How to Spend 48 Hours in Barcelona, The Right Way
Barcelona is a city that I’ve been hearing about for years. It’s a vibey, gorgeous city filled with friendly people, tapas and incredible architecture, plus it’s right next to the beach, so what’s not to love? Everyone I know that’s been to Barcelona say they love this city, so I knew my husband and I had to experience it for ourselves. We booked the cheapest weekend flights we could find and spent two awesome days in the Barcelona sunshine.
The city of Barcelona with La Sagrada Familia in the center,
The way we structured our limited time here really worked well for us, so I wanted to share our experience to make sure you know exactly how to spend the perfect 48 hours in Barcelona and how to get the most out of a weekend break away.
Where to Stay
Accommodation in Barcelona isn’t cheap, so if you’re looking for reasonable prices and don’t really want to stay in hostels, check out Aparthotel Solifemar. We stayed here and it was clean, safe and in a great location. Hotel Solifemar is located in a laid-back coastal area called Castelldefels, an hour outside of Barcelona city centre by bus.
Castelldefels main beach and promenade.
We really enjoyed staying in Castelldefels, because the beaches were really nice, it wasn’t too busy and the locals were super friendly, plus it’s only 15 minutes away from the airport by taxi, half the time of the drive to Barcelona city centre, so is really conveniently located for flights in and out.
When to Arrive and Depart
We booked a late Friday night flight into Barcelona and an early Monday morning flight back home. That way we could really maximise our time over the weekend, and didn’t need to put in any leave days at work. We did find the journeys quite tiring, arriving at our hotel at 2am Saturday morning and leaving on Monday morning at 4am, but it was definitely worth it to really enjoy our weekend in Barcelona.
To save costs and only pay for one night’s accommodation, it might be worth looking into arriving on an early morning Saturday flight and departing again Late Sunday evening. It might be less tiring of a journey this way, too.
Day One - Dedicated Beach Day in Castelldefels
Day one of your 48 hours in Barcelona may seem counterproductive, but a big part of the charm of Barcelona is the laid-back vibes and close proximity to the beach. Take it easy on your first day in the city and relax on the beaches of Castelldefels. Enjoy lunch and dinner at one of the many beach cafes – they’re actually reasonably priced and serve good quality food. We really enjoyed our sunset meal at Ananda Beach House.
Castelldefels main beach with golden sand and blue skies.
Castelldefels has a long promenade that winds along the beach, where you’ll see locals exercising, socialising and enjoying the sunshine. We were lucky enough to spot a group of local ladies practicing their flamenco dancing on the promenade too, which made it extra special.
This quiet and relaxed neighbourhood of Barcelona is the perfect place to get in some rest and relaxation, before heading into the bustling city centre on day two.
The promenade in Castelldefels, lined with tall palm trees. Locals come here to enjoy the sun and get some exercise.
Day Two - Barcelona City
You can take a taxi from Castelldefels into Barcelona city centre, or you can opt to take the bus in for 3 euros per person. We took the L95 bus to Rda. Universitat bus stop and then walked five minutes to the main shopping street of Barcelona, La Rambla. You’ll find everything from restaurants, bakeries, souvenir shops and local florists on this 1.2KM long boulevard. You’ll also spot Mercat de la Boqueria, Barcelona’s famous food market, on La Rambla, although it is closed on Sundays.
La Rambla, the main boulevard in Barcelona.
From La Rambla, take a walk through the streets of the Gothic Quarter, with its narrow medieval streets lined with restaurants, bars and unique local shops. There are some Roman ruins that you can see in this area too, because it used to be an ancient Roman village. Relax and enjoy a cup of coffee in the beautiful Placa Reial, a large plaza in the centre of the Gothic Quarter, filled with palm trees and lots of spots to soak up the sun.
Barcelona's Gothic Quarter.
Next you can either head to the Liceu Metro station or walk 25 minutes to one of the amazing architectural designs of Antoni Gaudi, Casa Batllo. This incredible building was designed by Gaudi in 1904, showcasing his typical natural curvature style, and is thought to represent a dragon, as seen by the scales of the tiles on the roof. The balconies are a similar shape to animal skulls and the columns have a bone-like look, symbolising the victims of the dragon. You’ll want to book tickets ahead of time to go inside Casa Batllo, as the lines outside were pretty long. You can pre-book skip the line tickets on GetYourGuide using this link.
The beautiful Casa Batllo, designed by Antoni Gaudi.
Your next stop in Barcelona is another architectural wonder designed by Antoni Gaudi, La Sagrada Familia. To get here from Casa Batllo, it’s another 25-minute walk, or you can take the Metro from Passeig de Gracia. Construction of this unique and magnificent cathedral began in 1882 and is only expected to be fully completed sometime in 2026. The layers of sculptures, carvings and towers make this cathedral a must-visit during your Barcelona city visit. Visitors can either take stairs or an elevator up to the top of the towers for awesome views of the city. GetYourGuide offers skip-the-line tickets for the Sagrada Familia for around 50 euros per person, but you can get tickets to go up the stairs at the premises for as little as 10 euros per person, too. If you wake up early enough you can attend an international mass at the cathedral on Sunday mornings at 9am, but make sure to get there around 8am to get a seat.
The amazing Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona city, designed by Gaudi.
There is a cute café called Boulangerie - BO&MIE Barcelona, that serves yummy sandwiches and pastries just around the corner from the cathedral that we really enjoyed. You can grab some lunch and a sweet treat here if you’d like, and enjoy the views of the cathedral from a different perspective.
Head to the Metro Station and take L2 back to Passeig de Gracia and then switch to the L4 to Jaume I to go to the last stop on day two, El Born. El Born is a vibey, leafy local neighbourhood of Barcelona. This trendy neighbourhood is located right by the harbour, so enjoy the rest of your time in the city centre wondering through the streets of El Born and admiring the boats and yachts docked in the marina.
When your feet are too tired to carry on, and when you’ve had your fill of the Barcelona city vibes, catch the L94 or L95 bus back into Castelldefels. We sat on the beach near Hotel Solifemar for our last evening of the trip and enjoyed the beautiful sunset, while listening to the waves lapping against the shore. The perfect way the end the perfect 48 hours we spent in Barcelona.
The gorgeous sunset we experienced on our last night in Castelldefels, Barcelona.
Barcelona is a vibrant city bustling with energy, but with the quiet coastal suburbs just outside the city centre, this is a destination perfect for a weekend city break, with a little R&R mixed in. If you’ve ever wondered what a weekend away in Barcelona is like, I hope this blog has inspired you to book your own weekend away in this awesome coastal city!
From the incredible architectural designs of Gaudi, the tree-lined boulevards of beautiful Catalan buildings, delicious tapas and golden, sandy beaches, Barcelona feels like a city that you could visit hundreds of times in your life and still find something new to love about it. This itinerary is planned perfectly to soak up all the vibes of Barcelona and will definitely make the most of your 48 hours in this Spanish city!
