Top 10 Attractions In Barcelonaaaaaaaa ;)

Barcelona Top Ten Attractions and Top Things to see in Barcelona 2015. Read our popular and recommended guide to Barcelona's Top Ten Tourist sights. As local residents and guides we recommend them as 10 best sights and the "must-see" top Barcelona attractions. Further down this page you can find a map of Top 10 Tourist Attractions. Find visitor tips and follow the blue links below for pictures, map locations, address, visitor tips and Barcelona tour recommendations. You might also like our guide to How to plan a 3 day visit to Barcelona and our hotel guide with tips for choosing the best area to stay in Barcelona

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Number 1 - La Sagrada Familia church


La Sagrada Familia unfinished church by Antoni Gaudi

 

Number 1 Barcelona Top Ten Tourist Attractions list is the fabulous, but still unfinished church of La Sagrada Familia designed by Antoni Gaudi. This very unusual construction is Barcelona's most famous and most visited tourist attraction. It is free to see from the outside but going inside is another matter. La Sagrada Familia welcomes over 3 million visitors a year, so expect long queues to get inside. A good tip is to book tickets in advance to skip the lines. See how below. How long to visit? From the outside it takes about 30 minutes to see. The inside of the Sagrada Familia church takes longer. You might have to queue for 1 hour or more for tickets - and then you will need 1 or 2 hours inside to see it all. But it's worth it. This unfinished basilica is one of the most famous buildings in the world and a top must-see sight in Barcelona. It was designed by famous Catalan architecht Antoni Gaudi over 100 years ago and the foundation stone was laid in 1882, when the surrounding area was just fields. The splendid Sagrada Familia interior was opened to the public in 2012. The outside is still being built and was at 65% completion in 2013. Only 8 towers of the 18 spires are finished. The plan is to complete the Sagrada familia church in 2026 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death in 1926. When finished it will be 144 years since construction began. See a YouTube video animation of how Sagrada Familia will look when finished Gaudi knew that it would take a long time to finish the temple and he famously once said, "My client is not in a hurry!" Gaudi died tragically in 1926 after being hit by a tram. At the time only the nativity facade was completed. Visit the Sagrada familia on a hop-on-hop-off bus tour or take the metro to station Sagrada Familia. See map

Visitor tip: Beat the 1 hour long queues to get inside by buying tickets in advance.

Buy Skip-the-line Tickets Sagrada Familia Barcelona

Opening times and ticket prices Sagrada Familia 2015:

Basilica only €15 - Basilica and Towers €19.50

Generally open all year, but can be closed for certain services and special religious events.


Number 2 - Magic Fountain show

The Magic Fountain of Montjuic music and light show

 

Number 2. The Font Mágica Fountain. The Magic Fountain is a "must see" Barcelona attraction. You have never seen a fountain like this. It really does feel magic to experience the beautiful show of water, light and music. The Magic fountain was built in 1929 as one of the main attractions for the Barcelona World Fair and the Font Magica is still one of the most famous spots in Barcelona with an estimated 2.5 million visitors annually. There are water and light shows in the summer from Thursday to Sunday and admission is free. See show times below. Please note that sometimes due to exhibitions and events access to the fountain can be closed. Visit the Magic Fountain by metro to station Espanya.
Magic Fountain winter show times
From 1 October until 30 April

Friday and Saturday: shows from 7pm to 9pm

Sunday to Thursday: closed - no shows

Admission free.

Magic Fountain summer show times from May:

