Barcelona is one of the most incredible cities in the world. With so much to see and do, you will want a guide. If you are a young adult or a university student, this is the guide for you. There is an abundance of things to see and do in this city. Don’t feel like you have to see everything, just enjoy your time! Here is the ultimate guide to Barcelona for university students and young adults.
Table of Contents
Transportation:
The public transportation system in Barcelona is very handy and pretty easy to use. The metro is not an honor system like northern Europe so you need to buy tickets to get on the metro. I recommend buying the T10 pass which will cost about 12 euros and you get 10 rides, that would be a great investment. The buses use the same pass as the metro so don’t be afraid to use both. The app Citymapper will tell you the fastest way to get to a destination and will tell you which lines or buses to take.
Things to see:
–Sagrada Familia (absolutely stunning, cannot miss. The inside is amazing but costs around 20 euros to get in if I remember correctly. I would read about it online before you see it)
–Montjuic Castle (fortress overlooking the city)
–Cathedral of Barcelona (old cathedral within the Gothic quarter, a fun area to explore if you are bored)
–Tibidabo (could take a decent amount of time to get to but pretty sick once you’re up there)
–Park Guell (good chance you have seen pictures of this on Instagram, very famous. You usually have to buy tickets ahead of time to get in but you can see the outside for free J)
–The Bunkers (best place at the end of the day for a view of the city. It is a little bit of a hike but worth it. Bring beers.)
–La Barceloneta (the area near the beach. You can never go wrong with spending time at the beach! Somewhere great to eat close to the beach is Bo de B, with good prices too)
–Placa de Catalunya (basically the Time Square of Barcelona)
–Ciutadella Park
–Las Ramblas (watch out for pickpockets in this area. If you want to smoke weed since it is legal, people will be advertising coffee shops where you can buy some in this area)
–MNAC (very beautiful area, if you have time I would recommend exploring the area)
–Casa Mila (designed by the famous Antoni Gaudi, pretty much just walk by it)
Casa Batllo (designed by the famous Antoni Gaudi, pretty much just walk by it very close to Casa Mila)
Barcelona Nightlife:
Look up ‘Aashi guest list’ on Facebook. This is a promoter for bars and clubs in Barca where if you go to the places he is promoting that night and say Aashi at the door you get free entrance. If you decide to go clubbing, buy alcohol at a corner store and pregame before going because the drinks in the clubs are usually 12-15 euros. You cannot buy hard alcohol at stores after 11pm FYI.
Bars:
There is no shortage of bars in Barcelona but there are some that are more friendly to college students.
- Dow Jones (bar based on the stock exchange. The drink menu changes in price throughout the night just like the big stock boards on wall street. Pretty cool concept.)
- George Payne (very popular for study abroad students, Irish bar)
- Espit Chupitos (cheap shots)
- Hot Bar (mainly a pregame place for the clubs Sutton and Bling Bling)
Clubs:
Clubs are prime locations for pickpockets, be aware. Many of my friends had their phones and wallets stolen during their time in Barcelona. Clubbing really doesn’t begin until 1ish at the earliest. The high point of the night is around 2:30am at most clubs. We usually didn’t head to the clubs until 1:00am. Barcelona is known for its clubs so you should have a good time regardless of where you go. I would only go to the clubs if I had at least one other person with me.
- Sutton (my favorite, partially because it was only two blocks from my apartment)
- Opium (extremely popular for study abroad students)
- Razzmattazz (biggest of the clubs in Barca, quite the experience)
- Otto Zutz
- Shoko
- Bling bling
- Pacha
(clubs are notorious for pickpockets so be aware of your pockets but don’t stress over it)
Keep in mind that you will never see everything in the city. You can be there for a weekend of a semester but you will never see it all. Once again, take your time and enjoy your time in this incredible city. Thanks for viewing the university students’ guide to Barcelona.