Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in the world with hotel accommodation figures that exceeded 7 million visitors last year, tourism in Barcelona has grown at a staggering rate over the past few years. This growth continues today at the same time as the international recognition of its unique architecture, heritage, culture and gastronomy that have captivated the world.
That is why at Silken Hotels we propose a tourist route through the city’s main tourist attractions. From modernist buildings to museums and sports installations, according to the Statistic Yearbook of the City of Barcelona, these are the places that are not to be missed if you decide to visit the city.
Sagrada Familia
This unfinished monument, when completed presumably in 2026, will become the tallest church in the world. The Sagrada Familia has topped all of the ranks, consistently receiving more than three million visits per year.
Initiated in 1882 when Catalan modernist architecture was in its prime, Antoni Gaudí’s basilica has become not only the greatest exponent of the movement, but also a legend at 70% of its completion.
As reflected in the crypt and the apse, although the temple was designed based on neo-Gothic architecture, Gaudí knew how to create a hitherto unknown organic architecture, in which the structures and geometries took inspiration from nature, thereby giving more protagonism to light and colour.
Designed, some claim, like a huge indoor forest, this spiritual centre, a UNESCO heritage site, has five naves, three of which cross to make a Latin cross, and when completed will have up to 18 pyramidal towers.
November to February: from 9am to 6pm
March: from 9am to 7pm
April to September: from 9am to 8pm
October: from 9am to 7pm
Price: €15 general admission
How to get there:
Metro L2 (purple) and L5 (blue) Sagrada Familia
Lines 19, 33, 34, 43, 44, 50, 51, B20 and B24 city buses
Park Güell
Spread over approximately 18 hectares on one of the Carmelo hillsides, the construction of the current Park Güell began in 1900 as a commission from the businessman Eusebi Güell to Gaudí to design houses for wealthy families.
Although it was initially planned as a residential zone in the style of British parks of the time, it later became a private garden, until in 1922 the city council definitively made it a public park.
The main entrance to Park Güell is on calle de Olot, where the lateral pavilions guide the visitor towards the three flights of stairs where the most renowned image of the park, the mosaic dragon —or salamander— is positioned. This point leads to the Hypostyle Room which, with its 86 columns designed to house a market, reveals Gaudí’s devotion to the forms present in nature. Just above this, the Nature Square, with its undulating benches similarly covered in tile-shard mosaic, offers stunning views of the city.
From 1st January to 25th March: from 8:30am to 6:30pm
From 26th March to 30th April: from 8am to 8:30pm
From 1st May to 27th August: from 8am to 9:30pm
From 28th August to 28th October: from 8am to 8:30pm
Price: €7 online/ €8 ticket office (general admission to the monumental zone)
How to get there:
Metro L3 (green) Vallcarca or Lesseps
Lines H6, 32, 24 and 92 city buses
FC Barcelona Museum
FC Barcelona has become one of Europe’s main clubs as a result of its 123 titles —24 leagues and 5 Champions League—, a unique playing style and ambition and team work values shared by the technical team and players alike.
As a result, the Camp Nou and its museum have become a pilgrimage centre for thousands of tourists visiting the city each year. The result of this is the Camp Nou Experience, a complete experience designed by the club so that visitors can discover the changing rooms, walk onto the pitch through the tunnel, sit on the benches and visit the press office.
After being immersed in the blaugrana sentiment on the tour of the installations, the hour and a half-long tour ends at the museum, the ideal place to reminisce about the club’s history through the gallery of trophies, the European cups and the audiovisual and multimedia zone.
Opening times: every day of the year from 9.30 am to 7.30pm, except January 1st, December 25th and days of sports competitions when the tour may be affected by training sessions, matches or other events.
Price: General admission €25
How to get there:
Metro L3 (green) Palau Reial or Les Corts and L5 (blue) Collblanc and Badal
TRAM to Palau Reial
Lines 54, 50, 59, 62, 70, 75, 54, 57, 157, D20, H8, L12, H6, L79, L97 city buses
Aquarium
With more than 11,000 fish from 450 different species, the Barcelona Aquarium is one of the largest in the world and is specialised in the Mediterranean Sea.
As well as the Mediterranean and tropical aquaria which show both native marine varieties and the more exotic ones from the other seas on the planet, the main attraction is the Oceanarium, a 36-metre wide aquarium and an 80-metre-long tunnel containing almost forty million litres of water where visitors can walk around the Mediterranean Sea without getting wet.
As a star activity, the Aquarium offers sea lovers the possibility of immersing themselves with sharks in the main tank of the site as well as sleeping with them and waking up the next day surrounded by submarine flora and fauna.
Opening times: every day of the year at 10 am, and closing time according to the time of year. Consult the Official Web page for more information.
Price: General admission €18 online / €20 ticket office
How to get there:
Metro L3 (green) Drassanes and L4 (yellow) Barceloneta
Lines V17, 14, 56, 57, 59, 64, 159 and 30 city buses
As is to be expected in a city of such national and international scope, Silken has five hotels in the Catalan capital, the majority of which are four-star and are equipped for the most diverse public. Central hotels, in historical buildings or hotels for business trips, every visitor will find the Silken Barcelona that most suits their needs on their trip. We hope you enjoy the city and the comfort of our hotels!
