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Top 10 Tourist Attractions Barcelona 2024 - Top Ten Barcelona Things to to

Top 10 Tourist attractions Barcelona

2024 Barcelona top ten sights and things to do. Maps & Tips.

Updated March 2024


This article is currently being updated!

Welcome to Barcelona and to our local, up-to-date list of Barcelona's Top 10 essential tourist attractions. Find Top 10 tips, map and advice for planning. See also our 3 day Barcelona guide, and our useful where to stay page and our good to know Barcelona tips.

Number 1 - la Sagrada Familia

Top Ten tourist attractions Barcelona
La Sagrada Familia - famous unfinished church by Antoni Gaudí

Top Ten Barcelona Things to to

Number 1. La Sagrada Familia temple. The fabulous and unfinished temple of La Sagrada Familia (The Holy family) is the top 'must-see' for Barcelona visitors. This unique and unusual church is Barcelona's most famous attractions and also Spain's most visited attraction. This temple was designed by the renowned Catalan/Spanish architecht Antoni Gaudi. Construction started in 1882 and the plan is to finish in 2026. It's famous both for being unfinished and for the extraordinary design.

How to visit. You can see the exterior free from the street, but the interior is definately worth seeing. Around 3 million annual visitors wait patiently in lines that sometimes circle the church to visit the spectacular interior so skip-the-line tickets are recommended, especially in peak vacation periods. Plan to spend 1 to 2 hours to see the interior.

History of Sagrada Familia. The foundation stone was laid in the year 1882 when the area around the basilica church was mostly fields. It has taken a long time to build because it has always been privately funded and construction has slowed or stopped at various turbelnt times in Barcelona's history. The spectacular interior was completed and opened in 2012. Experiencing it is a unique departure from the usual dark medieval Spanish cathedrals, especially the breathtaking spectacle of sunlight streaming through the vibrant stained glass windows. The exterior is still under construction and is 80% completed in 2023. The aim of completing the project by 2026 is to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. In 1926 tragically he was struck by a tram and succumbed to his injuries a few days later.  At the time of his death, only the nativity facade was completed. Gaudi was acutely aware that completing the temple would require decades, and he is famously quoted as having said, 'My client is not in a hurry,' implying that God was his client. See how the finished Sagrada Familia will look.

To get to the Sagrada familia you can take a hop-on-hop-off bus - or take the metro to station Sagrada Familia. See map and try the virtual tour to get a sneak peak.

How long does it take to visit Sagrada Familia? The exterior of the Sagrada Familia takes 15 to 30 minutes to see outside which is free of charge. To explore the interior, be plan for 1 to 2 hours, depending on the type of ticket you buy.

Ticket prices:
Various prices from at €15 to visit interior.

Top Visitor tip:

Buy official skip-the-line Sagrada Familia tickets in advance. Ticket options include tickets with audioguide, guided tours and access to towers.

Visitor Tip:
Dress respectfully by covering shoulders inside. See full Sagrada Familia dress code in visitor rules.

Opening times:
Open all year, but closed for some services and special religious events.

November through February:
Open 9 am to 6 pm.
March and October:
Open 9 am to 7 pm.
April through September:
Open 9 am to 8 pm.
25 and 26 December, 1 and 6 January:
Open 9 am to 2 pm.

X (Twitter) Sagrada Familia
Google maps location
Getting to Sagrada Familia
Pictures Sagrada Familia
Gaudi buildings Barcelona
Hotels near Sagrada Familia



Number 2 - Ciutat Vella - Medieval area

Top Ten attractions in Barcelona
Medieval area of Barcelona which consists of several neighbourhoods 

gothic_quarter_barrio_gotico_barcelona

Number 2. The Cuitat Vella district is the medieval city of Barcelona. Some people confuse the names and think that all the medieval area is called the Gothic area but there are other areas in the medieval area too. Book a Gothic quarter walking tour. The Gothic area is the most central and oldest. It grew around the ancient Roman town called Barcino which is Barcelona's original area as a Roman city.

