Barcelona, Spain

3 Days in Barcelona: the complete Walking guide

Hello fellow adventurers and dreamers! We had 3 days to explore Barcelona, Spain — and we made every step count. We found two perfectly located H10 boutique hotels that put us within walking distance of the city's best landmarks. Below we're sharing our full walking tour itinerary, real-talk tips, and everything we wish we'd known before we arrived.

We're Rod and Melody from Always Be Vacationing. We created a bucket list of 105 places we wanted to experience together — and this is stop #21 on our global quest. Barcelona did not disappoint.

By Rod & Melody | Always Be Vacationing

Tip #1: Fly In Early — Especially If You're Cruising

We arrived in Barcelona 2 days before boarding Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas for our Mediterranean cruise. This is our standing advice for any cruise departure outside your home time zone: fly in 1–2 days early.

It gives you time to reset your internal clock, shake jet lag before you board the ship, and — most importantly — explore a brand-new city. We gave ourselves an hour and a half after landing to stretch, have a European coffee, shower, and get rolling.

Barcelona tip: if you arrive in the morning, stay awake and get active immediately.
Have breakfast, walk, and get into the rhythm of your new time zone as fast as possible.

Barcelona is an extraordinary port city in the northeastern corner of Spain on the Mediterranean Sea. It's the capital of Spain's Catalonia region, known worldwide for its architecture, art, history, and its beloved football club, FC Barcelona.

Where to Stay: H10 Boutique Hotels

Pre-Cruise: H10 Casa Mimosa (Eixample District)

We discovered the H10 hotel chain — a collection of boutique properties across Barcelona — and it became our anchor for the entire trip. For our pre-cruise stay, we chose H10 Casa Mimosa, located in the Eixample District.

We chose it specifically because reviews said you could see the illuminated flutes of Antoni Gaudí's Casa Milà at night from the hotel. The lights weren't on during our stay — but Barcelona's nighttime skyline more than made up for it.

We booked the Deluxe Double Room with Garden View. The room was smaller than a typical US hotel room, but with extra-tall European ceilings it felt perfectly spacious. Clean, welcoming, and stylish.

After our Mediterranean cruise, we returned to Barcelona for a full day exploring the Gothic Quarter. This time we stayed at H10 Madison — within easy walking distance of the Arc de Triomf, Parc de la Ciutadella, and La Rambla.

We chose it because we wanted to self-guide a tour of the locations from Carlos Ruiz Zafón's Shadow of the Wind — a novel set entirely in Barcelona that Rod has long loved. Hindsight tip: book the professionally guided Shadow of the Wind tour. We went on our own and missed a lot.