Barcelona sightseeing plan - map, tickets, attractions, monuments, accommodation, interesting facts

Colorful Barcelona

Barcelona attracts like a magnet. The capital of Catalonia has a certain color that makes you want to come back all the time. Formed by centuries of changes, beautifully situated, with access to the sea and the beach, with an interesting and turbulent history, and the legendary FC Barcelona football club that attracts people from all over the world.
You could say that Barcelona has everything, and it is hardly surprising that everyone would like to visit and see this city at least once. I have prepared this guide mainly for those who come to Barcelona for the first time or their previous visits were unsatisfactory and would like to catch up.

A good plan is essential!

My proposal is thought out so that you can see as much as possible during one visit. I will not play with the story that "it is best to spend a week or 10 days here". Of course it's worth it, but most people don't have that much time and spend 2-3 days visiting the city. These are the facts, and I'm not going to fight them. On the contrary, I am going to make you get as much out of these 2-3 days as possible for yourself.
The plan is really well packed and you will have to put in a lot of effort to make it complete. I will say even more: the plan is a bit exaggerated. Why? Because not everyone is interested in everything I describe. Even after throwing something out of your plan that interests you less, you will still have something to visit. And that's what I meant! Prepare a plan from which everyone will take something for themselves and when returning home they will think with satisfaction: it was fun in this Barcelona!

When is the best time to go to Barcelona?

The answer to this question is not as obvious as it seems at first glance. It turns out that the most people are in Barcelona in the period that is the least friendly to visiting the city, i.e. in July.
Why is July the worst? Because then there is an accumulation of all things that are unfavorable to visiting. However, I do not want to go into the details of this phenomenon here, because I did it in a separate entry: Barcelona - long-term weather. When to go Air, water and climate temperature. I recommend reading this post. In it you will find not only detailed information about the weather in Barcelona, ​​but also suggestions of the best dates to visit the city.

Detailed itinerary for visiting Barcelona

I divided my visit to Barcelona into two days. However, there are so many attractions that you can easily extend the plan I have prepared for three or even four days. It all depends on how much time you have and what pace of sightseeing you prefer.
For the description of both days of visiting, I have prepared special maps with the location of the described attractions and the approximate walking path. The digital markings of attractions on the map, of course, correspond to the numbers next to the detailed descriptions of the attractions that you will find under the maps.
The path marked by me is obviously not the only and the best one. You can move on other streets. Just walk around the city and go to the next points.

Tickets to attractions in Barcelona

Barcelona is one of the cities where You can buy admission tickets to many attractions without queuing, over the Internet. Wherever possible, I will provide relevant links to ticket websites. It is especially valuable at attractions where admission tickets are sold for specific entry hours. This will allow you to plan your day neatly without wasting time standing in lines or waiting long for the next free entry hour.

An excellent option is the recently available option to purchase tickets in packages. It's best to see this with an example, e.g. Barcelona pass – [click] included in the price:
Sagrada Familia:
– fast entry ticket
– admission to the museum inside the Sagrada Familia
– audio guide on the phone in 17 languages
Park Güell:
– skip-the-line entry ticket
Hop-on Hop-off tourist bus:
– access to two tourist lines: red and blue
– audio guide
– Barcelona map
Audio guide to Barcelona:
– information about over 100 insertion places in Barcelona
– map with navigation
– access to 19 guide languages
At the time of writing these words, the entire package costs EUR 85.

This is, of course, just one of the available packages. You can always check others ticket packages in Barcelona – [click]. Maybe you will find something interesting and beneficial for yourself (e.g. for those who like museums). Barcelona Museum Pass – Articket, entry to 6 art museums for half the price of single tickets).

Use GPS coordinates!

For each attraction, I have provided precise GPS coordinates that will allow you to always reach your destination. Just go to this page on your phone, click on the link next to the coordinates of the attractions and the navigation application will open automatically.
Simply walk towards your chosen tour point along the streets you wish to walk along. Treat the navigation on the phone rather as information whether you are going in the right direction and approaching your destination, or whether your fantasy is already taking you in the wrong direction 🙂
When you reach one point of the trip and want to go further, click on the coordinates of the next point and so from point to point you can freely explore Barcelona on your own!

Visiting Barcelona on your own - day one

First, a map with the locations of attractions planned for the first day of sightseeing marked.

Length of the route: 7,5 km
Walking time (without visiting attractions): 2 hours 30 minutes

The route itself is not very long, but if you include the time you have to spend on seeing each of the attractions then… the day will certainly be full.

I also provide the walking route for the first day in form active route on Google maps - [click]

1. Sagrada Familia

We start with one of the most famous buildings in Barcelona and the world. There are several reasons for this route arrangement. Firstly, there is a metro station directly under the cathedral. So you can quickly get to the start of your tour by metro from every corner of Barcelona. In this way, my sightseeing proposal becomes easily accessible to everyone, regardless of where in Barcelona they will stay overnight. The plan is supposed to be universal, so I thought it would be a good idea. In addition, in the morning at Sagrada Familia, there is not a large crowd yet, so it is definitely more pleasant to visit.

Tickets to the Sagrada Familia
I recommend that you buy tickets to enter the cathedral in advance via the Internet - [click], due to the fact that they are sold for a specific date and time of entry. On another day and at a different time, you will not enter. Buying tickets right in front of the entrance is definitely a bad idea. There are always large lines at the ticket offices and there is no guarantee that you will be able to get a ticket for the next hour. It may turn out that the next free entrance is, for example, in 3 hours. And then what? All day blown away. Instead of leisurely exploring everything you have planned, you wait to enter the Sagrada.

Fortunately, Sagrada Familia electronically distributes tickets through several channels and you can buy them well in advance for example here - [click].
Recently, the ticket distributor provides live information about their actual availability for specific days. The tool is in the form of a calendar and I present it below.

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If a given day in the calendar is green, there are still tickets available for that day. After selecting the day you are interested in and clicking the button "book now”You will be taken to the next step of the booking, where you will be able to select the number of regular and reduced tickets and check the available entry times.
Clicking alone does not yet book tickets, so you can even use this tool as a good way to check the current availability of tickets. A really great and very useful thing in my opinion.

Sagrada Familia, GPS coordinates:
41°24’14.6″N 2°10’30.0″E
41.404061, 2.175011 - click and route

More information about the Sagrada Familia can be found in a separate entry: Sagrada Familia (Barcelona) - tickets, sightseeing, interesting facts

2. San Pau

Barcelona's most underrated attraction is the building of the former Sant Pau Hospital. A beautiful, outstandingly beautiful complex of buildings located a few steps from the Sagrada Familia. It is overlooked by most tourists… because many guides do not mention it or only mention it in a few words.
Failure to do so is an unforgivable mistake. The mistake is so big that some people who have already been to Barcelona and have not seen it return to Barcelona especially to see it. In 1997, the stunning architecture of the building was appreciated by UNESCO by including the former hospital on its heritage list. You have to see!

You can buy entrance tickets to Sant Pau without queuing online at: Sant Pau - GetYourGuide - admission ticket - [click]

Sant Pau, GPS coordinates:
41°24’41.5″N 2°10’27.6″E
41.411524, 2.174330