Located in the North East corner of Spain, Barcelona is a coastal town with plenty to do and see. Filled with intricate architecture from the famous modernist Antoni Gaudi, beautiful beaches and delicious food, Barcelona should be on the top of your list when visiting Spain.

Here is how to spend 3 days in Barcelona:

Day 1-Start slow by wandering the city!

If you flew into Madrid. Take an early morning train (around 8 am) and you will arrive around noon. Head to your Airbnb/Hotel and drop off your bags. We grabbed lunch at the cutest Mexican restaurant called Mextizo before setting off to explore the city.

La Rambla-One of the most popular streets in Barcelona, filled with artisans selling their crafts and goods. Be sure to check out Mercado de La Boqueria

After checking out the Mercado head down to the water front for some lovely views of Barcelona. There is also a cable car you can take to Montjuic. Sadly while we were there one the entrances was closed so we ended up having to take a cab to Montjuic, but don’t worry there’s a cable car up there as well!

On top of Montjuic you will find Jardin de Mossen Costa and beautiful garden and well as the Montjuic castle.

Head back down the mountain and towards the city (you should be able to take bus 50 around 13 stops). If you aren’t hungry yet I recommend checking out Casa Milà . Casa Milà is one of Gaudi’s more famous houses located in central Barcelona. I HIGHLY recommend visiting right before the sunsets and heading straight to the rooftop was a spectacular view. Next head to dinner at Robata, some of the best sushi I’ve ever had, also I recommend making a reservation (especially during those summer months).

Day 2-Visit the Most Beautiful Park!

Start with brunch at Brunch and Cake and then head towards the Gothic Quarter with plenty of cute shops you’ll be sure to find something unique to take home. My personal favorite is called La Nostra Ciutat. A super cute print shop, with goods made by local artists.

After exploring the Gothic Quarter head to the Ciutadella Park. Within the park there’s a Castle of Three Dragons, a Hivernacle (this winter garden is a pavilion made of cast iron and glass), a geological museum, a Umbracle Tropical greenhouse, and lastly the Zoo of Barcelona.

Just outside the exit of the park is the Arc de Triomf of Barcelona. Head back to the hotel and freshen up before heading to Tickets . A bit on the pricer side Tickets has been ranked as one of the top 25 restaurants in the world. **Make sure to make reservations 2 months in advance!

Day 3 All Gaudi everything

My recommendation for visiting the Sagrada Familia and Park Güell would be to hire a guide. These two locations are not that close to each other and it’s nice not having to worry about waiting in line and getting from one location to the next. Viator has a lot of options for all price ranges, such as this one. When booking a tour make sure it includes skipping the line (most will)

The Sagrada has been under construction since 1882 and our tour guide said they hope to have it mostly done by 2026 100 year anniversary of Gaudi’s death. You will definitely want to go inside, trust me. The amount of times I said WOW had to be close to 1,000. The light in this church is incredible and I won’t spoil too much.

You will spend about 2 hours in the Sagrada learning about Gaudi before heading off to Park Guell. Park Guell is one of the most creative parks in the world. Originally set to be a residential area with properties for the rich, only one person ended up buying a plot of land, eventually the land was donated and Park Guell became a real park.

If you have additional time before your train/flight back to Madrid you can check out the Palau de la Musica or the Barcelona Cathedral. Have any other recommendations? Leave them in the comment section! Love this article? Pin it to your Pintestest boards using the image below!