What NOT to do in Barcelona – Barcelona Travel Fails to avoid

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Barcelona is a destination that gets more popular every year and you can see that being reflected in the city image of the Catalan metropolis. When many tourists visit the same place, there are usually things to avoid. In Barcelona lately, you can find many pickpockets and even some scams taking place against tourists. That’s why we created this comprehensive list of what not to do in Barcelona in order to avoid the most common Barcelona Travel Fails.

Moreover, you can find some useful information on things not to do in Barcelona in order to be respectful towards the locals living in the Catalan capital.

I live in Barcelona for more than five years now and can see tourists misbehaving every day. On the other hand, I also hear about visitors being scammed or being robbed. With the following Barcelona travel tips, you can make sure to be this kind of tourist that locals like to see in their town and have an amazing time visiting this sunny city without inconvenient surprises.

BARCELONA INFO BOX

Where to stay in Barcelona: Hotel Santa Marta (Great hotel in the center near attractions & beach) or W Barcelona (Luxury option directly at the beach)

The most popular activities & tours in Barcelona

Sagrada Familia Ticket – Skip the Line

Camp Nou – Barรงa Museum und Tour

Barcelona Card – More than 25 Attractions

Park Gรผell – Skip the Line

La Pedrera – Skip the Line

Getting there: Make sure to check for the best flight deals on Flight comparisons like Skyscanner

Transport: T-Casual Ticket (10-trips-Ticket for โ‚ฌ 12.15) or Hola BCN Day Ticket

Want to rent a car? You can find great deals on RentalCars. It gets cheaper from El Prat Airport.

Barcelona Must-Have: Practical Spanish Travel Dictionary or Catalan Travel Dictionary and Barcelona-Guide

What to find out in this post

What not to do in Barcelona – Barcelona Travel Fails you should avoid

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, basilica, catalonia

Not keeping an eye on your belongings

Pickpockets in Barcelona, money in pants

It sounds so logical, but still, every day in Barcelona, dozens of tourists get robbed of their belongings out of their bags or pants pockets.

Even though in Barcelona, there are not many violent robberies, the pickpockets seem to grow a lot during the last years. When my best friend came to visit me, her phone was stolen from her bag on the first evening.

Places in which the pickpockets are most active

What can you do

Bring a bag that you can close properly, and that can’t be opened without you noticing. When entering public transport, make sure to have an eye on your bag or backpack. (Maybe wear it in front of you.) More and more people are using practicalย anti-theft backpacks to avoid getting robbed.

Another option is to putย a small combinationย lock on your backpack, which you can only openย when you enter the correct number combination.

You can also hide your money in hidden pockets, for instance, in aย money belt.

Try to take out your electronic devices as rarely as possible, such as your phone, laptop, or tablet.ย  If you want to check your phone while using public transport, try to stand as far away from the doors as possible. (A popular trick for pickpockets is to snap your phone and run away with it the second in which the doors are closing, so you can’t run after them)

Surprising fact: Apparently, most pickpockets in Barcelona are women.

Eating (Paella) in Las Ramblas

View on las ramblas, barcelona from the harbor
View on Las Ramblas from the harbor

Las Ramblas is one of Barcelona’s tourist hotspots. It might be obvious that many tourist ripoffs are waiting for you here.ย  Besides, some young men trying to sell drugs (Just say No thanks! and go on – they are harmless and usually accept a no without arguing), you will find a lot of restaurants that are way too expensive for Barcelona standards.

Just by walking by those restaurants, you can tell that the only locals you can find here are the waiters.  And seeing a restaurant where there are no locals should already look suspicious.

A local friend once told me that when he went to one of those restaurants to have a drink, the waiter warned him that he would be overcharged and should look for a place that is not only for tourists, as the quality here doesn’t match the high prices at all.

But obviously, after drinking those bucket-sized sangrias that you can order here, you might not care so much anymore about the quality of your Paella. ๐Ÿ˜‰

Where to eat instead

Following Las Ramblas, you will arrive at the harbor. Here, you can find much better places to eat.

For a little snack or some tasty fruit (juice), check out Mercat de la Boqueria.

Call Barcelona “Barรงa”

Camp Nou, Les Corts, Barcelona travel fails

I can see that Barcelona is a long name for a city. That is why many tourists (including, unfortunately, too many self-proclaimed “Barcelona experts”) like to call the Catalan capital Barรงa. However, please don’t do this in front of the locals (or, best, don’t do it at all). It’s not only super cringy but, for some of the locals, even offensive.

Barรงa is the nickname of the city’s soccer team (FC Barcelona) and not the nickname of the city itself.

How can you call Barcelona instead?

Instead, just use the city’s official nickname, which the locals use: Barna. This way, you save yourself a lot of nasty looks and annoyed eye-rolling from the locals.

Hoping for authentic Paella near Sagrada Famรญlia

Paella, Spanish Dish, Things not to do in Barcelona

Even though around Sagrada Famรญlia, there might be one or two good restaurants, I’ve never heard from anyone who had good authentic Paella in this area.

