Barcelona Travel Guide

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Welcome to our Barcelona Travel Guide. Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, is one of the most exciting destinations in the world, with an unmistakeable Mediterranean flair and a must for design, art and architecture lovers.

Our Barcelona Travel Guide contains all the information you need to have to prepare the perfect trip to Barcelona. From how to get to Barcelona, to when to visit the city, what’s the weather like during the year, the best neighbourhoods, the unmissable attractions, the best day trips and much more.

Choosing where to stay is a crucial decision on any trip and we tried to break it down for you on this video presenting our favorite Barcelona neighborhoods when it comes to looking for accommodation. Being close to the main attractions can save you time, and thus, money, during your stay in Barcelona.

On the video above we share 30 hotel recommendations in Barcelona, in all price ranges and styles of accommodation.

If you want to find out all the different transportation alternatives that will take you from Barcelona Josep Tarradellas-El Prat airport to the center of town, we have summarized them on this video. Taxi, metro, train, buses, there is meant to be an alternative perfect for you.

As well as all the interesting places you can visit in Barcelona, the capital boasts a fantastic range of day trips, from classic Montserrat to incredible cities such as Girona or Tarragona, not to mention the Costa Brava. Find out about the best day-trips leaving from Barcelona and how to reach them.

Of course, tapas are an essential part of Spanish culture -often misunderstood-, and in Barcelona you will be able to experience them at their best with our carefully curated tapas tour around the old part of town.

And if you want to taste the best of the culinary traditions of Barcelona, while at the same time saving some money, make the most of the selection of daily menus we have tested for you. The “menú del día”, the daily menu, is an typical Spanish tradition you should be familiar with.

Are you ready for Barcelona? We sincerely hope our Barcelona Travel Guide will be of immense help to you!

33 thoughts on “Barcelona Travel Guide”

  1. Greetings from California,
    We have loved watching your videos in preparation for a visit to Spain and Portugal. My wife and I and our two friends are planning a trip May 2 – June 3, 2023. Your videos have been a valuable resource for us and provide great information and inspiration. We certainly will be re-watching many of them for the great practical details you provide. Air travel is all we have booked thus far and we look forward to many more hours watching Tony and planning the details of our month long adventure. Thank you for producing such a practical resource and we hope you continue adding new content. Dave

    Reply
  2. Love all your information. Most informative. I have a hard time deciding on a safe, nice, clean, centrally located hotel in Barcelona for my granddaughter and I traveling alone. You would like to walk to the sights but plan to take transportation to Segrada Familia. Any suggestions would be helpful.
    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Hello, we don’t do hotel research as to do it properly we would have to dedicate an enormous amount of time to it (basically, the way a travel agente does). But if you find something that fits your needs and want to know our opinion, do ask!

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  3. Hello Tony, my wife and I are heading to Barcelona in May and thought we’d like to head to Montserrat via train. We are staying at the Hotel Well and Come on Girona St and wondered the best way to get there. Also, we will be heading to Portugal (Lagos) and thought maybe a bullet train would be our best bet. Do you have any recommendations or suggestions for us?

    Thanks
    Paul

    Reply
    • Hi Paul, we don’t have any material on Montserrat yet. There are several means of transportation involved to get you to Montserrat, some 60km from Barcelona. You will have to wait till we produce that material, hopefully before your trip (we would like to publish a video on Montserrat in mid-April).
      There are no bullet trains (or trains of any kind) to Lagos. Your best bet is a flight.

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  4. We watched some of your videos on high speed trains and thought they were pretty cool. We do not have them here in Canada. It’s a shame but we will take your advice and fly.

    Thanks again……Paul

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  5. Hi Tony. My wife and I have reserved 4 nights (May 21 to 25, 2023) at the Hotel Santa Marta in Barcelona. Do you know anything about this hotel? Is it in a good location? Thank you.

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    • Hi Billy, you booked a very basic hotel on an narrow street right next to a big railway station. The area is good, between the old city and the Barceloneta, the old fishing quarter of Barcelona.

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  6. Hey Tony, my wife and I are booked at the Hotel Well and Come on Girona St. Any info on this hotel and area would be very much appreciated…..Thanks.

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    • Hi Paul, we’ve never stayed at the hotel but the area is quite nice, close to a metro station and one of the main Barcelona avenues. Quite a few restaurants nearby. All the best.

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  7. Hola Tony!
    My wife & I are planning a trip to Spain in May and have been watching your videos and taking notes ! So much useful information that is so appreciated. We are having some difficulties in making transportation arrangements and hope you can offer some advice. We will be staying in Peñíscola, Castellón, with day trips to Barcelona, Tarragona & Valencia. What we are challenged by is the decision to fly into Barcelona or Madrid. Is there train service that will get up from either airport to the resort in Peñíscola? There are 2 train stations near the resort, Benicarlo and Vinaros but I can’t seem to find any connecting trains to get us there.
    I look forward to your advice.
    Thank you !
    Paul

    Reply
    • Hi Paul, yYou have a train from Barcelona to Benicarló, if you can’t find any tickets yet it’s probably because they haven’t been introduced in the system. All the best.

