Barcelona is a beautiful city. There is so much culture and colour. We booked a last-minute long weekend and managed to fit so much into our time! The weather was beautiful and we loved every minute of our trip!
Below is our story, what we got up to and some helpful tips we learnt along the way. Hopefully this 4 days in Barcelona itinerary and top things to do will help you for when you plan your trip!
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ITINERARY ROUND UP :
ARRIVING IN BARCELONA
We arrived in Barcelona and the sun was shining. This was a whole different world from the weather back home in the UK. Our 4 days in Barcelona begins! Once we arrived and we had managed to find our transfer shuttle, we headed over to our hotel. The journey was around 45 minutes as we got our first glimpse of the city. Our hotel was a five-minute walk away from the beach and a 40-minute walk to La Rambla.
Once we had checked in, it was time to explore. We headed out for some breakfast as our flight was a 6 am flight so by this point we were ready for some food. We found a quaint Spanish cafe and sat down for some baguettes and omelette’s ready for a day of exploring!
PARK GÜELL
This was the first place on our list for our 4 days in Barcelona. The weather could not have been any better! We jumped into a taxi and made our way over to the park. The sun was shining as we drove past palm trees blowing in the wind. We drove up a big hill. Taking sharp turns until we could see the wall that surrounded the park. We had to walk up a big hill that had so many steps to the ticket office. Once we had recovered from all the steps we jumped into the queue and grabbed a map of the park.
We started by walking along a path covered by palms. We could hear parrots chirping as we walked the sun was shining through the trees. It was so beautiful. Once we reached the bottom of the path we arrived at the Laundry Room Portico. This was a rocky pillared tunnel that least across the top half of the park. The Laundry room was designed to mimic ocean waves as all of the pillars are on a slant. We walked through here making our way across to the famous Serpentine Bench.
Serpentine Bench
The serpentine bench is probably the most iconic point in the park as it was right in the centre. It winds its way around the terrace of the park. The views from here are so stunning. You can see right across the city to the sea. The colours are incredible. We took a seat and enjoyed the views. It was so crowded here that it did take us some time to be able to get far enough into the edge to sit down.
We then followed the winding shape around following the blossoming gardens down some steps until we came across the Sala Hipostila. We saw them doing restorations on the roof here. This was interesting as they were replacing the Mosaic tiles. We walked around the room which is made up of 86 pillars looking at the intricate artwork on the ceiling.
El Drac
We made out way out of here down the stairs in the centre of the park seeing the El Drac mosaic salamander. Everyone was crowing around this trying to get a photo. You could see all of the stunning architecture from this point in the park, all the colourful walls and trees. We walked down the steps looking at all the individually patterned tiles until we reached the museum. The line for this was crazy as it was about a 45 minute wait time. 1 day into our 4 days in Barcelona and I had already filled one memory card full of photos!
Once we had a look around we headed to the gift shop. I bought a postcard and then we made our way out to the rest of the park. It was so warm we had to take off our jackets as we started to melt. We explored the park some more before heading over to Mirador de Joan Sales.
TOP TIP: BUY TICKETS IN ADVANCE TO MISS EXCESSIVE QUEUE TIMES.
MIRADOR DE JOAN SALES
So many stairs.. we walked up what felt like 1000 stairs to reach this viewpoint. Once we managed to reach the top we looked out at the city. The views were beautiful from here. Groups were sitting with their feet hanging from the edge of the cliff, drinking, looking out at the city below. I would recommend checking this out while walking around the city as its one of the lesser-known viewpoints.
RAMBLA DE MAR
We headed through the city walking down La Rambla until we reached Rambla de Mar. This was the harbour and gigantic wavy bridge that lead out to a shopping mall. We fought our way through the pigeons and made our way across the bridge. Wandering across the bridge looking at all the boats in the harbour. Suddenly we heard a voice say that the everyone needed to get being the line on the bridge. By this point, we are nearly at the bottom of the bridge so we turned around and waited. The bridge started to open to let some of the boats pass through.
We headed up an escalator to the Starbucks, Grabbed a coffee and sat outside in the sunshine. We could see across the harbour from here looking over to the Montjuïc cable cars. It was a great spot to shop and take in the views and to rest our tired feet!
