There are a few things I wish I had known before our trip to Barcelona—and a few things I was really glad I figured out ahead of time. From what to book before you go to getting around the city and keeping an eye on your belongings, knowing a few things ahead of time definitely helped.
There’s far more to see in Barcelona than you’re going to fit into one visit, so decide what’s most important to you before you go. I still wouldn’t plan every minute, though. Leave yourself some time to just walk around and see what you find.
💚 THE SHORT VERSION
- Book the big attractions ahead.
- Bring really comfortable shoes.
- Use the Metro.
- Keep your belongings secure.
- Eat the tapas.
✈️ BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME
🛂 PASSPORT BASICS
For U.S. travelers, your passport should be valid for at least three months beyond the date you plan to leave the Schengen Area, and it must have been issued within the previous 10 years. I always recommend checking the current requirements before your trip—passport rules are not something I want to learn about while standing at the airport.
Check your passport expiration date before you start booking.
✈️ FLYING INTO BARCELONA
Barcelona's main airport is Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN), located outside the city center. There are several ways to get into Barcelona, including the Aerobús, train, Metro, taxi and private transfer.
🎟️ BOOK THESE BEFORE YOU GO
I'm all for leaving room in an itinerary to change plans, but Barcelona is one place where a little advance planning pays off. Many of the most popular attractions use timed-entry tickets, and the best times can sell out—especially during busy travel seasons. Decide which attractions are your must-sees and book those first. Then build the rest of your day around them. I don't like scheduling every minute of a vacation, but I like standing outside something I traveled all the way to Spain to see and discovering it's sold out even less.
If these are on your must-see list, I wouldn't wait until you get there:
- Sagrada Família — Definitely book ahead, and don't skip the inside. It's even more incredible than the outside.
- Park Güell — The Monumental Zone requires a ticket, so reserve a time before you go.
- Casa Batlló — Another one I'd book ahead if it's high on your list.
- La Pedrera (Casa Milà) — Worth reserving in advance, particularly if you want a specific time or experience.
- Montserrat Day Trip — If this is on your list, plan it ahead so you can coordinate transportation and any tickets you want once you're there.
💡 GOOD TO KNOW
I had trouble getting my payment to go through when booking our Sagrada Família tickets. After a little frustrated Googling, I discovered I definitely wasn't the only one who had run into this.
I eventually tried a credit card from a different bank and switched the email on my reservation to my Gmail address—and it worked. I'm honestly not sure which one fixed the problem!
If your payment won't go through, don't panic. Try another card, preferably from a different bank, and consider using a different email address. Sometimes travel planning involves a little more detective work than expected.
🚶 GETTING AROUND BARCELONA
Once we were in Barcelona, we mainly relied on our feet. It's a very walkable city, and for sights that were a little farther away, we used the Metro.
Getting from the airport to our hotel was a little more interesting. Our plan was simple: grab a taxi. Barcelona had other plans—the taxis were on strike. After a brief Well...now what? moment, we figured out the bus, found the ticket machine outside the airport, and made our way into the city. From our stop, it was only about a two-block walk to our hotel.
We also learned that rideshare works a little differently here than what we're used to at home. We used Cabify for our very early morning ride to the train station when we left Barcelona, and it worked great. It's definitely an app I'd have downloaded before your trip.
Barcelona is easy to explore on foot, the Metro is great for sights that are farther away and having a transportation app downloaded before you go can come in handy. After our taxi experience, I’d also have a backup plan for getting from the airport to your hotel.
👛 A WORD ABOUT PICKPOCKETS
Just about every article I read before going to Barcelona mentioned pickpockets. Read enough of those warnings and you start wondering if you'll spend your entire vacation guarding your purse instead of enjoying the city.
Pickpocketing is a concern, especially in crowded tourist areas, but we never felt unsafe. Use common sense, stay aware of your surroundings, keep your belongings secure, and take a few extra precautions to reduce your chances of becoming a target.
I used a phone lanyard, kept valuables close and paid a little more attention in crowded areas. We were careful, but we never felt unsafe while we were there.
👟 WHAT I WAS GLAD I PACKED
- Phone Lanyard — One of my favorite purchases for this trip. My phone was always handy for photos and maps, while giving me a little extra security in crowded areas.
- Comfortable Shoes — We walked—a lot. This is not the trip for shoes that are cute but start hurting after three blocks.
- Crossbody Bag — Easy to keep close and in front of me, especially in busy tourist areas.
- Portable Charger — Between photos, maps and Googling whatever I needed to know next, my phone got a workout.
- European Voltage Adapter — A necessity for keeping all those electronics charged and ready to go.
- Layers — Some days called for a cardigan, others a light jacket. Having options made a difference.
- Sunglasses — Small, obvious and used constantly.
- Reusable Water Bottle — With all the walking we did, I was glad to have water with me instead of constantly buying another bottle.
🍷 EATING & DRINKING
We tried the drinks! Vermouth and cava are two Barcelona musts, and we happily did our part.
We also ate a lot of tapas, which was half the fun. Every place seemed to have something a little different, but a few favorites you’ll see again and again are patatas bravas, croquetas and pintxos. We usually ordered several things and shared so we could try a little of everything. If we really liked something, we could always order more.
Barcelona also has plenty of seafood, including things this Midwest girl doesn’t regularly encounter at home—like octopus. I tried it, and I can now officially say I’ve eaten octopus. I probably don’t need to eat it again.
Trying foods I wouldn’t normally order at home is one of the things I enjoy about traveling. I don’t have to love everything, but at least I can say I tried it.
📱 APPS & TECH THAT HELPED
My phone did a lot of work on this trip.
- Google Maps — We used it constantly for walking directions, finding Metro stops and figuring out where we were going next.
- Google Translate — Helpful for menus, signs and those moments when my Spanish vocabulary wasn't quite keeping up.
- Google — Because sometimes you just need to know what that building is, where to eat nearby, or why something isn't going according to plan.
- Cabify — We used it to arrange our very early morning ride to the train station when we left Barcelona.
- Renfe — I used Renfe to plan our train travel out of Barcelona, check schedules and figure out our next leg of the trip.
- Portable Charger — Photos, maps and Googling can drain a battery quickly. I didn't want to be wandering around Barcelona with a phone at 2%.
- Phone Lanyard — Technically not an app, but it earned a spot. My phone was always within reach for photos or directions without constantly digging through my bag.
I’d download the apps you plan to use before you leave home and get familiar with them ahead of time.
💶 MONEY, TIPPING & THE LITTLE STUFF
A few little things that are good to know before you go:
- Cards & Cash — We used credit cards for most purchases, but I still like having a little cash on hand for smaller purchases and those just-in-case moments.
- Euros — Spain uses the euro. I prefer getting some euros before I leave home so I don't arrive with absolutely no cash.
- Tipping — Tipping isn't expected the same way it is in the U.S. We didn't feel like we needed to automatically add 20% to every meal, but leaving a little extra for good service was always appreciated.
- Restrooms — Don't assume there will always be a convenient public restroom when you need one. Another excellent reason to stop for a coffee, cava or snack.
- Water — Tap water is safe to drink, so that reusable water bottle I packed came in handy.
- Outlets — Spain uses different electrical outlets than the U.S., so bring the proper adapter. Mine was definitely put to work keeping all of my travel tech charged.