Ultimate 7 days Barcelona itinerary
BEST PLANS TO SPEND ONE WEEK IN BARCELONA
Coming to Barcelona for a week? That is awesome! And no, it won’t be too long. Barcelona has a huge offer of things to do, and spending 7 days in the city will allow you to pace yourself and enjoy a real vacation, without the stress of having to cover everything in a short period of time, and with enough time to indulge in your favorite hobbies and interests rather than just rushing through tourist sites.
Another great thing about doing Barcelona in 7 days is that staying in a central location will be secondary. It won’t matter if you have to spend 20 to 30 minutes traveling back and forth anymore – which would be a waste if you only had a couple of days. And staying off the beaten path allows you to get better accommodation deals, as well as to experience the “real” Barcelona and get away from the crowds – if that’s what you are looking for, of course!
But no matter where you stay, you still want to plan ahead and at least have a general idea of what your plans will be. Barcelona is a very popular city, and playing by ear isn’t always easy, even if you have a whole week to explore! So in this post we’ve created a nicely paced Barcelona 7 days itinerary so you don’t miss anything and still have time to unplug, relax and have fun. But first:
What needs to be planned ahead of time?
- Tickets for the top sites: Sagrada Familia, Park Guell and the Picasso Museum tend to sell out days if not weeks in advance.
- Restaurants: Unless you are happy to eat street food, fast food or you don’t specially care where you’ll be eating each day, try to make reservations in advance for your favorite restaurants. Even some popular tapas bars require reservation (and even leaving a credit card number) nowadays. Reservations are a must specially for dinnertime during the week, and both lunch and dinner in the weekends.
- Private tours. Don’t expect to find private guides available last minute: the best ones get booked weeks in advance.
- Unique activities. Sailing outings, cooking classes, craft workshops… Assuming you’ll be able to book them last minute is a terrible idea, too.
Now that’s clear, let’s see how to spend your week in Barcelona!
WARNING. This is an itinerary for 7 full days in Barcelona. That’s not counting your arrival and departure day (unless you arrive super early in the morning or leave really late). If you have less than 7 complete days, consider eliminating the day out of town, or you can check out my other posts:
Here is the best one week Barcelona itinerary:
Day 1
For many travelers the first day is the most difficult one, because they are still jet-lagged. So I designed a first day that is relaxed and flexible enough, but that also helps you adjust to the local schedule, through the meals, being outdoors and some light physical activity to get you grounded: walking around, of course! Another advantage of the plan I'm suggesting for your first day is that it works for pretty much every day of the week, and that you'll be starting to explore Barcelona through its historical origins.
MORNING
Your morning will start in Plaça Catalunya, which locals consider the center of the city. It’s where the limit between the Old Town and the Eixample district, the heart of the shopping area, and where most public transportation connects. You are likely to pass it many times, so it’s good to start getting familiar with it! If it’s 9AM or later and you haven’t had breakfast (and it’s not Sunday or a bank holiday), you may want to stop at the Corte Ingles department store and take the elevator to the last floor, where you’ll find a food court with spectacular city views.
Otherwise take explore the alleys off la Rambla where you’ll find a Roman cemetery. I love walking down Petritxol street for its cute little shops and its two famous hot chocolate and churros places (a rich breakfast alternative to the Corte Ingles rooftop!). The street takes you to the Church of Santa Maria del Mar, and next to it on the weekends you’ll find a small farmers market and an art market.
Find the tiny alley Carrer de l’Ave Maria, where there’s a quirky Christmas store open all year around, and from there, take Carrer de Banys Nous to the left, until it becomes Carrer de la Palla (plenty of antique shops here, but they tend to open late), then it opens over the square in front of the Cathedral of Saint Eulalia. Unless it’s Sunday and mass is going on, it’s worth paying the admission to go in: lots of impressive artwork, an elevator to the rooftop to enjoy the city views, and a quaint cloister with real geese living there.
The Cathedral is the heart of the Gothic Quarter, the oldest part of the city. From here you can explore lots of interesting things:
- Roman ruins such as city walls and the Temple of Augustus, or if you are a big archaeology fan (or it rains) the MUHBA archaeological site.
