Plan your Barcelona trip, day by day
Pick how many days you have. Each plan runs 8am to 9pm with an hour for lunch, groups the closest sights together so you're not zig-zagging across the city, and tells you how to get from one stop to the next. Days 1–5 stay inside Barcelona and its closest hillside neighbourhoods; from day 6 onward we send you out on a day trip.
Gothic Quarter, Born & La Rambla
Barcelona — historic centre
Barcelona Cathedral Ticketed
The Gothic-quarter seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona, with a cloister of white geese and rooftop views.
🚇 Metro L4 Jaume I, or L3/L4 Liceu — 5-minute walk.
Book official tickets →MUHBA — Plaça del Rei Roman ruins Ticketed
Underground Roman ruins beneath the square, tracing Barcelona's story from ancient Barcino to the medieval city.
🚇 3-minute walk from the Cathedral.
Book official tickets →Museu Frederic Marès Ticketed
A sculptor's personal collection, from Romanesque religious carvings to everyday 19th-century objects.
🚇 2-minute walk.
Book official tickets →Wander the Gothic Quarter Free entry
Plaça Sant Jaume, Carrer del Bisbe and Plaça Reial — Barcelona's medieval core, best explored on foot.
🚇 On foot — everything here is within a few minutes' walk.
Open in Google Maps →Santa Maria del Mar Free entry
One of Barcelona's great Gothic churches, built by the sea-facing merchants of El Born — free to step inside.
🚇 10-minute walk into El Born.
Open in Google Maps →Museu Picasso Ticketed
Housed in five medieval palaces, home to one of the world's most complete collections of Picasso's early work.
🚇 5-minute walk.
Book official tickets →Lunch in El Born
Tapas around Passeig del Born or Santa Caterina Market.
El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria Free entry
Barcelona's 1876 iron-and-glass market building, preserved over the archaeological ruins of the 1714 siege.
🚇 3-minute walk.
More info →La Rambla & La Virreina Centre de la Imatge Free entry
Walk up Barcelona's famous boulevard, stopping at a baroque palace with free photography and film exhibitions.
🚇 15-minute walk from El Born.
More info →Palau Güell Ticketed
Gaudí's early masterpiece for patron Eusebi Güell, with parabolic arches and a mosaic chimney forest.
🚇 5-minute walk, just off La Rambla.
Book official tickets →Mercat de la Boqueria Free entry
Barcelona's most famous food market, right on La Rambla — great for a snack or fresh juice.
🚇 2-minute walk.
Open in Google Maps →Las Golondrinas — Port & Coastline (60 min) Ticketed
A sunset boat trip around Barcelona's port and coastline.
🚇 Metro L3 Drassanes, 5-minute walk from the Boqueria.
Book official tickets →Dinner in the Gothic Quarter or Barceloneta
Round off the day with dinner near the water or back in the old town.
Gaudí's Eixample & Sagrada Família
Barcelona — Eixample & Gràcia border
Casa Vicens Ticketed
Gaudí's very first house — a Modernist jewel on the Gràcia/Eixample border, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
🚇 Metro L3 Fontana.
Book official tickets →Casa Batlló Ticketed
A dragon-backed rooftop and bone-like balconies make this Gaudí's most theatrical façade.
🚇 Metro L3 to Passeig de Gràcia, ~10 minutes.
Book official tickets →Casa Milà (La Pedrera) Ticketed
Gaudí's rippling stone apartment block, topped with a rooftop of warrior-like chimneys.
🚇 5-minute walk up Passeig de Gràcia.
Book official tickets →Palau Robert Free entry
A neoclassical mansion with free Catalan-themed cultural exhibitions and gardens, right across from La Pedrera.
🚇 2-minute walk.
More info →Lunch on Passeig de Gràcia
Plenty of cafés and restaurants along the avenue and nearby Rambla de Catalunya.
Sagrada Família Ticketed
Gaudí's unfinished basilica and Barcelona's most iconic landmark — allow 2 hours, more if you book the towers.
🚇 Metro L2/L5 Sagrada Família, ~15 minutes.
Book official tickets →Palau de la Música Catalana Ticketed
A UNESCO-listed concert hall famed for its stained-glass skylight and mosaic-covered columns.
