Walking routes · Barcelona, Spain
Walking routes in Barcelona
Barcelona splits cleanly into two walks. The old city below Plaça de Catalunya is medieval, flat and best done on foot; the Eixample above it is a 19th-century grid where the Gaudí buildings sit a deliberate distance apart. Trying to do both in one day is the mistake — the routes below treat them as separate afternoons.
The Canaletes fountain, the Boqueria market, Gaudí's first palace, the white museum of contemporary art and the oldest church in the city.
Font de Canaletes · La Boqueria · Palau Güell · MACBA · Sant Pau del Camp
The Venetian towers, the magic fountain, the national art museum's Romanesque murals and terrace, and Miró's own foundation on the hill.
Plaça d'Espanya · Magic Fountain · MNAC · Fundació Joan Miró
The houses Gaudí's rivals built on the same streets: Domènech's Casa Lleó Morera, Puig i Cadafalch's Casa Amatller, the Tàpies foundation, a narrow Gothic palace and the House of Spikes.
Casa Lleó Morera · Casa Amatller · Fundació Antoni Tàpies · Palau del Baró de Quadras · Casa de les Punxes
Plaça de Catalunya down through the medieval core to El Born and out at the beach.
Plaça de Catalunya · Catedral de Barcelona · Plaça del Rei · Santa Maria del Mar · El Born Centre de Cultura · Barceloneta Beach
Two Passeig de Gràcia houses, the basilica, then the metro up to Park Güell and down to Casa Vicens.
Casa Batlló · Casa Milà (La Pedrera) · Sagrada Família · Park Güell · Casa Vicens
The concert hall of stained glass, the modernista hospital, lunch in Gràcia's squares and sunset from the civil-war gun battery on the hill.
Palau de la Música Catalana · Hospital de Sant Pau · Plaça del Sol · Plaça de la Virreina · Bunkers del Carmel
The old fishermen's quarter, the city's beaches, the Olympic marina under Gehry's fish and the old factory district now full of design studios.
Port Vell · Barceloneta · Barceloneta Beach · Port Olímpic · Bogatell Beach · Rambla del Poblenou · Torre Glòries
Park Güell at opening, the Sagrada Família, both Passeig de Gràcia houses, the Boqueria, the old town and the beach by dusk.
Park Güell · Sagrada Família · Casa Milà (La Pedrera) · Casa Batlló · La Boqueria · Catedral de Barcelona · Picasso Museum · Santa Maria del Mar · Barceloneta Beach
Planning the rest of the trip
These routes cover the walking. The Barcelona guide has where to stay, what a day costs at each tier, and what to book before you go.