Monday to Wednesday: no shows

Thursday to Sunday: show every 30 mins from 9pm to 11.30pm Last show starts 11pm


Number 3 - Picasso Museum Barcelona

Picasso Museum. Permanent collection of Picasso's early years in Barcelona

Number 3. Picasso Musuem. The world's most famous painter Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, but lived in Barcelona with his family from 1895 to 1904. It was here he spent his formative years as an artist. The Picasso Museum is in the Born area of Barcelona and is Barcelona's most famous museum and a top 10 attraction. Picasso's father was an art teacher. The young Pablo Picasso had already started his art studies in Malaga, but Barcelona was a huge influence on his early years as a struggling painter. Picasso first exhibited his work in Barcelona and considered himself from Barcelona. The Picasso museum in Barcelona does not have the most famous Picasso paintings, but the collection in Barcelona is unique. You find early sketches and lesser known Picasso's, which explain and show his development as an artist. The museum is located in various magnificent gothic mansions in the medieval part of Barcelona called El Born. The Picasso museum is a top attraction in Barcelona: Visitor Tip 1: be early during weekends and the summer, when the queues are long. Visitor Tip 2: Get skip-the-line Picasso museum tickets when you book a guided tour. Visitor Tip 3: Free admission for everyone on first Sunday of each month all day and free every Sunday after 3pm. Visit the Picasso Musuem by metro to station Jaume I and then 10 walk.

Opening times and ticket prices Picasso museum

Closed Mondays except public holidays

Ticket price 2015: €11 



Number 4 - Las Ramblas street

Las Ramblas – Barcelona's most famous walking street

Number 4. La Rambla is another must-see. Also called Las Ramblas The Spanish poet Federico García Lorca said about La Rambla, "It is the only street in the world which I wish would never end." La Rambla starts at Plaza Catalunya and ends at the Monument of Columbus at the Port Vell harbour of Barcelona. La Rambla it is not a spectacular sight, but very pleasant to stroll down and enjoy the human heartbeat of Barcelona. If you have not strolled down it, you cannot say you have been in Barcelona. Also called Las Ramblas as it is really a collection of various stretches of street with different names. During the day and early evening completely safe and free to visit. However, be careful of pickpockets on La Rambla and in the Metro stations nearby. In the early hours of the morning 2 - 4am be wary on lower part of La Rambla near the harbour. Always open and free. >

Visitor Tip. Keep a hand on your bag at all times and wear your backpack on your front to avoid pickpockets.



Number 5 - FC Barcelona museum & Camp Nou stadium
FC Barcelona Camp Nou Stadium and Barça museum

  

Number 5. Camp Nou Experience. Buy Tickets FC Barcelona Camp Nou Experience If you can see Barça play a home match, then that is the best Camp Nou experience but you the museum is worth a visit. The Camp Nou stadium and FCB museum are among the most popular attractions in Barcelona attracting millions of visitors a year. Camp Nou has the one of the largest Nike stores in Europe packed with Barca merchandise. Unmissable for football fans. Visitor tip. You can buy cheaper FCB shirts and scarves at market stalls outside the stadium on match days.
Opening times and ticket prices Camp Nou
Open daily
Admission €23


Number 6 - Barrio Gotico area of Barcelona

Barrio Gotico - Gothic quarter of Barcelona's medieval city

 

Number 6. The Barrio Gotico gothic quarter is the medieval city of Barcelona from the middle ages. It grew around the old Roman town of Barcino which is the oldest part of Barcelona. The gothic part of the city has many beautiful churches, plazas, markets and museums and you can see parts of the old Roman walls. If you visit the Barcelona history musuem - Museu d'Història de la Ciutat - you can see remains of Roman houses and streets of Barcino in Roman times under the museum. The gothic quarter is free to visit and best seen on foot because tour buses cannot get through the narrow streets. There are no dangerous areas in the Gothic quarter, but be aware of Barcelona pickpockets. Also worth visiting is the neighbouring medieval area of Barcelona's old city called El Born.


Number 7 - Modernist Park Guell by Gaudi
Park Guell – Gaudi's modernist park on Carmel hill overlooking Barcelona

  

Number 7. Parc Guell by Antoni Gaudi. Parc Guelli is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered to one of Gaudi's most artistic works. Parc Guell is a Barcelona top attraction and definite must see. The park is on Carmel hill so seeing this attraction means quite a long and uphill walk if you take the hop-on-hop-off bus or metro station Vallcarca. If you prefer not to walk, then take a taxi to the Park Guell front gate. The original idea of Park Guell was to build a private and exclusive residential garden village with 60 houses. This business idea didn't work and in 1923 the park was donated to Barcelona´s city council for as a public park. 

Opening times & ticket prices Park Guell

Open daily all year

Admission fee €7 to enter Park Guell Monument area.