LA RAMBLA
This is the main street in Barcelona. We wandered down this road many a time during our stay. Souvenir stalls were covering the centre of the road. We managed to pick up some beautiful prints for once a few euros and even some magnets. There were cafes and ice cream parlours everywhere on this road and we stopped by a tiny little parlour called Gioella- Emilia Cremeria. Which did the most amazing crêpes! We shuffled our way down to the bottom of the restaurant and grabbed a table. We had crêpes with Nutella and strawberries. They were incredible!
We continued to walk around the street we checked out the menus on the outdoor canopies of the Restaurants surrounding us. We found the narrowest coffee shop called Cappuccino. They sold the most amazing muffins and pastries. We stopped by here a few times in our 4 days in barcelona… Nearly every day. To grab a drink, muffin and rest our feet It was very cheap and great coffee.
Plaça Reial
There is also a place just off of La Rambla called Plaça Reial which we walked down. This was a beautiful plaza covered in palm trees. This is the hub for nightlife and also hotels. It was very pretty in the day as you felt like you had escaped the hustle and bustle of the city while walking around here.
TOP TIP: PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING RUNS OFF OF LA RAMBLA SO ITS A GREAT BASE POINT.
CAMP NOU
We headed over to Camp Nou which was a bit further out the anywhere else we went during our stay. It was about a 25-minute taxi ride over to the stadium. Once we arrived we wandered through the village there with food stores and of course merchandise. We headed into the tour zone and purchased out tickets. The tour was a self-guided tour which is very different from any other football stadium tour we have done before. We also punched the audio guide for a few extra euros which we received a smartphone and a headset. We made our way over to the escalator for our first stop. The museum. We walked through a tunnel where they offered to take your photo and green screen you onto the pitch, wearing a shirt etc, but these were very expensive so we carried on our way to the museum.
TOP TIP: REMEMBER TO BRING EXTRA EUROS FOR THE AUDIO GUIDE, SOUVENIRS AND PHOTOS IF YOU ARE WANTING TO PURCHASE ANY OF THESES.
Once we were inside it was very dark. We picked number 1 on the audio guide then went to look for that plaque in the museum. We then followed the guide around looking at the vast amount of trophies and memorabilia there was in the room. It was extremely crowded in here as there were so many people trying to take photos with the ballon d’Or cabinet! as we walked around we shirts and trophies right throughout Barcelona’s history.
We headed out the back of the museum where they had a second section about Barcelona’s basketball and ice hockey teams and all their achievements. As we headed through the door the light hit us! It was so nice to be back in daylight after to low light of the museum. We entered the stadium on a high level and walked out through the stands to get an awesome view of the pitch. It was incredible to see the sheer size of the stadium.
Commentators Box
We saw a sign for the commentator’s boxes so we followed the sign and made our way up a flight of stairs… well a lot of stairs. until we hit the highest point in the stadium. we made our way into the box and took a seat at the table.. this gave me chills as we were on a slant and we looked our over a half-open balcony this was very very high up and felt very precarious. We sat down for a minute and imagined what it would be like to see the match from up here.
We made our way down towards the pitch and as we were heading to the staircase, we notice a line of machines. They were selling collectable coins with stamps of the stadium on. They were large gold coins. we picked one that had the stadium and date on and put in our euros in exchange for the coin. This was a cool thing to remember our trip by as it was something a little different to the usual things we tend to collect.
TOP TIP: WE FOUND THESE MACHINES IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY AS WE ALSO PICKED ONE UP AT THE SAGRADA FAMILIA. SO KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED FOR THESE!
As we headed towards the pitch we followed our audio guide and walked through the players changing rooms and the press room. once we had taken a look in here we finally made our way to the tunnel. We saw the chapel. This is where the players pray before they head out for the match and then it was time. we walked down the tunnel hearing the sounds of crowds cheering and we were out by the pitch. Getting to see how the players would feel when come out of the tunnels for a game, the stadium looked so grand from down here and you can imagine how crazy it would feel when 90,000 people are watching you play!
we had the chance to sit in the player’s chairs and talk a look around. Here we saw the most unusual thing ever. They were selling Barcelona grass! that’s right.. you could actually by grass from the stadium.. this made us laugh so much as there were endless queues of people waiting to buy astroturf in a cube!
