UltimateCity Guide Barcelona
Our favourites

The magazine

Stories from Barcelona, Spain

Every story, long read and guide in the ULTIMATE Barcelona City Guide, in one place.

Culture

Arts & Culture in Barcelona

All of Arts & Culture

Gaudí, Picasso, Miró and the Liceu: Modernisme on the Passeig de Gràcia, the museums of Montjuïc and the Palau de la Música Catalana.

The tree-like columns and vaults of the Sagrada Família’s nave, lit by its stained glassThe back storyThe back storyBarcelona art, architecture and cultureSculpture on the Nativity façade of the Sagrada FamíliaArts & CultureArchitecture & landmarksGaudí and the Gothic QuarterThe Gothic arcaded gallery in the courtyard of the Museu Picasso’s medieval palaceArts & CultureArt museumsPicasso, Miró and the MNAC
  1. Arts & CultureConcert halls & musicThe Palau de la Música Catalana

Our advice

Book Gaudí ahead

Book Gaudí’s houses and the Sagrada Família on their own websites well ahead, spend a morning on Montjuïc with the MNAC and the Fundació Miró, and keep an evening for a concert at the Palau de la Música. The back story

History

History & heritage

Roman Barcino, the counts of Barcelona and the Crown of Aragon’s Mediterranean empire, the Eixample and Gaudí: the heritage of the Catalan capital.

The Gothic cathedral of BarcelonaHistory & heritageFrom Roman Barcino to the Sagrada Família: Barcelona’s heritageRomans, counts, kings and the Catalan RenaixençaThe back storyGaudí and the ModernistasBook every Gaudí visit on the official sites, never through…The back storyBarcelonaBarcelona keeps reinventing itself, and every age has left a layer…

Areas

Barcelona by neighbourhood

From the Gothic Quarter to the hills, each area has its own guide: medieval lanes, the Modernista Eixample, the squares of Gràcia and the beaches of Barceloneta.

The carved Gothic footbridge over Carrer del Bisbe in the Gothic QuarterNeighbourhood guideGothic Quarter & El BornMedieval lanes and Gothic churchesThe mosaic façade and bone-like balconies of Casa Batlló on Passeig de GràciaNeighbourhood guideEixample & Passeig de GràciaModernisme and the grand hotelsThe mosaic-clad roof and spire of the Casa del Guarda lodge at Park GüellNeighbourhood guideGràciaPark Güell and village squaresNova Icària and Bogatell beaches from above, curving north along the coastNeighbourhood guideBarceloneta & the PortBeaches and seafoodTorre Glòries lit in red and blue at nightNeighbourhood guidePoblenouFactories, 22@ and beaches

In layers

Start under the Plaça del Rei with the Romans, walk to Santa Maria del Mar for the Gothic city, and finish on the beach at Barceloneta, the gift of 1992.

  1. Neighbourhood guideSarrià, Sant Gervasi & PedralbesThe upper city
  2. Neighbourhood guideMontjuïcMuseums and gardens on the hill

Practical

Plan your trip

The practical things to know before you go: entry, money and etiquette, the metro, trains and the airport, and four days for a classic first visit.

The Gothic façade of Barcelona Cathedral at dusk, above an empty squareBefore you goBarcelona essentialsEntry, money, etiquette and getting aroundA red high-speed train at a platform in Barcelona SantsGetting aroundGetting aroundMetro, trains and the airportTiled domes and towers of the Modernista pavilions at Sant PauItineraryFour days in BarcelonaThe classic first visit
  1. Luxury guideLuxury BarcelonaThe finest addresses

Day trips

Beyond Barcelona

A mountain monastery, the coast, Girona and cava country: Montserrat, the beaches of Sitges, the painted houses on the Onyar and the cellars of the Penedès.

The monastery of Montserrat beneath the mountain’s serrated rock pinnaclesBeyond BarcelonaMontserratThe monastery in the mountainThe church of Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla on its headland above the sea at SitgesBeyond BarcelonaSitgesBeaches and a church on the seaThe painted houses of Girona’s old town lining the River OnyarBeyond BarcelonaGironaPainted houses on the OnyarThe white houses of Cadaqués around its bay on the Costa BravaBeyond BarcelonaThe Costa BravaCoves and white villagesRows of vines in the Alt Penedès wine countryBeyond BarcelonaThe PenedèsVineyards and cava cellars

Our advice

The Bisbe bridge at dawn

See the bridge on Carrer del Bisbe early in the morning, before the crowds, and Calatrava’s Bac de Roda in the late afternoon, when the low sun catches the white arches. Barcelona’s bridges

In depth

In depth: Barcelona, from Barcino to Gaudí

Gaudí and the Modernistas, the grand hotels, the Barcelona table, the city’s year, rooftops and where to buy: the stories behind the city.

Casa Milà, La Pedrera, dressed in Christmas lightsFira de Santa LlúciaA Catalan Christmas in BarcelonaThe tió, the caganer and the Kings arriving by seaA greengrocer’s stall piled with fruit and vegetables inside the BoqueriaFoodThe Barcelona tableTen dishes, wines and spiritsThe concert hall of the Palau de la Música Catalana, under its stained-glass skylightThe yearBarcelona’s yearFestivals, stadiums and stages

Gaudí

Take the first morning slot at the Sagrada Família, and keep the late afternoon for Park Güell.

  1. In depth: nature & wildlifeWild BarcelonaFalcons, wild boar and the Collserola hills
  2. The back storyThe grand hotelsPasseig de Gràcia to the sea
  3. The back storyEating in BarcelonaThe 2026 MICHELIN year
  4. The back storyRooftops and the waterfrontSunset to the sea
  5. The back storyFour day trips by trainWhich line, from where
  6. The back storyBuying in BarcelonaNeighbourhoods and rules

The ULTIMATE letter

Barcelona in your inbox

An occasional email with new places, events, neighbourhood guides and our latest in-depth articles. No spam, ever.