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  • Writer's pictureMaddie
    • Jul 8
    • 3 min read

5-day itinerary for Barcelona, Spain!

Updated: Jul 18

Everything you need to know about maximizing your trip to Barcelona!


Day trip to Montserrat

Lots of Barcelona can be reached by walking but using public transportation or renting a car is also an option! Chances are you are not going to have enough time to see everything, I tried to narrow down our top and share them with you!


Doing a Hop-On-Hop-Off tour is a great way to see most of the top attractions! I would definitely recommend this especially if you are not planning on renting a car.


Bucket List for Barcelona:

Sagrada Familia

Parc de la Ciutadella

Palau de la Musica Catalana

Park Guell

Casa Batillo

La Boqueria

Santa Maria del Mar

Magic Fountain of Montjuic

Camp Nou

Las Ramblas

Arc de Triomf

Barri Gotic

Museu Picasso

Columbus Monument

Museu Nacional D'Art de Catalunya

Cosmocaixa

Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art

Parc del Laberint d'Horta

Barcelona Cathedral

Encants Vells

La Barceloneta

Olympic Stadium

Barcelona Zoo

Placa d'Espanya

Montjuic Castle

Tibidabo Amusement Park

Poble Espanyol

Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Drink some Sangria

Dance some salsa

Eat some Paella

Watch a Flamenco Show


Best time to visit:


April, May, September, and October are the best months to go sightseeing in Barcelona. Barcelona is least crowded during the shoulder seasons of March - April and September - October.


Walking through El Born neighborhood.

Most popular neighborhoods to visit:

  1. Gràcia. Best neighborhood for trendsetters

  2. Barceloneta. Best neighborhood for beaches

  3. El Born. Best neighborhood for sights

  4. L'Eixample. Best neighborhood for Gaudí architecture

  5. El Raval. Best neighborhood for bars

  6. Barri Gòtic. Best neighborhood for history

Popular restaurants:

Address: C. de Villarroel, 163, 08036 Barcelona, Spain

Address: C. del Doctor Dou, 19, 08001 Barcelona, Spain

Address: Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 664, 08010 Barcelona, Spain



MIAM Brunch La Sagrada Familla


Hotel recommendations:


The best areas to stay in Barcelona for the first time are Barri Gótica, Plaza de Catalunya, Eixample, El Born, and Poble Sec. These five areas are by far the most popular ones.

Address: C/ de Còrsega, 482, 08025 Barcelona, Spain•+34 933 47 84 86

Address: C/ del Rosselló, 390, 08025 Barcelona, Spain•+34 936 00 92 00

Address: C/ de Balmes, 103, 08008 Barcelona, Spain•+34 932 73 00 00R



Hotel Barcelona Center

We personally stayed at the Hotel Barcelona Center and loved its timeless style and elegance. It was pretty well located in the middle of lots of the top sights in Barcelona and we were able to quite a bit by foot. We did rent a car though for the day trips and some of the farther locations. Personally, my husband loves the freedom that we get when we rent a car so that's usually what we do.

 


Here is the itinerary we used while in Barcelona. I always tend to add more places than we could possibly visit just in case of weather or changes in our plans. I always try to get my most sought-after stops done near the start of the day.


Day 1: Our flight got in pretty late so we decided to just check out what was near our hotel.

  • Placa de Catalunya

  • La Rambla

  • Gothic Quarter

  • Cathedral of Barcelona

  • Petit Palau

Day 2: Barcelona by foot, we were able to do these from our hotel! Depending on where you are staying you may need to tweak these around for yourself.

  • La Pedera-Casa Mila

  • Casa Batillo

  • Citizen Cafe Barcelona

  • Palau de la Musica Catalana

  • Arc de Triomf

  • Ciutadella Park

  • Barcelona Zoo

  • Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar

  • Picasso Museum

Day 3: Travel up to Montserrat, you can do this by car, bus, taxi, or take a ride up the cable car!

Day 4: Easy trip from Barcelona.

  • Brunch & Cake

  • La Sagrada Familia

  • Aigua-Xelida

  • Tossa de Mar

  • Lloret de Mar

  • Blanes

Day 5: Finish up in Barcelona before we fly out!

  • Casa Vicens

  • Boldu

  • Columbus Monument

  • La Barceloneta

  • San Sebastian Beach

  • Montjuic Castle

  • Magic Fountain of Montjuic

  • Placa d'Espanya

  • Poble Espanyol

Free things to do in Barcelona:

  • Get lost in the Barri Gòtic

  • Arc de Triomf

  • Visit a Museum on Sunday - Visit the free museums on Sundays from 3 pm to 8 pm.

  • See the Roman ruins at El Born Cultural Center

  • Stroll down La Rambla

I have a FULL list of freebies for Barcelona here!!


Arc de Triomf

Looking for more Barcelona inspiration? Check out these other posts from our travels to Spain!

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