Barcelona Itinerary: Planning Your Time

By Rick Steves

So much to see, so little time. To help you plan your sightseeing, I've listed my ideal itineraries for Barcelona, whether you're going for one day, two days, three days, or more.

Barcelona is easily worth two days, and no one would regret having a third day (or a fourth, or a fifth…). If you can spare only one full day for the city, it will be a scramble, but a day you'll never forget.

When planning your time, be aware that many top sights are closed on Monday — making them especially crowded on Tuesday and Sunday. Some of Barcelona's major sights can have long lines, such as the Sagrada Família and La Pedrera; it's smart to make advance tickets.

With that in mind, here are my recommended priorities:

Barcelona in One Day

For a relaxing day, stroll the Ramblas, see the Sagrada Família, add the Picasso Museum if you're a fan, and have dinner in the trendy El Born district.

To fit in much more, try the following ambitious but doable plan. You'll have to rush through the big sights (cathedral, Picasso Museum, Sagrada Família), having just enough time to visit each one but not to linger.

9:00  From Plaça de Catalunya (with its handy tourist information office), peruse the Barri Gòtic neighborhood (follow my guidebooks' self-guided walk, also available as a free audio tour) and tour the Cathedral of Barcelona.

11:00  Circle back to Plaça de Catalunya and stroll Las Ramblas to the harborfront (ideally, following my guidebooks' self-guided "Ramblas Ramble").

12:30  Walk along the harborfront to El Born, grabbing a quick lunch.

14:00  Tour the Picasso Museum.

16:00  Hop a taxi or the Metro to the Sagrada Família.

18:00  Taxi, bus, or walk to Passeig de Gràcia in the Eixample to see the exteriors of Gaudí's La Pedrera (a.k.a. Casa Milà) and the Block of Discord. Stroll back down toward Plaça de Catalunya.

19:00  Wander back into the Barri Gòtic at prime paseo time. Enjoy an early tapas dinner along the way, or a restaurant dinner later in the Old City.

Barcelona in Two or More Days

To better sample the city's ample charm, spread your visit over several days. With at least two days, divide and conquer the town geographically: Spend one day in the Old City (Ramblas, Barri Gòtic/cathedral area, Picasso Museum/El Born) and another on the Eixample and Gaudí sights (La Pedrera, Sagrada Família, Park Güell). If you have a third day, visit Montjuïc and/or side-trip to Montserrat.

With extra time on any day, consider taking a hop-on, hop-off bus tour for a sightseeing overview (for example, the Tourist Bus blue route links most Gaudí sights and could work well on Day 2).

Day 1 — Old City

9:00  Follow my "Barri Gòtic Walk" (a self-guided walk you can find in my Spain guidebooks) and tour the cathedral.

11:00  Head to Plaça de Catalunya, then follow my "Ramblas Ramble" to the harborfront.

13:00  Grab lunch in El Born or the Barri Gòtic.

14:00  Tour the Palace of Catalan Music in El Born (advance reservation required).

15:00  Explore El Born, and visit the Picasso Museum.

Evening  For an early dinner, sample tapas at several bars in El Born (or the Eixample or Barri Gòtic); to dine at a restaurant, go when locals do, around 21:00. Evening activities include sightseeing (some sights have late hours on certain nights of the week), concerts, or hanging out at a chiringuito beach bar in Barceloneta. Another fun evening activity is to zip up to Montjuïc for the sunset and a drink on the Catalan Art Museum's terrace, then head down to the Magic Fountains.

Day 2 — Modernisme

9:00  Check out the Eixample (you can take the self-guided walk in my Barcelona guidebook — or in my Pocket Barcelona guide), touring La Pedrera and/or one of the Block of Discord houses — Casa Batlló or Casa Amatller (by guided tour only).

12:00  Eat an early lunch in the Eixample, then tour the Sagrada Família.

14:00  Choose among these options: Taxi or bus to Park Güell for more Gaudí. Or take the bus to Montjuïc (if you're not going to Montjuïc on Day 3) to enjoy the city view and your pick of sights. Or explore the harborfront La Rambla de Mar and Old Port (unless you already did this on Day 1, at the end of the "Ramblas Ramble").

Evening  Choose among the evening activities listed earlier.

Day 3 — Montjuïc and Barceloneta

Morning  Tour Montjuïc from top to bottom (both physically and in order of importance), stopping at these sights: Fundació Joan Miró, Catalan Art Museum, and CaixaForum. If the weather is good, take the scenic cable-car ride down from Montjuïc to the port, and spend the rest of the day at Barceloneta — stroll the promenade, hit the beach, and find your favorite chiringuito (beach bar) for dinner.

Day 4

Consider a day trip to the mountaintop monastery of Montserrat, the beach resort town of Sitges, and the Salvador Dalí sights at Figueres and Cadaqués (reserve both in advance; see the next chapter).

Connecting with the Rest of Spain

Located in the far northeast corner of Spain, Barcelona makes a good first or last stop for your trip. With the high-speed AVE train, Barcelona is three hours away from Madrid — faster and more comfortable than flying. Or you could sandwich Barcelona between flights. From the US, it's as easy to fly into Barcelona as it is to land in Madrid, Lisbon, or Paris. Those who plan on renting a car later in their trip can start here, take the train or fly to Madrid, and sightsee Madrid and Toledo, all before picking up a car — cleverly saving on several days' worth of rental fees.