A Perfect 24 Hours in Barcelona

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Greetings Internet Stranger and welcome to 24 hours in Barcelona! I’m excited to take you through 24 hours in Barcelona, Spain’s second city. Now, many countries have a heated rivalry between their largest cities and their second-largest cities.

Sometimes there is no contest and the largest city is also clearly the best, like how London is much more exciting than Manchester or New York is a million times better than Los Angeles. (Full disclosure: I am from NYC.)

In some countries the two biggest cities are fairly evenly matched in quality, like Toronto and Montreal. (I might be risking getting some angry emails from the notoriously belligerent Canadians on that one.)

But Spain is one of those special nations whose main tourist capital is its second city: Barcelona. Madrid is a wonderful city, but if you ask most foreigners which Spanish city has their heart, the answer will probably be Barcelona.

I hope to take you on a journey of all the best things Catalonia’s capital has to offer. A Perfect 24 Hours in Barcelona will include oodles of delicious food, art, architecture, and a giant cat. (I promise to keep you safe from that last one.)

24 Hours in Barcelona

Where to Stay?

Barcelona regulates the tourist industry pretty carefully. So most of the hotels are in the “tourist neighborhood” near La Rambla. I was on a tight budget in Barcelona, so I enjoyed my stay at the Hostal Portugal.

There was free wifi, a private bathroom, and the location was perfect. But I’m sure you would enjoy any hotel with good reviews in the same area, if your budget allows for something more expensive.

If you’d like to join me for a great deal on this hotel, just click here.

And to find thousands of other excellent hotels in Barcelona, click here. This search engine will help you find the perfect place to stay during your day in Barcelona. With plenty of options to choose from, I’m sure you’ll find something for your schedule and budget.

24 Hours in Barcelona

Morning: Explore El Raval

Before you spend the beginning of your 24 hours in Barcelona exploring El Raval, perhaps you’d rather know what El Raval is? Well, look no further, Internet Stranger! El Raval is the historic neighborhood on the western side of the famous street known only as La Rambla.

It is here that you can find markets, contemporary art, mind-blowing architecture, and the wonders of HAM CONE. If you have only 24 hours in Barcelona, you could do worse than to spend it here.

Approximately top 5: El Raval

1) Breakfast at La Boqueria

La Boqueria is possibly the best market in the world. Certainly it is one of the top five markets I have ever been to, and I am including that market I went to in Japan where that lady smeared jam all over my hands.

When the doors of La Boqueria open at 8 AM, you are free to rush in and feast all five of your senses on the tastiest fruits, hams, cheeses, and candies that Barcelona has to offer. At least you can feast three of your senses for free. If you want to touch or taste things, you’re going to have to pay for them.

One of the best things about Hostal Portugal is that it’s right near La Boqueria, so every morning I treated myself to a different fresh fruit juice from one of the fruit sellers in the market. There’s no better way to start a 24 hours in Barcelona.

You can get a terribly tasty treat for 1.5 Euros, although some sellers charge more for the fancier kinds of juice. During my stay in Barcelona, I had mint limeade, blackberry and coconut,

pineapple limeade,

watermelon,

and pitahaya juice, which is made from a kind of cactus fruit.

But juice alone does not make breakfast. You will want something to eat! I recommend that you stop at Bar Pinotxo for a tasty little pastry and cafe au lait. As you can see, it’s just a small counter near the entrance to the market.

Just wait cagily for a seat to be available and then jump on that seat and order. I tried ordering in Spanish, which worked, but there were people around me ordering in English and they didn’t have any trouble.

I suggest you order a xuixo, which is an insanely delicious ball of fried dough covered in sugar and stuffed with custard. That is literally everything a person could want in a pastry

You will be tempted to stay in the market and wander, but don’t! We will come back here later in the day, so resist the temptation for now and scurry off to our next delightful destination.

2) Palau Guell

Most cities have several favored “children”, as it were, men and women whose image and inspiration still permeates the city. In New York City, you could start with Teddy Roosevelt and Fiorello LaGuardia, but you could add many others to the list.

