Are you looking at Barcelona holidays for your next break away? We can highly recommend visiting this city if you want a short break. It’s got the beaches, the cool buildings, exciting nightlife and unique vibe are all brilliant reasons to come here but don’t let us try and persuade you, take a look at this Instagram tour of Barcelona and discover what you’re missing out on… Placa de Catalunya If you want to hop on a bus tour around the city – highly recommend by the way if you’ve only got a short time in Barcelona – or start on a stroll down La Ramblas, then Placa de Catalunya is the place to start. It’s a gorgeous space in a central part of the city and is totally perfect for a spot of people watching in the sun.
La Rambla is probably one of the busiest streets in Barcelona but it’s well worth a wander down. This tree lined avenue is full of quirky market stalls, cool restaurants and bars and has an upbeat atmosphere that’s quite typical of most places in Barcelona. Yes, it may be a tourist trap but you’re in Barcelona so it’d seem silly to miss out on this city’s most iconic street.
If you’re feeling peckish, don’t jump into the first restaurant you spot on La Rambla, wait until you find La Boqueria. Yes, most dining places can be a lot more expensive than those just off La Rambla, but this place is an experience that’s so worth it. Step through the grand iron entrance of The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, as it’s officially known, and find a world full of seafood, fruits, sweets, traditional Spanish meat, wine, fresh pizza and cheese. Yes, it’s making us feel hungry too just thinking about it.
If you manage to reach the end of La Rambla without getting distracted by food, you’ll find the Mirador de Colom. This 60 metre statue was built as a tribute to Christopher Colombus as the explorer made Barcelona his return point after sailing back form America. You don’t just have to look at this statue though, you can jump into the lift inside to see spectacular views of the surrounding city and the views are definitely worth the journey.
From here, you can double back on yourself slightly, and head into Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter. It’s one of the prettiest parts of the city with old Roman and Medieval architecture. The “Pont del Bisbe” is without a doubt one of the most photographed parts of the Gothic Quarter and can you be blamed for stopping to take a photo of something that stunning?
After all this walking, you might be feeling a little thirsty. There’s no better place to stop off other than the Placa Reial which is still in the Gothic Quarter and just off La Ramblas. This picturesque square features palm trees, a huge choice of restaurants and bars and is really just a great part of Barcelona to kick back for a while and watch the world go by. During the evening, this place steps it up a notch and becomes home to some of the city’s best nightclubs and during the summer, open air concerts take place in the square. La Sagrada Familia Now, it’s onto one of the most iconic sites in Barcelona. La Sagrada Familia. Even if you’ve seen it before, or think it’s enough to have seen photos, you still need to see it in real life. It’s constantly changing and the building is not due to be finished until 2026 so from now until then, you’ll see a different building each time you visit. The inside of this building is just as special as the outside with the colourful stained glass windows and ornate stonework decorating the church.
Another of Barcelona’s sensational structures is Park Guell. This is another part of Barcelona that has been shaped by the architect Antoni Gaudi. There are surreal shapes throughout the park, colourful mosaic art and a sense of calm that you don’t get in many places throughout Barcelona. Originally designed to be a housing estate but we think it’s much better as this colourful park. We’ll let you decide that for yourselves though…
For even more Antoni Gaudi architecture, Casa Batilo and Casa Mila are some of the finest examples of his work. Casa Batilo is the more colourful of the two, covered in glass mosaic tiles it definitely draws a crowd on the Passeig de Gracia. The Casa Mila however is slightly more understated and its nickname “La Pedrera” – which means “the stone quarry” – describes what it’s meant to represent. Although it sounds a bit dull, we can promise you it’s not and both buildings are equally worth a visit.
High above the hustle and bustle of Barcelona is the Olympic Park which was used for the 1992 Summer Olympics is a great place to enjoy a quiet sunset. It’s also a great starting point to walk through Montjuic Parc and down to Placa d’Espanya.
For all you footie fans out there, you can’t visit Barcelona and miss out Camp Nou. This legendary stadium is home to FC Barcelona and if you’re lucky, or you’ve timed your trip well, you may even be able to catch a game on your holiday! BARCELONA!
If the weather is nice on your stay in Barcelona, make the most of it by heading to one of Barcelona’s many beaches. Barceloneta beach is the most popular with it’s views of the W Hotel and cute hipster eateries along the beach front. However, if you wander a bit further down there’s also some pretty cool artwork to see. ”The Injured Star” which looks like a crooked tower sits right on the coast of Barceloneta Beach and if you walk up the coast a little further, you find Fish, a glorious golden structure designed by Frank Gehry. If you want to get out on the water though, try out stand up paddleboarding which is a great way to see this city’s lively coastline.
Published on 8th April 2016
Published on 3rd April 2020
Published on 8th August 2023