We made our way out from the pitch after we had taken many photos and headed out towards the gift shop. Once we had headed out of the tour we made our way back through the Barcelona village. There was a food place called Pans and company which we decided to check out. We had almost like a subway meal but it was so tasty! we looked out for these across the rest of our holiday as it was so good!
MATCHDAY
This was the main reason for our 4 days in Barcelona, as my other half is a massive footie fan. We headed back to the stadium at night as we also watched a game. The streets were filled with people waiting for the players to arrive, they covered the streets and all outside of the stadium. There were merchant stands set up along the rails selling knock-off shirts and merchandise. They were so busy, you could not see in front of you!
The match, of course, was awesome. We were sat in the front few rows so we had an amazing view. It was so different seeing the stadium filled with people. There were ever 66,000 people who attended this night and the atmosphere was buzzing. Messi scored in the second half so everyone was happy!
TOP TIP: IF YOU ARE GOING TO WATCH A GAME, BOOK A TAXI OR MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A WAY BACK AS IT TOOK US AROUND 40 MINUTES TO BE ABLE TO FIND A TAXI AND HAD TO WALK AT LEAST HALF OF THE WAY BACK.
MONTJUÏC CASTLE
We took a taxi to the castle and I’m so glad we did! this hill wen ton forever and ever and we would never have made it to the top especially after all the walking we had done! The sun was out and the colours blossoming through the gardens surrounding the castle. Heading over the drawbridge and into the queue. We paid, grabbed our maps and off we went! we started by walking up a long ramp and we had the most fantastic view of the sea! All around we could see all of the machines used to protect the castle as we walked around this courtyard. As we followed the path around we came across the castle dungeons which we managed to get a sneak peek in to!
We walked to the edge of the castle wall in the furthest corner as we saw a seagull staring on the turret of a gun. He was looking out across the into the sea. It was so peaceful up here. It wasn’t very crowded either so that was a nice change to everywhere else we had been in the city so far!
The View
We took a stroll along past the orange trees walking the other side of the castle. From here we had a full view of the city. This was a great photo spot. We sat on the wall and enjoyed the views here for a while. The sun was burning hot by this point in the day so everywhere started to get super busy. We looked out to see what landmarks we could see and to see how far we had travelled so far on our holiday.
We headed up a level around the castle and walked through the stone wall pillars before ending up in a cute courtyard. there were people drinking coffee taking in the sunshine here, it was super peaceful and a nice place to grab some lunch. After walking down a path we found a tiny little alleyway which leads to the highest point of the castle. here we could see the turrets of the castle. It was busier up here than the lower level as everyone was sitting on the walls enjoying the view! Once we had taken a look around, we spotted some cable cars. so we decided that would be a great way down rather than taking a taxi!
TELEFÈRIC DE MONTJUÏC
We made our way out of the castle down towards the cable cars. There was a small queue for the carts but we managed to get one all to ourselves. I was excited until I actually got into the cart and looked out at how high we were, the cart started to shake and I was extremely nervous. The views, however, were so beautiful. This was my favourite way to have seen the city. The cable cars came to a top which was the first drop off point. We could have gotten out at however we decided to stay in and go right to the end of the carts.
We came out of the port and headed off again, here we could see the big hill that we drove up in the taxi. Now we were glad we didn’t walk it as we could see how steep it was and people stopping to take a breather.
Once we got closer to the bottom of the ride we could see the city walls and open-top buses flying past. We felt like we were in the trees as we started to fly just above them. This was scary as the whole cable car was glass everything felt so close.We arrived back without feet on the floor and I could finally breathe again. Time for tea!
ARC DE TRIOMF AND CIUTADELLA PARK
We went for a wander around the city. Making our way over to the arc de triomf. We checked out some nice coffee shops and souvenirs shops as we walked around. Once we arrived on the main strip leading towards the arc we could hear music and see a crow of people that had gathered. A puppeteer was making the puppet dance and play the violin. This added a nice ambience to the street. This road was crazy crowded with people trying to get a photo with the arc.
