To me Spain always invoked images of beautiful girls in colorful  dresses, bull fights , amazing food  and wonderful music . It is a place I always imagined I would love to visit. As such when I had a chance to visit it earlier this year- I was excited !

We  visited Barcelona first ,  Madrid second, and did two day trips to Toledo and Segovia from Madrid .  You can read about choosing between Barcelona and Madrid  here .  Barcelona was too touristy for my taste !  It had many beautiful places but I found the tourist overpowered the city ! Nevertheless there are many nice places to see within Barcelona . Sharing my experiences and photos below .

Passeig de Gràcia

This is a street known for  its interesting architecture, shops and great restaurants ! This street has two famous houses build by Gaudi ! Casa Mila and Casa Batllo –  You can read about those houses in the article I wrote about Gaudi’ s Structures.   There are many other buildings as well. Shared some photos below. A visit to this street is a  must do in my view !

Torre Glòries

There is a really nice light up building in the city called Torre Glories. It is visible from many different places in the city . I was drawn to the multiple colors. We dropped by one night. Worth a subway right to see the building up close !

Parc de la Ciutadella & Arc de Triomf

This is a really pretty park with lots of history and different things to do . We spend about 2 – 3 hours here and really enjoyed . It has a fancy fountain, mini lake,  interesting buildings, zoo and beautifully manicured gardens. There is an Arc at the entrance of the park called Arc De Triomf – also an interesting structure.

Gothic Quarters 

This was one of my favorite areas of Barcelona . It has narrow medieval streets – many beautiful shops, restaurants and beautiful structures. The Picasso museum is also located here. We bought some unique pieces of jewelry here and ate in this area multiple times. This area tends to be cleaner than La Rambla and a lot more beautiful ! It would be a good area to have your hotel in.  Wonderful place for people who like shopping or window shopping !

Camp Nou Tour 

We did the Camp Nou Tour – figured it is a must do if you are in Barcelona ! It was 25 Euro entrance fee – and a nice stadium.  I think it would only be worthwhile if you are a big soccer fan ! I am not – so it wasn ‘t a big deal to me. Even if I missed it I wouldn’t have minded.

 

The Beach

One of the nice things about Barcelona is the beach ! It is right by the city and provides a nice breeze. The water is even warm at night time ! Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to swim in it in the day time . However we spend a few hours in the evening and at night time. A great place to hang out at night time. It is filled with people and very safe ! It also has many road side restaurants. Make sure to take a blanket to sit on.

Montjuïc

Montjuic is another area in Barcelona that has some interesting sights and definitely worth a visit. It is famous for its Magic Fountain Light Show . Unfortunately for us – we went to Barcelona the day after the terrorist attack of 2017 and the Magic Fountain light show was suspended.  There are other structures that are stunning – like an old bull ring that is now a shopping arena. Good place to wander around  and explore.

Plaça de Catalunya

This is a pretty square – very near to the Rambla . Definitely worth a stop if you are in the area.

 

Rambla 

Rambla is a famous street in Barcelona similar to Paris’s Avenue des Champs-Élysées. To be honest the Champs-Elysees is a lot better. To me Rambla felt overcrowded , touristy and dirty ! It was just close to everything, other than that there would be really no reason to visit this street ! I found the restaurants that were on Rambla to also be crappy .

Sagrada Familia

This is a world known symbol of Barcelona and was build by Gaudi ! A must do – check out the post I wrote about the church for more details.

Palau Guell & Park Guell

Palau Guell and Park Guell are two other structures build by Gaudi that is a must visit in Barcelona ! Read about it in the article I wrote about Gaudi Structures  !

Food 

Barcelona did not disappoint in food !  Take a look at the post I wrote about different restaurants in Barcelona ! One piece of advice – do your research before you eat out at a specific place !

 

As you can see there are many different things to do in Barcelona ! Despite the heat and crowds I still enjoyed exploring the city !