Activities in barcelona spain: Barcelona Travel Guide & Tips

Barcelona Travel Guide & Tips

Skip to main content

EuropeChevron

SpainChevron

CataloniaChevron

BarcelonaChevron

Barcelona is first and foremost the capital of Catalonia, a proudly autonomous region that periodically attempts to break up with Spain. You’ll hear Catalan in the streets, and find the work of hometown icons like Miró and Gaudí in museums and along the Passeig de Gràcia. It can be a late-night party town, but Barcelona still nails a tranquil sort of time travel, as you walk the lanes of its Gothic quarter or sip a cava with a saucer of anchovies in an old-school pintxos bar.

Plan Your Barcelona Trip

The Ideal Way to Spend a Weekend in Barcelona Is At a Vermouth Bar

The classic Catalonian ritual is more popular than ever.

Gaudí in Barcelona: Our Guide

Here’s what to see, and, most importantly, how to hack your way in ahead of the crowds.

Featured 

23 Best Things to Do in Barcelona

Our to-do list for this city is as plentiful as its sunny days.

13 Photos That Will Make You Want to Visit Barcelona

In Gaudí we trust.

14 Beautiful Spanish Beach Towns to Dream About this Summer

They have fortresses, pintxos, and beaches for days.

33 Best Hotels in Barcelona

From plush boutique hotels to grandes dames that have stood the test of time, here’s where to stay.

  • 15 Best Beaches in Barcelona

    Our favorite stretches of sand and surf in and around the Catalonian capital.

  • Best Things to Do With Kids in Barcelona

    There’s loads to keep kids engaged and off the iPad, whether they’re into soccer, science, animals or ice cream.

  • 14 Best Museums in Barcelona

    The Catalan capital is overflowing with cultural attractions.

  • Where to Shop in Barcelona

    This rundown of the retail scene will guide you through the must-dos, from the locals’ favorite deli to discounted designer labels

  • 6 Best Day Trips from Barcelona

    Short getaways from the Catalan capital that are easy to fit into a visit.

The Best Airbnbs in Barcelona

From hip Sant Antoni to the historic Gothic Quarter.

  • 34 Best Restaurants in Barcelona

    Few cities in the world can rival this dining scene, where even humble tapas bars have Michelin stars.

  • 21 Best Bars in Barcelona

    Whatever your mood, this city has a bar for you.

  • 16 Best Tapas Bars in Barcelona

    From old-school neighborhood dives to concepts from Michelin-star chefs—these tapas spots are a must.

  • 14 Best Wine Bars in Barcelona

    Essential information, really.

A Day in Barcelona

There are many reasons that sultry, colorful Barcelona is one of the world’s most beloved cities. From pintxos to art to the beach, get the vibe of a day spent in the iconic capital of Catalonia.

More from Barcelona

In Barcelona, a New Wave of Businesses Is Drawing Visitors Beyond the City Center

A buzz has returned to this cool coastal city, percolating through progressive eateries and stylish boutiques in its emerging enclaves.

The World’s 50 Best Bars Have Been Named—and the Winner Is Hidden in a Barcelona Deli

Discerning drinkers, ready yourselves—the best bars in the world have been announced. Did your favorite make the cut?

My Favorite Airbnb: An Airy Barcelona Apartment With Double Balconies and Lots of Light

Located in central Barcelona, the rental is a perfect launch pad for sightseeing and tapas tasting.

In Barcelona, the Applause Starts at 8 p.m.

Quarantined in Barcelona, one writer shares the new daily ritual that gives her hope.

12 Days of Deals: U.S. to Barcelona from $230 Round-Trip

Fares to Europe are almost never this low—don’t miss out.

Six-Day-Long Spanish Taxi Strike Ends

Road blocks have cleared across the country.

You Can’t Use Uber in Barcelona Right Now

Both the ride-hailing giant and Cabify have suspended service after protests by taxi drivers turned violent.

The Loneliness of the American Soccer Fan

The World Cup makes us all global citizens—but for this father and his son, it all starts with Messi.

We Planned Your Next Trip to Barcelona: Travelogue Podcast

There’s so much more to the city than the Sagrada Família—but you should totally still go there, too.

The Essential Things to Know Before You Visit Barcelona

Follow these tips, and you may even be mistaken for a local.

Flight Deal: New York to Barcelona from $399 Round-Trip

And there are no hidden fees. 🙌

New High-Speed, Low-Cost Train Will Connect Madrid and Barcelona in 2019

And it’s not “low cost” in the “makes you feel like you’re in a cattle car” kind of way.

