Things to Do in Barcelona in 2 Days

By Joan. I have lived in Barcelona for 16 years, my neighbourhood is Poblenou, and the question visitors ask me most is not what to see. It is what to leave out.

Quick answer: in 48 hours I would give the first day to Gaudi and the Eixample and the second day to the old town, the market and the beach. Book the timed tickets for the big Gaudi sites before you fly, walk everything inside the old city, and use the metro only for the hops that are genuinely long.

This is the part of the site where I put the sights themselves. The Gaudi landmarks, the medieval old town, the beach and the easiest escapes out of the city, with walking distances, ticket tips and how to fit them into a realistic two-day plan without rushing.

What is in this section

• A 48 hour itinerary if you want the whole thing decided for you, in order, with the walking already worked out.
• Gaudi highlights if you came for the architecture and want to know which ones are worth a ticket and which ones you can enjoy from the pavement.
• Day trips if you have a spare half day and want a mountain, a walled old town or a beach that is not this one.

Which one to read first

If this is your first visit, start with the itinerary and come back for the rest. If you are here for Gaudi and nothing else, go straight to the Gaudi page and build the two days around it. If the budget is tight, remember that the old city costs nothing to walk and the beach is free, so pay for one ticket instead of four and spend the difference on lunch.

My advice by traveller

If you are travelling with children, cut your list of sights in half and add the sea. Small people queue badly, and the lanes of the Gothic Quarter are hard work with a pushchair. If the budget is tight, pick one paid sight and do it properly rather than four in a hurry. If this is a first visit, do not skip the Sagrada Familia because it sounds obvious. I still look up every time I walk past, and that is after 16 years of walking past.

Before you go

• Book timed entry for the Gaudi sites before you arrive. Same-day tickets sell out, and that single mistake costs a short trip a whole morning.
• Wear shoes you can walk in. The old city is cobbles and the way up to Park Guell is a real hill, whatever the map says.
• Carry water in summer. August here is heavier than the photos suggest.
• Prices change, so check the current one before you book anything.

Two days is short, but it is not nothing. Choose less than you think you can manage and you will go home liking the city rather than having survived it.

Ready to book?

You can book Barcelona tours and skip-the-line tickets through this site. Each operator publishes its own cancellation policy on the tour page, and on a trip this short it is worth the minute it takes to read it.