Copenhagen has Kierkegaard and Hans Christian Andersen, and even small St. Paul, Minnesota has Charles Schultz and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Most cities would have trouble picking just one representative of their home.

But in Barcelona, the architect Gaudi stands alone as king. His buildings are the most popular attractions in the city, and it is his vision of the beautiful that has helped make Barcelona what it is today. La Sagrada Familia might be his most famous building, but as an introduction to Gaudi, you could do much worse than the Palau Guell.

This gorgeous concoction is very easy to explore because an informative audio guide is included with the price of admission. The AG told me the Palau was built by Gaudi for wealthy industrialist Eusebi Guell, in a similar manner to the way in which Frank Lloyd Wright built the Robie House for Frederick Robie.

However, unlike the precisely planned Robie House, Palau Guell is a delicious mishmash of almost every architectural style imaginable. Would you like some classical arches? Behold the basement:

How about some Islamic inspired detailing just outside a chapel?

Would you be more interested in a ceiling that is trying to murder you?

We’ve got Medieval stained glass…

and an Art Nouveau fireplace.

Not to mention whatever madness is going on with the roof.

3) Go on the roof of palau guell

Anyone who says that their favorite part of the Palau is something other than the roof is lying. What makes the roof such a special treasure is that it is covered with these amazingly colorful jiggimabobbers.

You can spend hours staring at them and wondering what Gaudi was trying to say. Perhaps here he was trying to say, “There’s a reason Christmas trees are green and not rainbow color.”

24 Hour Tip

Reapply sunscreen before going on the roof. Your shoulders will thank me later.

4: Lunch at La Boqueria

You thought we were done with La Boqueria? Foolish mortal! We will never be done with it! After you explore Palau Guell, it will be time on our 24 hours in Barcelona for lunch.

24 Hour Tip

There’s an excellent food tour of the market.

Check rates and availability by clicking here.

You can always go back to Bar Pinotxo for lunch tapas, but were I you, I would stop by one of the purveyors of jamon and purchase HAM CONE. It will improve your 24 hours in Barcelona, I promise.

What is HAM CONE? HAM CONE is a paper cone filled with ham. You can get it at any stall in La Boqueria that sells ham. Mine was jamon de pata negra, which is why it is so dark. Observe:

La Boqueria is also an excellent place to pick up something sweet. I first stopped by this candy store and bought some pate à fruits.

Then you should stop by the Vicens nougat stand and purchase a “nougat de creme brulee”, which is rich nougat coated with an egg yolk and burnt sugar mixture. I never knew that was something I needed to eat, but now that I’ve tried it, I don’t know how I ever lived without it.

24 Hours in Barcelona

Afternoon: An Art Tour of Barcelona

You might think I am here suggesting a professional tour. Don’t be ridiculous! There’s so much art in the streets and museums of Barna that you won’t need a qualified guide to find the goods. So if you’re in the market for an unqualified guide, by all means follow me. Our 24 hours in Barcelona continues!

Approximately top 5: art of barcelona

1) Visit the CCCB

At this point in the afternoon, it will be nice to get out of the sun and into a museum that stays open fairly late. CCCB sounds vaguely Soviet, but do not worry that the KGB will be waiting for you here. It’s just a contemporary art museum and cultural center with a regularly changing rotation of special exhibitions.

Many of these exhibitions are more political than one expects even at a contemporary art museum, such as one called “Piso Piloto” on the difficulty of creating affordable housing in Barcelona and Medellin, Colombia.

Part of the exhibition was recreations of the kinds of rooms that people could expect to have in poorer neighborhoods. Highly interesting, but not what I expect to see at a contemporary art exhibition.

I would be more expecting diamond-encrusted sharks or a light installation. But maybe this kind of explicitly political work is more in line with what artists who claim to have a social conscience should be doing anyway?

24 Hour Tip

I strongly suggest getting the Barcelona Card if you will spend more than a couple of days in Barcelona. It includes admission to 25 of the best museums in the city, including the CCCB, for much less than what you would pay for each museum individually. I used it myself when I was in Barcelona, and I was very happy with the result.

