🇪🇸 The Ultimate One Week trip in Catalonia:
Barcelona, Costa Brava and Medieval Villages
Tips and Suggestions by a Local (V1 Aug 2025)

🥾 Day 1: From Sagrada Família to the Sea

🕘 Morning – Sagrada Família ⛪ 

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Start your day at Sagrada Família, Gaudí’s most iconic work and still under construction after more than a century. It’s the most important stop in the city — not just a symbol, but something unique in architectural history.

Buy your ticket online in advance — ideally 1–2 days before. Entry times are strict and tickets regularly sell out. You can choose between basic entry, a guided tour, or access to the towers.

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The interior is worth seeing, even if you’ve already visited churches in Europe. The columns are designed like a forest, and the lighting changes depending on the time of day. It’s very different from traditional cathedrals.

Inside, take time to visit the museum under the nave, which many people skip. It shows Gaudí’s models, sketches, and construction techniques, plus a full miniature of what the finished building will look like. It gives you a much better understanding of the scale and long-term vision.

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If you want to visit the towers, note that it involves stairs and is only available on certain tickets. Views are good, but not essential if you're short on time.

Allow around 1.5 to 2 hours total for the visit.

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🏛️ Afternoon – Parc Ciutadella El Born & Gotico 

 

​​From Sagrada Família, walk down Passeig San Joan. If you are hungry, stop by Parking Pizza for a good napolitan pizza in a cool setting. It is an excellent pizza (Take straciatella di buffala) (Barcelona has amazing pizza places by the way, if you want the best of the best, sartoria panatieri is there for you as well as Balmesina) Want an intimate amazing sushi, Sato i tanaka is a few minutes away. Needs to be booked wayyyy in advance though.

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Walk south and you will arrive to : 

• Arc de Triomf. This is a nice monument to take pictures and carry on South to 

• Ciutadella Park. If you decided to save money and buy food in a supermarket, have a seat there in the grass and chill out. Look for the golden waterfall monument, the mammoth, lake with rowboats. There is also a zoo there. Exit the parc via the south gate and you are right at the beginning of el Born :) ​​

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El Born - the old town - Walk around

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Start by walking through the El Born Cultural Centre, built over medieval ruins that are visible under glass. Just a quick stop. Take Passeig del Born and stop by Pastisseria Hoffman for a mascarpone croissant. They renowned to be a top of the game Patisserie. Then pass by Santa Maria del Mar, a 14th-century church built by the people of the port. 

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Keep going up and you can visit a local market. Market Santa Caterina, a more local alternative to la Boqueria. If you are a fan of cheesecaks; pass by Jon Cake. The trendy cheesecake shop of the city. Finish it off by going to Palau de la Musica. A nice building that you can visit too. That is already a super cool walk :)

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From there, cross  Via laietana into the Barri Gòtic, Barcelona’s oldest neighborhood. The layout is a maze of small alleys, hidden courtyards, and historical buildings — worth wandering without too much planning. Key stops:

• Barcelona Cathedral (Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia) – You can visit the interior or just walk around the cloister. Entry is free during certain hours.

• Plaça del Rei – A peaceful square surrounded by medieval buildings

• MUHBA – The city’s small but well-done Roman ruins museum

• Carrer del Bisbe – Known for its Gothic bridge that looks older than it is​​

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Go all the way south, you will end up in passeig colon which can lead you to barceloneta, the port ANd the beach finally. I would just walk to the beach but don t stop for a drink there yet. Take a taxi or a scooter like yego and head further to playa Bogatell or Mar bella, cleaner and emptier where you can play volleyball, swim and more. Ok now let s finish in a classic but still cool way. Book dinner at restaurant escriba for a paella and white wine (albariño if you ask me) as the sun comes down and looking at the beach. That is it That is a long day done already :) 

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🏘️ Day 2: Parc Güell, Gràcia & Eixample

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🏛️ Morning - Parc Güell 

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Start your day at Parc Güell, one of Gaudí’s most colourful creations.

• Book your ticket online in advance — entry is timed and morning slots are less crowded.

