Date of publication 21/07/2023
Everything you should know Complete holiday Guide of Barcelona
Barcelona is considered one of the best cities in the world due to its singularity, and there is no question why. It way be due to its artistic spirit, with a Bohemian and refined taste in every corner. Or it could be the uniqueness marked in each of its streets, the life that each of its neighborhoods exudes or that je ne sais quoi that stares at the city from the sky and wraps it around like a perfect present, giving it a unique and eclectic personality. Barcelona may be the perfect balance between the past and the future, whilst it always keeps an eye on discovery through an array of senses to view the present: here and now.
Looking for plans, the best gastronomy, special visits and tours? Asking yourself which are the most recommendable restaurants? What you can see during your stay in the Catalan capital? Are you visiting with kids? We have created this complete guide of Barcelona to help you answer all of these questions (and a few more) with freedom and style. The same freedom and style you demand for your trips.
Where to eat in Barcelona
Before we tell you about the best places to eat in Barcelona, we suggest you find and go up for a drink on a rooftop. Imagine yourself with a cocktail at sunset to whet your appetite, with Antoni Gaudí's Sagrada Familia silhouetted against the Mediterranean Sea. Now you are hungry, and maybe you could go to some of these restaurants.
Ca's Menestral
Its philosophy is to turn each dish into a piece of craftsmanship. Mediterranean and Balearic gastronomy are fused with international flavours in its preparations, giving each mouthful a unique touch of taste, aroma and colour. In addition, it is certified as a responsible fishery, so all the seafood and fish served at its tables comes from fishing sources committed to sustainability.
Enigma
With a Michelin Star and headed by Albert Adriá, Enigma (Carrer Sepúlveda, 38) offers a haute cuisine experience that stands out among places to eat in Barcelona. Its tasting menus change with the seasons, the land and the trends. For example, in spring, broad beans, asparagus or peas are combined with koji and caviar, anchovy, squid or marrow flower. What about the dessert? Fruit-based: milk and strawberries. Cherry, sake and elderberry. Orange and wasabi. Pure playfulness and transformation!
Chiringuito del Pez Vela
A seafood rice dish or some seasonal calçots accompanied by bread with alioli and olives. Next to the beach. As a couple, with family or friends. Sounds good, doesn't it? At Chiringuito del Pez Vela (Passeig del Mare Nostrum, 19-21) there are dishes from the garden and the sea that are ideal for sharing, with an emphasis on Mediterranean culinary culture and unexpected touches of the avant-garde.
Bar Brutal
Another place to eat in Barcelona that we recommend is Bar Brutal (Carrer de la Princesa, 14), located in the picturesque Born neighbourhood, where you can enjoy tapas, pa amb tomàquet (toasted bread with a tomato spread) and patates braves accompanied by cava, natural wine or a beer. Want to join in on a little secret? Models Emily Ratajkowski and Hailey Baldwin and DJ Peggy Gou have been there.
Mordisco
Since 1986, Mordisco (Passatge de la Concepció, 10) has been spreading its message of "love, ideas, product, life and light", integrating it into the character of the city. It has a pleasant conservatory inside, as well as its legendary bar where the city's artists, journalists and writers usually meet for an aperitif. Its seasonal cuisine with local and organic produce, with an emphasis on vegetables, does the rest.
Casa Jordi
Homely, classic and delicious, Casa Jordi (Passatge Marimon, 18, baix 1) defends and develops Catalan market cuisine. On the menu, coques (kind of like a thin-based pizza with fresh toppings, if you will), fish and seafood, sausages such as botifarra sausage and stews outline its understanding of traditional food. It is considered one of the best places to eat in Barcelona, popular with local customers for its excellent value for money.
Must-see places in Barcelona
To continue with this exciting tour: what to see in Barcelona? On the one hand, there are essential and well-known places, such as La Barceloneta beach. On the other hand, it's also about discovering the city by tracing routes on the map. These routes will lead you to unusual places that are brimming with beauty, and which don't necessarily have a specific name or location. Barcelona is full of hidden corners and mysterious legends waiting to be revealed.
Barcelona from above: the Sagrada Família and more
We have already told you that the view from a rooftop is one of the best options in the city.
From this point you will be able to admire the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona's most iconic monument. Did you know that it has been under construction for around 140 years, when the first stone was laid? It is scheduled to be completed in 2026. As well as getting a bird's eye view of it, you can also visit it on foot from the hotel to see what it's like inside. Other urban landmarks, such as the spatial Torre Glòries (formerly Torre Agbar), designed by Jean Nouvel in 2005, will manifest themselves before your eyes from the rooftop, introducing you to the vibe of the Catalan capital. There's so much to see in Barcelona!
The Gothic Quarter or how to get lost while finding yourself
One of the places to visit in Barcelona, if possible without a fixed destination, that we mentioned earlier, is the Gothic Quarter. It is part of the Old Town along with El Raval, La Barceloneta and Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i La Ribera (where El Born district is located), some other old districts that are equally recommendable to explore on foot. The only rule is to start walking and let yourself be carried away by its narrow streets, squares and surprising nooks and crannies. Without trying to get anywhere. As in other Spanish cities such as Madrid or Palma, the capital of Mallorca, Barcelona also has a different way of understanding tourism. Free of cars, pollution, and haste.
Another undeniable factor is the great weather, and how the city takes advantage of this privilege. There’s nothing more irresistible than enjoying its mild Mediterranean climate while walking through the port, exploring the alleyways of the Gothic Quarter or relaxing in any of its central squares.
