The most popular city in the whole world is located in... Spain
(and this city is really amazing)
Yes, travelers, it’s time for the ranking of the most popular travel destinations worldwide. The largest travel platform in Europe, eDreams ODIGEO, has come out with a new report . And what turns out? The most popular city of this year is in Spain. The land of paella, flamenco dancing, and of course churros. That is truly cultural heritage à la Espanyol. Okay, that might be a bit of an oversimplification, but yes. You want to know which city is number one. I won’t keep you in suspense any longer, it is: Barcelona. Of course. And luckily for you, we know all the ins and outs about this city. Grab your suitcase, book a flight, and read on, because this? This is all you want to know.
A siesta here, a tapas dinner there. Yes, Spain is a great vacation country. And although it is not the capital of this warm country, Barcelona keeps coming home with the grand prize time and again. And actually? I don’t blame them. I was in the city of the Sagrada Familia this summer – and I picked up a lot of great tips, so pay attention.
The ultimate hotspots
There are of course a number of places you really shouldn’t miss when you go to Barcelona. But I understand if you can’t see the forest for the trees after hours of TikTok scrolling, Instagram photos, and travel bloggers. That’s why I have some hotspots here that I personally really enjoyed:
Park Güell
For this one, you need to sit down for a moment, because before I tell you how beautiful this was, there was a whole journey of the century that preceded it. Are you sleeping in Barcelona itself? Lucky you. But me? I slept in Pineda de Mar. Nice little town, but the trip to Park Güell didn’t exactly go… smoothly. Our train was delayed, now we are used to that, so no biggie. Until, of course, we just missed our transfer. We found out that we couldn’t buy new train tickets. So yes, I was already fully thinking of the worst-case scenario that we would be kicked off the train for fare evasion. And then we also had to wait 2.5 hours for the next train at this little hick town of a train station in the middle of nowhere. Okay, enough about my vacation trauma. After some debating, we went back to Barcelona, and later in the day still went to the park.
After a hike that felt like we were doing the New York Marathon, we finally arrived at the park. Because we had bought tickets in advance, we could just walk through. We arrived at a building that looked like a Greek temple; the ceilings were adorned with mosaics in blue, green, and white. With the Park Güell app, we found our way to the large square. Along the way, you walk past palm trees and rough stone walls that rise in curves; the pillars seem to have been hewn straight from a cave. The park is located on a hill, which beautifully combines nature and architecture here. Along the winding paths, you can feast your eyes on light pink houses and other fairy-tale buildings. The large square is one of those moments you look back on your whole life. The stairs alone were covered in mosaic. And those little houses? It looked like they had been here for thousands of years, with those warm stone walls and undulating roofs. Want a nice view? Then you can see everything from the stone balcony. I could really enjoy all that mosaic and other forms. Designer Antoni Gaudí is said to have said: “A regular slanted roof? Nah, I don’t do that.”
Corgi cafe
This is really a must for dog lovers. And just if you love aesthetic cute places. The Corgi Cafe is not in the heart of the city center, but it’s not too far to walk either. You can easily find out which bus or metro to take via Google Maps. Because yes, you have those everywhere. There are even different locations in the city, so that’s good. This pink spot is filled with cute corgis. You can pay to take photos with the dogs or just watch them while they sleep or walk around. You can’t just pet them, because the dogs go where they want. So don’t be surprised if you, like us, only see one. Oh, and yes: the food and drinks are good. I had the tastiest mango smoothie. And have you seen those matchas? I’m sure that if I go to Barcelona again, I’ll come back here for those pancakes. And the corgis, of course.
@oliviassshhh You have to visit this cafe when you are in Barcelona ⭐️ can’t wait to visit again @Corgi Cafe #corgicafe #cafebarcelona #aestheticplaces #coffee #dogslover #fyp #dc
Shopping in Ciutat Vella and Quadrat d’Or
Now you can plan everything if that makes you happy, but Barcelona is a city where you actually don’t need to plan anything. There’s always a nice tapas restaurant or a long shopping street nearby. What I enjoyed the most was just walking around and looking around. Whether you’re going to the famous Gothic Quarter or walking from the Arc de Triomf (yes, it really exists): you can spend days here. Shopping in Ciutat Vella and Quadrat d’Or was really amazing, with all those beautiful buildings and spots where I stopped every second to take photos. And of course, there were also nice shops. I almost wanted to stuff my entire suitcase full of souvenirs. Think of large crystal shops, vintage shops, jewelry shops where you can make your own jewelry and a lot of coffee bars. Just go get lost and who knows, you might end up at Passeig de Gràcia with all sorts of big brands like Chanel, Dior, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. Even if you might not be able to afford it, looking is always free. Right?