- A small Jewish Section (Synagogue closed on Saturdays)
- Scenic plazas such as Sant Jaume, Sant Felip Neri, Plaça del Rei…
- More churches such as Santa Anna, Sant Sever, Sant Felip Neri, Sants Just i Pastor, Basílica de la Mercè…
- Medieval courtyards such as those in Casa de l’Ardiaca and Palau del Lloctinent
- Instagrammable spots such as the bridge on Carrer del Bisbe and the Kiss mosaic…
Do you prefer someone to show you around? Check out our private Barcelona Barri Gotic Walking Tour.
LUNCH
Your exploration should naturally take you towards the Port Vell area and the Barceloneta District. It’s the perfect place to enjoy one of the dishes you can’t miss during your stay: paella! This rice dish is quite filling, and that’s why locals prefer it for lunch: so you have time to digest it before the evening comes. It’s also a long meal: make sure to order a light entree first, because rice takes 20 minutes to be cooked and you don’t want to fill your stomach devouring bread buns while you wait. The long meal will also allow you to get a well deserved break from walking, and refill your energy levels. You’ll find my recommended paella restaurants here.
AFTERNOON
For your first day of your week in Barcelona, your afternoon needs to be relaxed. Don’t over exert yourself, and indulge in one of your favorite activities in the area:
- In the Summer, head to the beach.
- If you have kids, take them to the Aquarium.
- Or take a sailing trip.
DINNER & EVENING PLANS
I expect you to be quite exhausted after your first day, so I’ll be conservative and I won’t pack your evening. I’m also aware that you’ll likely not be too hungry after the paella meal, so I wouldn’t plan a big dinner, either. This is why for your first evening in Barcelona my recommendation is to head to some rooftop bar and enjoy some appetizers and a drink, with the city at your feet and with great music playing in the background.
On your second day I'll have you explore the central district of Barcelona: the Eixample district. Built after the medieval walls were dismantled in 1848, its checkered layout was designed by the engineer Ildefons Cerda, and here bloomed the gorgeous architecture of the Barcelona Modernism. If yesterday you felt like being in Italy, today you'll feel like you are in Paris. You'll also start getting acquainted with the genius that transformed the landscape of Barcelona forever: Antoni Gaudi.
MORNING
Start your day at the crossing of Rambla de Catalunya with Provença street. If you haven’t had any breakfast yet, you can indulge in the sweet delicacies of the 100yo Mauri cake shop or try one of my favorite Spanish omelettes at the also very old La Bodegueta tapas bar. When you are ready, follow Provença street and only one block away you’ll find a unique Gaudi building: La Pedrera.
While its rough stone façade earned it the nickname of The Quarry, and it may look less attractive than the colorful Casa Batllo that you’ll see later, to me the inside is totally worth it: two spectacular courtyards, a 360º view over the city, a fantastic attic with a very enlightening exhibit about Gaudi’s architecture and an apartment fully decorated with real antiques from the early 1900’s. The visit will take you about 1 hour.
If it’s not Sunday, make sure to enter the Massimo Dutti store next door and go up to its second floor: there you’ll find a secret garden with views over the backside of La Pedrera that even many locals don’t know about! After that, leisurely walk down the elegant Passeig de Gracia, window shopping around the fancy fashion shops and admiring the modernist buildings with its artistic balconies, and the gorgeous street lamps by a Gaudi peer: Pere Falques. Even the street tiles are replicas of a Gaudi design!
Three blocks further down you’ll reach Aragon street. To the right you’ll see the modernist brick building that now houses the Antoni Tapies museum (a must for contemporary art lovers), which is topped by a surprising metal sculpture that represents a Chair on a Cloud – it’s best seen from across the street. And on Passeig de Gracia you’ll find the Block of Disagreement: three modernist masterpieces built pretty much one after the other, each of them so beautiful that the locals couldn’t agree on which was the best.
The first one is Casa Batllo by Antoni Gaudi. My recommendation is to leave it for later – trust my advice: it’ll be more fun to see it in the evening. Next door there’s Casa Amatller by Puig i Cadafalch. Go into the entrance hall to see the intricate rough iron lamps, the gorgeous stained glass door and skylight, and don’t miss the old kitchen turned chocolate shop. Finally, the building in the opposite corner is Casa Lleo Morera by Domenech i Muntaner, one of the leaders of Modernism – this one is not open to the public so far.
