24 hours in Barcelona

The morning
Start off early to avoid the crowds and down a coffee with fresh pastries (that look like a work of art) at Pastisseria Escribà (La Rambla, 83) in the heart of Barcelona’s gothic neighbourhood. Then, after wiping the sugar off your lips, spend a morning admiring the creations of one of Barcelona’s favourite sons, architect Antoni Gaudi. His work looks like he might have had a few magic mushrooms before he put pen to paper. First, visit his unfinished cathedral, La Sagrada Familia. Take the elevator up one of the spires for incredible views over the city, but be warned you’ll have to walk all the way down.  

Then, a 20-minute walk away is the immense and creative open-air Park Güell, where Gaudi added landscape architect to his CV. There are undulating walls, mosaics, huge lizards, miniature houses. It’s like an alternate Disneyland – without the rides. Best to book tickets ahead of time as it’s hugely popular.  

For lunch

Take the L3 metro line (just a short walk from the park) to Barcelona’s largest and most famous food hall, La Boqueria (La Rambla, 91). Buy a selection of food from the local stalls and walk down to the water (10 mins) or head to the small tapas bar in the middle of it all, El Quim de la Boqueria. Try a selection of small dishes, but don’t forget to add in the house special of house special of fried eggs with baby squid.

The afternoon
Get a modern art hit and walk off lunch with a 10-minute stroll to Museu Picasso (Career Montcada 15-23) to see over 4,200 pieces of work by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

From there, take the V17 bus straight up to El Bunkers Del Carmel (Carrer de Marià Labèrnia) for incredible views over the whole of Barcelona. The bunkers date back to the Spanish Civil War in the first part of the 19th-century and they are now an insanely popular place to get the perfect snap of the city.