Once we had walked to the arc we turned and made our way to the other end of the strip. There was a giant map painted on the floor. There were people blowing bubbles and riding bikes and scooters around here. We took a minute to rest our feet and enjoy the view before crossing the road and heading into Ciutadella Park.
The park was heaving, there were people on every spot of the grass as the weather was still so lovely. we made our way across the park and over to the Cascada Monumental. This was probably the prettiest and most extravagant water fountain I have ever seen we walked around it until we came across the stairs. one of the most Instagrammed spots in the city. We headed up to the top of the building and we could see the mass detail that went into this beautiful fountain. There were horses at the top of the waterfall overlooking the water below. We took some time to enjoy walking around the park before heading off for some food!
GOTHIC QUARTER
We cut through from La Rambla to the gothic quarter, we went from being in this huge open street to a tiny dark alleyway that was crammed from every point possible. This was my favourite part of walking around the city as there was so much life and things to look at here! As we looked up there were plant pots everywhere hanging from the balcony and tiny shops selling everything you could imagine. we stopped by in a few shops and picked up some postcards and leaflets. We could smell the fresh pastiest and stopped off for a bubble tea as we headed over to our next destination.
PALAU DE LA MÚSICA CATALANA
Once we had found out way out of the dark corners of the gothic quarter we came back to the big open spaces and the sunshine. We walked a little further as we came to the Palau de la Música Catalana. This is Barcelona’s most famous concert hall and world heritage site. we took in the beauty of the outside of the building as there were so many colours and patterns across the building. Once we were inside we sat in the coffee shop waiting for our tour. The coffee was the most expensive coffee we had the whole trip and was a very small cup too!
We headed out for our tour and started by watching a video all about the history of the venue. We then wandered around the building learning more about its long and interesting history before heading over the famous balcony. This again is one of the most Instagrammed places in Barcelona. This was so pretty as every pillar had a different mosaic pattern on it and we had a great view of the gothic quarter too!
Main Hall
Once we were back inside we headed upstairs to the main theatre hall. This was so beautiful. The whole ceiling was stained glass and there were carvings everywhere that you looked. The room was so grand and had such an interesting history too! We took some photos then made our way back through the halls to the grand entrance ready for our last stop…food and La Sagrada Familia. This was probably my least favourite activity that we did in our 4 days in Barcelona, Only because the tour was very long for what we saw. I feel we would have been better with an audio guide and being able to walk around ourselves would have been more enjoyable. It was still beautiful to see and Im glad we visited.
LA SAGRADA FAMÍLIA
We popped into a Mcdonalds for a coffee as we waited for our turn to enter the Sagrada Familia. Everywhere around this part of the city was buzzing. Every shop had queues out of the doors.
Once we headed into the line we could see the scale of just how grand this building was. It was one of the most iconic and breathtaking buildings I had ever seen let alone in Barcelona. We had walked past this stunning building several times over our 4 days in Barcelona yet we saved the best activity till last! We passed through security out on to a terrace.
TOP TIP: HAVE YOUR TICKETS AND PHONES OUT. JACKETS OFF TO GET THROUGH SECURITY QUICKLY
We could see all of the amazing details that went into the outside of the building. Once we entered the building… WOW. I was so taken back by the beauty. The colours were something else.. as every panel had a different image, and the actual architecture of the building looked like something out of a fairy tale. We spent a lot of time just trying to look at everything. There was so much to take in, you could have easily spent all day here. Once we had looked at as much as we physically could inside, we headed to the outer rooms which were showcasing all sorts of different parts that had been in the church previously.
Heading out the back of the building to see more of the stunning glass panels, now that the sun was starting to set we could see the light shining through the glass which made them so vibrant! It was beautiful. We headed back in for a final walk around to catch anything we may have missed and to catch the sun through the windows.
Gift Shop
We made our way through the gift shop and picked up our last souvenir which was another coin the same that we had managed to find at Camp Nou. This one had a print of the building!