If you need more things to do before lunch, here are a few ideas:
- If you like contemporary art, visit the Tapies Foundation
- If you like antiques, furniture and sculpture, visit the inside of Casa Amatller
- If you are traveling with kids, do together the outdoor street scape organized by Casa Batllo around the district
- For a more relaxed exploration, switch to Rambla de Catalunya, the second most elegant street in town. On week days, turn right when you reach Rambla de Catalunya and walk a couple of blocks until you hit the Universitat de Barcelona building. enter the university by its central gate, then walk to the back until you find the hidden gardens of the university. There seat at one of the tables of the Bernat Pescaire cafe and enjoy coffee and cake or a beer with chips, surrounded by lush greenery.
LUNCH
For today, I’d plan a meal in theme with what you visited in the morning. What about eating at a modernist venue? Here are three options for you:
- For a fancy Asian meal, China Crown is located in the street level of Casa Calvet by Gaudi, and it still preserves the furniture he designed for the offices that originally occupied the space.
- For some lovely tapas, Casa Alfonso still preserves the decoration from the 1930’s.
- For Catalan food, head to 4 Gats, where Picasso hung out when he was young.
- And maybe not original but in line with the 1900’s style, El Nacional is a food court with a variety of options: fish restaurant, steakhouse, tapas and wine bar.
AFTERNOON
Your afternoon will continue with another Gaudi masterpiece: Park Guell. To get there you’ll need to move to another area of the city, either by subway, bus or taxi. You’ll find all the options with their pros and cons here. The tickets for the Park sell out days in advance, so make sure to get them beforehand: getting all the way up there and being denied access could be super frustrating! Also, the tickets are timed but you are given a 30 minutes window to get in – don’t stress out if you are going to be a bit late.
The visit takes about 1 hour for the average visitor, plus the time to get there and back to the city center. But if you have walking issues or use a wheelchair it’s likely to take you twice as long because it’s on a hill and the itinerary involves several flights of steps that take longer to avoid. If you are traveling with kids, don’t promise they’ll be visiting a “park with playgrounds” – that’s not what it is: it’s an architectural enclosure where they’ll get to be outdoors and see colorful structures. However, there are 2 playgrounds that are a bit off the beaten path. In this other post I explain where to find playgrounds in Park Guell and near most of the top city sites.
If you think you’ll need more things to do in the afternoon, here are some additional ideas:
- Teenagers and VR fans will love the Gaudi Experience, just a couple of minutes from the park main entrance
- If you have strong legs, you may want to walk up to the Bunkers del Carmel to enjoy the city views.
- If you want more Gaudi sites, head to Casa Vicens.
- Or walk to Verdi street, which leads to the liveliest area of the Gracia district. There you’ll find lots of cute little stores and many plazas where to seat outdoors while enjoying some coffee or beer.
DINNER & EVENING PLANS
My recommendation is to stay within the Gracia district for dinner:
- For high end seafood, book at Botafumeiro
- For couples wanting some cheese and wine, I like Viblioteca
- For fun tapas, Pepa Tomate
- Families with kids will have fun at Nüa Smart Restaurant
- More ideas for restaurants in Gracia >>
Now that you've settled and have a good idea of the city layout, it's a good time to go out of town. While people who only come for a couple of days never have the time to explore the countryside, if you have an entire week in Barcelona there's definitely time to exit the city limits! And the truth is that the offer is unlimited! From Roman ruins to Medieval towns, from wine cellars to seaside towns, from Dali Museums to rocky mountains... But unless you have already a destination in mind, let me tell you which is the most popular:
MORNING AND AFTERNOON IN MONTSERRAT
Montserrat is a scenic rocky mountain just 60km / 37mi outside of Barcelona. Its appeal is not just its impressive views, but also a monastery that is the spiritual heart of Catalonia: here is worshipped The Black Madonna of Montserrat, patron saint of our land. And together with the monks lives a boys choir that sings twice daily, and it’s one of the oldest in Europe. The good news is that you don’t need to rent a car and brave the winding road to the monastery on your own: there’s public transportation!
