For a lot of people, Disney is the OG of where dreams come true. But for me, ever since watching the Cheetah Girls 2 I knew visiting Barcelona would be a dream come true for me. Sixteen years later, and this beautifully historic city exceeded my expectations and more. Barcelona feels like a bunch of little countries in one. Each city has its own style and are all accessible with an easy and comfortable train ride.

There are so many things to do and see in and around Barcelona. It can be overwhelming trying to narrow everything down, but that’s what I’m here for. From easy day trips, things to do, travel tips, and more, I’ve got you covered.

HOTEL

Le Méridien Ra Beach Hotel & Spa in Tarragona is a stunning hotel with excellent service and hospitality. It’s right on the beach and easily walkable to a board walk type of area with tons of restaurants, bars, and shops if you want to venture out from the hotel’s three restaurants that are on the property. There’s a nearby train station (15 minute walk) which I highly recommend to use for any city you want to explore in the Barcelona area.

BARCELONA THINGS TO DO:

Sagrada Familia is Barcelona’s most popular site to see and main draw. Once you get in front of the 140+ year old church, you’ll understand why. It’s so massive and castle-like that it feels straight out of a movie. And not only can you go inside the church, but you can actually go inside one of the two towers and then walk back down it. I highly recommend getting an audio guide (go at your own pace to learn about the history) and tower tour when selecting your tickets online. Make sure to buy a day or two in advance, because tickets do sell out.

Museu Picasso (Picasso Museum) owns one of Picasso’s largest collections. It’s a must-see and surreal to be up and close with his paintings in a city where he spent several years working and learning. Tickets are only 17 euros and we spent about an hour and a half walking through the museum and listening to the audio guide.

Barrio Gotic (Gothic Quarter) is a stunning neighborhood mixed with medieval and Roman architecture with narrow cobblestone alleyways filled with restaurants, bars, and shops.

Arte Vistas (Art Gallery) is an art gallery featuring local Spanish and emerging international artists that we stumbled upon while walking through the Gothic Quarter. The employee working at the time saw how much we were into the art and gave us a private tour of the gallery’s apartment where we got to see more pieces of art.

Shopping can be found all throughout Barcelona, but Passeig de Gràcia is the area I enjoyed most. You’ll find a range of brands from Sunglass Hut and Zara all the way to Chanel and Louis Vuitton. If you’re visiting from the U.S. make sure to bring your passport with you so you can get the VAT refund (10% discount)!

Mirador torre Glòries offers a 360 view of Barcelona through their observation deck. Before going to the top for stunning views, you’ll start at Hyperview Barcelona, located at the bottom of the tower with data driven artistic installations. There’s also a walkable art installation called Cloud Cities Barcelona, at a height of 130 meters. General admission tickets for the observation deck and Hyperview are 15 euros and Cloud Cities is 25 euros.

Arc de Triomf is a massive arch to admire and the perfect place for a photo op.

DAY TRIPS (smaller beach cities near Barcelona):

Sitges is a great city to just walk around and explore without a set itinerary. There a several museums that we stumbled upon and really enjoyed visiting them. I definitely recommend going to Out of Africa and Museus de Sitges. There’s also the beach of course, and plenty of restaurants and shops down every street. And I can’t forget to mention the impromptu wine tasting that a local shared with us where we were able to easily walk in without a reservation. Sitges made me think of Greece with all the narrow streetways and white buildings.

Tarragona might be my favorite city of the three we visited. While Sitges felt like Greece, Tarragona made me think of Italy. It is small, quiet and quaint, but with some much character. If you get the chance to take a day trip here, I recommend seeing the Roman amphitheatre and Tarragona Cathedral.

TRANSPORTATION:

Trains and taxis are the most common forms of transportation when going from place to place, and I highly recommend taking the train. It’s significantly cheaper than a taxi, comfortable, and conveniently comes every 30 minutes. Our taxi from the Barcelona airport to our hotel was around $140 and when we took a train the following day it was only $15. Barcelona is a huge city, so there are three main stations: Barcelona Sants, Estació de França, and Passeig de Gràcia. Check the train schedules here.

WHAT TO PACK/WEATHER:

During the summer, pack a hat and clothes with light material to keep you comfortable and cool from the heat. I’m from Atlanta, so I’m used to the hot weather but Spain’s heat was different. 80 degrees there felt like 100 degrees in Atlanta. I packed lots of dresses and shorts, but wish I brought clothes with lighter materials because of how hot it was. In Sitges and Tarragona, there’s pretty much no shade, so I recommend wearing a hat and bringing sunscreen. Barcelona has lots of trees so it definitely helps, but it was still very hot (don’t be fooled by the pretty pictures lol). Pack waters with you and make sure to stay hydrated because the heat in Spain is no joke!

Spain has so much culture and offers truly unique things to do and see that you can’t experience anywhere else. If you’ve been wanting to visit Spain, this is your sign to book your trip and go! You won’t be disappointed.

Leave a comment and let me know if you’ve ever been to Spain or want to visit after reading this post! :)