

Things to do guide

The best things to do in Barcelona

Updated 1 October 2026 · 16 things to do

Pictured: Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona

Few cities wear their personality as loudly as Barcelona. Gaudí's buildings ripple, sprout and shimmer as if they grew rather than were built, the Gothic Quarter is a maze of medieval lanes and Roman stones, and the city ends in a long strip of sand where you can swim before lunch. Add a food scene that runs from market-counter tapas to late, lingering dinners, and it's easy to see why so many people fall for it.

Book the big Gaudí sights before you travel, then give yourself time to wander. Mornings belong to the architecture, afternoons to the beach or Montjuïc, and evenings to vermut and tapas in El Born or the squares of Gràcia. Dinner rarely starts before nine; nobody's in a hurry here.

Don't miss

  1. 1The Sagrada Família
  2. 2Park Güell
  3. 3Casa Batlló
  4. 4The Gothic Quarter
  5. 5La Rambla and La Boqueria

Gaudí's Barcelona

The buildings that made the city famous.

  1. The Sagrada Família

    Landmark

    The tree-like columns and vaulted ceiling inside the Sagrada Família
    Photo: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Gaudí's extraordinary basilica has been under construction since 1882, and its spires still dominate the skyline. The outside is a riot of carved stone, but the interior is the real knockout: columns branch like trees into a vaulted forest canopy, and stained glass washes the nave in blues and greens on one side and fiery reds and oranges on the other.

    Gaudí devoted the last decades of his life to the project and is buried in its crypt.

    Tip: Book a timed ticket online well in advance; tower visits are booked separately and sell out first.

  2. Park Güell

    Landmark

    The wave-shaped mosaic bench on the main terrace of Park Güell
    Photo: Isiwal, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Gaudí's hillside park was planned as a garden city for the wealthy and became one of his most playful creations: gingerbread-style gatehouses, a mosaic dragon guarding the stairs, and a great terrace edged with a serpentine bench covered in broken-tile mosaic, with the whole city spread out below.

    Tip: Entry to the Monumental Zone is by timed ticket: book ahead and arrive at your slot.

  3. Casa Batlló

    Landmark

    The scaly, dragon-back roof and upper facade of Casa Batlló
    Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0

    On the elegant Passeig de Gràcia, Casa Batlló looks like something from a fairy tale: balconies shaped like masks or skulls, a shimmering facade of coloured glass and ceramic, and a roof that curves like the scaly back of a dragon. Inside, there's hardly a straight line in the place.

    It shares its block with Casa Amatller and Casa Lleó Morera, rival modernista mansions, a stretch nicknamed the Block of Discord.

  4. La Pedrera

    Landmark

    The undulating stone facade of Casa Milà, La Pedrera
    Photo: Thomas Ledl, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Casa Milà, nicknamed La Pedrera (the stone quarry), is an apartment block whose undulating stone facade rolls along the street like a cliff face. The highlight is the roof terrace, where swirling chimneys stand like helmeted sentinels over the city.

The old city

Two thousand years of history packed into a tangle of lanes.

  1. The Gothic Quarter

    Neighbourhood

    The carved stone bridge over Carrer del Bisbe in the Gothic Quarter
    Photo: Felvalen, CC BY-SA 4.0

    The Barri Gòtic is Barcelona's medieval heart, a maze of narrow streets built over the Roman town. Duck under the carved bridge on Carrer del Bisbe, look up at the Gothic cathedral, and find your way to Plaça Reial, a palm-filled square whose lampposts were an early commission for a young Gaudí.

    It's at its most atmospheric early in the morning or late at night, when the lanes empty and footsteps echo.

  2. El Born and the Picasso Museum

    Neighbourhood

    Across Via Laietana, El Born is the old city at its most stylish: boutiques, cocktail bars and tapas joints around the soaring Catalan Gothic church of Santa Maria del Mar. On Carrer de Montcada, a row of medieval palaces holds the Picasso Museum, strong on the artist's early years and formative time in the city.

    Tip: Book the Picasso Museum online for a timed entry.

  3. La Rambla and La Boqueria

    Market

    Stalls inside the Mercat de la Boqueria
    Photo: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0

    La Rambla, the tree-lined promenade running from Plaça de Catalunya down to the sea, is Barcelona's most famous street, and its busiest. Treat it as a route rather than a destination and duck into La Boqueria, the city's great food market: towers of fruit, glistening seafood, hanging hams and tiny counter bars cooking whatever's fresh.

    Tip: Pickpockets work La Rambla hard. Keep bags zipped and phones out of back pockets.