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  8. Tony, we are looking to changing our current hotel selection to a hotel closer to the Cruise Terminal. Do you have any recommendations?

    Thanks
    Paul

    Reply
  9. Hello Tony,
    My wife and I are going to Barcelona in May and would like to know if you have any car transfer recommendations leaving from the airport to the Hotel Continental Barcelona? Thank you in advance.

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    • Hi Chris, in the specific case of Barcelona, we feel hiring a car transfer is totally unnecessary. Grab a cab, that will do.

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  10. Hola Tony

    First, thanks for all you and your crew do for visitors to your beautiful country.

    Question: Planning a trip to Montserrat from Barcelona and wish to purchase tickets in advance. Can you verify that https://www.montserratvisita.com is the official website for booking ?
    Apologies if previously answered.

    Thank you so much in advance

    Reply
    • Hola Cal and Vicki, welcome to Road Trip Spain and Portugal! We have a video on Montserrat scheduled for 9 April, but we are going to reply to your question now. Yes, that is the official site of the Monastery, but they only sell tickets for guided tours and the Montserrat museum. For transportation we advise you either buy the combined ticket Trans Montserrat (the links will take you the Visit Barcelona Tickets, the official tourism website of the city of Barcelona, 100% reliable, or the combined ticket Tot Montserrat. All the best!

      Reply
  11. Tony we are have been doing a deep dive on your channel. Your personal history is amazing and thank you for giving back to the traveling community.
    We will be visiting Zaragoza this October. I LOVE Francisco Goya and cant wait to see his and your home town as well as the Prado Museum in Madrid.
    Is it possible to meet you and say hello and have lunch if you happen to be in Zaragoza when we are there. We dont have the exact date yet but it will be around October 14-16. Thank you again.

    Reply
  12. Dear Tony,
    I stayed all last night awake watching most of your videos about Barcelona. FASCINATING!!! Thank you so much for the great tips.
    I just want to ask you for your advice to double check before booking tickets.
    We are 4 people; 2 adults and 2 kids (10 and 7 years old) travelling as a summer vacation to Barcelona. After Barcelona we would like to go to Marbella to meet other friends there. We would like to take the fast train (Renfe). However, there is no train station in Marbella, and we need to go to Malaga first. Can you please advice on which route or train description to take PLUS to which train station to go to in Malaga?? Please take into consideration that we have luggage with us. Minimum of 3 suite cases and 1 or 2 carry-ons.
    After that, do we take a taxi to Marbella or what do you advice???? I’d really appreciate it if you can help us with this issue.
    One more thing, as for going around in Barcelona, for our situation i understand that the best tickets to buy are the (T Casual). right??? We will be staying in Barcelona for 9 nights 10 days.
    Thank you so much in advance for your advice.
    Sincerely,
    Razan

    Reply
    • Hi Razan, many thanks for your words. We don’t have yet information on Marbella (this post is actually about Barcelona) so we won’t be able to help you with that part of the trip. When you research for your train from Barcelona to Málaga, pay attention to a trip that doesn’t involve changing trains. There is just the one station in Málaga. Ideally you would have bought your tickets months ago to get the best possible rates. See how to buy your high-speed train tickets. With the AVE train you can carry one large suitcase and a carry-on each. All the best.

      Reply
  13. Hi Tony,
    Thank you for your very fine YouTube videos. My family is excited about our upcoming trip to Barcelona and surrounding towns. One of our booked excursions is a hot air balloon ride out of Vic. We will be picked up in Barcelona at 5am. They will text confirmation and meeting location in Barcelona a couple of days prior to the excursion. My question is, what sort of transportation is available at 4:30am? I think I read that the metro starts at 5am. I’m hoping it is a central location we can walk to from our hotel (Allegro Barcelona). I saw another balloon operator picks up in front of the Hard Rock Cafe near the Place de Catalunya, which is a 20 minute walk. Is it safe to walk at that time? Thank you again!

    Reply
    • Tim, it is a long walk from your hotel but it is perfectly safe. Alternatively, take a taxi, will cost you a tiny fraction of what you are going to pay for the excursion.

      Reply
  14. Hello Tony,
    We have a trip to Barcelona at the end of August. My husband and I have watched all your videos about travel to Barcelona. We specially love your video on the menu Del Dias. Thank you for sharing!
    We are staying in Ronda General Mitre.
    We were very much interested in the T-Usual pass, and just trying to figure our the best way to get to the Mandri/Mitre stop from El Pratt.

    Reply
    • Hello Anita! To be able to help you, we would need to know the specific number of the Ronda General Mitre where you are planning to stay. It is a long avenue. All the best!

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      • Thank you so much for helping us!
        The address is Ronda General Mitre 107.
        Also, just keeping a taxi as an option in case we are exhausted from the flight!

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        • Anita, due to the specific location of your accommodation, there is no transport combination involving less than two changes of transport (three transports in total). We would encourage you to watch this video and make up your mind accordingly.

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  15. Recomendarias el hotel Cram por 5 noches o que hotel recomiendas para un presupuesto de 1500 dlls.?
    Sería la primera vez en Barcelona para mi esposa y yo,
    mil gracias.

    Reply

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