Is practical guide to Barcelona in 3 days It will take you to visit the most essential places of one of the most visited cities in the world, whether walking through its most famous streets and neighborhoods or by subway or urban bus, with which you can access the most distant places of interest.
After touring during the first two days the most interesting modernist buildings, the neighborhoods of Gracia, the Gothic and the Born, the Gothic churches, streets such as Las Ramblas and Paseo de Gracia, on this third day you will visit places like the popular neighborhoods of La Barceloneta and Poblenou, the viewpoints of Montjuic Castle and the Carmel Bunkers, among many other things.
Based on the experience of our numerous visits to Barcelona, we have made this guide to know the best of Barcelona in three days. We start!
Tips for traveling to Barcelona
This list of tips will help you prepare your trip around Barcelona:
- All Barcelona itineraries in 3 days They are designed to start at your hotel. Our recommended hotel in Barcelona is the Caledonian, located in the heart of the city and with a great quality / price ratio. For more information you can consult this post about where to stay in Barcelona.
- To get to the center or to your hotel in Barcelona from Prat Airport, you have several transport options: train, bus, subway, taxi or book the direct transfer to the hotel. For more information you can consult this post on how to go from Barcelona Airport to the center.
- If you are going to visit many monuments it is advisable to assess whether it is profitable to buy the Barcelona Pass, since with it you can save money and especially when you can skip the lines. Another good option is the Hola BCN Card! for 2, 3, 4 or 5 days, with which you will have unlimited access to public transport in the city.
- One of the best tips for traveling to Barcelona is to buy the T-Casual (old T10) card with which you will have 10 subway, bus or tram tickets.
- To save money in Barcelona you can visit the Picasso Museum for free on Thursday afternoons, the first Sunday of each month at the Hospital de la Santa Creu and Sant Pau, and on Saturday afternoons at the MNAC.
- To save travel time you can book the Barcelona tourist bus, which stops at all tourist attractions in the city.
- If you want to know better the history of the city and its monuments you can book a free tour with a guide in Spanish through the old town.
For more recommendations you can consult this post of tips to travel to Barcelona essential.
First day in Barcelona
The morning of the first day of Barcelona in 3 days It starts arriving by subway, lines L2 and L5, to the Sagrada Familia, one of the essential places to visit in Barcelona. Although the church opens at 9, long lines are formed and a fixed number of tickets are sold every day, so to ensure your visit and not have to waste time in the queue you can book this guided tour in Spanish or this guided tour , which includes the climb to the tower.
The Holy Family
Near the Sagrada Familia is the next visit of the day, the Hospital de la Santa Creu and Sant Pau, one of the jewels of Catalan modernism, which you cannot miss on your trip to Barcelona.
After touring the interesting buildings of the hospital you will head to the most beautiful park in the city, Park Güell, an incredible jewel of Gaudí that is also an excellent viewpoint.
To take into account that it has gone from being free to being paid and with a limited daily ticket quota. Two good options to not miss it is to book this guided tour of the park or this tour that also includes a visit to the Sagrada Familia, in both cases you will save time by skipping the lines. If you don't want to do any guided tour, we recommend you book this ticket in advance.
The Barcelona route in three days continue down to the neighborhood of Gracia, one of the most charming neighborhoods in the city, where it is a pleasure to walk through its narrow streets full of local shops and original cafes. In addition, it is one of the best places to go for tapas in its many restaurants such as Intrèpid de Gràcia.
After lunch you will walk to the avenue of Paseo de Gracia, where there are two other masterpieces by Gaudí, La Pedrera and Casa Batlló. In addition to these two wonders that you will visit tomorrow, in the Paseo de Gracia there are large international brand stores and incredible buildings such as the Palau Malagrida and the Palau Robert, the Amatller House, the Mulleras House, the Lleó i Morer House, the Enric House Batlló and Casa Bonaventura Ferrer, to which we advise you to dedicate some time, to contemplate them while enjoying the great atmosphere of the area.
La Pedrera on the Paseo de Gracia
The tour of Paseo de Gracia ends at Plaza Cataluña, the most famous square in the city and from which you will have access to the Portal de l'Àngel street, the Gothic Quarter. In this neighborhood, full of buildings and palaces of Gothic style, you will enjoy its narrow streets that will take you to places like the Cathedral of Santa Creu and Santa Eulàlia, the Temple of Augustus, Carrer del Bisbe, the square of Sant Felip Neri , the Plaza del Rey, Els Cuatre Gats, the Plaza Sant Jaume and the Plaza Real.
The Barcelona itinerary in 3 days Continue with a long walk along Las Ramblas to the Columbus Monument, one of the best things to do in Barcelona. During the tour do not forget to enter the fabulous market of La Boqueria and see the mural of Joan Miró on the floor, in addition to chopping some of the delights they have in many of their stalls.
For dinner we recommend you go to the Gothic Quarter to try the tapas of the restaurants Viana or Sensi Bistro, two of our city favorites.
(Extended information of the route of the first day in Barcelona here)
Map of the route of the first day in Barcelona in 3 days
Second day in Barcelona
The second day of Barcelona in three days It starts arriving early in La Pedrera, where the nearest metro stop is the Diagonal station of lines L3 and L5. Although they open the doors at 9 in the morning, it is advisable to go early to avoid wasting a lot of time in the queue. Another good option is to book this ticket in advance with which you will save the wait.
The next stop will be Casa Batlló by Antoni Gaudí, where you passed yesterday, also located on Paseo de Gracia and one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. To save time you can book this ticket without queues in advance.
If you like Gaudí's modernism and architecture it may also be interesting to book this guided tour in Spanish for its most symbolic buildings.
