The Insider’s Guide to Barcelona

Ever wish you could text the most stylish people in the world to ask them for their lists of things to do in the places they know best? Here are insider travel tips for those who would never be caught dead in a tourist trap. Bon voyage!

You could argue that, like most popular cities, there are two Barcelonas: the one that is calculatedly catered to tourists and the one inhabited by locals. The one meant for visitors includes plenty of the basic delights that distinguish this metropolis from others in Spain—any first timer shouldn’t miss out on Antoni Gaudi’s masterpieces, like the Sagrada Familia cathedral, La Pedrera (a residential building where you can visit an apartment), or the intricately-layered Parc Guell. Those willing to dig a bit deeper, however, would be wise to amble far and wide and try to discern the signs written in the local Catalan language.

Who

We talked to three Catalans and one foreign resident to hear their personal insights and recommendations: Clara Griffiths, founder and creative director of Instagram restaurant guide The Origin of Food; Ariana Diaz Celma, founder and CEO of lifestyle & culture online magazine and agency Good2Be; Tomas Oliva, publicist and creative director for Curated By Collective; and Saul Taylor, founder and editor in chief for online platform Sablos, a new international travel magazine that speaks to the world’s most inspiring people about the places they love in the cities they live.

What

What to Leave Behind

Clara thinks big hats look great in photos of attendees at Ascot or a royal wedding—less so on the streets of a very sunny coastal city that has eschewed the beach aesthetic for decades. Barceloneses rarely set foot on their own beach and scorn at office colleagues who dare come in to work in flip flops. Hawaiian shirts don’t make the cut either.

What to Keep in Mind

Catalans differ from the rest of Spaniards for their polite and restrained demeanor. Familiarize yourself with some common Catalan phrases like seny i rauxa (sense and reason) which define the Catalan character, or bon dia (good morning), fins aviat (see you later), m’agrada molt (I like it a lot) or Deu ni do, which is a common expression for many things, good or bad, like when Italians say “Mamma mia!”

Don’t rent a car. Walking is a great way to discover the city, and there’s a solid network of subway trains, buses and trams, ride-sharing apps, and bike rentals. Considering that Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in Europe, you should be mindful of pickpockets, especially in the old Gothic quarter. Keep handbags and wallets safe when gawking at the gargoyles above, and don’t just sling bags on the backs of chairs while enjoying a coffee: place them on your lap instead.

Where

Where to Stay

Well-curated events, chef pop-ups, and DJ sets in hotels like the Libertine Bar in Casa Bonay have become part of the cultural fabric in Barcelona, and Clara and Ariana have been involved in events at Hotel Brummell, The Wittmore, Hotel Neri, Hotel Pulitzer and Gran Hotel La Florida.

While these are at the top of the list when it comes to hip boutique experiences, Tomas appreciates luxury and can rely on finding it at The Majestic or the Hotel Claris.

Even locals sometimes pop into the classic El Palace Hotel for Sunday breakfast or a dry martini in the lounge; the hotel’s gastronomic seafood restaurant, Amar, has one of the best snacks known to mankind: caviar-topped brioche.

Where to Start the Day

You are more likely to run into Catalans at breakfast rather than dinner, and between morning and midday is when the city’s bars and cafés are at their peak, serving mainly entrepans (baguette sandwiches) slathered with tomato and olive oil and stuffed with sliced cured meats like the local fuet sausage, jamon ibérico, or a grilled butifarra sausage with roasted green peppers. (The slender version of this sandwich is called a flauta (flute). Tomas loves unfussy, traditional spots like Granja Vendrell. Griffiths swears by breakfast bars like La Camila, Lauria 2 or Bar Bocata.

Specialty coffee houses like El Magnifico, Nomad and Syra have become popular, as have American-style brunch spots thanks to Barcelona’s expat crowd: There’s no shortage of eggs benedict, pink lemonade, or pancakes at Picnic and Lulu and Flynn in El Born, or all along the Paseo San Juan.

Where to Eat

Barcelona was the Spanish city that combined modernist cuisine techniques with everyday tapas, under the influence of the legendary chef Ferran Adrià, who ran the restaurant El Bulli. That desire to innovate continues — Disfrutar made it to the top of the The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2024; Enigma is another descendent of Adrià’s pioneering cuisine.

There’s also been a new wave of chefs who are going back to basics, rescuing traditional stews like cap i pota (snout and trotters) and mandonguilles amb sepia (meatballs with cuttlefish) from their grandmother’s recipe books—places like Granja Elena, Suru Bar, Hijos de Javier, and Bar El Pollo have managed to win a trendy and loyal following of gourmands. Ariana and Clara are devoted fans of the latter’s Spanish omelette, known here as tortilla de patata.

Tomas insists everyone visit the iconic Flash Flash, a restaurant opened by Leopoldo Pomés—one of the city’s most respected creative directors—and order the bun-less burger minced with capers.

Other standouts include Ultramarinos Marin, which Griffiths loves for its simplicity. Alkimia, by chef Jordi Vila, is considered by a vast majority to be the finest representation of modern Catalan cuisine; Caelis does a good job of meeting expectations of a Michelin-starred experience; and Koy Shunka offers an exceptional fusion of Japanese-Mediterranean food under the guidance of Hideki Matsuhisa.

