Top attractions in Barcelona

Here is our selection of the top things to see in Barcelona.

1. La Rambla

The city's famous strip, known for its flower stalls and street entertainers, is one of the ­distinguishing features of Barcelona. Highlights along the main Rambla include La Boquería food market, near the top end of the street – a great place for an authentic breakfast and for buying super-fresh produce. Read more about La Rambla...

2. Sagrada Família

The glorious unfinished Sagrada Família cathedral is perhaps Gaudí’s best-known work.

Park Güell. Photo: Shutterstock

3. Park Güell

See colourful ceramics, staircases, zoomorphic sculptures, sinuous ramps and viaducts in the park Gaudí designed for his patron, Eusebi Güell. Read more about Park Güell...

4. The Barri Gòtic

The Gothic Quarter, or Barri Gòtic, is a dense web of historic ­buildings and shady atmospheric squares nestled between La ­Rambla and Via Laietana, and has formed the central part of the Old City since Roman times.

Placa Reial (Royal Plaza), one of the most lively squares in Barcelona located in the Barri Gothic quarter. Photo: Shutterstock

5. Museu Picasso

One of the most popular attractions in Barcelona, the city where the artist grew up. Read more about the Picasso Museum...

6. Fundació Joan Miró

An open airy space that displays Miró’s works to their best advantage. Read more about the Fundació Joan Miró...

7. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

While visitor numbers are nowhere near those for the Museu Picasso, many would argue that the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya is Barcelona’s most fascinating museum. It houses the most important Roman­esque art collection in the world.

8. Palau de la Música Catalana

A modernista extravaganza of a concert hall designed by Domènech i Montaner in 1908, and declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Read more about the Palau de la Música Catalana...

Palau de la Música Catalana. Photo: Shutterstock

9. La Pedrera

Gaudí’s Casa Milà is more often known as La Pedrera (‘The Stone Quarry’) because of its rippling grey façade. On its spectacular roof are chimneys that have been dubbed the ‘witch scarers’. 

10. The Waterfront

Barcelona’s waterfront has become the city’s playground.

Barcelona's waterfront. Photo: Shutterstock