Things to Do

Arc de Triomf: Located right next to the Parc della Ciutidad. Classic, Gothic-era architecture.

Barcelona Cathedral: Located in El Gotico; there are often markets in front that are fun to check out. Surrounded by the Roman Wall that used to enclose the entire city.

Barceloneta: Beach neighborhood. If you’re by Port Vell, there’s almost always live music, which is normally pretty good.

Cable Car: There are two cable cars in Barcelona: one running from Montjuic up to the castle of Montjuic, and another that starts in Port Vell and goes across the city to Miramar. The views of the city are beautiful, and it’s a really scenic evening activity.

Camp Nou: Take a tour and visit the museum inside the Barca stadium. Also, catch a game if you get the chance! If you go on a non-game day, you can get a tour of the locker rooms and field. 

Casa Batllo: Gaudi’s house with the colorful facade on Passeig de Gracia. They offer a special Magic Nights series in September where you can go at night, drink some cava or wine and listen to classical music.

Cava tasting: There are a ton of great wineries in the Catalonia region and some are super easy to get to by train, Freixenet especially. They offer inexpensive tours and cava tasting — most are early in the morning, go before 11 a.m. if you want English.

Colonia Guell: One of Antoni Gaudi’s works. An unfinished crypt and church merely a train away from Barcelona. Really neat to check out. It’s not super touristy and only about four euro per ticket.

Day trip to Costa Brava: Blanes is the southern-most town on Costa Brava and the easiest to access from Barcelona, but all the towns are  beautiful. From the city, Blanes is about an hour and a half train ride and then a 15 minute bus. Awesome beach scene. 

Day trip to Dali Museum: Short commute, roughly hour an half away in the town of Figueres. True to Dali’s style, this museum is strange, captivating, and a memorable sight. 

Day trip to Montserrat: Hiking Montserrat is a must during your time in Barcelona. Get there via train to visit the monastery, and then you can choose to hike or take a funicular to the top.

Day trip to Sitges: Calm beach town, about a 30 minute train from Passeig de Gracia.

Day trip to Taragona: Historical, Roman-influenced town about an hour from Barcelona. Make sure to visit the colosseum!

El Born: An insider’s favorite in Barcelona. Nestled in winding streets with beautiful shops, it hosts a ton of cafes and even a neighborhood wine tasting festival.
Santa Maria del Mar: Take a glimpse at this gothic-era inspired cathedral and the El Born Museum. Both are free and worth the time to walk through.

El Raval: Another neighborhood with windy streets on the other side of La Rambla. El Raval has a bit of a rough reputation, so be careful at night. Still, it’s a cool neighborhood and has some really amazing hole-in-the-wall shops, bars, and cafes.

Flamenco show: Although it’s a Spanish and not Catalan tradition, still a grand spectacle to watch. Shows are held in Plaza Reial off La Rambla, called Los Tarantos.

La Pedrera: Antoni Gaudi’s house with famous chimneys and a beautiful view of Sagrada Familia. 

La Rambla: The main tourist street in Barcelona. La Rambla is home to street performers, flower stalls, cartoon artists, the wax museum, the boqueria, and a million quaint outdoor cafes. 

Labyrinth Park: It’s a little bit of a hike to get to, but that also means minimal tourists, which can be refreshing. The oldest park in Barcelona, it has a hedge maze, a ‘romantic garden’ and some neat cut-outs where elites used to host outdoor parties.

Light Show: Depending on the season (winter runs Fri/Sat at 7 p.m.) there is a free visual display at the Magic Fountains of Montjuic. 

Parc della Ciutidad and Gaudi fountain: Relaxing place to run or just hangout. Gaudi’s fountain, modeled after the Trevi Fountain, is nestled in the north-east corner. Can also rent rowboats in the pond.

Castle of Montjuiic: For all history buffs, this rustic castle will teleport you back in time. 

Miro Museum: Trendy, modern art museum full of abstract, minimalist, and memorable rotating exhibits.