2) Find some public art

I’m a big believer in taking some time at the end of the day to explore, and El Raval has a number of little square and side streets that make it perfect for wandering. You never know what kind of wonders you will find. I myself met a giant cat…

3) SEE SOME CLASSIC FILMS

I didn’t actually see anything at this cinema because I didn’t have enough time with only 24 hours in Barcelona. But this poster did teach me how to say Dog Day Afternoon in Spanish.

But what is Spanish for, “I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart.”?

4) VISIT THE PLACA DE CATALUNYA

If you get tired, you can walk to the Placa de Catalunya and sit with a book until you are ready for dinner. It’s not far at all.

I can’t guarantee that guy with the hose will still be there, though, so don’t send me angry emails if you don’t see him.

24 Hours in Barcelona

Evening: Dinner at Tickets

Tickets is the brainchild of Ferran Adria and his brother Albert. Ferran Adria made his name at the legendary (and since closed) restaurant elBulli, which was often referred to as the best restaurant in the world.

So you can imagine that Tickets, as another one of his projects, attracts a lot of attention. I spent six weeks traveling in Europe last summer and I ate a lot of amazing food.

But this restaurant was absolutely the best meal I ate all summer. It is almost impossible to get a reservation here, but it is 1000% worth the effort. If you are at all interesting in molecular gastronomy, Spanish cuisine, fine dining, or just having a good time, make booking a ticket (HAHAHAHA) here a priority.

24 HOUR TIP

It is absolutely mandatory that you make reservations online 2 months before you want to dine at the restaurant. They open up availability for one day exactly at midnight two months in advance. Clear your calendar so you can make your reservation exactly at midnight Spain time. You don’t want to miss out!

Please don’t bother ordering off the menu. The waiter will offer to choose a degustation meal for you and I suggest you go with that! The whole meal is expensive, but it is definitely worth it for a once in a lifetime experience. And it costs less than what you’d pay for dinner and a Broadway show, though it is certainly both more delicious and entertaining.

The whole philosophy behind Tickets is that dining should be a creative and playful experience, and that philosophy shines through in each dish because, like an Agatha Christie novel, almost every dish has a special TWIST! Allow me to demonstrate.

24 HOUR TREAT: LIQUID OLIVE

Our meal begins with a liquid olive, which has been Adria’s signature dish since elBulli. The TWIST here is obvious: through the magic of food science, olive juice is turned into something that strongly resembles an actual olive. However, when you bite it, it is so intensely flavored that it tastes like you are eating an olive’s immortal soul.

Next came a candy shell coated sweet cherry served on a little tree which you need to remove with a tiny pair of scissors, watermelon infused with sangria and served with a glass of sangria, and savory purple churros served with horseradish sauce. T

he TWIST here is obviously the cherry that has been put back on the tree and the fact that the churros are purple and not sweet, when normally churros are sweet and kind of beige. Also these churros were so light they seemed like they had been filled with air, whereas regular churros are rather heavy.

Next came a fragrant basil and cheese waffle and an impossibly thin slice of Tickets pizza served with burrata so fresh that it tasted like it just came out of the cows udder.

The TWIST here is that waffles are usually sweet and not green, unless you are Sam I Am and want to have them with green eggs and ham, and pizza is usually not tiny and paper-thin and served with the cheese on the side instead of on top. But this way makes sense because the pizza is crispier if you don’t add the cheese until later.

24 HOUR TREAT: CHEESE AIRBAG

Next came a cheese puff with an airbag inside filled with manchego. I do not know exactly how the process works, but when you bite into this little puff the cheese actually seems to explode in your mouth. Trust me, this is a highly pleasurable sensation. Clearly the exploding cheese is the TWIST here.

Next was some luscious foie gras escabeche served with toast points. The TWIST here is that foie gras is not usually served as escabeche, which usually involves marinating seafood, chicken, or pork in acid before serving. I have no complaints here, but I don’t think I’ve ever complained about a foie gras dish in my life!

