I highly recommend a holiday with some friends from college! I had such a fun time exploring new places! We spent 3 days in Barcelona and absolutely loved it. Here are my recommendations on what to do with 3 days in BCN.

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Day 1 in Barcelona

We stayed in the city center of Barcelona and I couldn’t recommend it more. We were right off Las Ramblas street, where there was always something going on. Plus the Metro is close by that way. We stayed at Hotel Espana Ramblas which also has a great rooftop with a bar/restaurant and plunge pool. It has a gorgeous interior and a place for breakfast if you chose to eat there. I would definitely stay again.

Breakfast

Our first morning we walked down the street to La Boqueria, an outdoor market that is open all day every day. Fresh fruit cups, juices, empanadas, crepes, fresh fish and meats, you can find it all here. I grabbed a fresh fruit cup and John had a sugar and lemon juice crepe.

We got the Metro to the Barcelona football stadium and had planned to do a tour of the stadium, but it is under construction. Emily and I ended up just waiting for the boys to do a tour of the trophies and stuff. That was all we could do in June 2023. It was a bummer, but the tickets were too expensive for me to want to spend the money on just the trophies. John did say it was great, so if you are super into football (soccer), then by all means, I think it is worth it.

Lunch

For lunch, we went back to our hotel to relax and sit by the pool. We ate at the rooftop bar, called Alaire Ramblas Terrace. The chicken Caesar salad was really great, especially on a hot day. We spent a couple hours up there resting and getting a bit of sun, then decided to go for a walk to find a later dinner.

Dinner

We walked down Las Ramblas all along the docks where there are tons of massive yachts parked. It was beautiful and there was a nice breeze down there keeping us cooler. There are monuments all over Barcelona, too, and amazing architecture. We found a restaurant called B-ONE Palau de Mar which specialized in seafood paella. Paella is the traditional dish of Spain, so we all tried it! And we weren’t disappointed.

After dinner we went in search of a hidden bar we found on instagram. Monk looks like a little convenience store when you’re passing by. We asked the security guard outside if we could get in and he had us walk down the street to sign in to a virtual queue. The wait time was 50 minutes and none of us really wanted to wait around that long, but when we walked back down the ally past the bar, the guard let us in!

Monk is somewhere between a night club and a chill bar. There wasn’t any dancing happening, but there were a lot of strobe lights and loud music. Besides that, we weren’t able to sit down while we were there because it was pretty full. They also sent us to a specific place in the bar, so we didn’t get to go to any of the other rooms.

Day 2 in Barcelona

Breakfast

Milk Bar and Bistro is a great spot for breakfast and is actually known for it’s bunch. It’s also close by the hotel and was easy to get to the Metro so we could get to our tour of La Sagrada Familia at 11.

We booked the tour online before going to ensure we got a ticket, and it came with the option to download their app and use their audio guide. This is a must-see. I know it is one of the most touristy things in Barcelona, but seriously it was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. So much so that my jaw literally dropped when we walked in. Don’t miss it! You can get tickets on their website for about $30 each.

Lunch

After the tour, it’s easy to grab tapas and empanadas at one of the many restaurants on the street. We relaxed and had some beer, then took the Metro towards some more of the Gaudi buildings in the city. Gaudi is the man who designed La Familia Sagrada, and, although he died years ago, he has influenced a lot in the city. I would have loved to see more of his works inside the buildings, but the tours for them were more than €40. Honestly, that felt really expensive, so we skipped it.

Since we had some time in the afternoon to go back to the hotel for a nap, we did. The jet lag is real, and the sun really drains you when you’re not used to it. Make sure to bring sunscreen!

Dinner

For dinner, we found a place to eat on Las Ramblas street close to our hotel. There are people holding menus trying to get you to stop for food and drinks at all times of the day. Honestly it got a bit annoying after awhile, but I guess its just the norm in Barcelona.

For after dinner drinks, we found another secret bar Called Bobby’s Free. It is a “bar-ber shop” speakeasy type bar that had 20’s music, delicious and entertaining drinks, and fun bar staff. Plus you need a password to get in. Luckily, we found the clue hidden in the barber shop, but if you don’t know it, they make you do something to get inside. We had quite a few drinks here, and I would definitely go back!

Day 3

Breakfast

Since there is breakfast available in the Hotel Espana, we took advantage of the convenience of that. Then, we went in search of the Pablo Picasso museum. This was a really amazing find! Picasso donated many of his original works to the museum in the 70’s.

It was incredible to be viewing so many of his paintings and also seeing the evolution of his art over time. There is also another artist’s works in the beginning of the museum which I thought were very interesting. I’m assuming that rotates, but I thought it was worth the extra €5 to see. The cost for tickets were €20. I also didn’t know Picasso was born in Barcelona, so it held a special place for the artist.

From there, we wandered down the streets and came across a Banksy art exhibit. Unfortunately, none of the art inside was originals, but we went in nonetheless. If you don’t know who Banksy is, he is one of the most well-known and controversial street artists out there. Although he is from England, his popularity has taken over the globe. He does a lot of political and disruptive street art using stencil. If you’re into that sort of thing, it is definitely worth a stop!

Lunch

We went back to La Boqueria for lunch. Of course, I found some empanadas, so John and I ordered a couple each, plus a spinach and cheese sandwich thing. Honestly I’m not for sure what it was exactly, but he liked it. The market was just super convenient and had a lot of options for quick bites.

After eating, we walked to the Parc de la Ciutadella. This is a massive park with tons of different art, fountains, and statues, one being Barcelona’s version of the Arc de Triomf. The Barcelona zoo is also in this park. It was a good place to take a stroll and sit to relax if you wanted to.

Once we walked around the park, we decided to find a rooftop bar to have a drink. We found Le Terreza at Hotel Duquesa which has gorgeous views over the harbor. I actually just had a mocktail with Emily which was really nice and refreshing. We drank a lot on this trip and I definitely was feeling some dehydration with all the sun we were getting! The terrace luckily has some shaded tables, so that made it more enjoyable.

Dinner

For dinner, we found La Bona Sort which had good tapas and drinks! It wasn’t far from the hotel, and since we were leaving the next day, it helped us have an earlier night. It is a sort of indoor-outdoor restaurant which gave a nice vibe. The service here was not great, but not many places did have great service. I believe that is just a difference in cultures.

Barcelona is definitely one city I could see myself returning to. What would you do that we missed out on? For more on this holiday, see my 2 day itinerary in Lisboa, Portugal. And be sure to check out SafetyWing for your travel insurance next time you travel abroad!