🚇 Metro L1/L4 Urquinaona, ~20 minutes including the walk.
Book official tickets →Free time on Passeig de Gràcia
A browse along Barcelona's main shopping avenue before dinner.
Dinner in the Eixample
Plenty of options around Passeig de Gràcia and Rambla de Catalunya.
Park Güell, Gràcia & Tibidabo hillside
Barcelona — Gràcia & Collserola hills
Park Güell Ticketed
Gaudí's whimsical public park, famous for its mosaic terrace, trencadís salamander and city views. Book an early slot to beat the crowds.
🚇 Metro L3 Vallcarca (10-minute uphill walk via escalators) or Bus 24 direct to the gate.
Book official tickets →Gràcia neighbourhood wander Free entry
Plaça del Sol, Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia and leafy squares full of independent shops and cafés.
🚇 15–20 minute walk downhill from Park Güell.
Open in Google Maps →Travel up to Tibidabo
Take the T2A "Tibibus" from Plaça Catalunya, or FGC to Avinguda Tibidabo, then the Tramvia Blau and funicular up the mountain.
🚇 ~40–45 minutes door to door.
CosmoCaixa Ticketed
An interactive science museum with a real slice of Amazon rainforest growing under one roof.
🚇 At the base of the Tibidabo route.
Book official tickets →Lunch near Tibidabo
A few restaurants near CosmoCaixa and the funicular station.
Tibidabo Amusement Park Ticketed
A century-old hilltop funfair with the best panoramic views over Barcelona.
🚇 Tramvia Blau + funicular from CosmoCaixa, ~20 minutes.
Book official tickets →Head back down to Passeig de Gràcia
Funicular + Tramvia Blau + FGC back toward the centre, about 45 minutes.
Shopping — Passeig de Gràcia & Rambla de Catalunya Shopping
Barcelona's main high-end shopping strip, from flagship fashion houses to Catalan design boutiques.
🚇 Right at the FGC Provença/Passeig de Gràcia stop.
Open in Google Maps →Dinner in Gràcia or the Eixample
Round off the day back in one of the two neighbourhoods.
Montjuïc hill — museums, castle & views
Barcelona — Montjuïc
Jardí Botànic de Barcelona Ticketed
A hillside botanical garden showcasing Mediterranean-climate plants from five continents.
🚇 Metro L3 Espanya, then bus 150 or a 15-minute uphill walk.
Book official tickets →Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya (MAC) Ticketed
Catalonia's archaeology museum, tracing history from prehistory to the early Middle Ages.
🚇 10-minute walk.
Book official tickets →Mies van der Rohe Pavilion Free entry
The minimalist glass-and-marble German Pavilion from the 1929 International Exposition, rebuilt on its original site.
🚇 5-minute walk.
More info →MNAC — Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya Ticketed
Catalonia's national art museum, housed in a grand palace with Romanesque frescoes and a rooftop city view.
🚇 5-minute walk.
Book official tickets →Lunch on Montjuïc
A few options near MNAC and Poble Espanyol.
Poble Espanyol Ticketed
An open-air village of 117 recreated buildings showcasing architecture styles from across Spain.
🚇 10-minute walk.
Book official tickets →Montjuïc Cable Car & Montjuïc Castle Ticketed
Glide above the city to a centuries-old military fortress with sweeping port and skyline views.
🚇 Cable car station a short walk from Poble Espanyol.
Book official tickets →Head back down toward Plaça Espanya
Funicular + Metro L3, about 20 minutes.
Shopping — Maremagnum Shopping
Port Vell's waterfront shopping mall, an easy stop on the way back into the centre.
🚇 Metro L3 Drassanes + 10-minute walk, or a short taxi ride.
Open in Google Maps →Magic Fountain (seasonal evening shows) & dinner Free entry
A free light-and-water show at the foot of Montjuïc, seasonal evenings — check the schedule before heading over.
🚇 Right by Plaça Espanya.
Open in Google Maps →Camp Nou, Poblenou & the seafront
Barcelona — Les Corts, Glòries, Port & beach
Camp Nou Experience Ticketed
Walk the stands and trophy room of FC Barcelona's home stadium and museum.