The gothic part of the city has many beautiful churches, plazas, markets and museums and you can see parts of the old Roman walls. If you visit the Barcelona history musuem Museu d'Història de la Ciutat you can see remains of Roman Barcino houses and streets under the museum.

The gothic quarter is free to visit and best seen on foot because tour buses cannot drive through the narrow streets. There are no dangerous areas in the Gothic quarter, but be aware of Barcelona pickpockets. Also worth visiting is the neighbouring medieval areas of Barcelona's old city called El Born, Barceloneta and Raval.

Opening times & Ticket prices
The gothic area is always open and FREE to visit
  
PIctures Gothic Barcelona
Walking tour Gothic area

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Number 3 - Picasso Museum

Top Ten attractions in Barcelona
Picasso Museum. Permanent collection of Picasso's early works and life in Barcelona

Top Ten Barcelona sights

Number 3. Picasso Musuem. Barcelona's most famous museums is located in the Born area of Barcelona's old city near the areas where Pablo Picasso lived in Barcelona in his youth. Picasso was born on October 25th, 1881 in Malaga in the south of Spain. In 1895, when he was 14 years old, the Picasso family moved to Barcelona. Picasso lived in Barcelona until 1904 after which he emigrated to France at the age of 23.

Picasso's father was an art teacher and initiated his early artistic education. His most formative years were spent in Barcelona, where he held his debut exhibition. While the Picasso Museum in Barcelona may not house the most renowned works, it does offer a remarkable collection of 4,000 early sketches and canvases and these pieces chronicle his remarkable evolution from an young art student to the world's most celebrated artist.

The museum is housed in several adjoining gothic mansions in the Born part of Barcelona's medieval city. The nearest metro station Jaume I and then 10 mins walk. See map

Visitor Tip 1: Book a skip-the-line Guided Tour of Picasso Museum.
Visitor Tip 2: Buy skip-the-line Picasso museum tickets.
Visitor Tip 3: Free admission on first Sunday of month all day and free every Thursday after 6pm.

Opening times & ticket prices
Closed Mondays, except public holidays

Google map location
Address Picasso Museum
Top Barcelona museums 

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Number 4 - La Rambla street

Top Ten attractions in Barcelona
La Rambla – Barcelona's most famous street

Barcelona top ten tourist attractions

Number 4. La Rambla street
. Free attraction. La Rambla is Barcelona's main tourist street and the most famous street in Barcelona. This street is also called Las Ramblas (plural of La Rambla) because it actually has different street sections, each with its own name. The Rambla connects the central square Plaza Catalunya to the Port Vell marina and Mediterranean sea. While labeled a 'tourist trap' by some visitors, La Rambla is undeniably touristy yet retains its charm, making it a 'must-see.' In the 1930s, Spanish poet Federico García Lorca said of La Rambla, 'It is the only street in the world which I wish would never end.' We agree. Strolling along La Rambla allows one to experience the pulsating heartbeat of the city. Is La Rambla safe? La Rambla is safe to visit, but pickpockets are omnipresent, so keep a watch on your things. In the very early hours from 2 to 6 a.m. La Rambla is a little less safe, so be careful on La Rambla during those times and in particular avoiding the lower part of La Rambla near the harbour. See map.  

Visitor tip 1: Lookout for pickpockets on La Rambla at all times.

Visitor tip 2: Always ask about prices and portion sizes on La Rambla before ordering. 

Opening times and ticket prices
La Rambla is always open and FREE to visit

Google maps location
Address La Rambla
Pictures La Rambla

Number 5 - Park Guell by Gaudi

Top Ten attractions in Barcelona
Park Guell – Gaudi's modernist park on Carmel hill

parc_guell_gaudi_barcelona

Number 5. Park Guell.
 Parc Guell i is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered to one of Gaudi's most artistic works. Parc Guell is a Barcelona top attraction and must-see. The park is on Carmel hill so seeing this attraction involves a 900m uphill walk if you take the hop-on-hop-off bus or arrive from metro station Vallcarca.

