Barcelona itinerary 1 day — How to spend 1 day in Barcelona & what to do in Barcelona in one day

Still with a similar motif: one day here, one day there, today I will lead you to the famous tourist city Barcelona. Before starting the article I want to emphasize that one day is never enough for Barcelona because the city has many things to look at, there are many places to visit and have many delicious restaurants to experience. This article is only intended to introduce in the style of “riding horse to see flowers”, when for some reason your travel time fund is too tight.

So, what to do in Barcelona for 1 day and how to spend 24 hours in Barcelona (1 day in Barcelona, Barcelona in a day, Barcelona in one day, one day in Barcelona)? Let’s check out our suggested Barcelona itinerary 1 day (Barcelona one day itinerary) with the detailed itinerary for one day trip in Barcelona, Barcelona one day trip) as follows!

10:00 AM (#barcelona itinerary 1 day)

We will start the journey from the largest Espanya Square in the city. Here you catch bus number 150 to Montjuic castle located on the top of the hill of the same name. Montjuic was also an important military stronghold to protect the city. Therefore, there are still many large and small cannons on display around the castle.

From the top of the hill, visitors have a great vision to see the airport, watch the harbor, watch the sea, the urban planning in the style of the “chessboard plan” is very organized and neat.

11:00 AM (#barcelona itinerary 1 day)

After watching the city from above, you take the bus back to the foot of the hill, but will stop in the middle of the road to visit the Barcelona Olympic Stadium (Estadi Olímpic) at Passeig Olímpic, 15-17, 08038 Barcelona, Spain. This was the main venue of the 1992 summer Olympics, then became the home ground of some local football teams, the most famous is the RCD Espanol. However, when it comes to King Sports in Barcelona, not many people know RCD Espanol because the over shadow of FC Barcelona.

11:30 AM (#one day in barcelona)

From the Olympic stadium, you walk in a shortcut for about 10 minutes to the National Art Museum of Catalonia. The museum is located in the middle of Montjuic hill, facing its facade towards Espanya Square, which has the most spacious and beautiful public space in the city. If you have time, you can come back here to see the wonderful performance of music, light and water in the evening (learn more with the keyword “Magic Fountain”). This free show attracts a lot of people and tourists every weekend.

Address: Palau Nacional, Parc de Montjuïc, s/n, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
Hours: 10 AM–6 PM/10 AM–3 PM/Monday: Closed

12:00 AM (#barcelona in a day)

Lunch at A La Turca Restaurant. I have eaten here a few times. The shop is clean, moderate price, and the food is quite good. If you want to take advantage of the time you can buy a portion of kebap to take away.

Address: Carrer Nou de la Rambla, 123, 08004 Barcelona, Spain
Hours: 11 AM–3 AM

13:30 PM (#1 day in barcelona)

After lunch, you take the metro to Park Güell, ceramic park in the Mosaic style of talented architect Antoni Gaudí. When I was in Barcelona, I often visited this place because it was so beautiful, too sophisticated and had architectural thinking unlike anywhere in Europe. Convenient to talk about architecture, I have a friend of this field in Germany. He said that to professional people, Barcelona is a vivid and unique museum of Gaudí architecture, unlike other styles, such as French architecture, can feel right in Vietnam with Long Bien Bridge, Hanoi Opera House or expensive ancient villas in Ho Chi Minh City.

Another reason I used to visit Park Güell often because it opened the door freely (poor students: D). When I was about to leave Barcelona, the city government began to plan to sell tickets. This plan has received a lot of “bricks and stones” because local people have lost a free public space. But in the end the fierce reactions could not save the commercialization of Park Güell. Since then I have not had the opportunity to return, but believe that selling tickets must not reduce amount of visitors. This is a place worth spending.

3:00 PM (#barcelona one day itinerary)

Sagrada Familia church is the next stop. It was built in 1882, and so far is still… not yet finished (it is not known whether it comes from the lazy working style of the Spanish people or not). “Love is only beautiful when still unfinished”, the church is only beautiful when… not yet completed. Despite being surrounded by scaffolding and cranes, Sagrada Família is really beautiful, beautiful and different under Gaudí’s talented hands. According to the church plan, it will be completed in 2026, which is nearly 150 years from the commencement year.

4:00 PM (#barcelona one day trip)

Casa Milà, Casa Battló and Casa Amatller are three buildings located on the Passeig De Grana Boulevard located in the heart of the city. In fact, I have not come in, so I don’t know exactly how beautiful and ugly buildings are, but looking from the outside feels very beautiful, very strange and very… Gaudí.

From here we walk through the Catalunya Square, through the La Rambla pedestrian street, there is never an absence of people even at night. Please note that you are in the heart of the city center, where the highest density of tourists is also the main business area of the pickpockets. Do not let La Rambla’s wonderful beauty make you forget about the prevention of theft.

6:00 PM (#one day trip in barcelona)

As described in the article about Barcelona, every friend who visits the city is taken by me to the Boqueria market. At first, everyone was surprised (like shortages of places to visit that taking me to the market), but then everyone was complimented because this is a food and drink paradise. Tired of going out for a day, now is the time to treat yourself to an ice cream, a cup of ready-made fruit, a smoothie or all of the above. If you can cook, you can buy some seafood at the end of the market. Having been to many places in Europe, I know for sure that Barcelona seafood is delicious, nutritious and cheaper than many other places, especially in the Nordic and Western European regions.

7:00 PM

Take some time to visit the cathedral, then get lost in the old town, feeling the vibrant nightlife of the Catalan capital.

8:00 PM

Visit Barceloneta, formerly a fishing village, now a very luxurious marina, and have dinner at a restaurant on the beach. If you want to try traditional Spanish tapas (usually a side dish such as bacon, Paella rice, olives… with each plate as small as the palm of your hand), you can visit Can Paixano (Address: 7 Carrer de la Reina Cristina, 08003 Barcelona).

10:00 PM

I don’t know if you have the strength to continue playing. If you still have and want to learn about Barcelona bars, there is no better place than the Port Olímpic area with dozens of bars close together facing the sea. Do not forget to enjoy the typical fruit wine Sangria.

A busy day out has come to an end. Have a great time in Barcelona!

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, from and to Barcelona you can refer to

• Aerobus BCN – Shuttle Bus Transfers Between El Prat Airport (BCN) and Barcelona City Center
• Private Barcelona El Prat Airport (BCN) Transfers for Barcelona
• Official Barcelona Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
• Barcelona Hop-On Hop-Off Bus City Tour
• Hola Barcelona Travel Card
• Montserrat Half or Full Day Tour from Barcelona
• Girona Half Day Guided Tour from Barcelona
• Park Güell Ticket in Barcelona
• Barça Football Club – Camp Nou Experience Tour Tickets in Barcelona
• Sagrada Familia Fast Track Ticket in Barcelona
• 4G SIM Card (Barcelona Pick Up) for Europe
• Barcelona City Card & Express Card
• iVenture Barcelona Flexi Attractions Pass

Are you looking for more top things to do in Barcelona: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Let’s check it out here. And Barcelona travel guide here: How to get around Barcelona cheap?. And Barcelona travel blog — The fullest Barcelona travel guide blog for a great budget trip for the first-timers.