Planning to visit Barcelona? Here’s 10 things to do and see in this incredible city!
If you’re planning to take a cruise from Barcelona, Spain, then you’re in luck! This is one of my favourite cities in Europe - I absolutely love how diverse and culturally rich this city is. Another aspect of Barcelona that I absolutely love is that it’s not an expensive city to visit, compared to its’ counterparts across the continent - a few nights here shouldn’t break the bank, and so I’m a massive fan! In this post, I’m going to share with you 10 things that you can do before boarding the ship, and all of them are straight from Viator.com!
Before we start, I’ve teamed up with Viator to help them showcase some of the things you can do while you’re travelling, to help to fully immerse yourself in the culture of wherever you’re visiting! Viator offer independent experiences (think walking tours, think tourist attraction entry, and also think bespoke events and trips you’re not going to find anywhere else!). I’ve hand picked this list of things you should think about in Barcelona (based on my own experience), and I’ll look to do this for more cities soon, but if you’d like to browse the full offering from Viator, just click the banner below!
It’s worth adding that I’ve personally used Viator on many of my trips in the past. This is the app that I tend to use when I don’t want to book an official cruise line excursion. Not only have I found them easy to use in the past, but I’ve found them good value too - this is why I opted to partner with them, over any other providers for this list!
Ok, let’s get started on my list of 10 things to do if you’re planning to visit Barcelona!
1) Barcelona in 1 Day: Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, Old Town & Pickup
If you’re anything like me, you don’t spend a huge amount of time in the city before heading somewhere else, whether that’s to a nearby resort, or to the cruise port… If I’m boarding a cruise ship at the port, I’m keen to experience as many of the attractions as I can, as quickly as I can, and that’s where this tour comes in really handy.
With this one day experience, you’ll see multiple of the key attractions in Barcelona, and be escorted by a guide on an 8 hour tour - effortless! There’ll be no more than 16 people in your group, and you’ll take in Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, the Gothic Quarter, Montjuic Mountain and more! To find out more, or book this one, just click here or use the below link!
2) Visit Sagrada Familia on a Guided Tour:
There’s no denying that this is probably the top thing to do in Barcelona - it’s on everyone’s list! With this tour, you’ll skip the lines outside, be accompanied by a guide inside, and have a full tour over a 1 hour and 30 minute period. To explore this experience in more detail, click here!
If you’d rather opt for a private tour just for you and your party, then you can! This link (click here) here will take you to the page covering exactly that: a 4-hour tour for just YOU!
3) Park Guell Guided Tour with Skip the Line Ticket
Want to see Park Guell, the world famous UNESCO site, without adding on the other attractions above? With this option, you can! Here, you’ll skip the line at the entrance, have access to a guide, and some extra time post-tour to explore at your own pace.
To explore this option, click here!
4) City Sightseeing Barcelona Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus Tour: 24 or 48-Hour
Looking for an easy way to take in the sights of the city? If you’re keen to see lots of attractions without the added inconvenience of walking for miles between them all, then this one could be ideal for you!
Your tickets for these buses are valid for either 24 or 48 hours - you select which you’d prefer at checkout. Included with the tour, you’ll also receive a book of coupons to use at some of the top attractions in the city! To find out more, click here!
5) Barcelona Tapas Walking Tour; Food, Wine & History
Ok, let’s move away from the usual ‘tourist attractions’ for a minute - how about a food tour? Barcelona is one of the best ‘foodie’ cities in Europe, with brilliant restaurants almost everywhere you look (don’t go near those tourist traps on Las Ramblas!).
This experience will take you on a tour lasting approx 3 hours, and you’ll experience a range of tapas with a drink to accompany each one.
To find out more, or to book for your trip to Barcelona, click here!
6) Barcelona Interactive Spanish Cooking Experience
We’ve already covered that the city of Barcelona is a foodie paradise, so why not think about heading out for a few hours in an interactive cooking experience? I’ve personally not tried this one, but the reviews are amazing - at the point of writing this post, there’s almost 1,800 reviews, and an average rating of 4.5/5! Surely that’s something to go by…
On this 3 hours (approx) trip, you’ll learn how to make Spanish Tapas, Sangria and Paella with a Barcelona chef, and then share the meal that you’ve helped to make.
To find out more, here’s your link: Click here!
7) Costa Brava Day Adventure: Kayak, Snorkel & Cliff Jump with Lunch
Did you know? When you visit Barcelona, you’re a stones-throw from some of the most beautiful beach areas that Spain’s got to offer. This tour will take you out for about 8 hours (so you’ll need to be prepared to head out for the whole day), and you’ll head to the coast of Costa Brava.
With this experience, you’ll spend some time kayaking all around the coastline, visiting coves and sea caves best reached by the water. You’ll be accopanied by a guide the whole time, equipment and lunch is provided, and you’ll also have round-trip transport from a central location in Barcelona. All of this considered, the price for this is great - I’m not surprised it’s got over 2,200 reviews and an average rating of 5/5!
To find out more, or to book for your next Barcelona trip, click here!
8) Picasso Museum Guided Tour with Skip the Line Ticket
Did you know that Pablo Picasso is strongly linked to Barcelona? Being totally honest, before my first visit, I didn’t! This experience lasts about 1 hour 30 minutes, so it’s super easy to slot in around everything else that you’ve got going on during your visit.
You’ll skip the line for Barcelona’s Picasso Museum, and learn from your Guide how Barcelona shaped one of the world’s most famous artists! You’ll have no more than 15 people in your group for this tour, in order to ensure a far more intimate and personal experience.
To book, click here!
9) Barcelona Sailing Cruise with Light Snacks and Open Bar
You’ve arrived at one of the most famous and popular waterfront cities in Europe, so why not get out on the water to see if from a different angle?!
This experience lasts about 2 hours, and offers you the chance to take a sailing tour of the city. The open bar includes Cava, Wine, Beer and Soft Drinks, so you shouldn’t have any time to go thirsty while you’re out there!
Due to this tour only being 2 hours long, it’s perfect to fit around everything else you’ve got going on in the city - it won’t take all day!
To find out more, click here!
10) Sagrada Familia & Park Guell - Most Complete Private Full Day Tour
Want to tick off what I’d consider two of the most popular attractions in the city of Barcelona, without the hassle of doing ANY planning? Well, this one could be for you! You’ll join your private tour guide in the city, go for a walking tour around the city, and then enjoy ‘skip the line’ entry to the attractions to explore without the hassle of waiting your turn!
You’ll also go for coffees at Picasso’s favourite restaurant, have lunch in a tapas restaurant, and travel between the attractions is all fully included, too!
This one lasts 7 hours, and would be the PERFECT day trip from your Barcelona cruise, as you’ll see it all and then return to the ship!
To book now, click here!
That’s it - my pick of 10 things that you should consider doing while you’re visiting Barcelona! You can see above that this city really does have so much going on - you’re going to LOVE your trip here!
Finally, if you’d like to watch some of my YouTube videos focussing on Barcelona, why not start with the below video? I shot this while cruising onboard MSC World Europa - I’ll take you ashore and show you multiple parts of the city - enjoy, and happy cruising!