National Museum of Catalan Art: Dubbed Palau Nacional, this museum hosts some of the most renown Catalan art assembled. 

Olympic Stadium: Free entrance,stadium where the 1992 Olympics were held. 

Teatre Grec: Beautiful gardens in front of the Miro Museum; offers great view of the city.

Parc Guell: Another of Gaudi’s staples, Parc Guell is incredible. Worth the price of admission. Make sure to sit on the benches designed for comfort. Also, the park has amazing views of Barcelona so go on a pretty day!

Passeig de Gracia: Shopping street full of vibrant and bustling merchants. 

Picasso Museum: Located in El Born, displays some of Picasso’s finest works. 

Sagrada Familia: Probably the biggest symbol of Barcelona, Gaudi’s church is breathtaking. Buy your ticket online to avoid the line and get the audio guide. You can also attend mass on Sundays. 

St. Miquel de Fai: Hidden gem of a hiking spot.

Tibidabo: Tibidabo is the mountain range resting just behind Barcelona. You can hike to the peak, or opt to take a shuttle up to where a church and amusement park sit. Memorable way to spend an afternoon.

Places to eat

Bacoa: Popular burger place near Plaza Catalunya.

Bo de Be: A Barcelona staple.  Freshly cooked chicken or steak served on a warm baguette with unlimited sauces/toppings for five euro. 

Boca Grande: Delicious dinner place: great for big groups.

Brunch & Cake: High-quality brunch spot near Universitad. 

Carpe Diem at CDLC: Go to CDLC during the evening and they have amazing sangria, mojitos, and spring rolls to enjoy on their lounge sofas.

Casa de Tapas:  Wonderful tapas! Need we say more?

Champagneria: Street sandwiches and champagne, very affordable.

Cuines Santa Caterina: Restaurant attached to the Santa Caterina market near the Cathedral. Probably the largest menu selection in Barcelona. Has everything from paella to pasta to burgers.

La Boqueria: The boqueria in general is amazing, but go to the little bar/restaurant inside called Universal and get the mushrooms. Their peppers, sea bass, steak, fries and lemon chicken are all crowd pleasers.

La Flouta: Amazing tapas and moderately priced. It gets super busy
after 9 p.m. so try to go earlier. The steak baguettes are to die for.

La Pizza Pazza: Pizza slices on Ample in the Gothic Quarter.

Los Caracoles: Great ambiance in the Old City. Delectable  mushrooms, paella, vegetables and chicken.

Milk: Open for brunch, dinner and late night until 2 a.m. Hailed as one of the greatest brunch spots in the city. Don’t miss their blueberry pancakes.

Mosquito: Asian tapas in El Born area. Dumplings are their specialty. 

N.A.P.: Considered top pizza in Barcelona. Located in El Born and has a truly local feel. Due to quality and popularity the wait time is lengthy on weekends.

Picnic: Another top-notch brunch spot right by Parc della Ciutidad and Passeig de Picasso.

Rosa Negra: Funky and fresh atmosphere, serving Passion Fruit Margueritas and Mojitos. Also has authentic Mexican food at a moderate price. We recommend the quesadillas.

Sedna: A small little outdoor restaurant by the harbor. Inconspicuous from the outside, it has the highest reviewed paella  in Barcelona. The sangria is amazing, but they don’t do pitchers.

7 Portes: Scenic seafood restaurant by the harbor. Call ahead  to get a reservation! 

Sports Bar Italian Food: Another pizza place on Ample that has Napolian style pizzas. Great to catch a game and have a beer. 

Wok to Walk: This is your spot for stir-fry take out.

Places to Drink

Bars

Bar Marsella: Located in El Raval, it’s the oldest bar in Barcelona. They haven’t renovated or modified the bar since it first opened, and all their old bottles, chandeliers, mirrors, etc are in-tact. Get the absinthe, lauded as Hemingway and Picasso’s hang out spot.