Number 8 - Modernist buildings


Modernist buildings in Barcelona

Number 8. Modernist buildings Barcelona. Modernisme was a Catalan cultural movement centred in Barcelona and Catalonia from 1888 to 1911. It is most famous for its architectural expression in particular the many works of Antoni Gaudí. There are a handful of modernist buildings in Barcelona that are outstanding. Three of them are in the one Barcelona city block called the “Illa de la Discòrdia” - the "Block of Discord" on the street Passeig de Gracia. They are "Casa Amatller" designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, the magical "Casa Batlló" by Antoni Gaudi and the "Casa Lleó-Morera." A little further up the street Passeig de Gracia on the opposite site is one of Gaudi's most famous buildings in Barcelona named "Casa Mila" - and nicknamed "La Pedrera" (the Quarry). which is pictured above. In the summer months you can enjoy rooftop terrace jazz concerta at La Pedrera. Sadly for visitors in 2014 Casa Mila facade is covered for cleaning and restoration, but you can take a Pedrera guided tour, see exhibitions and have a coffee or drink in the Casa Mila cafe on the first floor. At Casa Batllo you can tour the builiding and also enjoy summer concerts in the modernist courtyard. Another modernist treasure is the beautiful Palau Guell town house near Las Ramblas, also by Antoni Gaudi. For modernist art and furniture visit to the Barcelona Modernist museum. A popular way to see top modernist buildings is on foot on Passeig de Gracia or by taking hop-on-hop-off tourist buses. Nearst Metro stations Passeig de Gracia or Diagonal

Opening times and ticket prices

Admission price Casa Mila €20.50

Admission price Casa Batllo €21.50

Admission price Casa Amatller €10

Admission price Palau Guell €12


Number 9 - Montjuic hill and Poble Espanyol Spanish village


Montjuic hill and Poble Espanyol Spanish Village on Montjuic hill

  

Number 9. Montjuic hill and Poble Espanyol de Barcelona - the Spanish Village of Barcelona. Montjuic hill has many parks and attractions including an old fort at the very top called Montjuic Castle, which has a rich and dark history and fantastic views of Barcelona. The other big attraction on Montjuic hill is a unique Spanish village called Poble Espanyol which was built in 1929 for the Barcelona 1929 World Fair and Universal Exposition. The Poble Espanyol village was an architectural experiment to create a village, which would represent all of Spain's different styles of architecture. Due to popular demand it was left intact after the exhibition and now houses a wide variety of cafés, summer open air night clubs, restaurants, over 40 superb handicraft shops and a great programme of concerts and events, especially in the summer. You can also enjoy an very good quality flamenco show called El Tablao de Carmen at Poble Espanyol which includes 1 hours free entrance Poble Espanyol. Poble Espanyol was designed by Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch. >> This attraction is on hop-on-hop-off bus routes or take metro to station Espanya and then 20 minute walk.
Opening times and ticket prices
Montjuic castle open daily all year
Admission price: €5
Poble Espanyol village open daily all year
Admission price: €11 which includes audio-guide



Number 10 - Tibidabo hill
Tibadabo hill, Sagrat Cor church & Tibidabo amusement park

Number 10. A visit to Tibadabo is a fun thing to do in Barcelona and great for kids. The views of Barcelona are fantastic and there is a small and fun vintage amusement park at the top, which is open in the summer from March to September. You can reach the top of Tibadabo via a vintage Blue Tram which connects to a mountain railway, Or take the bus from the Plaza Catalunya directly to Tibidabo. The fun-fair is closed in winter, open at weekends in spring and autumn and generally open from Wednesday to Sunday in summer, but check before visiting. The Skywalk where you can enjoy views of Barcelona is free and open all year except a few weeks in February for annual maintenance. The Sagrat Cor church at the top of Tibidabo is open all day and is free to visit. Visit by bus or by tram/mountain train and
Opening times and ticket prices
Tibidabo amusement park opening times
General ticket price: € 28.50
Children under 1,2m €10.50
Children under 90cm FREE.
Skywalk views of Barcelona open all summer: free.