Have you decided to go on a short getaway to Barcelona and now have two days to get to know the city? It’s not large but it’s not small either, and it’s very comfortable to get around thanks to its public transport network. With the Hola Barcelona Travel Card you will enjoy unlimited trips on Barcelona public transport for two consecutive days (48h) from the first validation.
There are many places to see and enjoy, according to the interests of each visitor. The Modernista Route, the beaches, the museums, the Old Town, the Barça stadium and emblematic places to relax and enjoy panoramic views of the city. Plan your visit, there are interesting public and tourist transport options that will allow you to get to know its neighbourhoods from end to end. Check out the guide to see Barcelona in two days, a city that will make you come back.
1. The old and maritime Barcelona
Put on comfortable shoes and grab your Hola Barcelona Travel Card, the individual ticket that lets you use, as many times as you want, the metro, bus (TMB), railroad (FGC, zone one), the Montjuïc funicular and the tram (TRAM). This will let you get around like a local. The nerve centre awaits you: Plaza de Cataluña and La Rambla. Go into the Boquería market and buy some fruit, head towards the cathedral and get lost in the alleys of the Call (the Jewish Quarter).
Cross the Via Laietana and admire the imposing Basilica of Santa María del Mar, the only religious building financed and built by civilians: the old artisan guilds of the Ribera neighbourhood. Take a deep breath and go up to the bell tower—from its roof you can see the Born neighbourhood, the towers of the Cathedral, the church of Santa Anna, the port, and the Barceloneta. Rest in one of the restaurants in the area or visit the beaches of the Barceloneta.
If you have to go back to the centre, you will do well to download the free TMB application to plan your routes and transfers and get everywhere you want to go.
2. Barcelona from Montjuïc
The mountain of Montjuïc holds many surprises for its visitors. Check how to get there and what to see. To start enjoying it, get on the Montjuïc Cable Car, you’ll have a comfortable bird’s eye view of the city from its cabins. You can also arrive by funicular from the Paral·lel metro stop (L2/L3). Check how to get around by bus and metro.
Once you reach the mountain, look for the Mirador del Alcalde or enter the walls of the Montjuïc castle to admire one of the best views of the Barcelona coastline.
You can also visit the Olympic Ring, where the 1992 Olympic Games took place, and which contains the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium and the Palau Sant Jordi, designed by Arata Isozaki, as well as the telecommunications tower designed by Santiago Calatrava. If you enjoy delving into sports history, you can visit the Joan Antoni Samaranch Olympic and Sports Museum. Once you’ve finished the tour, rest while having a snack in the Poble Espanyol.
If you visit the city in spring and you’re a nature lover, we recommend going into the Botanical Garden. Inside, a great variety of species, views and wonderful spots to rest await you.
3. The most stately Barcelona
The blue route of the Barcelona Bus Turístic lets you get to know the most stately Barcelona. Check its stops and plan your visit. Don’t leave the city without having walked around the square blocks of the Eixample, designed by the visionary engineer Ildefons Cerdà in 1860.
See the Modernism and architecture of the most bourgeois neighbourhood, which has made the city famous. Walk up one sidewalk of the Paseo de Gracia to the Gracia neighbourhood and walk back down the other. By doing this, you won’t miss any of the most emblematic buildings: the Casa Batlló, the Pedrera or the Casa Ametller.
The Eixample is also where the imposing modernist compound of Sant Pau and the Sagrada Familia can be found. Book your visit to this monument in advance before tickets sell out. Move around this large area of Barcelona with the Hola Barcelona Travel Card. You can purchase it from home in advance with a 10% discount.
3. The Barcelona of the mountains: Park Güell
The upper part of Barcelona has many attractions, from the panoramic views offered by the great square of the Park Güell designed by Antoni Gaudí, to the Tibidabo mountain.
The park occupies an area of 17 hectares, part of which can be visited for free, but if you want to fully enjoy this architectural marvel, we recommend that you book your ticket in advance.
The same Barcelona Bus Turístic that brings you close to the Park Güell also takes you to the Gracia neighbourhood. If you like to walk around, we recommend a tour of this neighbourhood, which is very popular among the locals and known for its August festivities. In its narrow streets you’ll discover small shops, some of them artisan, bars with the widest gastronomic offer you can imagine, and terraces on small squares.
4. The Barcelona of Barça
There’s a visit football fans cannot miss: the Futbol Club Barcelona stadium. You can get there in comfort with the Barcelona Bus Turístic. Feel the excitement of setting foot on the stadium of one of the best football teams in the world, and review the history of its successes and its players in the Barça Museum.
If you get there with time to spare, very close to the Camp Nou are the Pedralbes Gardens, a former royal residence, where you can go for a stately walk and experience how kings and counts used to live in the city.