24 HOUR TREAT: TUNA CONE!

Then came TUNA SASHIMI CONE, which I feel must be kissing cousins with our old friend HAM CONE. The TWIST was that this cone was prepared tableside which added that lovely theatrical touch. I would never object if all my meals were prepared tableside because cooking is so fun to watch. Also sashimi is not usually served like ice cream. DOUBLE TWIST!

After came a fragrant and freshly steamed eel bun. This tastes just like the eel buns I’ve eaten in Japan or Chinatown in NYC, only more intense in flavor. I’m not 100 percent sure what the TWIST is here, but I think it’s that eel buns are usually much larger and they are usually street food.

And then a palette cleanser with two raw oysters each served in a different sauce: one yuzu and one red wine vinegar and tarragon. I think the TWIST here is that you really get to see how each sauce brings out different flavors in the oyster.

Because I clearly hadn’t eaten enough, next came the more substantial dishes. Up first was mackerel and mushrooms in broth. I’m not sure there’s a TWIST here, but look at how gorgeous this broth is! You can practically taste through your computer screen. (But please don’t lick the screen.)

And then came the TWIST on a ham sandwich, with a lusciously sweet and satisfyingly fatty pork belly bocadillo. Because every ham sandwich needs more fat. That’s just science.

24 HOUR TREAT: CHEESECAKE WITH A TWIST

And we conclude our 24 hours in Barcelona with dessert. I suggest the Tickets cheesecake, which I foolishly thought would be cheesecake. Instead, the TWIST was that the cheesecake filling was presented to look like a fine aged cheese.

It’s served with little biscuits on the side that look like crackers to spoon the cheesecake innards on. So you can trick your friend who says she doesn’t like sweets into eating this because she’ll think it’s crackers and cheese. As a New Yorker, I’m hard to please with cheesecake, but this was perfect because it was not too sweet.

You will not only leave Tickets with a highly satisfied and full belly, you will leave wanting to have a more inventive and playful attitude towards food and life in general. After all, if you can put a cherry back on a tree, pretty much anything should be possible. Now your 24 hours in Barcelona is complete.

24 Hours in Barcelona

Tools For Travel

• A portable cell charger so that your phone won’t die a miserable death during your 24 hours in Barcelona
• The best international travel adapter because if you’re American like I am, you’ll need one to be able to plug in electronics
• My favorite guide to Barcelona because it divides the city into convenient neighborhoods
• The most reliable travel umbrella that is small enough to fit in my purse, but strong enough to stand up to powerful winds.
• These great TSA approved clear toiletries bags, so I can always keep spare toothpaste and travel sized toiletries in any carry-on.
• My book Get Lost, that I wrote myself with all my best travel tips. This book will show you how travel can take you on a journey of self-discovery.

24 Hours in Barcelona

How To Get There

Now, I wish I knew where you lived, Internet Stranger, because I could send you a Picasso of your very own. But sadly, I do not, and so I can’t tell you exactly how to get from your home to Barcelona.

But I can tell you that I used a lovely airplane to get from my hometown NYC to Barcelona, and I recommend Expedia for the best way to find the cheapest flight to Barcelona at the best time of day.

You can even use Expedia to rent a car so you’ll be all set when you arrive at your destination. (I can’t drive, but if you can, this must be helpful.)

Just click here to start looking for the best possible deals on your flight, so you can head out to 24 hours in Barcelona ASAP.

And That’s a Perfect 24 Hours in Barcelona!

What would you do with 24 hours in Barcelona? Would you ever consider spending money on a lavish meal like Tickets? HAM CONE? Please email me at stellajane@aroundtheworldin24hours.com and let me know!

Note: If you want to know how I put my travel itineraries together, just click here. Keep in mind that while each article is about how to spend 24 hours in a place, that doesn’t mean you should ONLY spend 24 hours in Barcelona.

You can try a day with the best tourist attractions Barcelona Spain. Or add another day of what to do in Barcelona Spain.