Day 1: Barcelona in 24 Hours
Sagrada Família & Eixample
Start at La Sagrada Família (€26 with tower, book online weeks ahead). Gaudí's unfinished masterpiece has been under construction since 1882 and the interior, with its forest-like columns and kaleidoscopic stained glass, is one of the most extraordinary spaces on Earth. Walk through the Eixample neighbourhood afterwards, where the grid of chamfered blocks is lined with Modernista buildings.
Gothic Quarter & La Boqueria
Metro to the Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter), a maze of medieval lanes, hidden plazas, and the 13th-century Cathedral of Barcelona (free, rooftop €9). Walk through Plaça Reial, Barcelona's most elegant square with Gaudí-designed lampposts. Lunch at La Boqueria market on La Rambla: fresh fruit smoothies (€3), jamón ibérico (€5 a plate), and seafood paella at a market stall bar (€10–14).
Barceloneta Beach & El Born Nightlife
Walk down to Barceloneta beach, where the promenade, seafood restaurants, and Mediterranean sunset are quintessential Barcelona. Grab patatas bravas and a caña at a chiringuito (beach bar). Then head to El Born, the neighbourhood centred on Passeig del Born, packed with cocktail bars, tapas restaurants, and small clubs. Try Paradiso (hidden behind a pastrami bar fridge door, a top 50 world bar).
