The Barcelona Postcards
all the best places to eat, drink, shop, and explore in one of my favorite cities!
I made a guidebook for my friend Katie before she went abroad, and it was truly so easy because I love this city so much. Even though I got the flu in Barcelona and my brother was (famously) robbed in Barcelona, I would still go back in a heartbeat. It is truly an amazing city with fantastic food, architectural history, and nightlife.
I’ve been a handful of times (once for the Primavera Sound Festival, which I highly recommend) and still find many new things to try and do each time. It is also very walkable, and transportation is super approachable! As always, I’ve linked a Google Maps with recs here.
Planning Activities
I don’t have a super strict itinerary (just some fun areas to visit) because some of the best spots are found just by wandering the neighborhoods — especially if you have a few days; I highly recommend taking your time walking around the city. Beaches are great in the warmer months too!
In my opinion, it is also the perfect city for night owls because people tend to stay out and wake up late. If you don’t want to go clubbing (or can valiantly power through lack of sleep), you’ll have much more time to explore the city and can add more spots to your list!
Weekend Trip Itinerary:
Day 1
Arrive in Barcelona & drop bags/check in to accommodation/etc
Visit Basílica de la Sagrada Família
Walk to Park Güell and explore the colorful mosaic park.
Walk down Passeig de Gràcia (stop outside Casa Batlló and La Pedrera - Casa Milà for photos or tour inside!)
Explore El Born and grab lunch nearby (great option is El Xampanyet), then head to the Picasso Museum
Can also walk through/by Santa María del Mar and Santa María del Pi
Walk through Ciutadella Park and/or head back to the accommodation to get ready for dinner
Take the Montjuïc Funicular for sunset views at Montjuïc
Dinner/drinks/clubbing or bar hopping
Day 2
If you are down to travel a bit outside of the city, I recommend visiting Labyrinth Park of Horta/Palau del Marques D'alfarras (around 30-40 mins away) or Mercantic Market (around an hour away)
Walk around Sant Antoni Market (can grab food for a picnic lunch if it's nice out or to bring with you if traveling outside city)
Lunch
Walk through La Rambla (lots of major shopping + can see the famous Kiss Mural)
Grab coffee at Laie Llibreria Cafè
Sunset at Bunkers del Carmel
Dinner/drinks/clubbing
Day 3
Go thrift shopping and explore the Gothic Quarter before traveling back to your base city!
Safety
I didn’t find Barcelona significantly more dangerous or risky than other major cities I’ve lived in or visited. Still, you have to be on guard for pickpocketing — even in the less touristy areas — and generally be aware of your surroundings while out and about. During the day, I navigated the city and public transportation by myself with no issues, and at night, I walked in groups and felt fine (although there was a lot of catcalling).
Places to See/Activities
Cool views:
Bunkers del Carmel for sunset (TikTok blew it up but it’s actually worth the view)
Montjuïc (take the funicular up at sunset)
Most of the touristy stuff is worth seeing for the gorgeous architecture, even if you don’t go inside the buildings (but try to explore outside of the center, too)
Basílica de la Sagrada Família (if I had to choose, I would prioritize paying to go inside here)
Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (also world famous skate spot)
Paella Club (learn to make paella)
General areas/streets to explore:
Plaça de Vicenç Martorell
Carrer d'Enric Granados
El Born
La Rambla
The Gothic Quarter
If you have time, take a day trip to Sitges, Montserrat, or Girona! Guides are coming soon :)
Food
Granja Dulcinea (the churros are elite)
Oakberry (multiple locations) or NUDES for açai bowls
Taquería Los Güeros (1 euro tacos)
7 Portes (paella)
Patrón (seafood restaurant & lounge)
Honest Greens (like Sweetgreen/Cava - so many locations)
Parking Pizza (multiple locations)
Velissima (live music)
Nolita (get the pancakes and bellinis for brunch!)
Working Out
Disclaimer: I haven’t tried most of these (the majority are recs I got/researched before I went), but I recommend using Classpass to try out different classes. Also workout classes are a super fun way to learn vocab! I’ve only taken classes in Spanish, but many have bilingual instruction.
LoveCycle (my dad and I love finding SoulCycle dupes)
Beatcore (reformer pilates)
BarreFit (multiple locations)
Lapso (another spin class - two locations)
Study Spots & Coffee Shops
ÖSS Kaffe (BEST iced coffee)
Sopa (for my vegeterians/vegans!)
Bloome by Sasha (gluten-free galore!!)
Laie Llibreria Cafè (I love when a bookstore is also a cafe)
Dipòsit de les Aigües (campus library at Universitat Pompeu Fabra)
Biblioteca Gabriel Garcia Marquez (public library)
Syra (multiple locations, but this was my fav)
Shopping (SO MANY RECS I had to block into different categories)
vintage/consignment
Mercat dels Encants (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, 9 am-8 pm)
Mercantic Market (outside city, great leather jackets)
Humana (many locations)
boutiques & chains
Collect (super cool sneakers)
Bijuteria Dulcinea (custom necklaces)
Ash Barcelona (shoes!)
248 Colmado (houseware)
Susmie’s (online but often hosts pop-ups in Barcelona - keep tabs on their Instagram for fun events or shop their iconic jewelry + scarves)
Zara (the one on Passeig de Gràcia is HUGE)
Billabong (multiple locations)
Mango (multiple locations)
Brownie (multiple locations)
Subdued (+ Subdued Outlet)
Stradivarius (multiple locations)
Pull & Bear (multiple locations)
Berksha (multiple locations)
Natura (hit or miss - multiple locations)
Going Out
bars
H10 Casa Mimosa (rooftop)
Le Cyrano (great place to pre)
Veraz (in the Barcelona Edition - has a rooftop too)
Dow Jones (drink prices fluctuate based on supply/demand)
clubs
Shôko (Mondays)
Sutton (Wednesdays)
Input (weekends)
La Terrrazza Discoteca (electronic music - outdoors, open in warmer weather)