Barcelona in 3 Days: tips, what to see, and much more

It may not be the capital of Spain, but Barcelona receives millions of visitors every year who want to see some of the most emblematic places in the whole country: La Sagrada Familia and all of Gaudí's legacy, the Gothic Quarter, La Rambla, Paseo de Gracia, the Mediterranean and much more. If you are thinking of coming to Barcelona for 3 days, I propose an itinerary for you to discover the essential places.

Three days may not seem long enough to get to know Barcelona, but if you know how to organise yourself, you'll be able to get around all its points of interest and enjoy its monuments and attractions. On this first day, and so that you can get a first taste of the city, I suggest that you get the first taste of the imposing Sagrada Família. Before that, I suggest you climb to the top of Tibidabo, visit the famous Park Güell and stroll around the Gracia neighbourhood. In the evening, end the day in the Gothic Quarter.

Marvel at the city from the heights

To get a definite first impression of Barcelona, I suggest you take a little distance and get a panoramic view of this beautiful city. To do this, take the metro on the green line, line 3, and get off at the Vallcarca stop.

You will have reached the upper part of the city and in less than 10 minutes walking through a beautiful residential and aristocratic neighbourhood you will arrive at the Tibidabo funicular, one of the highest peaks in the city with privileged views. For less than €5 you can take this interesting carriage up in a matter of minutes. There, you have the famous Sagrado Corazón temple and also one of the oldest amusement parks in the city.

Discover the magic of Park Güell

After getting to know Barcelona from the heights, one of the best plans to complete the morning is to go down to Park Güell. All you have to do is go to Travesera de Dalt and in less than 10 minutes you'll arrive at the main gate of the park. Access is free. However, if you want to go inside Gaudí's entire architectural complex, you'll have to pay an entrance fee of around €10. You also have the option of booking a tour of Park Güell to get to know it in depth.

Even so, I recommend that you pay close attention to the opening times of Park Güell, as there are times of the year when admission can be free. For example, during the summer season, admission is free every Sunday from 5 p.m. onwards, so I recommend you check the official website.

Have lunch near Park Güell

After a morning of sightseeing, sightseeing and culture, you're bound to feel like stopping to recharge your batteries. Luckily, just outside Park Güell there are plenty of places to grab a bite to eat and, despite being such a famous park, the area is rather residential, so you'll find good quality menus at an affordable price.

One such restaurant could be La Salut Restaurant, which offers Mediterranean food, specialising in paellas, seasonal vegetables, calçots and meats. You can also book a gastronomic tour of Barcelona to delve into the local cuisine.

Go down and get to know the Gracia neighbourhood

With a full stomach you can see everything better and I can't think of a better way to wash down the food than by taking a stroll or booking a bike tour to the Barrio de Gracia area. The good thing from Parc Güell is that it's all downhill, so you only have to go down the narrow streets that cross the Travesera de Dalt and you'll have arrived at what is considered the Villa de Gracia, one of the most picturesque and artistic neighbourhoods of Barcelona.

There, you can take the opportunity to have a coffee in the famous Plaza del Diamante, one of the focal points of the neighbourhood and the title of the famous novel by Mercè Rodoreda.

Visit the great Barcelona landmark, the Sagrada Familia

If you've come to visit Barcelona, you've probably been looking forward to seeing the Sagrada Familia, one of the city's icons and one of the most beautiful postcards in the whole country. It is one of the most experimental and interesting architectural proposals of the Modern Age. Just seeing it from the outside is impressive, but you also have the option of admiring the inside of the Sagrada Familia, which I highly recommend, as you're sure you've never seen anything like it.

To see it you have several options: you can buy the ticket and do it on your own, take a guided tour or buy a combined ticket and save on two of the plans for your trip. Here are the different options available:

• Tickets for the Sagrada Familia, from £29.
• Guided tour of the Sagrada Familia with optional access to the tower, from £63.
• Tickets for the Sagrada Familia with access to a tower, from £37.
• Guided tour without queues to the Sagrada Familia, from £46.
• Private guided tour of the Sagrada Familia, from £159.
• Tour of Park Güell and La Sagrada Familia, from £74.
• Gaudí Tour of Barcelona with Casa Batlló, Park Güell and Sagrada Familia, from £132.
• Private express guided tour of the Sagrada Familia, from £159.
• Private tour of Park Güell and La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, from £189.

It's very easy to get there from the Barrio de Gracia. Just walk for about 15 minutes and you'll be there. If you don't want to walk that far, you can always take the metro at Joanic and get off at Sagrada Familia station, combining on line 5.

