Things to do in Barcelona

Barcelona packs a lot into a compact centre. Here are all 40 sights in our planner, starting with the must-sees and then grouped by theme, each with opening hours, price and the time you need.

Don't miss

Eixample

Photo: Canaan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Sagrada Família

Gaudí's unfinished basilica, a forest of stone columns, with colourful stained-glass light.

• 🕗 Hours: Nov–Feb Mon–Sat 09:00–18:00, Sun 10:30–18:00 (Oct and Mar until 19:00 on weekdays)
• 🎟️ Price: €26 (book a timed ticket online)
• ⏱️ Visit: ~2 h

Old town

Photo: Fernando · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Barcelona Cathedral

Gothic cathedral with a cloister of geese, choir stalls, chapels and rooftop terraces.

• 🕗 Hours: Tourist visit Mon–Fri 09:30–18:30, Sat 09:30–17:15, Sun 14:00–17:00
• 🎟️ Price: €14
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Sightseeing: squares, landmarks and viewpoints

Old town

Photo: Tango7174 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Plaça de Catalunya

Barcelona's central square, where the old town, the Eixample and Passeig de Gràcia meet.

• 🕗 Hours: Always open
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Old town

Photo: Ralf Roletschek · GFDL 1.2 · Wikimedia

La Rambla

The famous tree-lined pedestrian boulevard from Plaça de Catalunya down to the harbour.

• 🕗 Hours: Always open
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Old town

Photo: Mac9 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Plaça Reial

Arcaded neoclassical square with palm trees, Gaudí-designed lamp posts and lively terraces.

• 🕗 Hours: Always open
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Old town

Photo: Thomas Ledl · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Palau Güell

Gaudí's early townhouse for Eusebi Güell, with a parabolic hall and a rooftop of chimneys.

• 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–17:30 (Nov–Mar), 10:00–20:00 (Apr–Oct); closed Mon
• 🎟️ Price: €12
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

El Born

Photo: Ralf Roletschek · GFDL 1.2 · Wikimedia

Palau de la Música Catalana

Modernista concert hall by Domènech i Montaner, with a glowing stained-glass skylight.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 09:00–15:30 (guided tour, ~50 min)
• 🎟️ Price: €24 (book a timed tour online)
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

El Born

Photo: José Luiz · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Santa Maria del Mar

Perfect Catalan Gothic basilica with soaring slender pillars, built by the sailors' guild.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–20:30
• 🎟️ Price: €5 (€10 with roof terraces)
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

El Born

Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Parc de la Ciutadella

Green city park with a monumental cascade fountain, a lake with rowing boats and the zoo.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–18:00 (winter), later in summer
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

El Born

Photo: Selbymay · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Arc de Triomf

Red-brick Moorish-style arch built as the gateway to the 1888 Universal Exposition.

• 🕗 Hours: Always open
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Eixample

Photo: Thomas Ledl · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Sant Pau Recinte Modernista

Former hospital by Domènech i Montaner: tiled pavilions, gardens and underground tunnels.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 09:30–17:00 (Nov–Mar), 09:30–18:30 (Apr–Oct); closed 25 Dec
• 🎟️ Price: €18
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Eixample

Photo: Thomas Ledl · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Casa Milà (La Pedrera)

Gaudí's last civil work: a wavy stone facade, sculpted rooftop chimneys and an attic museum.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 09:00–18:30 (2 Nov 2026–25 Feb 2027); closed 25 Dec and 11–17 Jan
• 🎟️ Price: From €29 (book a timed ticket online)
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Eixample

Photo: ChristianSchd · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Casa Batlló

Gaudí's "house of bones": a skeleton-like facade, a mosaic roof and a blue light well.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 08:30–22:30 (last admission 21:30)
• 🎟️ Price: From €29 (book a timed ticket online)
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Gràcia

Photo: essetefano · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia

Park Güell

Gaudí's hilltop garden city with the mosaic dragon, serpentine bench and views over Barcelona.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 09:30–18:00 (approx. 29 Oct–30 Mar; last entry 17:30)
• 🎟️ Price: €18 (book a timed ticket online)
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Montjuïc