Other restaurants that have found the sweet spot between haute experimentation and local comfort food are Coure, Hisop, Gresca, Nairod, Taberna Noroeste, Monocrom, Teoric Taverna Gastronomica and Deliri.

Spain is famous for preserved goods you can pack in a suitcase to bring home for friends and loved ones. Sadly, the famous Boquería market is not what it once was, with most stalls selling mediocre deep fried sea food, fruit smoothies, and too many vacuum sealed packets of jamon for undiscerning tourists. Look instead for fresh Mediterranean food bars like El Quim de la Boquería and Kiosko Universal. Griffiths splurges at 248 Colmado and El Born’s La Ribera, which has been serving delicacies like salted cod and a wide array of tinned seafood since 1941.

Where to Shop

Barcelona is a proud city of merchants and creators. Tomas recommends visiting one of the many famous espadrille shops like La Manual Alpargatera on Calle Avinyó to pick out a pair of the canvas slip-ons favored by fishermen and payeses (countryside folk).

Saul is a fan of the local brand Arrels, a swimwear company whose motto is “Let’s ‘summerize’ the world together!” He thinks of Santa Eulalia as “one of the world’s best multibrand stores” for its formidable selection of designers. Clara prefers the thrill of finding a unique dress at the Muy Fragil concept store that shares its space with exquisite vintage fashion curators Los Feliz, run by her friends Tirsa and Nadia.

Flea Market Barcelona is great for strolling among locals and picking up a bargain or two. Ari also moonlights as a DJ, preferring vinyl only, and regularly visits Discos Paradiso or Wah Wah Records for the latest in rare grooves and avant-garde electronica. She also lives in a beautifully decorated apartment, thanks to her scores in shops like Les Eines. For those in need of something to read, Clara recommends book shops Finestres and Terranova. And if you’re a sneakerhead, Si Vas Descalzo has made its mark in the international scene thanks to limited edition models.

Photography aficionados can find shops like the Lomography Gallery Store, which sells dated film rolls for authentic vintage textures. And if custom-made fragrances tickle your fancy, siblings Sara and Joaquim Carner have been creating unforgettable perfumes since 2010, available to buy at their shop, Carner.

Where to Look at Art

Ari says “The Trafalgar street area has slowly become a hotspot for galleries such as Senda, Dilálica and Bombón Projects. A ten-minute walk away you have Foto Colectania, a gallery specializing in photography.”

Tomas and Clara love the Fundacion Joan Miró up on Montjuic, which Tomas says is “worth visiting for the building alone.” Oliva thinks the Disseny Hub in the Glorias area is a great space to discover local Catalan design throughout the years.

The Picasso Museum packs in so many of his eras that it’s impossible not to come out feeling you knew the man like a close relative, and only two doors down there’s the recently inaugurated Moco Museum Barcelona. Another recent addition to the city is the Museum of Forbidden Art, which shows works that were once censored, prohibited, or denounced.

Where to Unwind and Get Some Fresh Air

If you make it all the way up to the Miró Museum, you might as well enjoy walking around some of the parks surrounding the Olympic Stadium and taking in views of the city. A recent addition to Barcelona’s urban landscape is the superilles, pedestrian-only areas where people can stroll or sit down to read. For those in need of intense workouts, Clara recommends exercising at Primal Moves Barcelona, then taking an invigorating ice bath. She and Ari both swim at Club de Natación de Barcelona, which is for members only, but their paddle surf rentals are open to the general public.

Where to Have a Cocktail

Even though Barcelona can brag about having two of the top rated bars in the world, Paradiso and Sips, most locals prefer classic staples like Boadas, Ideal or Tandem, where the mixology doesn’t stray far from classic recipes.

Clara loves a Moscow Mule at L’Ascensor, and Ari has been impressed by the Sips team’s latest opening, Esencia, which functions like a speakeasy. Tomas adds that Oblicuo Hi-Fi Bar mixes two of his passions—really good music and a well thought-out cocktail list.

Barcelona is also becoming a natural wine capital thanks to local wine makers and sensationally stocked wine bars like Bar Brutal, Canvis Nous, Massa Vins, Pet Nat, Bar Manifest, Saudade, Bocanariz or Clara’s absolute favorite, L’Anima del Vi.

Where to Stay up Late

Ari recommends La Paloma due to its long history as a nightclub with an old fashioned dance hall. Nitsa Club books international DJs and live acts of different electronic sub-genres every weekend, and is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

For those who prefer to dance in the daytime, there’s the annual Soundit Festival or Brunch Electronik, which has seen renowned artists like Fourtet or Floating Points headline their afternoon sessions. All these clubs are LGBTQ+-friendly, yet the area of the Eixample—also called Gayxample—has a wide variety of queer spaces. The disco bar Candy Darling, located next to the central Plaza de Universidad, has become incredibly popular among the Gen Z crowd, while the Grupo Arena venues appeal to all generations of partygoers.

When

Best Times to Visit

Barcelona is generally sunny, and temperatures rarely drop below the 50s in the winter months, but the summer heat can be oppressive. Late spring and autumn are the best times. There are plenty of cultural happenings, the weather is mild, and there’s more hotel availability.