Get to know the alleys of the Gothic Quarter at dusk

It's been an intense day, hasn't it? Don't worry, all that's left to do now is relax. By the time you leave the Sagrada Família it's probably already started to get dark, so I suggest you take the metro to the Liceu stop. This is the gateway to the Gothic Quarter, one of Barcelona's most famous and most visited neighbourhoods.

This is the oldest part of Barcelona and you'll notice it immediately with its narrow, unordered streets and the remains of the city walls. Seeing it at dusk is a marvel as it is usually illuminated and it seems as if you are stepping into another era. You can book a tour of the Old Town and Gothic Quarter, have dinner at one of the restaurants in the Plaça Nova and enjoy a romantic evening with a view of Barcelona Cathedral.

For this second day I have prepared a day full of art, culture and tradition in all its forms. To begin with, you'll get to know first-hand two of the most characteristic buildings in the centre of Barcelona: La Pedrera and Casa Batlló. Then you'll walk through the whole of the city centre until you reach the Rambla, have lunch at the emblematic Boqueria Market, spend the afternoon visiting the famous MacBa museum and, to finish the day, a delicious dinner overlooking the sea in Barceloneta. Are you up for it?

Get to know the essence of Gaudí by visiting La Pedrera

Gaudí is present throughout the city of Barcelona. So much so that when you walk around the city centre and Paseo de Gracia you get the sensation of being in a walking museum, as even the lampposts have his essence. To get a better insight into his imagination, I suggest you spend the morning getting to know one of Gaudí's most famous works.

You'll have to get to Diagonal station, metro line 3 and 5. From there you are just a few steps away from La Pedrera, the former home of the Milà family, which today is visited as an example of the architect's modernism. Its meandering forms, its stone façade, its famous chimneys in the shape of warriors and its flower courtyard are just some of the features you can see inside this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Book your ticket for La Pedrera in advance. I assure you it's a worthwhile experience.

Continue exploring Gaudí by entering the Casa Batlló

At the exit of La Pedrera, going down Passeig de Gràcia, you will find in a few steps, on the opposite pavement, another great Gaudí landmark; Casa Batlló. An emblematic building that Gaudí completely refurbished at the request of Josep Batlló, giving it its characteristic nature-like forms and stained-glass windows. Entering inside is like stepping into a fairytale, so don't wait any longer to book your ticket for the Casa Batlló.

Stroll along the Ramblas

After a morning of strolling and soaking up all of Gaudí's Barcelona culture, I suggest you slowly make your way towards the centre of Barcelona, following the famous Paseo de Gracia until you reach Plaça Catalunya, one of the most central points in the city. From here you will be on the doorstep of the famous Ramblas, an iconic avenue within the city that connects Plaça Catalunya with the statue of Columbus and the access to the port.

Here you will find the famous Canaletas fountain where Barça fans celebrate their victories and you will also find the famous flower kiosks and some of the most touristy shops. A stroll along the Ramblas is a must on your trip.

Eat at the Boqueria

From La Rambla you can easily reach the Boqueria Market. This is one of the most important gastronomic spots in the city.

Here people buy the most exclusive raw materials, but there are also different top-quality food stalls where you can try everything from meat and seafood to more experimental cuisine. A very interesting option if you want to sample the best dishes is to book a gastronomic tour of Barcelona's markets.

Spend a cultural afternoon at the MacBa and get to know Raval

I suggest you continue with a visit to one of Barcelona' s most important international museums. The MacBa is Barcelona's contemporary art museum and a reference point for all the artistic avant-gardes of the world. It is located in the heart of the Raval neighbourhood, a few minutes walk from the Boqueria market and is usually open until 8 pm, so you have time to visit it during the afternoon.

If you book tickets for the Museum of Contemporary Art you can enjoy the main exhibitions and see works by Picasso, Miró, Dalí and many of the world's modern and contemporary artists. On the way out, take some time to stroll through the streets of the Raval, one of the most multicultural neighbourhoods in the city.

End the day with a stroll through Barceloneta

The day is coming to an end and from where you are you are just a short walk from the beach. Barcelona is a city that has access to the sea and this makes it doubly interesting because, in summer, as well as being able to enjoy the museums and culture, you can end the day with a dip in the Mediterranean.

One of Barcelona's most iconic and characterful neighbourhoods is Barceloneta, an old fishing district that now has an incredible gastronomic offer. I can't think of a better way to end the day than sitting on one of Barceloneta's terraces and eating a good fish with a sea view.

You've reached the last day of your 3-day trip to Barcelona, but the fun doesn't end yet, because for this last day I have in store for you one of the areas most treasured by the locals: Montjuic.

In the morning you'll take a cable car to the top of the famous mountain and you'll take the whole day to explore its castle, gardens, museums and incredible views. After lunch I've reserved a space for you to do some last minute shopping and as a farewell I've prepared a beautiful light and water show for you.

