This list of 20 essential tips for traveling to Barcelona, will help you prepare a getaway to a city that falls in love at first sight.
With the 1992 Olympic Games Barcelona opened to the Mediterranean Sea and to the whole world. Its great cultural and leisure offer, its old neighborhoods, narrow streets, modernist buildings, parks, terraces, along with a great gastronomy of tapas, fish and seafood, have been delighting the millions of tourists who visit it every year. year.
We can say that Barcelona is one of the cities that we know best and that we have visited more times, so based on our experience, we leave you 20 useful tips that will show you the best way to move around the city, save money and time, in addition to visit less known places and enjoy the most of a trip to Barcelona. We start!
1. Take the subway or bus, instead of the taxi, to get to your accommodation from the airport. You will save money and at peak traffic hours, time.
2. If you do not have many days, do not try to see everything, Barcelona is immense. Much of the charm of the city is being able to walk peacefully through the streets of its oldest neighborhoods, buy or look for a souvenir in its proximity stores or take a good cane in one of its terraces.
In addition, traveling to Barcelona is very economical if you book early. You can check it with Omio and let yourself be surprised.
3. Visit the spectacular Santa Creu and Sant Pau Hospital on the first Sunday of the month, one of the essential places to visit in Barcelona. This site is one of the best examples of modernist architecture in Barcelona, built by the famous architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. This hospital, declared a World Heritage Site, is very close to the Sagrada Familia, so if you do not have many days, it is advisable to combine the two visits. If you want to know better the history of the hospital you can book this guided tour.
Hospital of Santa Creu and Sant Pau
4. Stay away from the most tourist areas like Las Ramblas or the surroundings of the Sagrada Familia. Neighborhoods such as El Born, Poble Nou, Sants, La Barceloneta or Gràcia, among others, have a great gastronomic offer where you can find everything from quality tapas food to daily menus of very cheap traditional Catalan food. A good option is to follow this list of 10 restaurants where to eat in Barcelona very well.
5. See the city from Turó de la Rovira, one of the best viewpoints in Barcelona and one of the best things to do in Barcelona. Here are the Carmel Bunkers, in it you can see the remains of an anti-aircraft battery of the Spanish Civil War. You can arrive by bus and make the last part of the journey on foot.
Without a doubt, one of the best tips for traveling to Barcelona.
6. If you are looking for accommodation not far from the center of Barcelona, a good option is the Airbnb hosting portal. With a wide offer and much cheaper than a hotel, you can rent an apartment or share it with other people.
A good area to stay is the district of L'Eixample, the popular Barrio de Grácia or Poble Nou, especially if you can't find anything affordable in the downtown area.
If you prefer a hotel we recommend the Caledonian, located in the heart of the city and with a great quality / price ratio.
For more information on the best hotels and neighborhoods you can consult this post of where to stay in Barcelona.
7. A great way to explore the city is the bicycle rental service or Bicing (only for residents). Imagine that the city is approaching 200 kilometers of bike lane, becoming one of the easiest cities to travel with this healthy and no polluting means of transport in Barcelona.
8. Another of the Essential tips for traveling to Barcelona It is, besides seeing the outside, visiting the impressive Casa Batlló, one of the most incredible places in Barcelona and the world, which we are sure, will not leave you indifferent.
As a complement to the visit to Casa Batlló, nothing better than doing a free tour with a local guide that will take you for about 2 hours through the most famous sites of the city center, including the magical Gothic neighborhood, explaining the history and curiosities of each place.
Another good free tour is the one made by the modernist monuments, considered one of the best excursions in Barcelona, which passes through the Palau de la Música Catalana de Lluís Domènech i Montaner and Casa Batlló and La Pedrera de Gaudí, among others.
See the facade of Casa Batlló, one of the tips for traveling to Barcelona
9. Discovering Barcelona from the sky, with the Montjuïc cable car, is another of the things that you cannot miss in the city and that will take you from the port area to the Montjuïc Castle.
10. Disconnect from the traffic and noise of the city walking through the popular Parque de la Ciutadella, one of the most beautiful places in Barcelona.
More tips for traveling to Barcelona
11. Visit the interesting Picasso Museum for free on the first Sunday of each month or on Thursday afternoons from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Of course, arrives well in advance to avoid a long wait in line. Without a doubt, one of the best free things in Barcelona.
Other important museums such as the Mnac or CosmoCaixa also have free admission on the first Sunday of each month, keep this in mind if your visit to the city coincides with this day of the month.
12. The best option to get around the city, if you do not feel like using the bicycle rental service, is the subway or the bus. The T-Casual (old multi-person T10 card) will allow you to have cheaper subway or bus trips through all the areas where the most interesting monuments are concentrated.
This is another of those we believe, are the best tips for traveling to Barcelona.
Another good option to save money is to buy the Hola BCN Card! for 2, 3, 4 or 5 days, which allows you unlimited access to public transport in the city.
13. Visiting the Holy Family in the early hours will not only prevent you from coinciding with the organized groups, but also run out of tickets, as these usually run out very quickly.
The best way to avoid long lines is to book this guided tour with which you will secure the entrance.
After visiting the interior you also have the option of climbing one of the towers and enjoying the views, another of the essentials in Barcelona. In this case you can book this guided tour, which includes the ascent to the tower.
The Holy Family
14. Another thing you cannot miss in Barcelona is to take a towel, a good book and relax on the charismatic beach of La Barceloneta. You can take advantage later to visit the neighborhood and of course, try their fresh fish, seafood or paella, in a local restaurant.
15. If you want to enjoy something special, do not forget to see the beautiful spectacle of light and water of the Magic Fountain of Montjuic. You can check the schedules on the City Council page.
16. Do some running, cycling or rollerblading along the promenade until you reach the photogenic W hotel or the Forum, is another thing you can not miss. Do not forget that Barcelona is one of the cities where it is easier to practice any type of sport.
17. Buy take-away food and have a picnic in the photogenic park of Labyrinth of Horta, the oldest garden in Barcelona, can be a great option to enjoy the less known Barcelona.
18. Walk aimlessly through the Gothic Quarter until you find the Plaza de Sant Felip Neri, one of the most beautiful and unknown squares in the city.
Gothic Quarter
19. Forget about the currency exchange, at least to pay in the most tourist places and in the restaurants. In Barcelona you can pay virtually everywhere with a credit card.
20. Stroll several times and during different times of the day on the Ramblas, the most famous street in Barcelona. During the tour you can not miss the La Boqueria market, full of quality product stalls and perfect for tapas. Do not forget before leaving the city to drink at the Canaletas fountain. They say that he who drinks his water returns to Barcelona. You'll want to check it, right?
Do you want to organize a trip to Barcelona?
Get it here:
The best offers of Flights to Barcelona here
The best hotels at the best prices in Barcelona here
Book the best tours and excursions in Barcelona in Spanish here
Book your Barcelona⇆ Airport transfer here
Book your Barcelona Pass with all the advantages here
Barcelona guide in one day
Rent your car in Barcelona at the best price here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
The best offers of Flights to Barcelona here
The best hotels at the best prices in Barcelona here
Book the best tours and excursions in Barcelona in Spanish here
Book your Barcelona⇆ Airport transfer here
Book your Barcelona Pass with all the advantages here
Barcelona guide in one day
Rent your car in Barcelona at the best price here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount hereIf you feel like helping us expand the list of 20 tips for traveling to Barcelona, add yours in the comments.
** This article is written as part of a collaboration as Omio Ambassadors, but always based on our experiences, with original content and without any brand having influenced us in any case.
