Arrival
Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN) sits in the city’s extreme southwest corner. While public transit into town requires multiple connections, there is an efficient bus called Aerobus that will take you there. Ride-sharing services are abundant, are relatively inexpensive, and work with local taxi companies. These might be your best option, with such a limited amount of time. Depending on traffic, it takes about 45 minutes to reach the city center.
Morning
Salty breezes are the perfect antidote for jet lag, so you’d be well-advised to head straight to the sea. Starting around Hotel Arts, and its giant, flashing, Frank Gehry-designed fish, make your way along the bi-level boardwalk called the Paseo Maritimo. Tracing the big, broad sweep of Barceloneta Beach, it was one of the many projects built across town in preparation for the 1992 Summer Olympics.As you mix among the bikers and joggers and walk past dedicated sunbathers setting up for the day, it’s an excellent place to grab a little breakfast. You might get lucky and find a place serving up traditional Catalan morning fare—esmorzars de forquilla, or “fork breakfasts”—such as pig’s ear with garlic or veal and pork meatballs. You’re more likely to enjoy a simple breakfast burrito at a place such as the cool, casual Surf House Barcelona.
Afternoon
Perhaps late morning and into midday, before the heat and the crowds start to mount, make your way over to this city’s absolute icon: the Sagrada Família. This famously unfinished church, just consecrated by the pope as a minor basilica in 2010, has been under construction since 1882 and became part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Mixing gothic and Art Nouveau, it’s considered a masterwork of famed Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, although builders had completed only a fraction of the total design upon his untimely death in 1926. On a recent visit, word was circulating that work on the church was almost complete, although few locals seem to believe it.Buy your ticket online and head inside to explore the crypt, nave, and two of the steeples. Then walk around the exterior to get a true sense of the design’s scale and whimsy. Make sure to spend a little more time in the surrounding neighborhood, whose octagonal blocks host sidewalk cafes and green parks.
It’s part of the Eixample (Catalan for “expansion”), a district purpose-built in the 19th century with several livability features in mind, including traffic flow, ventilation, visibility, and sunlight. A short walk away, Can Josep is a great choice for lunch. Tiny and unpretentious, this little restaurant serves up fresh, homemade Catalan favorites such as blood sausage and fried anchovies (trust me—you’ll like them).
Although it’s busy and touristy, you definitely need to take a walk on La Rambla. Ride over using Barcelona’s clean, safe, convenient metro system, and start your stroll at the top, at the grand Plaça de Catalunya. (Five metro lines converge here.) This is the city’s main square, connecting its old town with Eixample. Filled with gardens and statues and always teeming with foot traffic, it’s surrounded by some of the city’s best shopping. El Corte Inglés is a massive department store taking up the entire east side of the square, and it has nine whole floors for your browsing pleasure.
If you have time, spend a little time exploring the nearby labyrinthine lanes of the Gothic Quarter. On the other side of La Rambla, La Boqueria is a must-visit. In a city of markets, this is one of the largest, and certainly the most famous. In 1217, traders began coming to this spot to sell everything from fish to pigs to goat meat. Construction on the current structure began in 1840, and the covered market has been expanded several times since.
Today, its hundreds of stalls attract a mix of locals and tourists, who can pick up everything from bright, fresh produce to jamon and local cheeses. Foodies can also grab a bite in one of the on-site restaurants. If you’re feeling energetic, sign up for a cooking class at the small culinary school.
Afterward, continue to ramble down La Rambla. A broad pedestrian walk stretching for three-quarters of a mile, from the square to the sea, this is where you’ll find the city’s finest people-watching. Street performers play, mime, and juggle. Denizens rush to appointments. Visitors mostly gawk at the spectacle unfolding all around them. It’s worth allowing a little extra time to grab an ice cream cone and spend some time observing from a bench. (Or even better—a little pitcher of sangria at an al fresco cafe.) You’ll know you’ve reached the end when you see the Christopher Columbus monument, his arm outstretched toward the New World, right next to the Mediterranean.
Evening
It’s a well-known fact that Spanish and Catalonian diners choose to eat late—in many cases, restaurants won’t even open their doors until after 9 p.m. But El Nacional remains open all day, which is a good thing, because you have plans later on. Arrive early to spend some time on Passeig de Gràcia.As Barcelona expanded in the late 19th century, the city built this broad boulevard to showcase its wealth. Every detail was important, and top designers created not only the buildings that line the thoroughfare’s sides but also the street lamps and sidewalk tiles. Well-heeled, stylish couples stepped out to be seen, and horse-drawn carriages clip-clopped its length, all the way to the old village of Gracia. Today, it remains an open-air museum, home to some of the city’s most upscale shops, and an excellent place for a pre-dinner evening walk.
It’s also home to El Nacional. The interior style alone is worth a visit, all glass and steel and chrome, evoking the 1920s and 1930s. But the food is also excellent and gives you a chance to sample dishes from all over the Iberian Peninsula—not only Spain but also Portugal and the south of France. Inside, four restaurants offer up distinct dishes, everything from Andalusian squid to Menorcan lobster stew.
La Llotja offers fresh fish—pick one out from the display, then decide on its preparation. Cooks will fry, grill, steam, or charcoal grill it for you. La Braseria also has a charcoal grill but specializes in meat. If you’d rather just pull up a chair and let dinner come to you, that’s not a problem. Waiters bring around tapas, and you simply need to raise your hand to have them drop a lovely, steaming dish down in front of you. (The space is also home to four bars, so you’ll also have a lot of choice when it comes to drinks.)
Don the spiffiest attire you can find in your suitcase and head to El Liceu, Barcelona’s beloved opera house. Formally known as the Gran Teatre del Liceu (or Great Theatre of the Lyceum), it was once Europe’s largest opera house. The schedule is rich, with everything from ballets such as Swan Lake, to jazz and classical concerts, to operas such as Madame Butterfly. No matter what’s playing, an evening here won’t be one you soon forget. It’s the perfect note to finish your well-orchestrated visit to Barcelona.
