Things to do in Barcelona, splurging
Casa Vicens, Casa Batlló and the Picasso, then Bar Mut and Passadís del Pep.
This is three days built around tables that are genuinely hard to get and bars that actually know what they're doing. It works best if you're happy walking between neighbourhoods, spending real money on lunch as well as dinner, and treating a market visit as a design excursion rather than a grocery run.
Day 1: L'Antiga Esquerra: architecture, then Acurio
The day opens on Gaudí's first house and a market hall, sharpens at Gresca for lunch, and ends with Gastón Acurio's Peruvian seafood and a late cocktail at FUGAZ.
- 9:30 AM
Casa Vicens
Gaudí's first house, finished in 1885: Moorish tilework, a painted smoking room and a quiet roof terrace.
Map - 11:00 AM
- 11:45 AM
Mercat de la Llibertat
Mercat de la Llibertat: a beautiful iron-and-glass market to browse stalls and grab a coffee from one of the market bars.
Map - 1:30 PM
Gresca
Rafa Peña's bistro on Carrer de Provença; a seasonal lunch of small plates with a glass of natural wine.
Map - 7:30 PM
Yakumanka, amb Gastón Acurio
Gastón Acurio's cevichería: leche de tigre, ceviches and causas with a pisco sour.
Map - 9:30 PM
FUGAZ
FUGAZ: top-rated bar in the neighbourhood, perfect for a late cocktail or digestif after dinner.
Map
Day 2: Eixample: Gaudí, sharing plates, Bar Mut
Casa Batlló in the morning, Compartir for a long Mediterranean lunch, a flower-and-produce browse at the Concepció market, then Bar Mut for dinner and Boadas to close.
- 9:30 AM
Cafè de l'Òpera
Grand La Rambla cafe since 1929; a cortado or a thick hot chocolate under the old mirrors.
Map - 10:15 AM
Casa Batlló
Gaudí's dragon-roofed masterpiece on the Block of Discord, the interior underwater world is unmissable.
Map - 12:30 PM
Compartir Barcelona
The Disfrutar chefs' sharing-plates room on Valencia; order several starters and a rice for the table.
Map - 2:30 PM
Mercat de la Concepció
Mercat de la Concepció for a browse through stalls, flowers, produce, and neighbourhood character in the heart of Eixample.
Map - 7:30 PM
Bar Mut
Upscale tapas bar on Pau Claris; ask what came in that day and pair it with a serious glass of wine.
Map - 9:30 PM
Boadas
Barcelona's oldest cocktail bar, pouring since 1933 at the top of La Rambla; order a classic daiquiri.
Map
Day 3: Gothic Quarter and El Born: Picasso to Passadís
Five medieval palaces housing one of the city's greatest collections, cult Japanese at Shunka, the wildly-tiled Santa Caterina for a wander, and a legendary no-menu seafood dinner followed by natural wine at Bar Brutal.
- 10:30 AM
Picasso Museum Barcelona
Picasso's early years across five joined medieval palaces, including his 58 Las Meninas variations.
Map - 12:30 PM
Shunka
Japanese counter a block from the cathedral; sit facing the chefs for nigiri and the hot dishes.
Map - 2:30 PM
Mercat de Santa Caterina
Mercat de Santa Caterina, the wildly-tiled market hall just north of El Born, great for design browsing and local colour.
Map - 7:30 PM
Passadís del Pep
No menu: plates of the day's seafood keep coming until you say stop, down a passage off Pla de Palau.
Map - 9:30 PM
Can Cisa/Bar Brutal
Natural-wine bar with a deep bottle list and good small plates, a short walk from dinner.
Map
Where to stay
Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona
Mandarin Oriental sits on Passeig de Gràcia, putting you within a short walk of nearly every stop on this plan, and the level of service matches the spend of these three days.
Cotton House Hotel, Autograph Collection
Cotton House is a converted 19th-century textile guild building on Gran Via, handsome enough to feel like part of the trip rather than just a place to sleep.
Make Barcelona your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Sagrada Família: weeks ahead
- Park Güell: weeks ahead
- Casa Batlló: a few days ahead
- Palau de la Música Catalana: a few days ahead
- Museu Picasso de Barcelona: a few days ahead
- Spotify Camp Nou: weeks ahead
Skip these
- Eating anywhere on La Rambla, with frozen paella, picture menus and staff touting outside.
- Beachfront Barceloneta restaurants with touts and laminated photo menus, at 2 to 3 times inland prices.
- La Boqueria's front stalls, priced for the Rambla flow, instead of its interior counters or resident markets.
- Sagrada Familia skip the line resale sites, buy Gaudi tickets from official sites only.
The full Barcelona travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around