There’s a suburban train that departs Plaça Espanya regularly and takes you to the foot of Montserrat, where you can take either a cable car or a cogwheel train to get to the Monastery. The only downside is that while driving can take less than one hour, the suburban train is really slow and it stops at every single little town on the way. So by public transportation it’ll take you twice as long. Which is why if you are taking the train you’ll need a full day. Here are a few posts that will help you planning your day:
- How to get to Montserrat from Barcelona
- Things to do in Montserrat
- Easy hikes from the Monastery
- Where to eat in Montserrat
Alternatively, there’s many companies that organize day trips to Montserrat. Most of them are big bus tours where the guide explains during the ride, once at the monastery they give you a quick overview of the area, then you are given free time until it’s time to get back. Here is one of the most realiable.
But if you prefer a more personal experience, we organize private tours that are entirely customized to your interests, be it art, history or nature. With us you can do Montserrat in one morning, so you have the afternoon to do other things in Barcelona. Or if you prefer, we can extend your day to either take you for lunch to a very authentic farmhouse restaurants that only locals know about, or to enjoy a lunch by the sea in Sitges, or to visit a wine cellar after visiting Montserrat.
DINNER & EVENING PLANS
Going out of town means a long day… so you’d rather plan for something relaxing tonight. What about picking a restaurant with live music?
You've already have the opportunity to see the most iconic building of Barcelona from the distance: Sagrada Familia church. Now it's time to go inside! And yes, don't skip it because "it's just another church" or even if your budget is tight: you've never seen another church like this one, the inside is even more breathtaking than the outside, and if you only have money to pay for one site during your entire stay, it needs to be Sagrada Familia or you'll regret it. Having been inside before isn't an excuse either if it was before 2015: you haven't seen all the stained glass windows set up!
MORNING
Let me be a pain in the neck: DO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS WELL IN ADVANCE. Sagrada Familia sells out every day of the year, and they don’t even have physical ticket offices anymore: you can only purchase tickets online. So forget about arriving there and going in unless you’ve done your homework and got your tickets well in advance. Every day I see so many disappointed people who didn’t plan ahead and are not able to go in! Don’t be one of them.
Now, because the tickets sell out, I’m aware that it doesn’t make sense to give you a set itinerary for today: you’ll have to play around whatever entrance time you manage to secure. So I’ve created a flexible plan for today, and you’ll have to adapt it accordingly. Just consider that most people spend 1 to 2 hours inside the church, and it takes longer if you purchase the tickets that include the towers (yes, you need specific tickets for them, I explain everything in this post).
So let’s assume you secure tickets for the morning (if you can only get them for the afternoon, just change the order of today’s plan to match your reservation). Depending on how early you get up, how long you plan to be inside of the church and how late you want to have lunch, you may need some more ideas for things to do to fill your morning. Here are a few:
- Start your day in the corner of Diagonal Avenue and Pau Claris, and walk to Sagrada Familia seeing some cool modernist architecture on the way (Palau del Baro de Quadres, Casa Comalat, Casa de les Punxes, Palau Macaya, Casa Planells) – About half an hour needed.
- Consider visiting the Hospital de Sant Pau by Domenech i Muntaner – About 1 hour needed, plus 15 minutes walk from Sagrada Familia.
- Book a spot at the coveted rooftop of Sercotel Rosellon, for some drinks with the best views over Sagrada Familia.
- Visit the old Damm brewery nearby and enjoy a beer tasting.
- Or just stroll down Passeig de Sant Joan towards the area that we’ll be visiting in the afternoon – About 30 minutes.
BTW, Sagrada Familia is extraordinary just by itself, but there’s so much you’ll miss unless somebody tells you about it. And on your own, you are likely to leave with lots of questions… Did you know we have the best Sagrada Familia tours? Splurge in your own private tour guide, skip the lines and see the church under new eyes.
LUNCH
The food options around the church are unfortunately weak, so my recommendation is to plan to have lunch in the area where I’m sending you for the second part of your day. But if you must eat near Sagrada Familia, my blog has you covered as well.