  4. Palau de la Música Catalana

    Landmark

    The stained-glass skylight above the concert hall of the Palau de la Música Catalana
    Photo: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Lluís Domènech i Montaner's modernista concert hall is a UNESCO-listed jewel box of mosaics, sculpted muses and stained glass, crowned by a glowing inverted dome of a skylight. Join a guided tour, or better still, see it the way it was meant to be seen, at a concert.

Beaches and hills

  1. Barceloneta beach

    Beach

    The promenade and sand of Barceloneta beach
    Photo: DimiTalen, CC0

    The city beach starts at the old fishermen's quarter of Barceloneta and runs north along a palm-lined promenade, with beach bars, volleyball nets and a few hardy swimmers all year round. It gets packed in summer; the beaches further north towards Bogatell are usually calmer.

    Tip: Take only what you need to the beach and never leave bags unattended.

  2. Montjuïc

    Nature

    The Palau Nacional on Montjuïc, home of the National Art Museum of Catalonia
    Photo: Felix König, CC BY 3.0

    The green hill above the port is a whole day out: a cable car, a clifftop castle, gardens, the 1992 Olympic stadium and two superb art museums, the Fundació Joan Miró and the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) in the grand Palau Nacional. The terrace in front of the palace has one of the best views in town.

  3. Tibidabo

    Activity

    The highest peak of the Collserola hills behind the city is topped by a neo-Gothic church and a wonderfully old-fashioned amusement park that has been entertaining families for more than a century. On a clear day the view takes in the whole city and the sea.

Eat and drink

  1. Tapas and vermut

    Food

    A spread of tapas served in Barcelona
    Photo: Katherine Price from UK, CC BY 2.0

    Start with pa amb tomàquet, bread rubbed with ripe tomato, olive oil and salt, then work through patatas bravas, croquetas, grilled prawns and the bomba, a spicy potato and meat ball said to have been born in Barceloneta. Before Sunday lunch, do as the locals do and go out 'fer el vermut', a glass of sweet red vermouth over ice with olives and crisps.

  2. Rice by the sea

    Food

    Barcelona's seafront restaurants are the place for seafood paella, arròs negre, rice black with squid ink, and fideuà, its short-noodle cousin. Locals eat rice at lunchtime, not dinner, ideally on a long Sunday afternoon with a bottle of cava.

  3. Gràcia

    Neighbourhood

    Once a separate village, Gràcia still feels like one: low buildings, independent shops and little squares such as Plaça del Sol and Plaça de la Virreina, where the terraces fill up on warm evenings. In August, its Festa Major sees residents decorate whole streets in competition.

Day trips

  1. Montserrat

    Day trip

    The Benedictine abbey of Santa Maria de Montserrat
    Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0

    North-west of the city, a mountain of strange, saw-toothed rock pinnacles shelters a Benedictine monastery, home to La Moreneta, the revered Black Madonna, and one of Europe's oldest boys' choirs. Walking trails lead on from the monastery to viewpoints and hermitages high on the ridge.

    Tip: Trains from Plaça d’Espanya connect with a cable car or rack railway up to the monastery.

  2. Sitges

    Day trip

    A short train ride down the coast, Sitges is a whitewashed seaside town with a string of sandy beaches, a church perched on the headland and a famously lively, welcoming nightlife scene. It's a lovely escape for a beach day away from the city crowds.

Where to stay in Barcelona

Not sure which area suits you? Read our guide: Where to stay in Barcelona →

Getting around

The metro is fast and easy and reaches most of the sights, and the old city and Eixample are a pleasure on foot. Buses and the funicular help with the hills. You won’t need a car in the city; for Montserrat and Sitges, take the train.

When to go

Late spring and early autumn are ideal, warm enough for the beach without the summer crowds. July and August are hot, humid and busy. Winter is mild and quieter, good for sightseeing if not for swimming.

Questions about visiting Barcelona

What is Barcelona best known for?
Gaudí's architecture, above all the Sagrada Família, Park Güell and Casa Batlló, along with the Gothic Quarter, its city beaches, tapas and football.
How many days do you need in Barcelona?
Three or four days covers the Gaudí highlights, the old city, Montjuïc and some beach time. Add a day for Montserrat or Sitges.
Do you need to book the Sagrada Família in advance?
Yes. Tickets are sold for timed slots and often sell out days ahead, especially for the towers. Park Güell and Casa Batlló are also best booked online.
Is Barcelona good for a beach holiday?
It has several kilometres of sandy city beaches, from Barceloneta north to Bogatell and beyond, so you can combine sightseeing with swimming. For quieter sand, take the train to Sitges.

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