Take the cable car up to Montjuic and visit the Castle

To get to the top of Montjuic, I recommend that you go to the Paral-lel metro station and from there take a funicular inside the metro itself that will take you up to the Parc de Montjuic station in a few minutes. From here, a huge range of panoramas opens up to you, as there are two of the most important museums on this hill, the Olympic City and Montjuic Castle.

There are several possibilities. On the one hand, you can book a tour of Montjuic or if you prefer to go on your own, you can also go to the cable car station. It costs around €10 and will take you to the Castle in less than 5 minutes, as well as showing you the whole hill with a panoramic view. Once at the castle, depending on how much time you have, you can choose to walk around and see the moat and the exterior façade, or pay an entrance fee of around €5 and see the inside as well.

Remember the '92 Olympics

After leaving the Castle, you can walk through the beautiful gardens of Montjuic to reach one of the most interesting areas for all sports enthusiasts; the Olympic City. In 1992 Barcelona was the host city for the Olympics and built an entire sports city on top of Montjuic which is still in use today and is an imposing reminder.

You can come and see the Olympic Stadium and tour the huge infrastructure. It's free to enter and you'll get an idea of what the event was like and the enormous dimensions involved.

Delve into the art of the Miró Foundation or the National Museum

Just before lunch, I have two plans to choose from. At the top of Montjuic there are two museums that are quite important in Barcelona's culture, but as you won't have time to see them both, you'll have to choose the one that best suits your tastes.

• Joan Miró Foundation: this is a museum dedicated to the entire work of Joan Miró, the famous painter. From the structure of the building to all his paintings and sculptures, you will be transported to a child's world of fantasy and innocence. Without a doubt an experience for your senses if you like avant-garde art. The entrance fee is approximately €15 and it is located halfway between the gardens and the Olympic City.
• Museo Nacional d'Art de Catalunya: This is a huge neoclassical building that brings together the largest representation of national and Catalan art. Inside there is a huge mural by Miró, Picasso's "Woman in a Hat" and an endless number of classical and contemporary works and exhibitions. General admission is around €10.

Lunch with the best views of Barcelona

Whichever museum you've chosen to end your morning tour, you're bound to be hungry by now. If you've chosen the National Museum, the place I'm going to suggest for lunch will be next door, and if you've chosen the Miró Foundation, you'll only have to walk a few minutes.

This is Óleum, the museum's restaurant, which offers an excellent gastronomic offer and boasts one of the best views in the whole area, as it is located in the museum's old Throne Room. You'll be able to sample some of the best local food while enjoying a privileged view of Plaza España. And if you prefer tapas and wine, you can also book a private gastronomic tour of Barcelona. Bon profit!

Do some last minute shopping in the old bullring

There's nothing better to settle down than to walk down the stairs from the museum to Plaza España. Once back in the lower part of the city, you can spend a good part of this last afternoon shopping for the last gifts and souvenirs of Barcelona in one of its most emblematic shopping centres; the Arenas. You can also get there comfortably if you book the Barcelona bus.

What's special about this place is not only that it brings together all the major brands, but also that it used to be an old bullring and, when bullfighting was banned throughout the Community, the place was renovated and is now one of the busiest shopping spots. And if you go up to the top floor, you can access a viewpoint that is especially beautiful at sunset, when the lights come on.

Say goodbye to Barcelona with two options: Magic Fountain or Caixaforum

To say goodbye to this last day and leave this beautiful city with a good taste in your mouth, I have prepared one last plan for you. Precisely in the area where you are, in Plaza España, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday there is a show of lights and water starting at 9 p.m. in the Magic Fountain.

For an hour, the fountain creates figures with water and light effects accompanied by music and all kinds of visual effects. An ideal plan whether you come as a couple or with children, and what's more, it's completely free.

If you can't make it, another option to end the evening is to go to the CaixaForum, a cultural centre built in an old factory that usually has very interesting exhibitions throughout the year and which opens its doors every day until 8pm with an entrance fee of around €5.

As you might have guessed, Barcelona is a city that, due to its great tourist attraction, receives visitors in all seasons of the year. You should be aware that you will always have to deal with tourists and therefore it is advisable to book in advance to avoid queues.

Even so, I recommend, although it sounds strange, that you avoid the high summer season in Barcelona as this is the time when all the cruise ships dock in the port and the city is really full of people, as well as having very high temperatures.

It is best to go to Barcelona in the spring months as you can enjoy the good weather and all the plans, but without the crowds. Another option, if you like the cold, is to come and enjoy Barcelona at Christmas, where you can experience its most authentic traditions and taste the authentic turron.