Walking across the road to a small park to take in the views of the city for the last time before we headed back to our hotel ready to pack for our flight home! Our 4 days in Barcelona was over but we enjoyed our time in the city and was surprised at how much there was to do and see.
I hope that you enjoyed reading our 4 days in Barcelona journey and if there is anything we missed please let me know in the comments so we can add it to our list for next time! If you liked this post, don’t forget to check out our 5 days in New York.
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I love your practical tips as much as the beautiful photos! There’s nothing scarier than traveling abroad and being stuck somewhere without a way back! Thanks for this tip!!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I hope these tips help
I can’t wait to visit Barcelona one day!
Im sure you will love it!
Great post. I can’t wait to visit Spain one day! Also I love your top tips throughout the post..extremely helpful!
Thank you! Im glad you enjoyed our story. I hope that these tips come in handy for when you visit!
I can imagine how much you were able to see in just 4 days. Beautiful pictures and great suggestions ??
Thank you so much <3 !
Thank you for the great itinerary. I would love to experience a football game also and glad you got to see one.
Thank you! I hope that you get to visit and experience this one day too!
WOW!! You covered so much ground in just 4 days. I am impressed… and saving this blog for Barcelona planning. Also, that muffin does look like the best muffin ever ?
We sure did haha, I had very sore feet lol! I hope you get to visit soon, and make sure you try one!! so good haha
So many great tips! Barcelona is on the top of my bucket list …hoping we can get back to traveling very soon!
Thank you! I hope we can travel again soon too. Im sure you will love it!
I loved visiting Barcelona! I missed some of the places you have recommended, therefore I have a good reason to go there again! Thank you for the tips!
Ahah nothing better than an excuse for a trip! Thank you! Im glad you enjoyed the post
Awesome! Feels like I’m there. I’ve been to Barca and you definitely hit all the major sites, and some i missed!
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Definitely in my to do list! Maybe in 2021 when things ease down!
Yes thats for sure! Hope you have a great time
Such great tips! Definitely saving this for my trip to Barcelona 🙂
Thank you! I hope you get to visit soon.
This is a great post, I enjoyed reading your tips. I can’t wait to visit Barcelona!
What amazing 4 days in Barcelona! Great info and very helpful tips. I haven’t had the chance to visit Barcelona but I need to after reading this and as I have family I can stay with that lives there. I would enjoy the parks, architecture and the many viewpoints of the city even with climbing many steps. ?
Oh thats amazing! If you have somewhere to stay definitely book tickets! You will really enjoy it! The food isn’t as expensive as we thought either
Looks amazing! I was supposed to go with my husband this summer. However it’s been cancelled. Barcelona has been on my list for awhile. Saving this post so I have it handy when I go. Excellent post!
Thank you! Im sad your trip has been cancelled but at least it gives you more time to find awesome things to do when you do visit!
What a great list of things to do. I would love to get to Barcelona one day. Fingers crossed!
Despite being 3 times in Barcelona I want to go back because I still miss a lot to live and see. I’ll follow your advice!
Damn! Getting to watch Messi score in a game! That must have been such an awesome experience! I am a huge football fan but still I wouldn’t buy grass from the stadium ?
It really was! My boyfriend said he can now die happy haha… I know.. it made us laugh so much though haha!
Barcelona is one of my dream destinations I have been planning to visit for many years, I so enjoyed reading your post. Beautiful pics.
Than you so much! I hope that you get ti visit soon.
It looks like you had a great time in Barcelona. I have been there before for a long weekend and checked everything except for Montjuic and the Camp Nou stadium. I am not really into football 🙂
I’ve always being fascinated by La Sagrada Familia is such a historically beautiful place. Is a architectural Wonder. And one of my dream cities is Barcelona I know that I have to visit it someday in my life.
Its the most stunning building I have ever been in. I hope you manage to visit soon!
These are great ideas for things to do while visiting. Sure looks like a great time!!
oooh, do you by chance remember the name of the cute little cafe you stumbled upon near your hotel? It looks so cozy I’d love to check it out myself if I go visit Spain.
I will have to have a look and see if I can find it and let you know!
Barcelona sounds like a magical trip. And you managed to fit a lot into four days! Thanks for sharing it.