Photo: :Puigalder · Public domain · Wikimedia

Montjuïc Castle

Hilltop fortress with ramparts, a moat garden and wide views of the harbour and the city.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–18:00 (Nov–Feb), 10:00–20:00 (Mar–Oct)
• 🎟️ Price: €12
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Waterfront

Photo: RayAdvait · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Columbus Monument (Mirador de Colom)

60 m column at the foot of La Rambla with a small lift up to a viewing platform over the port.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 08:30–14:30 (last lift 14:00)
• 🎟️ Price: €7.50 (lift)
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Waterfront

Photo: böhringer friedrich · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia

Port Vell & Rambla de Mar

Old harbour promenade with the wooden Rambla de Mar footbridge, yachts and sea views.

• 🕗 Hours: Always open
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Gràcia

Photo: Canaan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Bunkers del Carmel

Hilltop ruins of an anti-aircraft battery with a 360° view over the whole city; bring water and come before sunset.

• 🕗 Hours: Always open (best at sunset)
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Montjuïc

Photo: Poble Espanyol de Barcelona · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Poble Espanyol

1929 open-air village of replica Spanish streets and squares with craft workshops, an art museum, bars and clubs.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon 10:00–20:00; Tue–Sun 10:00–24:00 (uncertain for winter; check the site)
• 🎟️ Price: €16
• ⏱️ Visit: ~2.5 h

Gràcia

Photo: Mattsjc · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia

Gràcia squares (Plaça del Sol and Plaça de la Vila)

Village-like heart of Gràcia: car-free squares with terraces, independent shops and a clock tower, lively at any hour.

• 🕗 Hours: Open air, always accessible; terraces busiest from late afternoon
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Museums and galleries

Old town

Photo: Zarateman · CC0 · Wikimedia

MACBA

Contemporary art museum in a white Richard Meier building, facing a famous skateboard square.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon, Wed–Fri 11:00–19:30, Sat 10:00–20:00, Sun 10:00–15:00; closed Tue
• 🎟️ Price: €13.50 (online; €15 at the desk)
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

El Born

Photo: Enric · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Museu Picasso

Picasso's early works in five medieval palaces, including the Las Meninas series.

• 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–19:00; closed Mon
• 🎟️ Price: €14 (online; €15 at the desk)
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Montjuïc

Photo: Jvhertum · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

MNAC (National Art Museum of Catalonia)

Palace museum on Montjuïc with Romanesque church murals and Gothic to modern Catalan art.

• 🕗 Hours: Tue–Fri 10:00–18:00, Sat 10:00–20:00, Sun 10:00–15:00; closed Mon
• 🎟️ Price: €14
• ⏱️ Visit: ~2 h

Montjuïc

Photo: Arnaucc · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Fundació Joan Miró

Light-filled museum of Miró's paintings, sculptures and tapestries, with a rooftop terrace.

• 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sat 10:00–19:00, Sun 10:00–15:00; closed Mon
• 🎟️ Price: €17 (online; €18 at the desk)
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Gràcia

Photo: Jirka Dl · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

CosmoCaixa

Hands-on science museum with a flooded Amazon rainforest, a planetarium and a geological wall; free under 16.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–20:00 (closed 1 and 6 Jan, 25 Dec)
• 🎟️ Price: €8
• ⏱️ Visit: ~2.5 h

Eixample

Photo: Oh-Barcelona.com from Barcelona, Spain · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Spotify Camp Nou and Barça Museum

FC Barcelona's stadium under reconstruction: the Barça Immersive Museum, a 360° room and a construction viewpoint.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily about 10:00–18:00 (uncertain; sessions at fixed times, book ahead)
• 🎟️ Price: From €28
• ⏱️ Visit: ~2 h

El Born

Photo: Enric · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria

Iron market hall of 1876 covering the excavated streets of the district razed in 1714, with an exhibition on Barcelona in 1700.