La Barceloneta, a different kind of beach
Urban beaches have a special charm. In La Barcelona you'll be lucky enough to be able to go for a swim during the hottest months of the year, but you'll also have the chance to sit at a beach bar and have a drink, go for a stroll or play sports in the open air. Beyond the shore is the triangular-shaped neighbourhood of the same name, originally a seafaring settlement built from the rubble of the houses that were destroyed by the Duke of Berwick during the Succession War in 1714. You can walk to the nearby Parc de la Ciutadella, as well as to the Port Vell and Port Olímpic.
A full 4.2 kilometers of coastline separate the Mediterranean Sea from the city, a paradise for beach bums who value both relaxation and the services these places offer. Although the Barceloneta beach may be the most famous of all, it’s worth your while to bask (and sunbathe) in the various atmospheres offered by other sandy spots like Llevant Beach, ideal for peace and quiet, or Mar Bella, perfect for alternating between rest and athletic activities.
Gaudí’s city
Art occupies a predominant place. Because, above all, Barcelona is an artistic city that flies the flag of the Catalan take on Art Nouveau, known as Modernisme. So we suggest you trace a route through the mind of Antoni Gaudí, its greatest exponent, by drawing a red (or purple, or green) cross in the most Gaudí-esque spots on the street map. Places to visit in Barcelona that bear his mark, beyond the Sagrada Familia? Among others, Parc Güell and its gardens, a fairytale place that will delight young and old alike. Casa Milà, also known as La Pedrera, or Casa Batlló, both on Passeig de Gràcia. The Bellesguard Tower, at the foot of the Collserola mountain range and surrounded by the fantasy vegetation of its gardens.
Nevertheless, although the style sublimated by Gaudí and his followers is the most characteristic feature of the Barcelona cityscape, on its streets and in its parks you’ll find other monuments and buildings just as worthy of a visit: the Gothic Santa María del Mar Cathedral, the German Pavilion by Mies van der Rohe and the Torre Glòries by Jean Nouvel. These successive styles, when taken as one, make Barcelona an eclectic and incredibly inspiring destination.
From museum to museum
Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí also have their own peculiar little piece of Barcelona, both literally and figuratively. If you feel like museum-hopping, you can start your tour at the Joan Miró Foundation and the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation to get to know them. And from there, go on to the MACBA (Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art), El Born CC, its legendary market, the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, the Textile Museum and (this is something you might not expect) the Chocolate Museum. And, to round off the tour, or, turning the trajectory around and going back to the beginning: the Museum of the History of Barcelona (MUHBA). It will put you in the right frame of mind before you start to move around the city, but it will also help you to recapitulate after you've toured it. Not all of them are on this list. But you can use their flexibility to add more museums, foundations and galleries if you wish.
Guide to travelling to Barcelona with children
Despite being a large city, Barcelona is comfortable, manageable and suitable for all ages. If you're planning to visit with your family, you're probably wondering what to do in Barcelona with children. Take note: what follows is of interest to you!
An afternoon at Tibidabo
Especially in this part of our guide of Barcelona, there's no room for boredom. Tibidabo, a hill overlooking the whole city and rising 512 metres above sea level, is home to the amusement park of the same name, nicknamed “The Park of Happiness”. And not just because of its joyful views. Attractions, restaurants and food stalls for all tastes, performances, fair booths, activity area and even a funicular to reach the top of the mountain in a one hundred percent eco-friendly way, the new Cuca de Llum ride, interweave its characteristic universe. The merry-go-round and the Ferris wheel are now inseparable from the Barcelona landscape. It's a must-see in Barcelona with children. Would you dare to go on the roller coaster?
A family day out in the Born and its surroundings
When you choose the city centre as a place to stay in Barcelona, there are many advantages. You can even rent bikes directly from the hotel and organise a family outing in areas such as the Born, a fun and sustainable plan. We suggest cycling in El Born to start with, but the truth is that in almost all the central areas of Barcelona you can cycle touring comfortably, thanks to the bike lanes and the places where you can park your bike while you visit the city.
An evening on Les Rambles
Les Rambles and its communicating vessels, the main arteries through which the blood of Barcelona's culture and history flows, are home to some of the city's main theatres, such as the Liceu, the Tablao Flamenco Cordobés, the Capitol and the Teatro Principal. Children's theatre performances are organised at the Liceu and the Teatro Principal. Right at the end of Les Rambles, hidden in a side street, you will find the city’s Wax Museum, which has just been renovated. Alternatively, after you have walked this long and interesting street, head towards Maremagnum, cross the amazing wooden drawbridge and visit the city’s Aquarium, the kids will love it!
A visit to Park Güell
What else to see in Barcelona with children to leave them speechless? You've probably already realised that Barcelona is a city that, to a large extent, can be discovered from the skies above. So, from panoramic view to panoramic view, from postcard to postcard, we move from the magic of Tibidabo to Gaudí's imaginative Park Güell, on the Carmel Hill, in the shelter of the Collserola mountain range. It was built between 1900 and 1914 and inaugurated as a public park in 1926. Its name refers to Eusebi Güell, the businessman who commissioned it from Antoni Gaudí.
It belongs to the artist's so-called naturalist period. In it, the artist gave free rein to his most ingenious daydreams and witticisms, inspired by the organic forms of nature and plant worlds. There is also a part of geometric analysis, another inspired by baroque architecture and, of course, a lot of national iconography and symbols, since through his art Gaudí also wanted to speak of philosophy, religion, politics and mythology in his own language.
Finally, a suggestive idea. This guide to Barcelona is just a start: the gateway to your city. Because the best itinerary is always yet to come. And it is experienced from the very first moment you set foot in an Iberostar hotel in Spain (or anywhere else in the world) and make the destination your own.
