The Perfect 3 Days in Barcelona — Destination Dreamer Diaries

Okay, so you read my post on 9 Things You Must Do before you leave Barcelona, and you’re wondering: Stephanie, how the hell am I supposed to squeeze all that in?

No worries. I got you covered.

I’m going to share with you my exact itinerary and how I circled the city in 3 days/3 nights.

Day 1:

On this day, I landed in Barcelona after staying awake in Tel Aviv’s Ben Guiron airport for several hours. Even after the four-hour plane ride, I was tired – to say the least.

Travel often evokes two states of mind: exhaustion, and hunger.

So, after getting to my hotel and dropping off my bags, the first thing I did was head to La Boqueria.

One of the greatest things about Barcelona and Madrid, is how easy their metro systems are. It’s color-coded, direct, reliable, and simple to understand. I was staying near Plaza de Espayna, and it was a quick three metro stop ride to the market.

I took a peek of La Rambla before heading in to check that off my list as well.

**La Ramba in Barcelona; Taken December of 2017**

After sitting and enjoy a fresh fruity snack (or maybe you’re starving and go all out on the seafood – no judging here) – I recommend closing your first day out with one more sight nearby, and that would be the Arc de Triomf.

**Arc de Triomf; Taken December of 2017**

It’s either a fifteen minute train ride or twenty minute walk from La Boquiera. You could also walk to Plaza de Cataluyna first on your way to the Arc de Triomf, and kill two birds with one stone on the way if that’s something else on your sightseeing list.

Day 2

Okay, now there are no excuses. You’re rested up after your flight and it’s time to go!

First up on my list for day two was to go take a peek at the University of Barcelona – which again, you can easily access from wherever you’re staying on the metro. I then grabbed a bite at Flax & Kale; and there are several other tapas places around there you could try.

After that, I would hop back on the metro to head north and do what I did: finally see the famous La Sagrada Familia.

**La Sagrada Familia; Taken December of 2017**

If you want to go inside, I am warning you: book your tickets online, ahead. I was in Barcelona in between Christmas and New Year’s – and even as a solo traveler in need of a single ticket, they were completely sold out. So, I advise you to buy those in advance if you have your heart set on going inside.

By this point, you’ve already made yourself far north enough that you’re close to Park Guell. Hop back on the metro to soak up the views of the city.

**View of Barcelona from Park Guell; Taken December of 2017**

If you want to pay to go see the Iguana, again – buy your ticket ahead of time. I spent a couple of hours on my third day in Barcelona waiting in a coffee shop (though no complaints; I people watched and dwelled in the European-take-your-time-when-dining-culture) to see the Iguana at five-thirty as I failed to buy a ticket early enough. If you want to grab a coffee or a meal, there are plenty of places to do so afterwards near the park.

After this, it’s probably approaching late afternoon – so you should make your way back to the city center. This is when I went to go see Casa Mila and Casa Batilo. Both stunning from the outside; and next time I’d like to go inside. Again, I can’t stress enough… buy all of your tickets for Barcelona ahead of time.

**Casa Batillo; Taken December of 2017**

After this would be a good time to see the Barcelona Cathedral and stroll through the Gothic Quarter. You could hop on the metro, but it’s a nice fifteen-minute walk through the city if you have the energy.

**Cathedral in the Gothic Quarter; Taken December of 2017**

I usually like to make circles around the city depending where I’m staying. I was starting right around the corner from the Magic Fountain, so I walked to Plaça de les Cascades and enjoyed some chocolates that I bought in the Gothic Quarter in a quiet little spot.

After this, I got lost and walked back to my hotel to rest for my third and final day.

Day 3

After hitting all of my “must do” places in the city, I usually like to save the last day for the out-of-the-city-center-views and then free time to live like a local: go to recommended cafes, lesser known areas to explore, relax, people watch… but, if you have the time – I recommend going up Tibidao first thing in the morning. If you’re going with kids, there’s an amusement park there that they might enjoy. Click here for more details on Tibidabo.

**View of Tibidabo; Taken December of 2017**

After that – the rest of the day is yours! Go back to Park Guell, check out La Barceloneta and the famous beaches, eat some tapas or paella, shop… enjoy it.

I went to see the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc on my last day for the water show as I was there for New Year’s Eve. If you haven’t done that by your last day; it’s a must and I recommend you close out your Barcelona trip there.

And there you have it! How to organize your time in Barcelona by location. If you’re looking for other things to do in Barcelona or elsewhere in Spain, click here.