If you prefer not to walk, then take a taxi to the Park Guell front gate. The original idea of by Josep Guell was to develop a private and exclusive residential garden village with 60 houses. It didn't work and after Guell's death in 1923 the park was donated by the Guell family to Barcelona as a public park.
See map

Opening times & Ticket prices
Parc Guell is open daily all year

Google maps location
TICKETS skip-the-line Park Guell
Address Parc Guell
Pictures Parc Guell
About Antoni Gaudi


Number 6 - Modernist buildings

Top Ten attractions in Barcelona

Modernist buildings in Barcelona

la_pedrera_casa_mila_gaudi_barcelona

Number 6. Modernist buildings
. Modernisme was a Catalan cultural movement centred in Barcelona and Catalonia from 1888 to 1911. It is most famous for its architectural expression in particular the many works of Antoni Gaudí. Barcelona has many beautiful modernist structures, with three of them conveniently situated in the same city block along Passeig de Gracia street. This block is nicknamed 'Illa de la Discòrdia' - the 'Block of Discord' because the style of the three modernist building are so. These three famous buildings are Casa Amatller designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, the magical Casa Batlló by Gaudi and the Casa Lleó-Morera by Lluís Domènech i Montaner. A little further up street Passeig de Gracia street is another of Gaudi's famous buildings called Casa Mila - and nicknamed 'La Pedrera' (the Quarry) because of its striking design. In the summer months there are usually weekly concerts on the rooftop terrace of the building La Pedrera and Casa Batllo

Another modernist treasure is the beautiful Palau Guell town house near Las Ramblas, also by Gaudi.
For modernist art and furniture visit Barcelona's Modernist museum

Opening times & ticket prices

TICKETS La Pedrera DAY
TICKETS Casa Batllo
TICKETS Casa Amatller
TICKETS Palau Guell
Address Casa Battlo
Twitter Casa Batllo
Address Casa Amatller
Address Casa Mila
Twitter Casa Mila
Address Palau Guell
Biography Antoni Gaudi
Modernist architecture


Number 7 - Montjuic hill & Poble Espanyol

Top Ten attractions in Barcelona
Montjuic hill and El Poble Espanyol (Spanish Village)
  
montjuic_castle_barcelona

Number 7. Montjuic hill and Poble Espanyol Spanish Village. Montjuic hill is a lovely place to spend an afternoon or day in good weather. The Montjuic area has many parks and attractions. There is a military former fort on the summit called Montjuic Castle, which has a rich and dark history and fantastic views of Barcelona. Montjuic castle is open daily all year.

Another attraction on Montjuic hill is the quirky Spanish village Poble Espanyol, which is a unique celebration of Spain and Spanish culture and architecture. Poble Espanyol was originally built for the Barcelona 1929 World Fair as a showcase village of Spain's different regional architectural styles, the idea being that you can see 'all of Spain' in one village. The popularity of the village with visitors and locals, led the city to preserve it as a permanent attraction after the world exhibition ended. Today, Poble Espanyol has numerous cafes, nightclubs, restaurants, a "Fiesta" multimedia show highlighting Spain's most popular and famous cultural festivals, celebrations and landscapes and more than 40 artisan craft shops and workshops. It is also home to the popular El Tablao de Carmen flamenco show.

Visitor tip. The flamenco show includes 1 hour free entrance to Poble Espanyol. See map. This attraction is on hop-on-hop-off bus routes or take metro L1 or L3 to nearest metro station Espanya and then it is a 20 minute walk to Poble Espanyol.