Chupitos: Purely shot bar, and an ideal place to start a night out.  Famous for having over 200 shots at 2.5 euros each. 

Dow Jones: Stock-market themed bar. Prices are set up like stocks:  when the market ‘crashes’, prices drop and it’s a mad dash to the bartenders. Exciting concept in an intimate setting.

George Payne: Hold beer pong tournaments on Monday nights, ringing with American music and karaoke. Plenty of space inside and great place to watch a futbol match. 

La Fira: Bring your dancing shoes and salsa the night away.

Le Cyrano: They serve popcorn at no cost, and their claim to fame is letting patrons pour their own amount of alcohol for a set price. It’s a really fun place to go on Thursdays before Sutton.

Ovella Negra: Relaxed atmosphere, it’s a huge space with wooden picnic-style tables and massive gallons of sangria and beer.

Pippermint: Humongous and strong drinks that you can split with a bunch of friends. 

Clubs

Apollo: Nasty Mondays draws the local crowd, and they have bands playing all different types of rock and dance music on stage. Because it’s not a touristy club there is a cover (that includes a free drink), but it’s worth it. The downstairs club area plays rave music, but upstairs there are two levels of mosh pits for the rock music. They also do Crappy Tuesdays and a couple other events, but Nasty Mondays is by far the best.

Bling Bling: Close proximity to Sutton, lively bar with good energy.

CDLC: Beachfront club that looks out to the ocean. Big on Tuesdays.

Opium: The quintessential study abroad tourist club in Barcelona, Opium is the major beach club. You’ll never have to pay cover if you get there by 2 a.m. Pro-tip for beach clubs: you can leave, just get stamped, so you can hang out on the beach and come back at your leisure. Big on Fridays.

Otto Zutz: Popular with  study abroad crowds. They have free open bar for girls before 2 a.m. It’s a small club, usually filled with Americans.

Razzmatazz: Hosting five unique floors, it’s the biggest club in Barcelona. Chances are you’ll have to pay cover as people don’t promote for it as often as clubs like Opium. Geared toward local crowds, popping  on Wednesdays and Saturdays!

Shoko: Free wine/cava from 10-11 p.m. and free open bar for ladies from 11-12 a.m. Average club, but you can’t beat free stuff.

Sutton: Thursday nights! Never had a bad time  there. 

Transportation

The Aerobus is a great option for getting to the airport. Buy a round-trip ticket if you’re going away for a weekend because it’s cheaper. They aren’t fans of breaking big bills so make sure you have a 20 euro bill or less. It leaves from Plaza Catalunya and the airport every five-ish minutes until around midnight every day of the year.

Cabs in Barcelona are pretty reasonable and it’s not hard at all to find open ones. Definitely worth it if you have three to four people traveling with you.

The Metro is also super easy and convenient. General rule of thumb is stay within 10 minutes walking distance of a metro stop. If you’re there for a weekend, consider buying a T-10 pass for yourself or to split — it’s 1 euro per ride versus 2.25 for a single ticket.

General Tips

Promoters: Find promoters for free entry to clubs, search Instagram/Facebook. Will be peppered on the beaches. 

Attire: Dressing to go out in Barcelona is a lot more casual than the rest of Europe. Guys can’t wear sneakers to Opium for example, but girls can get away with even flip flops. At places like Razz or Apollo, anything is fair game. 

Timing: People normally head to the bars at 11:30/12 a.m. and switch to clubs at 1:30/2 a.m. Depending on the club, you shouldn’t have to pay cover if you get there by 2 a.m. and can name one of the promoters.

There’s a decent dry cleaner on Ample, about tweleve euros for a dress.

The Chinese bazaar near Santa Caterina market is great for acquiring cheap items. They have everything from wine glasses to holiday decorations to notebooks.

Workcenter Urguinaona has office supplies you need. Kind of expensive, unfortunately, and a print/fax/photo center.

Holmes Place is a great gym if you’re looking to get a good sweat in. Or, you could always hop into a beach-volleyball game.