Barcelona itinerary in 5 days
Things To Do Where To Go In Barcelona Spain Europe
Things To Do Where To Go In Barcelona Spain Europe
Things To Do Where To Go In Barcelona Spain Europe
Things To Do Where To Go In Barcelona Spain Europe
Hotels
Barcelona:
♥♥♥♥♥
Very nice, modern hotel in a perfect location. In the Eixample area. Easy to walk to most places although there is a subway stop just down the street. Nice and quiet. Great rooms. Did not include breakfast in the rate, which I usually prefer. Highly recommended.
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♥♥♥♥
This lovely and modern hotel is perfectly located. It is easily accessible to the Old Town as well as the Eixample area. Our room was quiet and had all the amenities we needed. The included breakfast was excellent. (2023 update)
Guides and Tours
Barcelona:​
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Gaudi 4-hour private walking tour. Our guide was excellent. We took taxis between locations. Booked through Pepito Tours.
Cost: 225 Euros
Website: www.pepitotours.com
Email: info@pepitotours.com
Phone: +34 615 059 326 -
Sandeman's free walking tour. This tour covered the Gothic neighbourhood and the El Born District. Although the guide gave a good overview of the different areas in old Barcelona, there were too many people and it was a bit disorganized.
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Evening Tapas and Wine Tour. Booked through Spanish Trails. Fun tour which took us through the different areas for tastings. Our guide, Danny, was charming.
Website: www.spanish-trails.com
Email: info@spanish-trails.com
Phone: +34 93 500 1616
Noteworthy Restaurants
Barcelona:
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La Rita Restaurant - Excellent restaurant in the Eixample area. Highly recommended.
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Cerveserria Catalana - Excellent modern tapas and delicious sangria. Highly recommended for lunch or dinner but be prepared for line ups.
(2023 update) -
Taverna Gastronimica Ziryab. This small restaurant in the Gothic Quarter serves tapas with a Middle Eastern twist. The food was delicious. The service was wonderful and special. (2023 update)
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El Cercle. This lovely restaurant on the second floor of a building, overlooks a lively square. We were here for lunch and had a delicious potato omelette and salad. Perfect lunch spot. (2023 update)
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Casa Lolea. Famous for their sangria (which is sold internationally), this casual restaurant was the perfect spot for dinner before a concert in the Palau de Musica Catalunia. (2023 update)
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La Pepita. This tiny tapas restaurant just north of the Eixample was one of our favourite restaurants. It was lively, delicious food and great atmosphere. Highly recommend. (2023 update)
Favourite Museums
Barcelona:
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Museum of Catalan Art. It is the national museum of visual Catalan art, housed in a beautiful building. It also has a beautiful fountain that cascades down the mountain. Highly recommended.
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Fundacio Joan Miro Museum. This is a museum of modern art honouring Miro. If you love Miro's work it's a must see. Highly recommended.
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Picasso Museum. A museum for understanding the formative years of Pablo Picasso. It has lots of sketches. It is not as impressive as the Picasso museum in Paris. Nice to do to get out of the heat for a couple of hours.
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Palau de Musica Catalunia. This is the music hall which was designed by Gaudi's teacher. It is very unique and definitely worth a tour to learn about the history and design of this stunning theatre. (2023 update)
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MOCO Museum. This modern art museum is small, fun and a great way to spend an hour in Barcelona if you want to get out of the heat. It houses some iconic works by celebrated modern and contemporary artists. It is located next to the Picasso museum. (2023 update)
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Recinte Modernista San Pau. This beautiful complex, which is a former hospital, was built between 1901 and 1930. It is one of the most prominent works of the Catalan modernisme architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. It is a little out of the way but worth it if you have the time. Really stunning. (2023 update)
Day 1
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Afternoon
Checked into Hotel Sixty Two. This is a really nice, modern hotel on the beautiful Passeig de Gracia. Excellent location. This hotel did not include breakfast but there were several little bakeries nearby where we could grab a small bite.
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We went for a walk to La Ramblas - which is the main shopping street. It's very crowded and after a short time we got off this boulevard and wandered along the small streets which were much more pleasant.
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On our way back to the hotel we stopped to admire some of the Gaudi buildings along the street of our hotel.
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Evening
We had dinner at La Rita Restaurant which was delicious food, very close to the hotel. Highly recommended. Keep in mind that restaurants in Spain open late so we couldn't get in before 8 pm.