12 Days of Travel: New York to Barcelona from $473 Round-Trip

Kick off spring in the Catalonian capital.

After Cambrils and Barcelona Terror Attacks, What to Know If You’re Traveling to Spain

Two attacks in 24 hours have left residents and visitors rattled.

A 40-Course Meal at Enigma, Barcelona’s Most Secretive Restaurant

Three years ago, Ferran Adrià described his vision for the restaurant as a culinary amusement park.

  • Rome Travel Guide

    The world’s greatest outdoor museum

  • Venice Travel Guide

    Trust us, you’ll want to get lost

  • Madrid Travel Guide

    Barcelona’s big rival has its mojo back

  • Lisbon Travel Guide

    Tiles, tiles, tiles

  • Florence Travel Guide

    There’s a new renaissance in town

  • Edinburgh Travel Guide

    More than just Fringe

  • Dublin Travel Guide

    One river—one thousand pubs

  • Copenhagen Travel Guide

    A Michelin-starred fairytale

  • Europe Travel Guide

  • Berlin Travel Guide

    Who needs sleep anyway?

  • Amsterdam Travel Guide

    The other canal city

  • Paris Travel Guide

    Have the best trip imaginable in the City of Lights

  • London Travel Guide

    Where the pubs are as old as the monuments

  • Secret Italy

    Our March issue is a collection of off-the-A1 detours, happy accidents, deeply personal accounts, and hidden gems you won’t find anywhere else, culled from the editors, contributors, expats, designers, and friends we trust the most. Our hope is to arm you with just enough found-only-here juicy tidbits to allow you to get lost and find your own. —Pilar Guzmán

Moco Museum Barcelona — Museum Review | Condé Nast Traveler

Zoom out. What’s this place all about?

A hot-pink logo. A giant sculpture of a Smurf posing like Frankenstein’s monster in the courtyard. And a mirrored room where hundreds of dangling diamonds change color as you walk inside. Have you got all of that? Moco Museum is a riot–of colors, of styles, of pushing artistic boundaries. Mainly, of joy. It may be next door to the Picasso Museum, but you’re about as far away from Picasso’s melancholic blue period as you can get.

A museum’s permanent collection is its defining feature: How was this one? 

Younger sister of the original Moco Museum in Amsterdam, the name–a snappy portmanteau of modern and contemporary–gives you an idea of the collection’s genre. In truth, the cliché of “expect the unexpected” runs true. There’s a room of Banksys. Talking-point pieces by Damien Hirst and Salvador Dalí sit alongside chuckle-inducing satirical wall quotes. Andy Warhol pops up; photography by David LaChapelle; a lot of KAWS–he of Smurf courtyard fame. And possibly some new-discovery names to add to your iPhone Notes, such as the beautifully macabre oil paintings of Chile’s Guillermo Lorca, which are part-fairytale, part-horror story.

Exhibits keep us coming back. What can we expect? 

Wherever you stand on NFTS – that they’re the future, a fad, or maybe your brain is still detangling the mere concept–you’ll find Europe’s first exhibition made up solely of them.

What did you make of the crowd?

The majority crowd is young, cool and scene-y: wearing outfits intentionally curated for the visit, with bodies contorted into angles to snap the best social-media content. After all, aesthetic impact is kind of the point of this place. Don’t be fooled though; museumgoers are very much here for the art. Discussions with animated hand gestures try to unpick what’s on the walls, while many works provoke a long-linger.

On the practical tip, how were the facilities? 

Moco is small but convenient: there’s an elevator and a locker for luggage. The route follows a one-way system over several floors, so make sure you’ve really digested a piece before moving onto the next section.

Any guided tours worth trying?  

You can listen to a free audio tour on your smartphone: scan a QR code and enter your email address to sign up as a Moco member.

Gift shop: obligatory, inspiring—or skip it?  

You walk past the shop as you enter, and there’s no denying that it looks very, very tempting. A neon signs gleams, “In art we trust”, and the minimal edit – with a few pieces carefully curated on white shelving–is more fashion boutique than fodder aimed at school kids. What will make your credit card twitch? Skateboards and baseball caps, tote bags with feminist slogans, and change-inspiring non-fiction books. Judging by the volume of Moco-branded bags you see outside, the shop knows its people.

Is the café worth a stop?

There’s no café, but there’s no point wasting art space on one with so many eateries close-by. For a sugar livener, get a warm cinnamon bun from Demasié. For tapas and wine, try El Xampanyet, opposite, or Bar Brutal, two minutes’ walk away.