As you can imagine, the food around Sagrada Famรญlia is not particularly cheap. So, if you are looking for an average Paella, you can find it in other areas at least cheaper.

What or where to eat instead

If you are looking for a nice place to eat near Sagrada Famรญlia, you might want to consider Italian food. My favorite Italian restaurant is El Felino, located in theย city.

Address: Carrer de la Marina, 269, 08025 Barcelona

If you would rather have Paella,ย the restaurant La Barca del Salamanca at the harbor offers amazing Paellas.

Address: Moll de Gregal, 17, 08005 Barcelona

Buying your tickets for the attractions just on-site

Inside of the sagrada Familia, Basilica in Barcelona, colums
Inside of the famous Sagrada Famรญlia

This is one of the biggest mistakes that tourists in Barcelona do and regret all the time. Sure, it sounds logical at first glance. This way, you seem way more flexible and are not obligated to go to Sagrada Famรญlia, Park Gรผell, you name it, at a specific time. The problem is that 1000 other people might have the same plan. But would you like to stand in line with all of them for hours just to be more flexible? Sometimes, the tickets are even already sold for the whole day when you get there.

Where and when should I buy the tickets

If you want to visit Sagrada Famรญlia, Park Gรผell, etc., you should buy your tickets definitely on the Internet. Just make sure that the website is trustworthy as there are also some scams out there. You can check here for trustworthy Barcelona entrance tickets, for instance.

Buying your ticket online has several benefits

  1. This way, you make sure that you will be able to see this attraction
  2. You don’t have to stand in line for hours and can skip the crowds
  3. You can look for times that are actually convenient for you
  4. You can even save money as the tickets online are usually cheaper than on-site

Have you already thought of a Barcelona Itinerary?ย Here, you can find the best places to visit in Barcelona in 3 to 5 days with useful information from a Barcelona local, maps, and prices.

A Beach Day in Barceloneta

Barceloneta Beach, Barcelona, Crowded

The beach of Barcelona, Barceloneta, is great for a relaxed walk. But if you are looking for a place to spend a beach day, Barceloneta is not precisely the place I would recommend you to go to. Especially in the summer months, it usually is extremely crowded. How could you really relax if you are surrounded by other people from one site listening to the whole conversation from a bunch of teenagers while on the other side, someone is blowing his cigarette smoke into your direction? No, thanks.

But there is an even bigger problem: the massive amount of waste left at the beach daily. You can’t walk a meter without stepping into cigarette butts, plastic waste, or empty beer cans. Volunteers come here almost daily to pick up the trash from the beach. But it’s just too much of it. Such a pity as Barceloneta actually is a lovely beach.

Where to go instead

Obviously, you don’t want to miss a visit to the beach during your time in Barcelona. Just take a train and go toward North or South, and you will surely find better beaches. The Costa Brava, for instance, is famous for its stunning beaches. Or how about Sitges?

Paying Single Trip Tickets

In Barcelona, there are many different ticket options. The easiest is a single trip, which usually costs โ‚ฌ 2.55. However, if you take more than five trips, you should definitely go for the T-Casual Ticket (Ticket for 10 trips for โ‚ฌ 12.15 as of 2024). Another option is buying day tickets.

Which ticket is the right one for me

Depending on how many trips you plan to take during your stay, you can choose between different tickets. If you are OK with walking a lot, I’d recommend the T-Casual Ticket. If you can’t or don’t want to walk and would rather go by bus or Metro, theย Hola Barcelona ticketย might suit you best. Also, check beforehand where your accommodation is located and whether you have to take many tripsย to get to the Barcelona attractions from there.

For prices and information on the Hola Barcelona Ticket, check here.

Rent a tourist apartment with Airbnb

airbnb app, renting apartments in barcelona

Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of Airbnbโ€”at least of the idea behind it. Staying with locals is an amazing way to travel. You can get a much better insight into the culture and see how locals are actually living. We love to use Airbnb and Couchsurfing on our trips to meet locals and get amazing insider tips.

However, Barcelona and other tourist places worldwide have big problems with this way of renting flats these days. Flat owners can generally earn much more money by renting their flats to tourists than to locals for a living. Therefore, more and more people can’t find flats anymore inside of the city and have to move to the suburbs. At the same time, the rent for flats is increasing super fast, so many locals have to move as they just can’t afford to live in the city anymore.

Most of the flats offered on Airbnb don’t belong to locals but rather to big companies that earn a lot of money from renting their flats to tourists.

What kind of place should I stay in?

I highly encourage you to stay with locals if this is your preferred method of travel. This way, you can meet amazing people who can give you great, useful tips on what to see and do in Barcelona. Anyway, if you want to rent accommodation via Airbnb, you might want to rent a room inside of a local flat instead of a whole flat for yourself. When renting a room, you usually are going to stay with locals, so your money goes straight to the locals and, therefore, helps to support them. Many locals rent their rooms because they need money to pay the rent, which is much higher now than just some years ago.

Looking for authentic Tacos and Burritos

Mexican food, borrito, mexican food in spain

For some, it might sound like a bad joke, but yes, at this point, I feel the need to mention that Spain is not Mexico. Yes, they might share the same language – So do the USA and the UK. But you would probably not walk around Times Square looking for authentic fish and chips, would you?