Now, my recommendation instead is to eat in Passeig de Sant Joan, voted the second best street in the world in 2021, for its green areas, its cool shops and its many cafes and restaurants. Here are a few ideas:
- Granja Petitbo for brunch and healthy food.
- Lluritu 3 for great fish in tapas-bar-like relaxed atmosphere
- Parking, for premium street food of pizza and pitta bread
- Casa Rafols for traditional tapas
- Or a bit further down but still on the right direction, Fismuler for trendy international food and one of the best cheesecakes in Barcelona.
AFTERNOON
After lunch, take a selfie next to the Arch of Triomph and walk off your meal exploring the Ciutadella Park. Here took place the 1888 World Fair and you can still see a monumental waterfall and two greenhouses of that time. And before that it had been a military citadel (a chapel and the building currently housing the Catalan parlament are testimonials of that time). There’s also long extensions of grass, 2 large playgrounds for kids, a pond with ducks where you can row boats, and the zoo. It’ll take you 20 to 40 minutes to explore, longer if you nap on the grass or go inside the zoo (which can take you the rest of the afternoon).
After the park, take a short detour to check out the Estacio de França station, with its beautiful olf-fashioned iron architecture. And then you’ll be ready to enter the Born district, where you’ll spend the rest of your day. Passeig del Born is its main artery, with the handsome Mercat del Born in one end, and in the other end the Gothic church of Santa Maria del Mar. To both sides stem alleys that are fun to explore. Plus the layout of the neighborhood is sort of like a crooked grid: you can’t get lost and even if you did you’ll find your way out in no time because its limits are very clear. Here are some things for you to spend your afternoon:
- Mercat del Born. It features balconies into the excavations of the part of the city that was knocked down after Barcelona lost the War of Succession in 1714. The access is free and it doesn’t take long to check out.
- Santa Maria del Mar. Beautiful stained glasses and elegant medieval architecture. If you have strong legs make sure to get the ticket that includes access to the rooftop.
- Picasso Museum. You won’t find famous masterpieces here, but the best collection of early works of Picasso and the Blue Period, and a unique series of paintings he did at the end of his life inspired in Velazquez’s Las Meninas. The visit takes around 1 hour, longer if there’s a temporary exhibition going on.
- People watching. Fetch a table on the coveted terrace of the tiny wine bar La Vinya del Senyor, and enjoy a glass of cava (the Catalan sparkling wine) with views over the façade of Santa Maria del Mar.
- Zoo. Perfect option if you have kids.
- Shopping. The Born district has a SOHO feel, with its many local designer stores, unique bakeries, 100yo shops… It’s a shopper’s (and a foodie’s!) paradise!
DINNER & EVENING PLANS
Tonight is Flamenco night! But let me set the right expectations: Flamenco is the most famous Spanish dance, yes. But Barcelona people don’t feel it as “their thing” (many people feels more Catalan than Spanish), so don’t expect to see locals attending a show. HOWEVEVER, we have a huge community of people from the South of Spain, where Flamenco is from, and thanks to them we happen to have one of the best Flamenco scenes in the country, what means the quality of the shows is really high but you’ll be surrounded by tourists. Don’t make you think it’s a tourist trap, though! The quality of the show is what really matters.
Several tips when choosing what show to attend:
- Consider if you want a show or a dinner with show. Only a handful of venues offer dinner options (mostly either tapas or all-you-can-eat buffet – de quality is decent but not memorable, however you’ll get better seats than the people paying only for the show in those venues).
- Figure out if you prefer a larger, comfortable theater, or if you prefer a smaller more intimate venue. How close do you want to be from the performers? Or does it really matter to you? (it’s really a personal choice)
- Round out what options are closer to your accommodation, it’s nice not to have to worry about finding taxis late at night.
Here is our extensive list of Flamenco shows in Barcelona, for you to peruse. But if you want to stay in the Born district, your options are the shows at Palau de la Musica Catalana, the ones at Palau Dalmases and the one in Teatro Flamenco Barcelona. Laietana and the rest of the ones in the Gothic Quarter and La Rambla are also reasonably close and within walking distance. Just take into account that the Flamenco shows in El Born don’t offer dinner options. Here are great recommendations for where to eat in the area before or after the show.