🚇 Metro L3 Palau Reial or L5 Collblanc.
Book official tickets →Travel to Glòries
Metro L3 to the centre, then L1 to Glòries.
🚇 ~25 minutes.
Museu del Disseny de Barcelona Ticketed
Barcelona's design museum, covering decorative arts, fashion, ceramics and graphic design across the centuries.
🚇 At Glòries.
Book official tickets →Museu de la Música Ticketed
Over 500 instruments inside the modern L'Auditori complex, including a rare 18th-century harpsichord.
🚇 5-minute walk.
Book official tickets →Museu Blau Ticketed
Barcelona's natural science museum, with a suspended whale skeleton and an immersive walk through Earth's history.
🚇 Metro L4 El Maresme/Fòrum, ~15 minutes.
Book official tickets →Lunch in Poblenou
Rambla del Poblenou has a good spread of casual restaurants.
L'Aquàrium Barcelona Ticketed
Walk beneath sharks and rays through an 80-metre underwater tunnel at the port.
🚇 Metro L4 to Barceloneta, ~20 minutes.
Book official tickets →Barceloneta Beach Free entry
Barcelona's most central beach — a walk along the promenade or a swim.
🚇 5-minute walk from the aquarium.
Open in Google Maps →Museu Marítim de Barcelona Ticketed
Housed in the medieval Royal Shipyards, with a full-scale replica of a 16th-century royal galley.
🚇 15-minute walk or a short tram/bus ride to Drassanes.
Book official tickets →Shopping — Maremagnum Shopping
One more pass through the port's shopping mall if you didn't make it the day before.
🚇 5-minute walk.
Open in Google Maps →Free time / sunset at Port Vell Free entry
Wind down at the marina before dinner.
Farewell dinner in Barceloneta
Seafood along the Passeig Marítim is the classic choice.
Day trip — Montserrat
Day trip — mountain monastery
Your first day trip: a jagged mountain silhouette an hour from the city, home to the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat and the Black Madonna.
Depart Barcelona
FGC line R5 from Plaça Espanya to Monistrol de Montserrat (or Montserrat-Aeri), then the Cremallera rack railway or Aeri cable car up the mountain.
🚇 About 1h15 door to door.
More info →Basilica & the Black Madonna Free entry
Montserrat's basilica and its famous statue of the Virgin — free to visit.
🚇 At the monastery complex.
Open in Google Maps →Hike to Sant Jeroni viewpoint, or the Montserrat Museum Free entry
Marked trails with panoramic Pyrenees views, or an indoor art collection if the weather turns.
🚇 Trailhead right by the monastery.
Lunch at Montserrat
Self-service restaurant on site, or bring a picnic for the trail.
Boys' choir performance (weekday afternoons) or more trail time Free entry
The Escolania boys' choir sings in the basilica most weekday afternoons — check the schedule on arrival.
Funicular de Santa Cova or further walking Free entry
A shorter funicular ride down to a chapel built into the rock face.
Cremallera / cable car back to Monistrol, then FGC to Barcelona
Reverse the morning's route.
🚇 About 1h15.
Dinner back in Barcelona
Arrive back with the evening free.
Day trip — Girona
Day trip — medieval city
Colourful houses lining the Onyar river, one of Europe's widest Gothic cathedral naves, a walkable Jewish Quarter, and several Game of Thrones filming locations.
Depart Barcelona
Direct Rodalies R11 or high-speed AVE/Avant from Barcelona-Sants or Passeig de Gràcia.
🚇 40 minutes to 1h20 depending on the train.
Girona Cathedral Ticketed
One of Europe's widest Gothic naves, reached by a dramatic flight of 90 steps.
🚇 5-minute walk from the station into the old town.
Book official tickets →The Jewish Quarter (El Call) Free entry
One of Europe's best-preserved medieval Jewish quarters — a maze of narrow stone streets.
🚇 2-minute walk from the Cathedral.
Open in Google Maps →Onyar river houses & Eiffel Bridge Free entry
Girona's postcard view — colourful houses along the river, crossed by a bridge designed by Gustave Eiffel's studio.
🚇 5-minute walk.
Open in Google Maps →City walls walk (Passeig de la Muralla) Free entry
Walk a stretch of the medieval ramparts for rooftop views over the old town.
