what to do in barcelona
 

I am heading to Barcelona next week for 7 days and am looking for the best locations to visit. Also if anyone has any idea on what to do for valentines day over there. Any nice restaurants recommended etc?

Take a tour of the Sagrada Familia Cathedral and the Casa Mila, both amazing and fantastic creations of the famous architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926).

do take the double route tour bus as it will give you such a good overview of this extensive city. then you can plan on where you spend more time your off days. doing this at beginning will put the city in perspective. well worth the investment.

so many lovely corners, old and new.
just read up and take the advice already given here on other posts and you will have a great time.

definitely take a stroll on Las Ramblas. and if you're a sports fan, the Nou Camp, FC Barcelona's stadium, is amazing.

And Camp Nou is hosting a Tsunami benefit game on February 15th with the biggest stars of football/soccer: Ronaldinho, Beckham etc.

A big second for the city bus tour, buy the ticket for 2 days, its worth it. Sagrada Familia, Parque Gaudi, the Miro museum, and Montjuic Parque were highlights. There seemed to be deco art on every street corner, look for it everywhere!

Take a trip outside the city to Monserrat. I did it in February of last year.

Tour all things Gaudi, as others have mentioned. There is also a Picasso museum, a chocolate museum, the port (at the end of Las Ramblas), etc. Plenty to do!

Karen

There's one of the most amazing open air food markets on Las Ramblas, it's huge. I saw things there I've never seen before.

buongiorno, which day is this food market, please ? I've never seen it.

it is the permenent market about half way down las ramblas on right.

Thanks, lincasanova. How odd I've never seen it - will have to look out for it next time.

The market's name is La Bouqueria. If you like good Catalan dish, family style, then find some time to grab a bite at Bar Pinnochio in the market - a Barcelona institution. Great food and cava (sparkling wine)) in a stall-market environment and good prices.

Also if you like good wine, immediately south of Barcelona is the Priorat region - an up and coming wine region that today produces some of Spains's highly-regarded reds.

Definitely go to the Palace of Music, what a gorgeous place! Enjoy!

Don't miss Parc Guell, and the Miro Foundation museum was, for us, more enjoyable than the Picasso museum -- have you ever seen a fountain with mercury instead of water?

The old cathedral, too, is definitely worth a visit -- the view of Barcelona from the roof is unforgettable and in nice weather there is usually a nice sort of collection of people in the plaza in front. It's also a good comparison to the Sagrada Familia -- old/new.

If you've got a decent weather day, go up to the castle on the top of Montjuic. The views of the Mediterranean and the City are fantastic.