Today you'll be covering two different areas, but they are easily connected via subway or a convenient taxi ride. You'll spend your morning in the Les Corts / Pedralbes district, then you'll spend the afternoon in the Hill of Montjuic. Your itinerary will be quite flexible, as I understand that not everyone is interested in doing the same things. But you'll see how easy it is to tailor your day to what's most fun for you!
MORNING
For most people, the morning will be dedicated to only one site: the FC Barcelona Stadium. Currently undergoing renovations, you can still visit their interactive museum and their collection of trophies. Because it’s a longish ride from the city center, and it’s easy to lose track of time and end up spending almost two hours between the actual visit and the time you’ll spend at their gift shop (people gets crazy there with all the team merchandising!), if you are doing the stadium don’t make plans for anything else that morning.
But if sports are definitely not your thing, I have an alternative itinerary for you! Start your morning going back in time visiting the Pedralbes Monastery. Then walk down Avinguda Pedralbes, passing exclusive apartment buildings where the wealthy live. Half way down you’ll pass a little know but not less fascinating Gaudi work: the Dragon Gate of the Guell Pavilions. Then continue all the way down until you reach Diagonal Avenue and turn right until you reach the entrance to the Palau Reial Gardens, a delightful park. This itinerary will likely fill your morning until lunchtime.
Or… If you are a shopper and don’t need so much sightseeing, you can spend your morning shopping around between La Illa Diagonal Shopping Mall and the Corte Ingles Diagonal department store, much classier than most options in the city center.
LUNCH
Your best option either way will be either the many options at the food court of La Illa Diagonal (from the Stadium area it’s a short tramway ride), or if you prefer, a quick bite in the restaurants near Camp Nou stadium.
AFTERNOON
In the afternoon, take the L3 subway line to Paral·lel, and there switch to the Funicular de Montjuic, which takes you half way up the Hill in only one stop. As you exit the funicular, hop on the cable car that takes you to the Montjuic Castle. You won’t get a better view of the city! BTW, the lines for the cable car can get long, make sure to purchase your ticket online. The Castle is mostly for the views as well, but it’s quite cheap, so give it a go.
When you are done exploring the top of the hill, you can either hike down passed the Mirador de l’Alcalde vantage point and across the Joan Brossa gardens (some cool playgrounds for your kids!), or just take the cable car to get back down. Either way, when you reach the funicular station again, take a break to enjoy the city views at the bar of the pool where took place the diving competitions during the 1992 Olympics.
Next continue into the Hill: you’ll be passing the Miro Foundation (about 1 hour visit). The museum is next to the romantic Laribal Gardens, which can be worth checking for a while, but don’t take a too long detour, because I want you to get to the Olympic Ring, where most of the Olympic facilities are located. Your kids may want to visit the Museum of Sports. And you can see the inside the Olympic Stadium from a balcony that is free of charge (and there’s toilets there – you might need a pitch stop by now!).
Next to the Stadium there’s another smaller covered stadium, Palau Sant Jordi, and a giant streamlined antena designed by Santiago Calatrava. It’s a great spot for pictures! When you are done and back to the main road, across the street in the distance you’ll see some impressive domes. Walk toward them and you’ll soon find some outdoor escalators that take you down towards them: you’ll be at the back of the Museum of National Art (MNAC). Walk around the building to get to the front and enjoy another impressive view over the city.
And here is where once again you need to decide how to spend the rest of your time, since you want to be here for dinner and what I have planned for your evening. Here are all your options:
- MNAC Museum. I only recommend it for hardcore museum goers, because it can be quite overwhelming. It’s divided in 4 sections (Romanesque, Gothic through Baroque, Modernism 1 and Modernism 2), and each section takes 1 hour to be visited in detail, or you can rush through the museum and see everything in 2 hours – but it’s quite a race.
- Mies Van Der Rohe Pavilion. The German pavilion of the 1929 World Fair is a must for contemporary architecture lovers and design lovers (since the iconic Barcelona Chair was conceived precisely for this building). The building can be decently appreciated from outside, but it’s only a small admission to get inside and see the chairs.
