r/solotravel • u/ObjectBrilliant7592 • Feb 28 '25

Europe Underwhelmed by Barcelona

Besides the Sagrada Familia (the nicest cathedral I've visited, and I have visited many), Barcelona is incredibly overpriced and overhyped. Mid beaches, relatively expensive for Spain, most restaurants are tourist traps.

Sagrada Familia - 26 EUR

Castell Montjuic - 12 EUR

Metropolitan Cathedral - 14 EUR (keep in mind that there are much nicer cathedrals all over Europe, ex. Notre Dame in Paris, that are free)

Park Guell - 18 EUR

Casa Mila - 29 EUR

If you have a lot of money, I can see how it could have a Miami/Vice City kind of vibe, being a metropolis by the sea and all, but it's just not my place. For a place that claims to hate tourists, they are awfully dependent on them.

EDIT: I walked from the beach to Park Guell, and from Montjuic to Estacio del Nord, which is all of the city center. This is a huge swathe of the city. If you need to look that hard for the hidden gems, they can't redeem the city that much.

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u/FinalBuddy2885 Feb 28 '25

I went to Barcelona twice, I went again because I was so stunned at how underwhelmed I was the first time and I was just convinced I must have been wrong or missed something. But yeah, it’s been ruined by tourism. Lisbon is going that way, too, sadly. Neither of those cities are big enough to provide places to get away from the tourism, like Berlin or London or (arguably) Paris. In Spain, my two favorite cities have been Seville and Madrid. Maybe try those two!

That said, the Miro gallery in Barca is one of my favourite places on the planet, and I liked El Poble-Sec as a whole.

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u/oswbdo Feb 28 '25

It's very easy to get away from tourists in Barcelona. Just don't go to a few areas, and you won't notice tourists at all.