What to see in Barcelona on your own in 1, 2, 3 days - our experience

Our last travel dates: May 2018, September and November 2019
As a tour or on your own

Where is the best place to relax in Spain by the sea? Of course, on the Catalan coast! We would like to tell you about our favorite places to visit in Barcelona in 1-3 days of your trip. Moreover, if you are not arriving in the city itself. We have repeatedly studied routes to the sights of the city and for 5 trips they have collected tons of photos and text for you. Where to go from Barcelona for one day? We will also tell you about this and show it on our own experience.

You can endlessly circle on the architectural and cultural carousel of the city, but if you have only a day or three left, the routes should be clear and systematized. What to see in Barcelona on a tight schedule, where to go and, most importantly, how to get to must see places? Last time in November we went there for 10 whole days!

Find out how to get from Barcelona Airport to the city center for € 1!

TOP 10 attractions in Barcelona are as follows:

• Sagrada Familia (Sagrada Familia)
• Rambla Boulevard
• Park Guell (and all the architecture of Antoni Gaudí)
• Boqueria market
• Gothic Quarter
• Barcelona Aquarium
• Plaza de España (Museum of Catalan Art, Singing Fountains)
• Mount Tibidabo
• Spanish village
• Promenade and Barceloneta beach (included in the TOP-10 beaches of Barcelona along with nudist 🙂

Of course, it will be quite difficult to accommodate all these objects in one day in Barcelona. You will have to leave something for later, but the more you will want to visit the city again.

We advise you to go here at 6-7 am - especially in the high season

Barcelona in 1 day

Surely the starting point of your wanderings will be Plaça de Catalunya, where buses from the airport end their course and where trains from neighboring resorts arrive.

To see Barcelona in 1 day on your own, we suggest this route:

1. Plaza Catalunya,
2. Park Guell,
3. Rambla,
4. Boqueria Market,
5. Gothic Quarter,
6. Sagrada Familia temple,
7. Spain Square.

On a note: do you know who is met with a sign at the airport? Those who order an individual transfer. In fact, it is beneficial both in terms of money - when traveling with a company, and in terms of time - even more so if you are in Barça for a day. We book a car with KiwiTaxi.

One of the main attractions of Barcelona is the Sagrada Familia. Inside you can buy a separate ticket or get there with a guided tour

Where to eat in Barcelona in the evening? A good place is Menssana on Carrer de Sardenya, where you can taste a mix of Mexican and Spanish cuisine.

In general, you can at once simplify your plans for the days ahead by taking a thematic excursion from the locals:

Barcelona in 2 days

What to see in Barcelona on day 2? Route:

1. Mila's house,
2. Casa Batlló,
3. Barcelona Aquarium,
4. Museum of Catalan Art.

1. Diagonal metro station Mila's house... The special style of the building - in the form of waves - gives a little surrealism and the impression of mobility of the house, and the characteristic "gingerbread" top gives out the hand of Gaudi. Open to the public from 9 am to 8 pm, entrance ticket - € 22.

2. Five hundred meters up the road was located Casa Batlló at Passeig de Gracia, 43. This is another example of the absence of any straight lines in the design of buildings from Gaudí, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is allowed to drop in from 9 am to 9 pm, having previously paid for a ticket with a minimum price of € 25.

3. You can continue the Barcelona route on foot to the largest in the European part of the world Aquariumlocated at Moll d'Espanya, Port Vell. Visitors find themselves literally on the seabed, fenced off from thousands of marine life only by a glass tunnel. Well, as if they did not come to see the outlandish creatures, but on the contrary 🙂 Entrance is from 10 to 21 (depending on the time of year) and costs € 21.
4. The largest museum in Barcelona - National Art Museum of Catalonia - you can get on the metro, reaching the Espanya station and going through the already familiar Plaza de España up to the majestically towering palace. In summer, the museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 to 20, the ticket price is about 12 €. However, a free visit is also possible, more on that below.

If you have not yet decided how you will get to Barcelona and are thinking about a tour, then here are 3 proven sites for online tour booking with 24 hours support:

• Travelata
• Level.Travel
• Onlinetours

In 2013, admission to Park Guell was still free, now 10 euros per person

Barcelona in 3 days

On day 3 in Barcelona, ​​you can see the next one on your own route:

1. Barceloneta beach,
2. Mount Tibidabo,
3. Spanish village,
4. Agbar Tower,
5. Embankment.

Where to live for these 3 days? In Barcelona, ​​we do not prefer hotels, but apartments - cheaper, more comfortable, prettier. We are looking for the Airbnb service. If you are a beginner, you will get a discount of up to 4000 rubles on your first booking.