- Caixaforum. An old textile factory turned into art center. A relaxed way to spend your time roaming the exhibits, getting to the rooftop (did I mention Montjuic is a great place to see the city views?) and taking a break at their café.
- Spanish Village. Another attraction of the 1929 World Fair, this is a real-size village where every building is a replica of something else from Spain. Beside the examples of Spanish traditional architecture, inside you’ll find a contemporary art museum, a kids playground, unique crafts workshops, several cafes and restaurants, as well as many instagrammeable spots.
- Las Arenas. This building used to be a bull ring until it was abandoned and later on remodeled into a shopping mall. Besides shopping and eating, you’ll also find here (guess what?)… another vantage point to see the views. Just take the escalators to the rooftop, it’s quite cool!
DINNER & EVENING PLANS
Between 2021-2024 our area suffered one of the longest draughts in our history, and as a result all the ornamental fountains were switched off. That included the most famous fountain in Barcelona: the Magic Fountain of Montjuic. The good news is that March 2025 was so wet that the draught is officially over, and the Magic Fountain will get to flow again as of the end of September! If you are here after that, then the Magic Fountain needs to be part of your plans, for sure! It’s a beautiful show of light and music, with water jets that dance to the music. Some compare it to the Bellagio in Vegas, but they are quite different. If you are planning to attend, make sure to book dinner in the area for a time that matches the show.
Or if you’ll be in Barcelona before October 2025, I have a few other suggestions for you:
- Take a sunset or full moon cruise.
- Attend a Candlelight concert.
Today will be an easy day. We'll start your morning in La Rambla and the Boqueria Market, then dedicate the afternoon to something YOU love doing: enough sightseeing! Let's goof around! Because a vacation doesn't have to be just about crossing things out of a must-see list. And because Barcelona is much more than what comes in the guide books. Ready to start?
MORNING
Start today’s stroll back to Plaça Catalunya, and walk down La Rambla, passing the Fountain of Canaletes where the locals celebrate the victories of the FC Barcelona team. Soon you’ll reach the colorful stalls of the Flower Market, and then to the right will open up the main entrance to the Boqueria Market, the oldest food market in Spain. Yes, after the pandemic many stores closed and it’s lost part of its charm, but if you check out this post you’ll find my favorite stalls to discover the soul of the market. BTW, breakfast in the market is also a great idea!
After visiting the market continue walking down La Rambla. Keep your eyes open to see the quirky Casa de Bruno Quadres, with its Asian decoration and dragon lamp, and the Miro mosaic embedded in the pavement of the boulevard. Soon after passing the Liceu Opera House an alley opens to the left into the pretty Plaça Reial, and another to the right takes you to one of the early works of Antoni Gaudi – Palau Guell – it’ll take you about 1 hour to visit, if you decide to go in.
Further down you’ll find the Wax Museum, which your teens will love. Don’t miss its surprising café decorated to look like a Fairy Forest. La Rambla ends at the sculpture of Christopher Columbus, which has an elevator to ride to the top for the views. From there you’ll be very close to the Maritime museum (takes about 2 hours to visit, though), or you can continue across the wooden bridge towards the Maremagnum shopping mall and the Aquarium. Or instead ride the Golondrinas boats.
LUNCH
I’ll give you two options for lunch:
If you want to stay in the area, your best bet will be the Time Out Market: a gourmet food court created by the famous Time Out magazine where a variety of top chefs and restaurants from Barcelona have their own corners. Meat, fish, tapas, paella, pasta, sushi, sweets… You’ll find something you like there, for sure! It’s located in the upper floor of the Maregmagnum shopping mall.
Otherwise, a quick 3-stop ride on the V11 bus will take you to the Sant Antoni District, famous for its restaurants and tapas bars where locals go for vermouth and appetizers.
AFTERNOON
I promised this afternoon will all be about you. So tell me, what do you enjoy doing?
- Maybe you want a spa day? If your hotel doesn’t have one, here you’ll find my list of favorite Barcelona spas.
- Do you like cooking? Book a cooking class!
- Are you a dancer? What about a flamenco dance lesson?
- Are you crazy about cars? Ride a Ferrari around the city.
- Are you crafty? What about a mosaic workshop or the opportunity to make your own espadrilles?