Barcelona is really beautiful but I loved the way you have penned your 4 days itinery here.
Nice pictures! I always wanted to visit Barcelona but haven’t managed to do so. When I decide to go there I will keep your post in mind. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! I hope that you get the chance to visit one day!
Barcelona is definitely the perfect spot for a vacation and is on my list of places to visit. I love all of these places that you made sure to visit ad will make sure to mark them down for myself as it can be hard to know where to focus your time when in an unfamiliar land. Thank you fro sharing!
Such an impressive review complimented by beautiful pictures. I can’t believe that you’ve covered so many locations just in 4 days. Looks a very exciting place – in my wish list for sure! Thanks for sharing all the details.
Thank you so much for your kind words! Im glad you enjoyed our story
OH wow this trip seems to be very interesting and amazing…i haven’t heard of Barcelona until i read your blog post..these places seems to be very lovely and mesmerizing..Will love to explore them..Great work…
I let out a small sigh when I read the title of this blog post. It has been far too long since we were in Spain. And we loved Barcelona! We thought we visited every viewpoint over the city. But I now see we missed the Mirador De Joan Sales. Maybe we read about the 1000 stairs! We didn’t go into the stadium. But the whole area was consumed with fans when we visited. It is on our list to see an actual game on a future visit. And I am sure we missed Ciutadella Park on our visit too. I am sure I would have remembered the Arc de Triomf. Must be time for a return visit.
awww i hope that you get to visit again soon! such an amazing city! so so many stairs…. im still worn out form them now haha! Im glad there are some things that you missed to do next time you visit!
Oh the beautiful Barcelona! How I long to visit here! I’m a sucker for cute cafés. I would love to visit that café Cappuccino. The set up and muffin look delish! You can’t beat cheap but great spots! But come on really? You can buy grass? I guess that would be considered a souvenar right? Haa!
Me too! I was so glad when we found it! it was the quaintest place! I know right hahaha!It made us laugh so much. There were so many people buying it!!
Barcelona looks gorgeous and so many thing to do and see.
I would love to visit Barcelona, maybe next year, thanks for the tips.
Barcelona is high on my bucket list of places to visit, I hope I am able to soon. The view from park güell is amazing! You can definitely see the culture of Spain in that image. The arc de triomf is gorgeous! I would love seeing the fountain, although the crowds don’t sound like too much fun. I love the Sagrada Familia! I think I could get lost in there for hours admiring all the details and colors. I have visited many unique churches, but I don’t think any of them were quite as colorful as this one! I will definitely be adding some of these to my bucket list for when I am finally able to make it to Barcelona.
It sounds so lovely there! Barcelona is on my travel bucket list. I love all the pictures!!!
Barcelona is such an vibratn, full of history place. I loved my trip there.
Loved it. I had Barcelona on my mind when i was planning my Euro Trip from the UK, but the plan never saw the day, which is why i really enjoyed reading this, and at the same time getting to know more about the variety of things to do. I agree with you 100% regarding booking the taxis post the football match. I have worked at many such matches back in the UK, and i have personally experienced the massive traffic jams caused post match, and how its a pain in the ass to get hold of an UBER at that time.
Thank you! glad you enjoyed this post. Oh god yes even trying to book any form of cab was a nightmare, It was chilly sas well by this point in the night so I couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel. I really hope you get to visit one day
Your Barcelona trip revived my Barcelona trip and I really love this vibrant city. I loved the city views form Montjuic and that cable car was really a fun trip here. I agree this place is good for eating , shopping and also taking photos. Even I loved the vibrant atmosphere of La Rambla with so many amazing boutique shops, Spanish tapas restaurants and night life. I missed the concert hall of Palau de la Música Catalana.
Barcelona is very special and I remember we too reached from Madrid very early in the morning. And the sunrise welcomed us to the city. We had our breakfast in an English breakfast restaurant which was so very welcome. PARK GÜELL was fun too with some lovely time spent in the Serpentine It was so nice walking aimlessly through La Rambla. Some great memories revived through your post.
Oh wow. This trip is full of fun! I wish I can visit Barcelona soon.