5 Places to Add to Your Barcelona Bucket List

I’m sure Barcelona is THE city many of us think of when we think of Spain. The city is filled with so many works of art, unparalleled architecture, amazing food, and vibrant culture. I remember my mom had visited Barcelona as part of a work trip many years ago, and to this day, she still tells stories of how she would walk 10+ miles everyday, phone dead, trying to navigate her way back to the hotel based on her amazing sense of direction. “There was just so much to see, I know you would love it”, she said. Since then, Barcelona has been on my travel bucket list. And now I can wholeheartedly agree with her, I truly loved the city.

In recent years, I’ve become more interested in architecture, so that curiosity, coupled with an introduction into Gaudí ‘s work back in one of my high school Spanish classes, had me diving into the history of all his works and tangential buildings. While I don’t want to dedicate this whole post solely to Gaudí ‘s creations (even thought I could write a whooooole other post about that), I wanted to highlight what I considered to be some of the coolest places I was able to visit. Read on for 5 places you should be adding to your Barcelona bucket list!!

note: my phone did get stolen later in the trip, and me being me, forgot to back up all my photos/ videos:’) so this post does feature the few pics I managed to scrounge up from the abyss

Table of Contents

Places to See

Park Güell

Ok, I can’t make this post without mentioning just a few of Gaudí’s works, Park Güell being one of them. It’s located on Carmel Hill, a little farther out from the city center, and is one of the largest green spaces in the city. The park is a great example of the Modernisme movement that combines elements of Art Nouveau with the cultural resurgence of the Catalonia region. There are so many cool spots within the Park, so I recommend just taking your time and walking around! Remember to buy tickets in advance here.

To get there, I recommend taking the bus since it drops you off near the entrance of the park. It’s just a couple minutes walk away and you’ll get good views of the city!

Casa Batlló

Another one of Gaudí ‘s works, Casa Batlló is located on the Passeig de Gràcia, one of the cities most important shopping areas. It’s part of a row of 4 houses, all built by Modernista architects, known as the Mansana de la Discòrdia, the “Block of Discord”. While tickets are a little pricier, I think it’s well worth the visit! Everyone is given a headset and tablet for a virtual reality interactive tour of the inside of the house. You’re taken through every room and given the history as well as a 3D rendering of how the house was decorated back in the day. The architecture of this place was just amazing – embodying nature and fantasy. And don’t forget to check out the museum’s gift shop, it’s considered one of the best in the world!). Buy your tickets here.

While you’re here, you should also check out Casa Míla which is just a few minutes walking down the street! It’s another building by Gaudí that features a stone façade that looks like it’s moving and has unique iron railings.

Palau de la Música Catalana

This concert hall, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is built in the Catalan Modernista style that is seen throughout Barcelona. The auditorium itself is beautiful. It’s covered in stained glass with a large skylight protruding from the ceiling. This skylight allows the Palau to be completely lit up during the day entirely by natural light (the only auditorium in Europe to do so)! Other decorative pieces such as sculpture, and mosaic can also be seen throughout the building. If you can, try to get tickets to one of the performance held here! Otherwise, you can tour the building itself by buying tickets here.

Poble Espanyol

This unique open-air museum showcases the architecture of different regions in Spain. The village was originally built back in 1929 for the Barcelona Universal Exhibition. The creators spent time visiting more than 1600 villages before finalizing the design of 117 full scale buildings. This place reminded me of Epcot’s world showcase where the architecture of the buildings replicate those found in the specific country. At Poble Espanyol, you can also find many crafts workshops and the Museu Fran Daurel, which showcases contemporary art from artists such as Picasso, Dalí, Míro, and others. Buy your tickets here.

Mercado de La Bouqueria

La Boqueria is a food lover’s paradise with stalls upon stalls selling everything from the freshest fruits and juices to specialty dried meats and cheeses to various tapas. There are also many sit down bars in the market for you to dine at as well. Some famous ones include El Pinoxto and El Quim. If you’re indecisive like me, I recommend just walking a lap around the market. Then grab some small bites from a few stalls to try as much as you can!

Bonus: Ciutadella Park

This concert hall is also built in the Catalan Modernista style that is seen throughout Barcelona. The auditorium itself is beautiful. It’s covered in stained glass with a large skylight protruding from the ceiling. This skylight allows the Palau to be completely lit up entirely by natural light during the day (the only auditorium in Europe to do so)! If you can, try to get tickets to one of the performance held here! Otherwise, you can tour the building itself by buying tickets here.