- Do you like escape rooms?
- Have you ever flown in a helicopter?
- Are you into gardens? Don’t miss the Parc del Laberint maze.
- Do you like interactive museums? We have a few: the White Rabbit, the Museum of Illusions, the Big Fun Museum, the Paradox Museum…
DINNER & EVENING PLANS
At this point you’ve been able to experience tapas, some fish and some meat, paella… but you haven’t been able to get familiar with pure traditional Catalan cuisine yet. And this is what I want your dinner to be! If your budget isn’t tight, the best experience will be eating at a farmhouse restaurant. I know, I hear you going all “lady, a farm? in a city?”, actually… yes. Barcelona annexed several nearby villages in the early 1900’s that used to be in the middle of the countryside and now have become districts. In some of them you can still find elements of their rural past, and some farmhouses have become restaurants. My favorite is Can Cortada. And in this post you’ll find some more ideas for (non-farmhouse) central locations and other budgets.
As for your evening plans… it’s time to dance the night away! Check out my guide to the Barcelona party scene. You’ll find there the best night clubs by area, as well as great drink bars.
I strongly believe that your last day in Barcelona needs to be a day to catch up. What else is left that you didn't have time to do? Do you need to go for some last minute shopping? How much time do you need to pack up? So consider my suggestion for today just a filler, in case there's nothing else you need to do and you can pack in the blink of an eye. Today's suggestion can also be subbed by a second day out of town - but make sure to plan to be back no later than 5PM, so you have time to pack when you are back.
MORNING
This morning will take you to the uptown, and it will be a flexible itinerary that you can organize as you please, depending on your favorite things to do. Pick one option and stick to it, as you might not have time for more than one, considering it’s further away from the city center:
- If you want one more Gaudi site, head to Torre Bellesguard.
- If you have kids or love science, visit the Cosmocaixa Science Museum.
- On a sunny day, take the Cuca de Llum Funicular to the Tibidabo Hill to enjoy the views. There’s an elevator inside the Basilica that takes you to the statue of the Holy Heart of Jesus at the top of it – similar to the Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro.
- Or if it’s open, next to the Basilica there’s an Amusement Park that will keep your family entertained for a few hours.
LUNCH
- For meat eaters: the gorgeous Asador de Aranda.
- For smaller budgets: Marta’s Lemon Pie (they don’t only serve cakes, but also sandwiches and a lovely menu del dia – set lunch menu)
AFTERNOON
Are you sure there’s nothing else in your to-do list? Do you still want to explore one more area of the city and need ideas? Well, in that case head to the Poblenou district. Start in Glories square and move towards Rambla del Poblenou, and if there’s time, maybe even reach the Forum – Diagonal Mar area. Here are a few things to do:
- Visit the Design Hub (museum of Design) or the Museum of Music
- Shop at the Glories Mall
- Climb to the observatory of the Torre Glories
- Discover the art of the Museu Can Framis
- Relax at the Parc Central del Poblenou
- Explore the contemporary architecture of the area
- Find amazing graffiti street art
- Try the famous orchata of Tio Che
- Visit the Museu Blau – museum of natural history
- More things to do in Poblenou >>
DINNER & EVENING PLANS
Your last night in Barcelona needs to finish strong. And what better than treating yourself to a Michelin star restaurant? I know: the most famous restaurants are very expensive and it’s often hard to get a reservation unless you try months in advance. But did you know that there’s over 20 1-star Michelin restaurants in Barcelona? Most of them have tasting menus starting around €150 and, up, but Prodigi and Fishølogy have menus starting at €90. And Prodigi serves a lunch menu for less than €40 (maybe sub dinner for a rich lunch?). All these tasting menus are long meals, so you won’t need more plans for the evening.
And if you aren’t ready to splurge so much, here are some romantic restaurants if you are traveling with your significant other, family restaurants if you have kids, and group restaurants if your party is bigger.
I hope you enjoyed my plan for 7 days in Barcelona!
Marta
Marta is the founder of ForeverBarcelona. She is a passionate tour guide that loves Barcelona and loves writing too. She is the main author of our Blog, and is committed to sharing her knowledge about Barcelona and her best tips with our readers.
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