1. If in the previous days you could not fit the sunbathing on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, then this morning is the best time for swimming and sunbathing. on the Barceloneta beach... Of course, subject to summer travel 🙂

2. Entertainment in Barcelona is still plentiful on the third day. One of the most interesting is climbing the mountain Tibidabo... Here are and amusement parkopened in the 19th century and a complex of churches temple of the Sacred Heart, and one of the best viewpoints in Barcelona. Getting to the highest point is an exciting adventure. You must first get to Av Tibidabo station on the L7 line, change to the famous Blue Tram (4 € one way), which has been running along the route for more than a century, and arrive at the Plaça del Funicular stop, from where the old Barcelona funicular (7.7 €).
   Please note that the Blue Tram and Funicular are not yet operational.
3. Returning the same way to Plaza Catalunya and taking the metro a little further to Espanya, you can get to Spanish village... This place represents Spain in miniature: the quarter contains village houses, shops, churches from every region of the country. The cost of the visit will cost approximately € 11.
4. Observation decks in Barcelona are also appreciated near the Glories metro station - there is a 34-storey skyscraper visible from everywhere Agbar tower... Well, or "Glowing Cucumber", as they call it in the night 🙂 There is an opportunity to pass for free thanks to dozens of restaurants and cafes in the building.
5. In the evening, you can go to the nightclubs in Barcelona, ​​lined up in a row along the promenade of Barceloneta... Or you can just walk along the sea, enjoy the end of your visit to the capital of Catalonia, and at the same time plan your next obligatory trip, because Barcelona and in addition to the sights described above, there is still something to surprise!

Barcelona map with landmarks

Below is a map of Barcelona with landmarks in Russian. For your convenience, we have marked the main points of the route for the sights of Barcelona, ​​which can be visited in 1, 2 and 3 days in different colors (blue, green and red, respectively), so that you have a rough idea of ​​how to move around the city.

Advice: if you are offline, the maps.me offline maps application helps a lot to navigate the terrain! We have personally tested it in different countries. Download a detailed map of Barcelona and transfer all the waypoints to the app. Such an assistant, with marked streets, hotels, etc., will definitely not let you get lost 🙂 The main thing is to do everything in advance.

Barcelona metro

Another good Barcelona travel guide combining Barcelona attractions and the 2021 metro map on the map:

Source: barcelonatm.ru

In Barcelona, ​​the metro is the most convenient form of transport, connecting all corners of the city with its network. On the above map, you can see for yourself that, as a rule, each attraction can be reached by subway.

In total, the capital of Catalonia has about 180 metro stations scattered along 12 lines. They (lines) differ in numbers - from L1 to L5, L9N, L9S, L10-L11 and FM. Since the metro system is integrated with the railways (following to the suburbs), there is a division into metro zones. The whole of Barcelona is included in Zone 1.

How much does the metro cost in Barcelona?
A single one-way ticket, i.e. valid for both the metro and the bus costs € 2.4. It is purchased at stations in special machines - you will not find people behind the window selling tickets in Barcelona 🙂

It is possible to reduce the cost of the Barcelona metro if you intend to actively travel around the city. For this, from 2020 there is a T-casual ticket, which for € 11.35 provides 10 trips by any type of public transport. One travel card can be used by several people. The T-casual ticket does not apply to the L9 metro line and shuttles from the AeroBus airport.

You will definitely need a Barcelona metro map on the spot, so it is better to print it out or download it to your phone in advance. As a reminder, the opening hours vary depending on the days of the week: from Monday to Thursday 5: 00-00: 00, Friday and holidays 5: 00-2: 00, Saturday around the clock, Sunday 5: 00-00: 00.

Be sure to watch the sunset at Montjuic (Plaza de España)

Where to go from Barcelona?

If you have a couple of extra days left, and you walked around the city itself, then you can ask yourself - where to go from Barcelona for 1 day? It is not necessary to go too far for new "beach" impressions - the coasts of the Costa Brava (Lloret de Mar) and Costa Dorada, to the south and north of the capital, are rich in golden sands and clear sea waves.

But if you want something atypical ... In this case, we have selected the sights near Barcelona, ​​which will definitely make you admire, and some even freeze with fear.

The most convenient way to travel around Spain is by car - and the company is "our own", and there is no need to adjust to the schedule. We prefer to rent a car in advance on the Rentalcars website. The service scans the offers of all global and local rental agencies and pleases us with favorable options.

