Barcelona is a city that never stops. It’s brimming with energy, colour, and happiness. It’s also that very rare thing: A city with a great beach… not a man-made beach, a real beach.
The difficulty is, do you need to budget for a city break or a beach break? The answer is a bit of both. Here’s our spending guide, including how many Euros we think you’ll need.
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This reflects what everyday travellers tend to spend in X. Think mid-range - most of the major attractions, a few cab rides, maybe a big night out, and a bit of shopping on the side. It doesn’t include the cost of hotels or car hire as these are often booked in advance.
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Eating out |
Entertainment |
Transport |
Shopping |
€38 |
€40 |
€17 |
€46 |
Want to see where it all goes? Read on!
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La Sagrada FamiliaThe Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family) was Spanish genius Antoni Gaudí’s all-consuming obsession. If you only have time to visit one attraction, it needs to be this. Despite being unfinished, La Sagrada Família is still a sight to behold. If you do want to wait until it’s finished, guesses range between the 2020s to the 2040s! Cost: €15 |
Confirming their reputation as “culture vultures”, the second most popular attraction with WeSwap travellers is Le Pedrera – another Gaudi building. We would say going inside this one is less important as you can see the magic from outside on the street. And without spending a penny, of course.
Museu Picasso is a gallery that houses works from Pablo Picasso’s formative years. You won’t see the abstract cubism of his latter years but in many ways it’s just as thrilling to see his early scetched given the heigts he came to reach.
We’ve popped the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria in entertainment because it is entertainment! Go and grab a seat at this wonderful market and watch the world go by whilst tucking into mouth-watering foods and excellent Cava at great prices. Arrive at 8am because by 10am you won’t get a seat.
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Taller de TapasSituated right on Las Ramblas, some of Taller de Tapas’ popularity has to be attributed to its proximity in the city’s most well-known district. They also do great tapas, which helps. The food is cooked fast and it’s tasty. Always make sure you take guidance from the waiters regarding which options are the best, and how much to buy. Cost: €14 |
Situated right on Las Ramblas, some of Taller de Tapas’ popularity has to be attributed to its proximity in the city’s most well-known district. They also do great tapas, which helps. The food is cooked fast and it’s tasty. Always make sure you take guidance from the waiters regarding which options are the best, and how much to buy.
Everyone knows that Barcelona is a party town. Opium is one of the biggest nightclubs in the city. It is right next to the Marina and virtually on the beach so you wouldn’t expect it to be cheap, and it’s not cheap. Don’t go before 2am – it’ll be virtually empty apart from other tourists who didn’t get the memo!
Right on the edge of the Raval neighbourhood is Teresa Carles, an exceptional restaurant that specialises in vegetarian food. It’s nice to get respite from meaty tapas and this is the perfect solution. The prices are super reasonable for what is likely to be the best healthy nosh that you’ll eat all year.
Cocktail with a view: Yurbban Trafalgar RoofTop. There are some great rooftop bars in Barcelona and this is one of several that we could have picked. Sure, it’s not the biggest, but what it lacks for in size, it compensates for with an incredible 360 panorama view. There’s live music on a Friday and Saturday night and it closes at 23:00 so make this your first call on a night out.
One of the best spots in Gràcia for live music and a good night out, Heliogàbal, sprang up in 1995 to provide a platform for the development and promotion of arts and cultural activities in the barrio. Gracia is an awesome area to go on a night out – there’s something in the air. People go out late and finish drinking late too. Don’t worry, they also stay in bed late!
The best way to get around Barcelona is by Metro as it’s probably just a little bit big to negotiate on foot. The underground trains are super-reliable, colour coded and easy to understand. Better still, they weave around pretty much anywhere you might need to go. Unfortunately, the only place it doesn’t go to is the airport so a bus or a cab are your two options there.
It doesn’t get the same level of press as Paris, Rome, London or even Madrid – but Barcelona is amongst Europe’s top cities for fashion and you can find most of the mainstream stores and no shortage of designer outlets.
Bargain-hunters should time their visits for one (at least) of the biannual sales. The winter sales start around 6 January until end of February and the summer sale lasts from mid-June to the end of August (pretty much all summer). Fantastic bargains can be had with generally up to 50% discount and sometimes 75%.
The best shopping areas in central Barcelona are Passeig de Gracia and the streets to its southwest, the Barri Gotic streets such as Carrer de la Portaferrissa, Carrer de la Boqueria, and Carrer de Ferran, and around Placa de Sant Josep Oriol.
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This article is part of our Spending Money Guide Series: The WeSwap community spent upwards of £38 million around the world last year. That works out at roughly 1.2 transactions every minute. We’ve taken that data, crunched it and created a series of travel money spending guides, based on how actual travellers travel and spend abroad. As well as great destination guides and travel money we also now offer Travel Insurance & Money Transfers. Join WeSwap today and travel happy.
Updated 22/02/17
