Barcelona is one of those cities that somehow manages to feel iconic and effortless at the same time — world-famous architecture, incredible food, late-night music, and neighborhoods that each have their own personality. Whether you’re planning your first trip or heading back for another round of tapas and Gaudí, these tips will help you make the most of your time, avoid common mistakes, and experience Barcelona stress-free.
Some tips for your next Barcelona trip:
1. Get the Hola Barcelona Travel Card for public transportation – this made getting around the city SO easy. We were able to do a lot more in a day because we weren’t walking the entire time.
Here are some of the places we visited using our Hola Barcelona Travel Card:
Some things to know about the Hola Barcelona Travel Card:
- There are two ways to purchase the Hola card:
- In person at a ticketing machine in the airport (it includes transportation to/from BCN)
- Online ahead of time with pickup at the Tourist Information Offices. These offices are only open certain hours, so if you have a late flight arriving in Barcelona, it’s best to purchase at the ticket machine. Here are the hours of the Information Offices and their locations courtesy of Headout (where we purchased our Hola card):
- Plaça de Catalunya Address : Plaça de Catalunya, 17-S, 08002, Barcelona Tel: 932 853 834 Timing: Daily, from 8.30 AM to 8:30 PM.
- Plaça de Catalunya Address: information booth in front of El Corte Inglés department store Timing: Monday to Sunday, from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM.
- Barcelona Airport Terminal 1 Timing: Monday to Sunday, 8:30 AM to 7:30 PM
- Barcelona Airport Terminal 2 Timing: Monday to Sunday, 8:30 AM to 7: 30 PM
- Plaça Espanya Address: plaça Espanya, s/n – Avinguda Maria Cristina Timing: Daily, from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM.
- Sagrada Familia tourist information booth (where we picked up our Hola cards) Timing: Daily, from 8:30 AM to 8:00 PM
- Mirador de Colom (Columbus Monument) Address: Plaça del Portal de la Pau, s/n, 08002, Barcelona Timing: Monday and Sunday, from 8.30 AM to 2.30 PM & from Tuesday to Saturday from 8.30 AM to 7.30 PM
- The Hola Barcelona Card covers transportation within Barcelona only. That means if you travel outside of Barcelona (like we did to Rubí), you’ll need to purchase a separate ticket for your journey.
- The Hola Barcelona Card is activated when you first scan it. You purchase the number of days you want for your card (we did the 3-day aka 72-hour pass), and the countdown of the validity of your ticket starts on your first journey.
- When taking a bus, you’ll likely scan your Hola Card inside the bus at the ticket machines near the middle of the buses, not at the one next to the driver.
2. How to see inside La Sagrada Família
We’ve been to Barcelona several times, but this was our very first time visiting inside La Sagrada Família, one of Antoni Gaudí’s most famous works that is taking over 140 years to build. I didn’t really know what to expect, so here are some tips we learned after minimal planning.
- Book your tickets in advance online. You’ll choose your entrance time and date when booking the ticket. You show up at the time on your ticket (plan at least 15 minutes of a buffer because it can be challenging to navigate crowds to find the entrance), and you can stay inside as long as you’d like. We went in February and booked our tickets about 3 weeks in advance; there were limited entrance times available on a Sunday even though we purchased that far in advance.
- If you want to visit the towers, you must purchase a separate ticket for that. There is an elevator that takes you to the top of the tower, but you must take the 400-500 stairs down.
- Download the La Sagrada Família app AND audio tour ahead of time. We downloaded the app but not the audio tour file. Because of the crowds, cell service is limited and we never got to listen to the full audio tour while inside because it took so long to download.
- La Sagrada Família security is STRICT: no hats, food, beverage (RIP to my delicious café), or substances that you couldn’t bring on a plane. Bags go through an x-ray machine and you go through a metal detector before entering. If they find something you shouldn’t have, you’ll be denied entry and banned for the day. Law enforcement is on site.
- Remember, it’s a church and the behavior inside is expected of that of a church.
- There is a dress code that abides by the Catholic church dress code: no head coverings unless for a religious purpose, no see-through clothing, shorts and skirts must come down to at least mid-thigh, no swimwear, no special clothing to celebrate any sort of festivities, no promotional clothing or items, must wear shoes.
- Take your time – there is so much detail in the church and its exterior. Truly slowing down and soaking in these details makes the experience so much better.
It is a beautiful experience; my favorite part was watching how the light shifted through the stained glass windows. I just had no idea there were so many things to prep for before going in. I highly recommend reviewing the rules of La Sagrada Família ahead of time so that you’re more prepared than we were.
3. How to get the best views of La Sagrada Família
After our entrance inside La Sagrada Família, our crew wanted to take some moments to appreciate the experience and marvel in its beauty. The best views in town are located at the rooftop terrace of Sercotel Rosellón.
If you thought La Sagrada Família had a lot of rules, this place has almost as many…. but it’s worth doing at least once. Here’s how to get into this exclusive terrace in Barcelona.
- Book your entrance in advance. Entrance dates and times open up 2 weeks in advance, and they fill up fast! I logged in exactly 2 weeks before our La Sagrada Família entrance date and snagged a table for four.
- You pay per person just to be able to be on the terrace, and you are required to purchase at least one item per person. The ticket entrance fee (€7 per person when we went) does not go towards this purchase. So, plan to spend a minimum of €13 per person for this experience.
- You are limited to 90 minutes at your table. But, if you want to stay longer, they have lounge areas in the back where you can hang out.
- Do not be late! They will give your table away and you won’t get your entrance fee back.
- Because they limit the time and number of people, there are so many opportunities for photo ops and you really don’t have an obstructed view. It was a nice way to enjoy the Barcelona sun and see the entire city from above.
4. Catch some live music in Barcelona!
There are so many small venues around Barcelona. We specifically did this trip to see Terrapin Flyer at Jamboree Jazz Club. Our friends went to the venue the night before and caught an awesome band they had never heard of; there’s truly every single type of music in Barcelona. We ended up seeing an indie duo in the basement of the after party. There’s just so much music and it goes alllll night long.
If you’re a Deadhead, see if Grateful Nights is playing during your next trip! They play pretty consistently within Barcelona, and they’ll be playing at our Eyes of the Algarve mini festival in Lagos, Portugal.
5. Travel to Barcelona in the off season (late winter/early spring)
If you ever see the news about Barcelona, you’ve probably seen that it can be overrun with tourism. Those stories typically take place in August, when the majority of Europeans and Americans are on holiday. If you want to explore the city itself, I highly recommend going off season instead.
Late February was less crowded, beautifully sunny, and so much more fun to explore than the summer months. If you’re looking for a place to stay, some of our favorite neighborhoods include Gràcia, Eixample, and El Poble-sec.
Barcelona is a city we could return to over and over and still discover something new — a hidden rooftop view, a tiny music venue, a neighborhood café, or a detail in Gaudí’s work you somehow missed before. If you’re heading to Barcelona soon, I hope these tips help you spend less time stressing logistics and more time soaking in the magic of the city.
Leave a Reply