Poble Espanyol
This open-air museum is a place that until recently was not so well known to the general public. This Spanish village is located on the Montjuïc mountain and is really cool to visit. In this place, various architectural styles from all over the country are combined, for example, through the monuments Calle Cuna from Andalusia, La Jena from Valencia, Casa de los Celdrán from Murcia, and many more. It was built for the World Exhibition of 1929 with streets, houses, parks, a theater, school, restaurants, and a workshop. Not to be used in real life, of course, but it was never demolished afterwards. Now it is a hotspot where you can enjoy Spanish music, food, drinks, the Fran Daurel museum, and go to a flamenco show . So: do you want to soak up some culture? Then you absolutely want to see this.
@viento.liibre 📍Poble Espanyol, Barcelona 🇪🇸 Step into the heart of Spain! This open-air museum brings together vibrant cultural experiences, traditional crafts, and architecture from different regions of the country. Save this for your next trip to Barcelona!✈️ #pobleespanyol #barcelona #spainculture #travelspain #hiddenbarcelona #thingstodoinbarcelona
The castle of Montjuïc
Just a little two minutes from the Catalunya metro station lies this old castle. You can see history up close, because a lot has happened here. From wars, uprisings, and hostile takeovers: since 1640 this has been the drama center of Barcelona. On the hills of Montjuïc, this castle has been used as a fort and prison. Upon arrival, you already have one of the best views of the city: the Montjuïc bridge. And those gardens with neatly mowed grass and beautiful flower beds are something completely different from the busy center in La Rambla.
The Gràcia district
According to some, this is the ‘real’ Barcelona and not the tourist hotspot you sometimes find yourself in La Rambla. This vibrant neighborhood is filled with squares, bars, unique shops, and art galleries. It exudes charm. How do you get here? By metro, of course. Take line 3 to Fontana and get off near Carrer d’Astúries. From here, this cozy neighborhood is within reach. Sit among the locals on a terrace and enjoy the surroundings. This is also close to Park Güell, so you can easily combine these two hotspots.
@worktravelbalance Experience real Barcelona vibes in my favorite neighborhood! 😍 Spend your day hopping between charming plazas, browsing indie boutiques, and enjoying amazing tapas and vermouth bars 🥂☕️🛍️ If you’re lucky to visit in August, you’ll catch the crazy street festival with decorated streets and live music everywhere! #barcelona #bcn #bcntiktok #thingstodoinbarcelona #gothicquarter #gothicquarterbarcelona #visitbarcelona #barcelonaguide #graciabarcelona
Barri Gòthic
You might know this neighborhood better as the Gothic Quarter or The Gothic Quarter. This is the center of the old city of Barcelona. It stretches from La Rambla to Via Laietana, the port of Barcelona, and Ronda de Sant Pere. It’s like a labyrinth of small streets that keep leading to large squares. With buildings from the Middle Ages and Roman times, this is one of the most beautiful parts of the city. There’s even a royal palace where Christopher Columbus was received by the Castilian royal family after his return from America. And no, this is really not a boring walk. There are many shops and other places like the Cathedral of Barcelona and the café-restaurant Els Quatre Gats, where various portraits of Pablo Picasso hang.
Casa Batlló
Are you up for a VR interactive experience in one of the most beautiful buildings in Barcelona? Then this is for you. Think of the Moco Museum or Fabrique des Lumières times ten. This magical house is a textbook example of Catalan architecture with all those curved lines and vibrant colors. You really don’t see such details anymore in modern cities. It actually looks a bit like the Emerald City in Wicked or something out of another fantasy story with those golden doors and stained glass. But about the experience: you walk through the house while all sorts of things happen around you. Projections on the walls, music, and sound effects.