Casa Batlló
The route through Barcelona in 3 days Continue with the visit to the Palau de la Música Catalana, with a spectacular concert hall declared a World Heritage Site. The only option to visit it is to buy a ticket to see some of their music shows or book a guided tour.
When leaving the Palau de la Música you can take the opportunity to eat in one of the recommended restaurants found in this area such as the Tosca Palau wave Lolea House.
After lunch you can approach the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter to the Basilica Santa Maria del Pi, an old church that has one of the best viewpoints in Barcelona at the top of its tower.
The Barcelona in three days continue with a route through El Born, one of our favorite neighborhoods in Barcelona, a neighborhood of medieval origin that has several highlights such as the impressive basilica of Santa María del Mar, the old Mercado del Born, the Mercado de Santa Catarina, Montcada street, the Picasso Museum, the Church of Sant Pere de les Puelles, the Marcus chapel, the Ciutadella Park or the beautiful Station of France.
France Station
After a relaxing walk through the Ciutadella Park, you can walk to the Triumfo Arch along the Lluís Companys Promenade and from where you can take the L1 metro line that will take you to Plaza España, your next stop in Barcelona at 3 days.
The Plaza España is the gateway to the mountain of Montjuïc, where you can climb to its top by some escalators, although before reaching the highest part we recommend you go to the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, MNAC, to enjoy a magnificent sunset with beautiful views of the city.
At nightfall in the Magic Fountain of Montjuic, located in the lower part of the mountain, there is a great show of water, music and light, which you can not miss while being in this area of the city.
After the show, you can finish the second day of Barcelona in three days dining on the terrace of Las Arenas Shopping Center with good views of Plaza España. Although we recommend walking away a bit to eat in one of the best restaurants in Barcelona, such as Kurai or the MinE.
(Extended information on the route of the second day in Barcelona here)
Map of the route of the second day in Barcelona
What to see in Barcelona in 3 days
The third day of Barcelona in 3 days Start by taking the L1 or L3 subway line to arrive at the Espanya stop first. This stop is located near the Poble Espanyol, an enclosure located on the Montjuic Mountain, where exact copies of some of the most beautiful places and buildings in Spain are concentrated and where there are also several craft shops in which to buy a Original memory of the city.
You can book the ticket in advance here.
After the visit to Poble Espanyol, you can take bus 150 that goes up to the Olympic Ring, located on the top of the mountain of Montjuic. In this set of sports facilities, among which the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, the Palau Sant Jordi, the Bernat Picornell Pools and the Calatrava Tower, most of the events of the 1992 Olympic Games were held.
Montjuic Olympic Ring
After a short walk through this area you can take the city bus 150 again to reach Montjuic Castle, the next stop of the Barcelona in three days. This defensive fortress has several anti-aircraft batteries and cannons, having lived different war episodes during its more than 3 centuries of history. Its location at the highest point of the mountain of Montjuic will allow you to have excellent views of the city and the Barcelona coast.
Montjuic Castle in Barcelona in three days
When you leave the castle you can walk down to the Mirador del Alcalde Gardens, with even better views of the city. Near the viewpoint and the castle you have the Montjuic cable car, one of the transport options in Barcelona, which will take you to the lower part of the city, stopping at Miramar Avenue, while enjoying the views.
Views from the Mirador del Alcalde Gardens
From Miramar Avenue you can walk to Paral·lel Avenue, which connects the Plaza de España with the sea, and where some of the city's best known theaters, such as El Molino, are concentrated.
The next stop of Barcelona in 3 days It is the neighborhood of La Barceloneta, which you will arrive by bus from the Paral·lel - Cabanes stop.
La Barceloneta is one of the most emblematic neighborhoods of the city, located next to the sea, which still retains the marine charm in its streets and restaurants of fresh fish, seafood and paella.
And how could it be otherwise and it is already time to eat we recommend going directly to one of the most recommended restaurants such as The Peninsular or em> La Cova Fumada, after eating take a walk through its narrow streets until you reach its beach full of atmosphere.
The Barceloneta
The itinerary continues along the Paseo Marítimo until you reach another of the most fashionable neighborhoods in the city, Poblenou. In this old industrial neighborhood, which next to La Barceloneta opened to the Mediterranean Sea with the celebration of the Olympic Games, you can enjoy good beaches such as Bogatell, Nova Icària and Mar Bella, as well as stroll through its commercial artery, La Rambla del Poblenou, which also has a good restaurant offer and enter a charming art gallery or shop.
If you go well in this time Barcelona in 3 days, you can take the subway at the Llacuna stop to reach the Mundet stop, transferring at Passeig de Gràcia. Near the Mundet stop is the beautiful park of the Labyrinth of Horta, which closes at 8 in the afternoon and is an excellent option to relax in the city. Located in the upper part of the city, it stands out for its 18th-century neoclassical garden, in which there is a maze made with cypresses.
Labyrinth of Horta
To finish the Barcelona in three days in the best possible way, you can go up to the Carmel Bunkers, one of the best free things in Barcelona.
To get to the bunkers you can take the subway at Mundet to the Vallcarca stop and then get on the v17 bus that will take you to the Gran Vista stop, located near the viewpoint. This viewpoint located on the top of the Turó de la Rovira hill with incredible panoramic views, is the best place in the city to watch the sunset and the sunset.
Carmel Bunkers
A good option for one of the 3 days you will spend in Barcelona is to book this complete tour with a guide in Spanish, considered one of the best excursions in Barcelona, which runs through the most important places and where you will know the history of the city better .
If you have more time we recommend following this guide in Barcelona in 4 days.
