Barcelona

Best Excursions, Tours and Activities in Barcelona

There are many experiences to be had in Barcelona: from visits to the most famous museums to tapas tastings, boat trips to bicycle tours.
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Once you set foot in Barcelona, you will find yourself immersed in a city that will captivate you from the first moment. You will soon realise that there is so much to do, and all kinds of things to do: everywhere you turn you will see double-decker tourist buses, tourists on a bicycle tour or a boat trip, groups of young and old hopping between tapas bars, and much more. The list of excursions, tours and activities to do in Barcelona is very long: choose your favourite by taking inspiration from the sections below, and enjoy the city at its best.

Visit the Works of Antoni Gaudi

Not everyone understands this, but Barcelona is a city of art. Mostly we don’t talk about ancient, medieval or Renaissance art, however, the Catalan metropolis does have a lot to offer art lovers of the 19th-9th centuries, especially thanks to the masterpieces of Gaudí, who donated 7 buildings to Barcelona and its province that have been enclosed by UNESCO in a unique World Heritage Site, known as the ‘Works of Antoni Gaudí’. They are the Park Guell , the Palau Guell, the Casa Milà, the Casa Vicens, the Sagrada Familia, the Casa Batllò, and the crypt of the Colonia Guell, located in Santa Coloma de Cervellò.

Visit Barcelona’s art museums

Alongside the works of Antoni Gaudi, art lovers in Barcelona will have plenty more to do, visiting some of Spain’s most exciting museums. First and foremost is the Picasso Museum, located in the Born district, where you will find a huge collection of works by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. Also worth a visit is the MNAC, or Museu nacional d’art de Catalunya, where you can admire one of the most significant collections of Romanesque art in the world. It is located at the top of the steps of Placa d’Espanya and is the natural setting for the dancing fountains show held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening.

Finally, satiate your hunger for contemporary art with a visit to the Museo Moco, which houses a beautiful collection of modern and contemporary art and is located inside the Palacio Cervelló, and MACBA, or Barcelona’s Museum of Contemporary Art, located in the El Raval neighbourhood and dedicated to works created during the second half of the 20th century.

Unique attractions and museums

Walking down Las Ramblas with the sea behind you, just a few metres from the Columbus monument on the right, you will find Barcelona’s wax museum waiting for you, a perfect attraction if you run into rain on a rainy day or if you are travelling with children in tow. You can find and touch perfect reproductions of celebrities from the worlds of sport, show business and politics. A stop at the museum café after your visit, the Bosc de les Fades, is highly recommended: have a coffee and enjoy the beautiful decorations.

Finally, if you are passing through Barcelona during the Christmas holidays, don’t miss the unique San Pau light show, or Els Llums de Sant Pau, where the Recinto Modernista de Sant Pau is festively decorated with truly magnificent Christmas-inspired lights, sounds and colours. An attraction to be experienced and suitable for the whole family!

Tours and guided visits

There are many attractions in the capital of Catalonia that will fascinate you during your trip and the best way to see them is without a doubt to rely on guided tours or free tours. Explore Barcelona on a double-decker tour bus equipped with an audio guide in Italian and choose between 2 different routes with stops at the city’s main sights. You can choose between a 1-day and a 2-day ticket and to make the most of this tour you will be provided with a map showing all the stops.

Take advantage of your holiday in Barcelona to visit the mecca of Spanish football, Camp Nou, and discover the history of the Barça team in the one-and-a-half-hour tour through the museum! A must for all football fans!

What about the Sagrada Familia, the majestic building envisioned by modernist visionary Antoni Gaudí. You can choose from numerous guided tours in Barcelona, all that remains is to wish you a good holiday!

Free tour of Barcelona

Discover Barcelona through the eyes of expert guides who will take you on a tour of the city's hidden treasures. Participating in a free tour will allow you to capture the true essence of Barcelona.

The free tours are a viable alternative to traditional guided tours. They work like this: participation is free and at the end of the visit you can leave a tip at your discretion. Below you will find our favourite free tour, otherwise you can see the full list by visiting this page.

Boat trips

After all, Barcelona is a city by the sea, right? So discover it from its waters by taking part in a tour or boat trip! Barcelona’s boat tours take place in several different ways: you can take a simple harbour tour, which allows you to explore the area stretching from the cruise terminal to the Maremagnum, or a tour of the beaches, where you can admire Barceloneta, the Sorromostro and all the beaches stretching beyond the Olympic Port (Nova Icaria, Bogatell, Mar Bella and Levant, respectively) from a different perspective.