@roaming.rolyat A must visit if you are in Barcelona: the famous 📍Casa Batlló! Don’t miss the Winter Nights Experience, only until February 2024. You will: Learn about the story of the House via audio guide See the Enhanced Lightning and Projections Admire the amazing architecture, Terrace and view Price: Starting from 39€ 2×1 for residents in Spain Children under 12 yo free #barcelona #bcntiktok #barcelonatiktok #visitspain #visitbarcelona #thingstodoinbarcelona #barcelonacity #barcelonavibe #quehacerenbarcelona #barcelonaplans #whattodoinbarcelona #lovebarcelona #fy #fyp #parati #foryoupage #barcelonamuseum #casabatllo #gaudi
And have you seen the outside of Casa Batlló? It looks just like Park Güell with all those unique shapes, ornate windows, and mosaics. And that’s not surprising, because this is a Gaudí immersive experience. Yes, the same designer. I really stood outside for a good fifteen minutes just to look at everything. A camera can’t even capture it beautifully enough, it’s that cool.
Sagrada Familia
Yes, how can I write an article about Barcelona and not mention the most famous church? This beast of a church is the business card of the city. This is Gaudí's masterpiece. This is not a church as you know a church: it is not gray or dark brown inside, with only sharp shapes and images of Jesus and Mary. This is an innovative design with star ceilings and the most beautiful stained glass I have ever seen. And no, even after 143 years of building, this church is still not finished. Gaudí worked on the church until his death, but it’s really not complete. The construction takes so long that parts have to be renovated already. That’s really not normal. But I understand why so many people want to see this church. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it looks so fantastic. Just give me a camera and you won’t see me for hours.
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Eating in Barcelona
Look, almost all the food in the city is delicious. You can’t go wrong with tapas, tacos, and paella. Just kidding, of course there’s so much more than that. The city is known for its many seafood dishes, fish dishes, and calçots, aka roasted spring onions. In my opinion, you really can’t leave this city without trying patatas bravas, pa amb tomàquet, and la bomba.
It won’t surprise you, but there are a lot of bars in the city. For example, Bar Amateur is popular for the best late-night drinks and snacks. Want a good tapas experience? Then you go to Bar pimentel. This is classic tapas with a modern twist, and very tasty. Bar Super is for a cozy evening with all the Spanish friends you’ve made in the meantime. Share dishes and enjoy a nice glass of wine. What more do you want in life? For good seafood, you go to Lluritu 3. And, a truly Instagram-worthy dinner you get at El Tribut, I’m still dreaming of that apple tatin. Honestly.
And coffee? Yes, there is also something in life like having lunch or enjoying a nice pastry. You drink that coffee at Corgi Cafe, Taulat44 and Pecora. Lunching is done at La Papa, Camelia Art Café and Orval. But yes, you can actually find something delicious everywhere.
And finally… Hotels
Well, you have to sleep somewhere. I must say: if you go outside the high season, it really isn't that expensive. You can already sleep for €58.50 p.p. per night at Boutique Design Apartments & Studios 1.4 kilometers from the center. Here you have your own terrace, bathroom, flat-screen TV and you are just a stone's throw away from the Cathedral of Barcelona.
Or the Hostal Levante Barcelona where you can have a double room with a private bathroom for four nights for €35.90 p.p. per night. You are right in Ciutat Vella, just a three-minute walk from the Ramblas. Speaking of the heart of the center.
Don't have a student budget? Then you can always opt for the super-luxurious Kimpton Vividora Hotel. Here you are also in Ciutat Vella, but you have a premium King room with a balcony, nice view, and extra large bed. That will cost you €238.88 p.p. per night. That's not cheap, but if you can afford it: who cares?
And have you seen the Hotel Bagués ? This looks like it came straight out of my Pinterest board with that blue velvet sofa and vintage hotel feeling. The dark wooden furniture and golden accents are things I always find beautiful in a hotel. There is a gym, rooftop bar, and even a swimming pool. And you get all that for €178.37 p.p. per night.
Finally, a little warning: in the summer these prices are a lot higher.
So yes,
Barcelona is the most popular city of 2025 for a reason. It’s always lively, you can eat well, there is so much to see and yes, it’s just a nice city. It’s warm, relatively safe, and there is so much to do. It’s just like walking in Amsterdam: you can go wherever you want and wherever you look, there is something. A nice photo spot or a good restaurant. I’m already feeling homesick, so I’m going to book again next year. Trust me.