Our trip to Barcelona (Mount Montserrat and Benedictine monastery)

Mount Montserrat and Benedictine monastery... You can ride the funicular, marvel at the unusual shape of the rocks, listen to the oldest children's choir in the world and touch the Black Madonna just 50 kilometers from Barcelona. To do this, you need to take the train from the platform R5 from the Espanya station to either the Aeri cable car or the Cremallera funicular. The cost with transport to the top is € 21.50 in both directions. You can save at your own peril and risk - buy a train ticket only one way, and ride back like a hare (there are no turnstiles).

Port Aventura and Ferrari Land... In 2013 it cost 42 €, in 2021 - 55 €. Opens from March 27, 2021. One of the most famous attractions in Barcelona, ​​the rides in these theme parks will give you a thrill! Take at least the recently opened extreme slide Red Force, which will let you free fall from 112 meters. Our knees gave way for a long time ... But even after several trips to Barcelona, ​​every time we come here, we still go to PortAventura. 🙂

Favorite place PortAventura (in 2013 it cost 42 €, in 2021 - 55 €)

Figueres... Where to go from Barcelona to experience the heritage of Catalan art? To the town where Salvador Dali was born and rests! Moreover, hundreds of tourists' feet pass over his grave a day, because the artist was buried under one of the rooms of the famous Dali theater-museum. You can get to Figueres for € 12 by train from Estacio Sants station in 55 minutes or by car, covering 140 km.

Girona... This city is divided by the river into two parts from different eras - modernity and the Middle Ages. In the old city there are at least 5 museums, 8 temples and even Arab baths from the 12th century.

Our trip to Girona in May

All in all, this is really one of the attractions worth seeing near Barcelona. From Passieg de Gracia station, trains run every half hour to Girona; ticket price - 9 €.

Trip to Girona for 10 €

Empuriabrava... The city, dotted with water channels, along which locals move sedately in boats, can be found not only in Italy. In Spain it is Empuriabrava. However, instead of gondolas, there are yachts, boats, boats belonging to the owners of villas and mansions built on scraps of land, and professional yachtsmen. To get here, you need to drive to Figueres and then take a bus for 4 €.

Val de Nuria... This, of course, is no longer part of the section "What to see in the vicinity of Barcelona", because the place is perhaps closer to Andorra 🙂 However, the picturesque mountains, transparent lake, clean air and all-consuming serenity contrast so much with the landscapes and atmosphere of the Catalan capital that the 130 kilometers journey is worth it. If you have 3 days or more, stay longer! Get there first by train on the R3 line from Placa de Catalunya to Ribes de Freser, and then by funicular train to an altitude of 1950 meters. The cost of a round-trip ticket is 30 €.

Andorra... Probably the most exciting adventure that can be done from Barcelona! The neighboring principality welcomes all tourists with a Schengen visa in their passport. The distance from Barcelona to Andorra is about 200 km, and it takes about 3 hours by car. How to get from Barcelona to Andorra by public transport? By bus only from Sants station or El Prat airport for ≈ € 30 one way.

To Andorra behind the mountains and shopping

Barcelona museums

Any route to the sights of Barcelona is not complete without ... museums! It's doubly pleasant to visit them for free, isn't it? How to do it? 🙂

• The most significant - National Art Museum of Catalonia (Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya), containing the collections of the former Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Art of Catalonia. You will be able to pass for free every Saturday from 15 to 18 and the first Sunday of the month.

We went to the main museum of Catalonia (didn't like it)

• The capital of Catalonia also preserves the memory of another outstanding artist and sculptor. Picasso Museum in Barcelona (Museu Picasso) occupies 5 mansions, perfectly fitting into the architecture of the Gothic Quarter. Stop by every Sunday after 15:00 without a ticket.
• Tell in detail the history of the provincial capital through numerous exhibits can Museum of the History of the City of Barcelona (MHCB). It is less often open for free access - only on the first Sunday of the month.

• Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) is for those with a passion for futuristic displays, mesmerizing art installations and sometimes blushing photography. Free admission is practiced every Sunday from 15 to 20.
• Well, why in Barcelona Chocolate Museum (Museu de la Xocolata) without a ticket is allowed only on the first Monday of the month - it is quite understandable. There are not enough chocolates that are given to all visitors at the entrance! 🙂

In general, if you give advice to tourists, then in Spain, as well as in Barcelona in general, it is better to go for 7-10 days in order to have time to enjoy the sun, sea, steep roller coasters and attractions to the fullest.