When looking at my bucket list Barcelona never even made it onto the list; however, I am completely rethinking this after adding this amazing city to my last European vacation. Barcelona was one of my favorite cities I have visited. Here are the top 5 experiences I had in Barcelona and what I would skip.

The Gaudi Experience of Barcelona

If you have looked at going to Barcelona you may have heard the name Gaudi. Anotoni Gaudi designed what is likely the most famous landmark of Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia but that is not all. You can also see several of the houses (Casa Mila and Casa Battlo) he designed as well as a mosaic park (Park Guell). In comparison to the other architecture of his time Gaudi’s work was progressive and different, to say the least. He has such detail in his work and thought out every little piece. When going to the Sagrada Familia I would recommend getting the audio guide as it talks about all the little details he thought out prior to construction.

The Gothic Quarter

One of the things I loved about Barcelona is the different neighborhoods. The three main ones I visited were El Born, The Gothic Quarter and El Born. If you are looking to stay near major attractions and things to do any of these neighborhoods would be great. My hostel was in El Born just a couple blocks from the Arc De Triomf (yes Barcelona has one too) but was still only a 5 min walk from the Gothic Quarter. The Gothic Quarter has endless winding streets to get lost on and old architecture to explore. It is home to a quaint church (not the Sagrada Familia but still beautiful), the bridge of sighs, a ton of little shops and a gelateria that makes your desert a piece of art!

Rent a bike

The orange bikes that you will see all over are not for tourists to rent but there are still plenty of other bike shops that rent starting at 5 euros per hour. (They even have motorized bikes if you are looking for a little more adventure and a little less exercise.) Barcelona has great bike lanes down by the docks and is overall pretty biker friendly. Biking down by the water means bike lanes as well as all the crowds. Even in off-season most people were walking in the bike lanes rather than on the walking path and would not move even if you were coming right at them.

La Boqueria

I absolutely love cities with markets like this! A lot of bigger cities have these types of markets (London, Seattle, Philadelphia) and they are oh so fun to wander around. These markets have great local foods and delicacies to take in and even take home. I had a delicious empanada and brought home various nuts and chocolates.

Tapas!

If visiting Barcelona you have probably been told that you have to have the tapas, but what are they? Tapas are little appetizers usually served at bars. In El Raval there is a whole street that has 1 euro tapas over the lunch hour at several of their bars. I will be honest I am not the most adventurous when it comes to trying foreign foods but my friend was all for it! They were putting out all the tapas when we were finishing lunch but of course we had to try at least a few. There were probably 10-15 different ones to try at the bar we were at from seafood to soul food.

What to skip in Barcelona

Las Ramblas is a set of streets between the Gothic and El Raval neighborhoods known for its shopping. The only reason I would say to go here is to visit La Boqueria but other than that it is a major tourist trap. Lined with souvenir shops and street performers it is usually packed with hoards of tourists. This is also probably the #1 spot for pickpockets so watch your belongings!

Flamenco show – I have to say originally I was super excited to go to one as I love to watch dancing (or try to dance myself), but I was kind of disappointed. The show we watched was about 30 min and did have some talented individuals that clearly put a lot into their dancing, but it wasn’t as much dancing as I expected, more singing and stomping around. Maybe I don’t appreciate this as much since I am not Spanish but overall I would not go to another if I went back.