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Day 2
Morning
This morning we took a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter, Barcelona's most historic neighbourhood. The beautiful winding streets, grand squares, small stores, antique shops, cafes with outdoor seating, and residential apartments are all centred around the cathedral. This neighbourhood is also home of the old Jewish Quarter.
At night this area transforms into a hub for street musicians and the young-at-heart, filled with bars and restaurants.
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The tour also covered the El Born district, a charming shopping district, home to the Picasso Museum (see details on Day 3), the gorgeous Palace of Catalan Music (more about that below), the Santa Caterina Market and the Santa Maria del Mar Church.
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This tour was a free Sandeman's walking tour. The guide was a young, charming Australian expat and while he did a reasonable job explaining the history, the group was very large (mainly young backpackers) and it was little disorganized. I think I would have preferred a private or smaller group tour. Having said that, it was a good basic introduction to the city.
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Afternoon
After grabbing a quick lunch, we went to Monjuic which is a beautiful park on a hill in the city. It literally translates to Jewish Mountain as this is where the Jewish cemeteries used to be. There are several museums in the park and it was the centre of the Barcelona olympics. We took a funicular up the hill and went to the Miro Museum which was incredible. We are big fans of Miro's work and they had some amazing pieces.
We then walked around the park and went to the National Museum of Catalan Art. We walked down the hill passing the spectacular fountains.
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Evening
We booked a Spanish guitar concert at the Palace of Catalan Music. This is definitely worth a visit even if you don't go to a concert. The Hall is spectacular. They offer tours throughout the day. We were lucky to be in Barcelona when there was a beautiful concert taking place. If you can get tickets, you should attend. Highly recommended.
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Day 3
Morning
After breakfast took a four-hour, private Gaudi walking tour. Our tour guide, booked through Pepito Tours, was very pleasant and extremely knowledgeable.
We started the tour along the Passeig de Gracia (the street of our hotel) which has two Gaudi buildings - Casa Batlo and and La Pedrera. We toured inside one of them and learnt about the architecture that is so unique. We then took a taxi to Park Guell, the residential development that Gaudi was commissioned to build. This was so unique and interesting.
From there we went to the Sagrada Familia which was the highlight of our trip to Barcelona. The interior of this chapel is breathtaking. We were there at the perfect time of day, when the sunlight hit the stained glass in a way that made the colours shine through. Spectacular. I highly recommend taking a private Gaudi tour.
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Afternoon
We had lunch with friends at Cervecerria Catalana - which serves delicious, modern tapas and a refreshing jug of sangria which really hit the spot. There was a line outside but we decided to wait and it was worth it!
After lunch we went to the Picasso Museum. It was good, but was more about his formative years and growing up in Barcelona, with lots of prints. It's an interesting museum but I've seen better Picasso exhibits elsewhere.
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Afterward we wandered through the lively and crowded market on La Ramblas.
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Evening
We had dinner at a restaurant in the Gothic Quarter.
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Day 4
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Morning and Afternoon
We had a relaxing morning, exploring Barcelonetta and the area around the beach. We stopped in a small market in Bacelonetta and picked up some picnic food which we ate on a bench along the beach boardwalk.
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Evening
We took an evening tapas and wine tour with Spanish Trails. It was fun and Danny, our guide, was entertaining. We wandered through the different neighbourhoods in the city, while having delicious tastings.
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Day 5
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Morning
We decided to take a train ride out of the city to the beach town of Sitge. This is a lovely but busy town. We rented beach chairs and had a relaxing time. It was a 45 minute train ride which was very convenient from our hotel.
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Afternoon
We walked around the different neighbourhoods and had lunch at Allium in the Gothic Quarter which is known for its Paella.
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Evening
We went to a concert on the roof of the Casa Mila - one of Gaudi's buildings very close to our hotel. It was lovely. We heard the Sabina Witt Quartet. It was a warm, clear evening and it was like being at a friends cocktail party, where drinks were served and everyone sat on the ledges or stood to watch and listen to the beautiful music under the stars. Highly recommended if there is a concert at one of the Gaudi rooftops when you're there. The concerts take place at either La Pedrera or Casa Mila.
Day 6
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Morning
Check out of hotel and head to the airport to come home.
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Itinerary Add-ons
This itinerary can be combined with:
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Barcelona
What's not to love about Barcelona? It is such a unique and beautiful city with a Mediterranean vibe. There is so much history, art, interesting architecture and of course the sandy beach and boardwalk. The museums are amazing and the food... well it keeps me coming back. I've been to Barcelona a couple of times - most recently in 2023 so I've updated the hotels, restaurants and museums in the quick boxes.