Things to Do in Barcelona – Miniguide

miniguide

The best things to do in Barcelona, curated by locals. Events, restaurants, nightlife and the spots worth knowing – updated weekly.

Events

Sunday, Jul 12

arts-culture

European Balloon Festival

The European Balloon Festival turns Igualada into a sky full of colour

arts-culture

Echoes: Videos from the Han Nefkens Foundatio4n Donation

An exhibition on a donation of 18 video artworks by Han Nefkens Foundation

lgbt

Pride BCN 2026

Pride is back, and the city is ready to turn the volume, colour and fun all the way up

arts-culture

Light Filtered Through the Cracks

MACBA’s exhibition looks back to when video became a tool for political intervention

arts-culture

Joaquim Gomis Transatlantic

An exhibition on the photography of Catalan photographer, Joaquim Gomis

arts-culture

Minor White

An exhibition on one of the most influential figures in 20th-century American photography

arts-culture

Joaquín Tusquets de Cabirol. Eloquent Form

An exhibition on the work of the Catalan photographer whose images capture postwar life

arts-culture

“Small, Middle and Big” Family Space

A family space for children to play, rest, read, draw and imagine together

arts-culture

Patrim’25: Look in Silence. That Blues Look

A snapshot of emerging artistic talent from the Universitat de Barcelona’s Faculty of Fine Art

food-drink

Poblenou Craft Beer Festival 2026

Barcelona’s big neighbourhood celebration of craft-beer

arts-culture

Grec Festival de Barcelona 2026

Grec Festival returns as Barcelona’s great summer celebration of performing arts

arts-culture

Solitudes

The silent, mask-based theatre piece is a bittersweet comedy about loneliness

arts-culture

Shakespeare in the Park

Parking Shakespeare returns to the Parc de l'Estació del Nord

music

Les Nits de Barcelona 2026

Turning the gardens of the Palau de Pedralbes into the most elegant summer stage

film

Fury 2026

Fritz Lang's searing first American film

music

BARTS Festival

Bringing the spirit of one of Barcelona’s biggest venues into a new festival format

film

When Harry Met Sally

Rob Reiner's timeless romantic comedy

film

Cinema Lliure a la Platja 2026

This cinema cycle brings free open-air screenings to the beach

Monday, Jul 13

film

Cineclub 113

A film to get you in the mood, then a DJ set to carry the feeling into the night

music

BACHcelona Festival 2026

Bringing Johann Sebastian Bach into dialogue with performances across the city

film

Sala Montjuic 2026

Open-air cinema, live music and picnics under the starry night sky

Tuesday, Jul 14

fitness-wellness

80's Step Dance

A rooftop workout with leg warmers energy and some high-intensity cardio.

Wednesday, Jul 15

arts-culture

Anna Moreno. The Third Twist

MACBA welcomes a new exhibition on the work of Anna Moreno

music

Nou Barris Flamenco Festival 2026

The neighbourhood becomes a summer meeting point for flamenco lovers

Thursday, Jul 16

music

Baiuca + Júlia Colom

Baiuca and Júlia Colom share the stage for the first time at Parallel 62

film

Open-Air Cinema at L’illa Diagonal 2026

Open-air cinema at L’Illa Diagonal brings an easy feel to our summer calendar

Saturday, Jul 18

fitness-wellness

Outdoor Fitness Workout

An energising group-training session at Barcelona’s seafront

Ongoing

arts-culture

Out of Focus, another Vision of Art

CaixaForum’s latest exhibition exploring blur and visual imprecision

arts-culture

The Cult of Beauty

The CCCB’s latest exhibition delves into one of the most loaded ideas in culture

arts-culture

The Last Days of Pompeii 2026

An immersive exhibition turning ancient history into an incredible spectacle

SEE MORE EVENTS

Places

food-drink

Xiringuito Escribà

The Escribà family’s beachfront paella house on Bogatell, cooking rice over wood fires since 1992 – the pastry dynasty’s savory venture.

food-drink

A Casa Portuguesa

A little corner of Portugal in Gràcia – cheeses, patés, wines, port and Ginjinha to carry off with a pastel de nata. Or two.

food-drink

Anita Gelato

Anita’s boutique ice cream shop offers over 150 flavours to choose from, all of which are 100% handmade.

nightlife

B Lounge

This sleek hotel lounge serves up tapas and fusion cuisine.

food-drink

Bar Treze

The latest addition to Sarrià’s burgeoning scene along its main street, Major de Sarrià.

food-drink

Boa-Bao

Boa-Bao takes diners on a culinary journey through flavors of Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and beyond…

food-drink

Chennai Masala Dosa

Chef Selva hails from the South Indian city of Chennai, aka Madras.

nightlife

Coco Vail Beer Hall

The space is an embodiment of the founders’ passion for American craft beer and food.

nightlife

Dr. Stravinsky

Stepping into Dr. Stravinsky is like entering the refuge of a mad old alchemist – backlit bottles on shelves, effervescent test tubes and strange concoctions fermenting in jars.

food-drink

El Filete Ruso

Thank (or blame) these guys for kicking off Barcelona’s gourmet burger boom.

food-drink

El Tianguis

The tacos, micheladas and margaritas leave no doubt this is a Mexican must.

food-drink

Holly's Ice Cream

The team at Holly’s craft the gnarliest ice cream sandwiches this side of the Atlantic.

nightlife

Kælderkold

One of Barcelona’s most exciting craft beer utopias.

lgbt

La Federica

In addition to drinks, wines and cocktails, this gay bar offers excellent tapas such as embutidos from Garrotxa, award-winning shepherd cheeses and Argentinean empanadas.

romance

La França

Barcelona's premiere love hotel.

lgbt

La Monroe

La Monroe isn’t your obvious queer bar. Serving as more of a low-key space that is welcoming and friendly to all, La Monroe takes the artsy vibe of Raval and creates a bright, busy bar that LGBTQIA+ folk will feel totally at ease within.