Places to visit in Barcelona

Of all the places to visit in Spain Barcelona is certainly the number one place to go.  The summer Olympics of 1992 brought global attention to this mediterranean metropolis and since then the number of visiting tourist has continually increased.  As its on the sea it is a major port and the most important cruise destination in the entire mediterranean.  Home to many of Antoni Gaudi’s architectural delights with Sagrada Familia being the largest and longest running of his projects and is number one in places to visit in Barcelona. The city has a completely different feel to it than Madrid.  Its layout  is much more of a grid and has wider boulevards and avenues except for the gothic quarter in the very center of town where one can easily get lost. The thing I love about Barcelona is that it is indeed different from the rest of Spain, the Catalan culture being the major influence here. Catalan is not a dialect of Spanish, it is its own language and its history dates back with the city thousands of years. But just like the rest of Spain the food is excellent.

As for places to visit In Barcelona there are plenty of monuments to check off the bucket list and it will take you a few days to get it all in without feeling rushed (or getting trampled).  The absolute requirement is the Sagrada Familia, so much so I have dedicated a whole gallery onto itself here (link)

Be sure to visit the port for lunch on a terrace, walk through the Born neighborhood, the Boqueria market and get a panoramic view of the city from Park Guell or Tibidabo.  If you have more time I highly recommend a day trip or two.  One up to Girona and Cadaques and the other over to Montserrat and the wine country.  Catalonia is absolutely gorgeous and I think well worth spending more time throughout Catalonia than just staying in Barcelona.

A word to the wise: know your places to visit in Barcelona before you go, plan ahead, know where you want to go, and how to get about it.  Barcelona’s popularity has made it one of the busiest tourist cities in the world.  You can count on three cruise ships a day from May through September dropping off thousand of groups for the day. Getting around town can be like playing Mario Brothers. If you are not aware of your surrounding you may get run over by a group on Segways. You will need dinner reservations almost  everywhere during high season. If you do not like big crowds go in January.

With that said, have a great time…you are going to love it!