• 🕗 Hours: Mar–Oct Tue–Sun 10:00–20:00; Nov–Feb Tue–Sat 10:00–19:00
• 🎟️ Price: €4
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Architecture

Gràcia

Photo: Canaan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Casa Vicens

Gaudí's first house (1883–85), a UNESCO site in Moorish-inspired tiles and brick, with rooftop and garden.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 09:30–18:00 (Apr–Oct until 20:00)
• 🎟️ Price: €20
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Food and markets

Old town

Photo: Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Mercat de la Boqueria

Barcelona's great covered food market on La Rambla: fruit, ham, seafood and tapas counters.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon–Sat 08:00–20:30 (closed Sunday)
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Montjuïc

Photo: Julian Lupyan · CC0 · Wikimedia

Mercat de Sant Antoni

Iron-and-glass market hall with food stalls and tapas bars, and the Sunday second-hand book market outside.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon–Sat 08:00–20:30; Sunday book and collectables market 08:30–14:00
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

El Born

Photo: Sergio Calleja (Life is a trip) · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia

Mercat de Santa Caterina

Neighbourhood food market under a colourful wavy mosaic roof by Miralles and Tagliabue, with a good restaurant.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon, Wed, Sat 07:30–14:00; Tue, Thu, Fri 07:30–20:30; closed Sunday
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Beer

Montjuïc

Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia

Fàbrica Moritz Barcelona

Jean Nouvel-restored 1856 brewery: brasserie by day, plus a 2-hour tour with tasting of six Moritz beers on weekends.

• 🕗 Hours: Brasserie daily 09:00–01:00; brewery tour with tasting Thu–Sun (book ahead)
• 🎟️ Price: Free entry; tour €24
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Chocolate

El Born

Photo: Tsk070 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Museu de la Xocolata

Chocolate museum in a former convent with sculptures made of chocolate, a tasting and a café.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon–Sat 10:00–19:00; Sun and holidays 10:00–15:00
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Eixample

Photo: Elisa.rolle · CC BY-SA 3.0 es · Wikimedia

Casa Amatller

Modernist house of the Amatller chocolate dynasty next to Casa Batlló, with a guided visit and chocolate tasting.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily about 10:00–19:00 (uncertain; check the site)
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Shopping

Eixample

Photo: Andrew · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Passeig de Gràcia

Barcelona's grand boulevard of luxury fashion, with modernist façades by Gaudí and Puig i Cadafalch.

• 🕗 Hours: Shops Mon–Sat about 10:00–21:00; many closed Sunday
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Old town

Photo: Puigalder · Public domain · Wikimedia

Portal de l'Àngel

Pedestrian high street from Plaça de Catalunya to the cathedral quarter, lined with Spanish and international chains.

• 🕗 Hours: Shops Mon–Sat about 10:00–21:00
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

With kids

Waterfront

Photo: Paul Hermans · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

L'Aquàrium de Barcelona

Mediterranean aquarium in Port Vell with an 80 m shark tunnel, a jellyfish room and a large ocean tank.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily from 10:00 (closing time about 19:00; check the site)
• 🎟️ Price: €29
• ⏱️ Visit: ~2 h

El Born

Photo: Josep Panadero · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Barcelona Zoo

City zoo in Parc de la Ciutadella with gorillas, elephants and a petting area; entry via the park.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–18:00 in October (ticket office until 17:00); shorter days in winter
• 🎟️ Price: €21.40
• ⏱️ Visit: ~3 h

Gràcia

Photo: Jordiferrer · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Tibidabo Amusement Park

Hilltop amusement park from 1901 with vintage rides, a Ferris wheel and panoramic views; reached by tram, bus and funicular.

• 🕗 Hours: Autumn: Sat, Sun and holidays only, rides from 11:00 (closing time varies; check the calendar)
• 🎟️ Price: €35
• ⏱️ Visit: ~4 h

Free things to do

Waterfront

Photo: DimiTalen · CC0 · Wikimedia

Barceloneta Beach

The city's main sandy beach, with a seafront promenade, chiringuitos and fish restaurants.

• 🕗 Hours: Always open
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Plan your trip → Put these places in a day plan with walking times.

Last updated: 4 October 2026