Arc de Triomf
The Arc de Triomf is a red brick triumphal arch built as the main entrance to the 1888 World Fair, standing at the head of the Passeig de Lluis Companys leading to Ciutadella Park. Free.
City in Spain
Barcelona
28 things to see
Barcelona stacks up world-class free sights, so the strongest budget move is to skip the paid queues entirely. Wander the Gothic Quarter, walk La Rambla, lie on Barceloneta beach, and explore Park Guell’s free zone, where Gaudi’s pine-shaded paths and viewpoints cost nothing. For the best free panorama, climb to the Bunkers del Carmel for a 360-degree view over the city, then catch the Magic Fountain of Montjuic light show, which runs free on selected evenings. The major municipal museums waive admission on the first Sunday of the month and on Sunday afternoons, so time your culture for then. The city has gotten pricier, but eating at local bars away from the tourist center keeps daily costs down, and spring and autumn bring cheaper rooms and thinner crowds than peak summer. Nearby Girona, Tarragona, and Sitges make easy, cheaper Catalan day trips by regional train.
What to see
Things to do in Barcelona
What each one costs, where the cost is known.
Barcelona Cathedral
Barcelona Cathedral (La Seu) is the Gothic cathedral in the heart of the Barri Gotic, distinct from the Sagrada Familia. Free to enter during morning mass hours (8:00-12:45 and 17:45-19:30).
Barceloneta Beach
Barceloneta is Barcelona's most accessible city beach, a wide stretch of sand reached on foot from the Gothic Quarter or by metro. Free.
Barceloneta Seafront Walk
The Barceloneta seafront runs from the W Hotel (the sail-shaped building) along the boardwalk past Barceloneta Beach to the Port Olimpic. Free.
Bunkers del Carmel
The Bunkers del Carmel are the remains of a Spanish Civil War anti-aircraft battery on a hilltop in the Carmel neighborhood. Free.
Camp Nou
Camp Nou is the home stadium of FC Barcelona, the largest stadium in Europe with a capacity of over 99,000. The stadium tour and museum are paid.
Casa Batllo
Casa Batllo is Gaudi's most expressive residential building, with a facade of bone-like balconies and a roof scaled like a dragon's back. The interior tour is paid and one of the more expensive attractions in Barcelona.
Casa Mila La Pedrera
Casa Mila (La Pedrera) is Gaudi's last residential building before he devoted himself entirely to the Sagrada Familia, a UNESCO-listed apartment building with an undulating stone facade, a rooftop of chimney warriors, and a free exhibition space in the attic. Entry is paid.
Ciutadella Park
Ciutadella Park is Barcelona's central park, home to a monumental fountain designed by Gaudi as a student, a boating lake, the Barcelona Zoo, and the Catalan Parliament building. Free.
El Born
El Born is the neighborhood between the Gothic Quarter and Barceloneta, a grid of narrow medieval streets now filled with independent boutiques, cocktail bars, and small restaurants. Free to wander.
El Call
El Call is Barcelona's medieval Jewish Quarter, a labyrinth of narrow streets in the heart of the Gothic Quarter. Free to walk through, the area contains one of the oldest synagogues in Europe (Sinagoga Major, small entry fee) and quiet corners that most visitors to the Gothic Quarter walk right past.
Gothic Quarter
The Gothic Quarter is a labyrinth of medieval alleys, hidden squares, and Roman ruins in the oldest part of Barcelona. Free to wander.
Hospital de Sant Pau
The Hospital de Sant Pau is a UNESCO-listed Modernista complex by Lluis Domenech i Montaner, one block north of the Sagrada Familia. Entry is paid.
La Boqueria
La Boqueria is Barcelona's most famous covered market, a riot of color just off La Rambla. Entry is free.
La Rambla
La Rambla is the tree-lined boulevard running from Placa Catalunya to the Columbus Monument at the waterfront. Free to walk, always alive with street performers, flower stalls, and crowds.
Mercat de Sant Antoni
The Mercat de Sant Antoni is a beautifully renovated iron market hall on the border between El Raval and the Eixample, less touristy than La Boqueria and with a second-hand book and coin market on Sundays. Free to enter.
Montjuic
Montjuic is the hilltop park overlooking Barcelona's port and city center. The gardens, Olympic stadium, and walking paths are free.
Montjuic Cemetery
The Montjuic Cemetery is a terraced hillside cemetery overlooking the port and the sea, with elaborate modernista tombs, mausolea, and sculpture. Free.
Palau de la Musica Catalana
The Palau de la Musica Catalana is a Modernista concert hall in the Sant Pere district, designed by Domench i Montaner and covered in mosaics, stained glass, and sculpture. The exterior is free to admire.
Park Guell
Park Guell is Gaudi's hilltop garden project turned public park. The monumental zone with the mosaic dragon, the hypostyle hall, and the serpentine bench is paid, but the larger park surrounding it is free and offers views over Barcelona to the sea.
Passeig de Gracia
Passeig de Gracia is Barcelona's grandest boulevard, running from Placa Catalunya to the Diagonal. Free to walk.
Plaça Catalunya
Plaça Catalunya is the large central square where Barcelona's old city meets the Eixample grid, the hub from which La Rambla, Passeig de Gracia, and the Gothic Quarter all radiate. Free.
Placa del Rei
Placa del Rei is a medieval square in the heart of the Gothic Quarter, surrounded by the former Royal Palace complex. The square itself is free to visit.
Placa Reial
Placa Reial is a grand arcaded square just off La Rambla, lined with palm trees and featuring lampposts designed by a young Antoni Gaudi. Free to enter, the square fills with locals and travelers in the evening and is a good starting point for exploring the Barri Gotic on a budget.
Placa Sant Felip Neri
Placa Sant Felip Neri is a small, quiet square in the Gothic Quarter with a Baroque church whose facade still bears shrapnel scars from a Civil War bombing in 1938. Free to visit, the square is one of the most atmospheric and somber corners of Barcelona's old city.
Sagrada Familia
Gaudi's unfinished basilica is the most visited monument in Spain. The interior is paid and worth saving up for, but the exterior is free and almost as impressive.
Santa Maria del Mar
Santa Maria del Mar is a 14th-century Gothic church in El Born, built by the dockworkers and merchants of medieval Barcelona in just 54 years (extraordinarily fast for a Gothic church). Free to enter during certain hours (tourist entry is paid at other times).
Temple of Augustus Barcelona
Four Corinthian columns from the Roman Temple of Augustus stand hidden inside a medieval courtyard in the Gothic Quarter. Free to enter, this is one of Barcelona's best-kept secrets: 2,000-year-old Roman columns tucked behind an unassuming doorway on Carrer del Paradis.
On foot
Walks and free tours in Barcelona
Tip-based tours and self-guided routes, which is usually the cheapest orientation there is.
Barcelona City Free Tour
The Free Walking Tours Barcelona City Tour starts at Placa Catalunya and walks through the Gothic Quarter and surrounding medieval neighborhoods. The recommended tip is 10 euros per person, making it the most cost-effective way to crack Barcelona's medieval layer on day one.
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