Bucket List for Barcelona, Spain!

Everything you need to know about visiting Barcelona!

Getting ready for that trip to Barcelona? Here is everything you need to know about visiting this beautiful city that has something for everyone!

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.

Popular traditions:

Corpus Christi - L'ou com balla

One of Barcelona's home-grown traditions commemorates the celebration of the Christian Eucharist with a symbolic egg that "dances" on the jets of fountains in some of the city's most beautiful Gothic courtyards and squares. A beautiful and bewitching tradition you simply can't miss.

Holy Week

One of the most important traditions on the Christian calendar remembers Christ's final days on Earth. In Barcelona, in addition to the religious services at the city's churches and street processions, people enjoy traditional sweet treats, like Lenten fritters, bunyols de Quaresma, and cakes topped with chocolate sculptures, Mones de Pasqua.

Missa del Gall and Cant de la Sibil·la

These are two of the most emotional religious traditions you can see. Midnight mass, known as the Missa del Gall in Catalan, takes place at midnight on Christmas Eve and celebrates the birth of Christ. Before mass is said, there is a performance of the Song of the Sybil, or Cant de la Sibil·la, a play accompanied by a Gregorian chant that is held in the city's main places of worship, including the cathedral and Santa Maria del Mar.

More can be found on Visit Barcelonas Website

Strolling through El Born neighborhood.

Most popular neighborhood 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:

• Disfrutar Fine Dining: Experimental tasting menus emphasize Mediterranean seafood in an airy, upscale dining room.

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

• Dos Pebrots: Restaurant Relaxed spot with a hip ambiance offering an innovative twist on classic Mediterranean dishes.

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

• Rooftop Garden - El Palace Barcelona Restaurant: Rooftop Garden with a 360º view of Barcelona!

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

Boldu had the most amazing doughnuts and pastries!

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.

• Radisson Blu 1882 Hotel, Barcelona Sagrada Familia: 4-star tourist hotel

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

• Sercotel Rosellón: 4-star tourist hotel

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

• Hotel Barcelona Center: 4-star tourist hotel

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

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.

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!

• Bucket List for Barcelona, Spain!

• Full List of FREE things to do in Barcelona!

• 5-day itinerary for Barcelona, Spain!

• Best Barcelona Beaches

• Easy day trips from Barcelona

• Selfie spots in Barcelona

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