• Focus on the Monumental Zone — the mosaic benches (a classic instagram picture) the lizard fountain, and the main terrace with views over the city.

• The free part of the park is nice for a short walk, but the main features are inside the paid area.

• Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for the visit.

From here, you can either walk downhill (20–25 min) to Gracia Gràcia.

🏘️ Midday - Gracia

Gràcia used to be a separate village, and it still feels like one — narrow streets, small squares and churches, and plenty of life away from the main tourist routes.

• Key squares to visit: Plaça del Sol, Plaça de la Virreina, and Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia with its clock tower.

• Streets worth a stroll: Carrer de Verdi for cafés, shops, and small cinemas.

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🏛️ Afternoon - Eixample & Passeig de Gracia

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Time for lunch, eixample is the place for the classic tapas, Vinitus, cerveceria catalana or la Flauta ar the usual suspects. Touristy but they are doing the job right! Walk downhill into Passeig de Gracia if you like big brands and shopping and there you have two beautiful buildings that cna be visited.

• - Casa Milà (La Pedrera) — you can visit inside or just enjoy the façade.

• - Casa Batlló, one of Gaudí’s most striking works, with its colourful, curved façade.

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There are lots of hotels with cool rooftop terraces for a drink in this area. Personnaly, it is not a rooftop terrace but I love the backyard terrace of hotel H10 Casa Mimosa. So calm and quiet.

• e Casa Amatller and Casa Lleó Morera.

🌅 Optional Evening – Bunkers del Carmel

If you still have the energy, take a taxi or scooter to the Bunkers del Carmel.
It’s one of the best viewpoints in Barcelona, especially at sunset. Open-air, free, and a good way to see the whole city you’ve just walked through.

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🏘️ Day 3: Montjuic, Plaça España and Olympic stadium ​​

🌅 Start – Plaça España

Begin your day at Plaça Espanya — easy to reach by metro, bus, or taxi.

• Take in the Venetian Towers and the view up Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina toward the Palau Nacional.

• If open, step into the MNAC (Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya) for its terrace views (optional, 20–30 mins).

🚌 Ride Up – Bus 150 to Montjuïc Castle

 

From Plaça Espanya, hop on Bus 150 — it goes straight to the Montjuïc Castle entrance.

• Explore the fortress, the old military buildings, and the panoramic views over the port and city.

• Allow about 45 minutes here.

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🏟️ Olympic Area

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From the castle, walk downhill towards the Olympic Stadium.

• See the Olympic stadium and pop into it (1992 olypics have been transofrmational for the city) and the diffrent facilities around like the Esplanade. Cool little plus, continue to the Olympic Swimming Pool bar called Salts for a drink with a view (and a swim?)ith one of the best city views.

🎭 Teatre Grec (& Poble Espanyol)

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Montjuic mountain has some nice green area that is nice to walk on. Head to Teatre Grec (Greek Theatre) – A quiet garden amphitheatre. Check out if there are some events that day. The gardens around it are nice.

Second stop is a bit touristy, a bit cheesy but It is not as bad as the reuptation says. So if you want to have a little gasp of how the rest of spain looks like, head to mini spain i.e. Poble Espanyol – An open-air museum village with architecture from across Spain and artisan shops. Entry takes around an hour if you want to explore.

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🚡 Finish – Red Harbour Cable Car

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If you did not go to Poble español, there is a scenic way to finish your visit of Montjuic. Go to Miramar Gardens, It is a nice walk and nice views. I would take drink at Miramar hotel. There is never anybody there and It is quite nice and prices are not too bad for a top end hotel. Then, take the Port Cable Car (the bright red cabins) down to Barceloneta.

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This is the most scenic way to end the day, with views over the port, the beaches, and the city skyline.

This order avoids climbing, keeps things in a steady downhill flow, and saves the best view for last.

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Extra tips : You can eat at Martinez. Over priced but the place is romantic with a view. If you went to Poble español and are in the afternoon, you can stay for the magic fountains show every evening. 

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It is now time to take the van and start your roadtrip to Catalonia.​​​​