Weekend activities in Barcelona

03.09.23

You can only get away to Barcelona for a weekend? Don't worry, because at the Barcelona Pere Tarrés hostel, the best hostel in the city, we make your job easier and recommend you the best activities for enjoying the city in two busy but rewarding days.

Saturday: traditions

Your ideal weekend in Barcelona should undoubtedly begin in Passeig de Gràcia, one of the most important streets in the city. It is outstanding for its Modernista architecture and the large number of shops you will find there. You can combine a morning of shopping with visits to two of the most important Modernista buildings in the Catalan capital: La Pedrera and the iconic Casa Batlló.

After walking the whole length of Passeig de Gràcia, you arrive in the heart of Barcelona: Plaça Catalunya. From there, go to Les Rambles, one of the most popular areas of the city for tourists and the gateway to the maze of streets in the old city or Gothic quarter. Lose yourself in these winding alleys, where you will be constantly surprised by charming squares with churches, great houses and institutional buildings. Among the great attractions of this area is undoubtedly the Gothic basilica of Santa María del Mar and Barcelona Cathedral.

After all morning discovering different places, you’re bound to be hungry – and we have the answer! You can take a break to eat at the Boqueria Market amid a swirl of colours and flavours. Here, you will find all kinds of products, from fish to fruits, without forgetting typical specialties, such as Catalan cured meats.

You can spend the afternoon visiting some of Barcelona’s many museums. In this area, the MACBA, in the heart of the renovated Raval district, and the CCCB, are the biggest attractions.

Sunday: Modernisme and the beach

On Sunday, you will complete your weekend of activities in Barcelona discovering the great classics of Modernista architecture by Antoni Gaudí. You will start very early, visiting Parc Güell: a great example of the influence natural elements had on the architect’s work. Then, continue the Modernista tour with what is possibly the jewel in Barcelona’s crown: the Sagrada Família. It may still be unfinished, but it will take your breath away. As well as delighting in its exterior, you also have the chance to enter the basilica.

Finally, you can complete the Modernista tour by visiting the largest site in Europe built entirely in the Art Nouveau style: the Santa Creu i Sant Pau Hospital in the Guinardó district.

To finish off your Sunday in style, we recommend a good meal beside the sea, at Barceloneta beach. On the way there, you will pass by two of the most historic sites in Barcelona: Ciutadella Park and the Arc de Triomf.