Boat tours are complemented by classic mini-cruises, available in sunset with dinner, or even in the evening, where you can indulge in alcohol and tapas off the coast of Barcelona. You can book mini-cruises all to yourself or take part in group tours, on a catamaran or sailing boat, and even combined with entry to some museums. The choice is really wide, choose according to your budget and preferences.

Tasting tours

The region of Catalonia has a long and important wine tradition with production concentrated mainly in the areas near the coast where there are many small and medium-sized wineries to visit. Opt for a wine-tasting tour and thus travel through the beautiful regions surrounding Barcelona until you reach the Montserrat area and the Penedés where you can enjoy excellent glasses of wine in beautiful scenery.

Spend a day among the vines and vineyards and visit some small family-run wineries producing both wine and cava, a very good sparkling wine.

Evening entertainment and shows

Unique things to do in Barcelona include a visit to the IceBarcelona, a bar built entirely out of ice, where you can enjoy a delicious cocktail served in a glass also made of ice. The strong contrast of the IceBarcelona is that it is located on the beach! Therefore, especially in summer, the temperature excursion will be considerable. But don’t worry: you will be provided with suitable clothing at the entrance.

Barcelona is a city that never sleeps. At the forefront of the music scene, it has something for everyone: from discos famous throughout Europe to tablaos where you can watch flamenco shows.

Excursions around Barcelona

Time is never enough in Barcelona, but if you have plenty of days to spare and want to get away from the city, don’t miss a day trip to the surrounding area. There are essentially two must-do stops near Barcelona: Tibidabo Park and Montserrat.

Tibidabo is actually almost in the city: it is located on top of a hill about half an hour’s drive from the port, in the area north of Gracia, not too far from Parc Guell, although by public transport the journey takes considerably longer. It is a magical place, which will take you several hours, and is suitable for everyone. For starters, enjoy the extraordinary view over Barcelona, then admire the beautiful cathedral from inside and out. Finally, there is also a large playground at Tibidabo, so it is a perfect excursion if you are travelling with children.

Montserrat , on the other hand, is about an hour away from the centre of Barcelona. It is a mountain range with a very distinctive shape, with numerous peaks and spires, whose main tourist attraction is the monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat, built at the foot of the mountain. An important place of pilgrimage, the current one dates back to the mid-19th century, although its history goes back centuries. You can visit the basilica, with the monks’ annexes, the cloister designed by the famous architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, the museum, divided into the prehistoric, biblical oriental and art gallery sections, and the other buildings where you will also find a hotel and a restaurant.

How to save on transport and entrance fees

City Card allow you to save on public transport and / or on the entrances to the main tourist attractions.

Barcelona Card: 25+ Museums and Free Public Transportation
Barcelona Card: 25+ Museums and Free Public Transportation
Access over 25 of Barcelona’s best museums and attractions. Save money, be flexible and enjoy free public transportation with a 3, 4, or 5-day card.
From 57,00 €

Insights

Day trips from Barcelona

Day trips from Barcelona

Hop on a train or rent a car and explore the surroundings of Barcelona to discover wild coves, seaside or mountain villages and historic towns.
Flamenco shows in Barcelona

Flamenco shows in Barcelona

Flamenco is one of the symbols of Spain all over the world, and in Barcelona you can find numerous venues to admire its beautiful shows live.
Nightlife in Barcelona

Nightlife in Barcelona

Barcelona's nightlife is among the liveliest in Europe! Here is a guide to long nights of fun
Free Tour of Barcelona

Free Tour of Barcelona

Discover Barcelona with a free tour: free guided tours with a final tip according to your liking, choose between classic or thematic tours.
Best beaches in Barcelona

Best beaches in Barcelona

Events and festivals in Barcelona

Events and festivals in Barcelona

Barcelona by bike: rental and guided tours

Barcelona by bike: rental and guided tours

Shopping in Barcelona

Shopping in Barcelona

Studying Spanish in Barcelona

Studying Spanish in Barcelona

What to do and visit in Barcelona with children

What to do and visit in Barcelona with children

Barcelona sightseeing bus tour

Barcelona sightseeing bus tour