Any advice for the time- or attention-challenged?

Here’s the thing: you cannot be bored here. Even if you hit 10,000 steps by lunchtime, Moco’s fluorescent, lively, reaction-provoking collection is a guaranteed perk-you-up. Yes, even if you’ve been known to yawn at the word “museum”. One last hack: tickets for time slots before 11am and after 6pm are cheaper.

Various events in Barcelona: Index of all events in Barcelona. Events in Barcelona by Category

Page Content

This page contains information about all major events that will take place in Barcelona this calendar year. Follow the links to learn more about each of these events.

>

There is always something going on in Barcelona – holidays, sporting events, music events and trade shows. When going to Barcelona, ​​it is worth finding out what interesting things will happen in the city at this time. You might want to buy tickets for something interesting. Or, conversely, do not want to go during certain events. For example, if you travel to Barcelona during the Sonar Music Festival, you will find that the prices of hotels and apartments rise as the demand for them rises.

Religious holidays and public holidays in Barcelona

For a complete list of religious holidays in Barcelona, ​​see our article on holidays, festivals and celebrations. The following holidays are worth noting:

07 April 2023 – 10 April 2023: Easter weekend (see Easter weekend schedule for details).

April 23: Fiesta Sant Jordi (St. George’s Day) – the Catalan equivalent of Valentine’s Day (see the article about the Sant Jordi festival for more details).

June 23 – June 24: Sant Joan – summer solstice (see the article about Sant Joan festival for more details).

August – Gràcia festival. The streets of Gràcia are decorated with appropriate decorations, and the whole area turns into one big party.

September 24: La Mercè Fiesta (see the La Mercè festival article for more details).

December 08: Immaculate Conception Day (see more details in the article about the celebration of the Immaculate Conception Day).

December 08 – January 06: Christmas holiday period. The article on Christmas traditions in Barcelona has information on what events take place in the city, as well as links to articles detailing the various festivities during the Christmas period.

Sports events in Barcelona

March 19, 2023: Barcelona Marathon 2023 (see the Barcelona Marathon article for more details).

02 June 2023 – 04 June 2023: Formula One Grand Prix

December 31, : Barcelona 10k race (see our FAQ for details).

Music events in Barcelona

01 June 2023 – 03 June 2023: Primavera Sound Festival (see Primavera Sound Festival article for more details).

15, 16, 17 June 2023: Sonar Electronic Music Festival (see the Sonar festival article for more details).

September 24: La Mercè Festival (see Religious Holidays above).

Event date to be confirmed: Barcelona Jazz Festival (see Barcelona Jazz Festival article for details).

This page contains information about all major events that will take place in Barcelona this calendar year. For more information about the events that will take place in the city during your visit, see the official page of the Barcelona Tourist Office.

Barcelona is a city where life is always in full swing. Before the trip, check what will be interesting in the city, and you may be in for a pleasant surprise.

Events in Spain | spain.info

All plans for you

none
none
Balearic Islands
none

Calendar of events

Enjoy Spring in Spain

Calendar of events

Must visit places in Spain in 2023

Sports and adventure

Balearic Islands: territory of sports in spring

Arts and culture

Journey to discover holidays related to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

More than busy calendar

Spain is interesting at any time of the year. Throughout the year you will find cultural and sporting events worth visiting, or interesting and fun holidays. Use the new search option to find upcoming interesting events and events according to your theme, date and location. Exhibitions, festivals, sports competitions… What would you prefer? There are always many interesting plans waiting for you in Spain

NOW IN SPAIN

Attend the best events

Find out what’s in store for you in the coming dates if you plan to visit.

10
May

May 10, 2023 – May 15, 2023

Titirimundi, International Puppet Theater Festival

Segovia
Festival

16
Feb.

February 16, 2023 – June 18, 2023

Open Creation and Its Enemies: Asger Jorn and Situationism

Valencia
Exhibition

24
Apr.

24 April 2023 – 07 May 2023

Tennis: Madrid Open tournament

Madrid
Sport

15
Apr.

April 15, 2023 – April 16, 2024

Anniversary year of the monastery of St. Toribio in Lieban 2023–2024

special event

04
May

May 04, 2023 – May 06, 2023

Transvulcania: ultra mountain running

Llanos de Aridane, Los
Sport

01
May

01 May 2023 – 05 May 2023

Santisima Vera Cruz

Caravaca de la Cruz
Holiday

SEARCH

Find our holidays and events

Festivals, exhibitions, sporting events.