🚇 5-minute walk.
Open in Google Maps →Lunch in Girona's old town
Plenty of options around the Cathedral steps and the Rambla.
Game of Thrones filming-location walk Free entry
Several streets and staircases in the old town doubled as King's Landing — worth a self-guided wander.
Free time / shopping in the old town Shopping
Boutique shops tucked into the medieval streets around Carrer de la Força.
Train back to Barcelona
Same route in reverse.
🚇 40 minutes to 1h20.
Dinner back in Barcelona
Arrive back with the evening free.
Day trip — Sitges
Day trip — beach town & shopping
A polished seaside town with white-washed streets, a lively promenade, boutique shopping and a run of Blue Flag beaches right in the centre.
Depart Barcelona
Direct Rodalies R2 Sud from Barcelona-Sants or Passeig de Gràcia.
🚇 35–40 minutes, trains every 10–20 minutes.
Seafront promenade walk Free entry
Platja de la Fragata and the palm-lined promenade right by the station.
🚇 2-minute walk.
Open in Google Maps →Sitges old town Free entry
Whitewashed streets and the clifftop Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla church.
🚇 5-minute walk.
Beach time Free entry
Swim or relax at one of the central Blue Flag beaches.
Lunch by the seafront
Plenty of terraces right along the promenade.
Shopping — Carrer Major & Carrer Parellades Shopping
Sitges' boutique shopping streets, running through the heart of the old town.
More beach time, or a coastal walk to Aiguadolç marina Free entry
A relaxed way to spend the afternoon before heading back.
Train back to Barcelona
Same route in reverse.
🚇 35–40 minutes.
Dinner back in Barcelona
Arrive back with the evening free.
Day trip — Figueres, Dalí Museum
Day trip — Salvador Dalí's home town
Salvador Dalí's own surrealist Theatre-Museum, built inside Figueres' former municipal theatre and topped with giant eggs — the artist is buried in the crypt below.
Depart Barcelona
High-speed AVE/Avant to Figueres-Vilafant (~55 min), or Rodalies R11 regional (~1h50).
Teatre-Museu Dalí Ticketed
Dalí's surrealist masterpiece museum — allow 2–3 hours to see it properly.
🚇 Short walk from the station.
Book official tickets →Figueres old town & Rambla walk Free entry
A relaxed wander through the town's own Rambla and old streets.
Lunch in Figueres
Plenty of options along the Rambla.
Castell de Sant Ferran or the Dalí Jewels Ticketed
One of Europe's largest fortresses, or the jewellery collection adjoining the main museum.
Free time / shopping on the Rambla Shopping
A last browse before heading back.
Train back to Barcelona
Same route in reverse.
🚇 1 hour to 1h50.
Dinner back in Barcelona
With a car, Besalú's medieval old town makes a scenic 25-minute detour on the way back.
Day trip — Tarragona
Day trip — Roman ruins & closing day
The former capital of Roman Hispania, with a UNESCO-listed amphitheatre overlooking the Mediterranean, a Roman circus, city walls, and a lively seafront promenade.
Depart Barcelona
Direct Rodalies R16 from Barcelona-Sants (~1h15), or high-speed AVE (~35 min).
Roman Amphitheatre Ticketed
A UNESCO-listed amphitheatre overlooking the Mediterranean.
🚇 5-minute walk from the station.
Book official tickets →Tarragona Cathedral & old town Free entry
A blend of Romanesque and Gothic architecture crowning the old town.
🚇 5-minute walk.
Passeig Arqueològic — Roman walls walk Free entry
A walk along the city's Roman-era fortifications.
🚇 5-minute walk.
Lunch in the old town
Plenty of options around the Cathedral and Rambla Nova.
Platja del Miracle beach, or the Roman Circus & Forum Free entry
Beach time right below the amphitheatre, or more Roman ruins in the lower town.
Shopping — Rambla Nova Shopping
Tarragona's main shopping street, running through the newer part of town.
Train back to Barcelona
Same route in reverse.
🚇 35 minutes to 1h15.
Farewell dinner in Barcelona
A last evening to round off the trip.
Want more day-trip options beyond day 10? See our full Day Trips guide →