Opening times & Ticket prices

Montjuic castle is open daily all year

Tickets Montjuic Castle
TICKETS Montjuic cable car
Address directions Montjuic Castle

Poble Espanyol village is open daily all year

TICKETS Poble Espanyol
Address Poble Espanyol


Number 8 - Tibidabo hill

Top Ten attractions in Barcelona

Tibadabo hill, Sagrat Cor church & Tibidabo amusement park

sagrat_cor_church_on_hill_barcelona

Number 8. Tibidabo. A visit to Tibadabo hill is a fun thing to do in Barcelona and perfect for families with children. The views of Barcelona from Tibidabo hill are fantastic. The Sagrat Cor church on Tibidabo hill is open all day all year and is free to visit. Below the peak, Tibidabo hill also has a vintage amusement park, called Tibidabo. It is open from March to September and during festive seasons. Check the amusement park opening times to  plan a visit. The Tibidabo Panoramic Area with wonderful views of Barcelona is free and open every day (except for some weeks in February for annual maintenance) You can reach the Tibadabo hill top by bus and mountain railway called Cuca de Llum which starts at Plaça del Doctor Andreu and end at the top of Avinguda Tibidabo

See map and how to get to Tibidabo

Useful Tibidabo pages

Google maps location
TIckets Tibidabo funfair
Address Tibadabo
Pictures Tibadabo


Books set in Barcelona

While you visit Barcelona why not read a fun, interesting, exciting book about Barcelona or set in Barcelona. Find them on our Barcelona book list
Top books set Barcelona


Top day tours outside Barcelona

Top attractions near Barcelona that can be visited in one day or half a day.


Montserrat Mountains & monastery

Montserrat Mountain Barcelona

Open all year. Free to visit. 1 hour from Barcelona. Montserrat mountains, monastery and basilica is one of Barcelona and Spain's biggest tourist attractions. You can see and touch the famous 12th century Black Virgin of Montserrat, enjoy breathtaking scenery of amazing rock formations and panoramic views. Montserrat mountain is just one hour from Barcelona and is visited by 3 million travellers and pilgrims every year making it a tour attractions outside Barcelona. 

Montserrat Monastery address, map and visitor information
Photos Montserrat mountain
Private Tour to Montserrat for small groups with hotel pick-up

Private day tour Montserrat - small groups - hotel pickup


Girona - City of sieges & Game of Thrones

Visit Girona

Girona is a historic jewel located just over an hour north of Barcelona by tour, bus or train. It's a city full of legend and beauty and recently also became a location for new episodes of TV show 'Games of Thrones'.

Girona is famous for its colourful hanging houses over the River Onyar, for the well preserved medieval Jewish quarter and the historic walled Old Quarter (Barri Vell) that dates back to Roman times.

About Girona
Photos Girona
Day tour to Girona with hotel pick-up in Barcelona




Andorra, France & Pyrenees Mountains

day tour barcelona to andorra

Andorra and the Pyrenees mountains. The Principality of Andorra is a tiny country nestled entirely in the Pyrenees mountain range and bordered by Spain and France. It's the 16th smallest country in the world and the 11th smallest by population. There is no direct rail or air connection to Andorra from France or Spain to Andorra. Andorra is only accessible by road. There are daily bus connections from Barcelona to Andorra but they are not suitable for a one day tour. For a day tour to Andorra from Barcelona we recommend you to book a day tour from Barcelona.

There are a few companies that offer great day tours to Andorra. We can recommend an excellent tour called the Three Countries tour, which starts from Barcelona, makes a stop in France, then travels all through Andorra with stops in the beautiful Pyrenees mountain scenery of Andorra. This tour is a road trip of 12 hours - but is unique because you are in 3 countries in one day and get to visit one of the smallest countries in the world!

Pictures Andorra & Pyrenees
3 Countries Tour to Andorra from Barcelona
Snow experience Day tour Andorra

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This pages also answers the questions:

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Last Updated on Monday, 18 March 2024 16:58