This is no joke: Some years ago, Mexican Sombreros were forbidden to be sold around the Sagrada Famรญlia area because too many tourists were walking around with them. Obviously, neither the Spaniards nor the Mexican locals were really amused by that.

More than one of our guests asked us where they could find the most authentic Tacos, Quesadillas, etc. – How about trying it in Mexico? ๐Ÿ˜‰

Instead

There are some Mexican restaurants in Barcelona offering fantastic food. Obviously, if you like Mexican food, you should definitely try it. But please keep in mind that those are not local dishes; they belong to another culture.

If you want to try something typically Spanish, how about some Tapas or Paella?

Not knowing that you are in Catalonia

Catalonia Graffiti, Things not to do in Barcelona

Many of you have probably heard of what has been going on in Catalonia since the referendum in October 2017. Even though Catalonia is still part of Spain, you can still feel significant tensions on both sites. At this point, I don’t want to take sites or ask you to do so. Anyway, when visiting Barcelona, keep in mind the current situation in the area. Therefore, you might want to avoid expressions like “Viva Espaรฑa” and others along those lines.

Try not to get into any political discussions with the locals, as many people are very passionate about this topic on both sites.

However, the Catalan culture also differs from the Spanish on many points. Many signs and prices will only be displayed in Catalan.

A common misconception:ย Catalan is a language and not a dialect of Spanish, as many people believe. Anyway, you can quickly tell that both languages have the same roots, similar to Danish and Swedish or German and Dutch.

Assuming that everyone speaks English

Do you speak english text, english level in Barcelona

When I traveled to Spain for the first time, I was pretty surprised about the English level in the country. While in most countries of Central and Northern Europe, most people of my generation can at least speak English on a basic level, I couldn’t find many Spaniards my age who actually spoke English.

Even in the tourist sector, many people don’t speak English. If you don’t speak Spanish or Catalan,, communicating with the locals can be quite difficult at times.

What to do

If possible, try to learn some important Spanish words before you go, even if it is just hello and bye. If you don’t have time to learn, how about bringing a little dictionary that fits in your bag?

The locals usually appreciate it a lot if you can use some words in their language. But what is better?

In Spanish or Catalan?

Many Catalans are proud of their native language, and you can definitely make them happy by saying some words in Catalan. Anyway, in Barcelona, you will find many people from all over Spain and many of them don’t speak Catalan. Moreover, Catalan is, in my opinion, much harder to pronounce than Spanish.

In the following, you can find a small list of the most essential words in Spanish and Catalan and choose yourself.

Hola, Glowing sign, Spanish language in Barcelona

Spanish

Hello – Hola

Goodbye – Adiรณs

Thank you – Gracias

Please – Por favor

Where is…? – Dรณnde estรก…?

Good – Bien

Toilette – Lavabo

Catalan

Hello – Hola

Goodbye – Adรฉu

Thank you – Grร cies

Please – Si us plau

Where is…? – On รฉs…?

Good – Bo

Toilette – Lavabo

Booking a flight from the wrong airport

airport, waiting, airports in barcelona, el prat
If you booked your flight from the wrong airport, you are probably going to wait for a long time ๐Ÿ˜‰

In theory, Barcelona has three airports: El Prat, Barcelona Girona, and Barcelona Reus.

However, only one of them is located in Barcelona: The El Prat. This is the official airport of the Catalan capital. The other airports are both at least a 1 ยฝ hour drive away from the city. Keep that in mind before booking your flight.

Wearing beachwear outside of the beach

Barcelona from above, what not to do in Barcelona

Do you know why beachwear is called beachwear? – You see where I am getting with this… More and more tourists walk around the city in their beachwear. Especially near the beach and the harbor, you can find a lot of people who don’t seem to have realized that they are not at the beach yet/anymore. Even in restaurants and supermarkets, you can see girls in bikinis and guys only in their bathing shorts. Nowadays, more security guards are asking people to please wear something over their bikinis. But usually, they take it off again at the next corner.

The weirdest thing is seeing people in beachwear in a restaurant, supermarket, or cafรฉ on the other side of the city.

How to do it right

On the beach, obviously, you can wear whatever you feel like. As a woman, you can even go topless if you want to. However, as soon as you leave the beach, please show some respect to the locals and put something on.

Being drunk and noisy at 5 pm

Drunk Kermit, Alcohol, don't get wasted in Barcelona

Barcelona is famous for its nightlife worldwide, and for many people, this is the main reason to choose Barcelona as a destination. Many groups come here for their bachelor parties, etc. I mean, I totally understand why so many people come here for the parties. It’s the perfect destination: partying during the night and relaxing at the beach during the daytime.

Anyway, on almost every flight I take between Barcelona and Germany, there is at least one group on the flight getting drunk already during the journey. After arriving, they are already super noisy, bawling in the Metro, Bus, or train and disturbing other tourists and locals. In the early evening, they already walk through the streets of Barrio Gotico with beer cans in their hands, screaming or listening to loud music. Thanks to the echo of the narrow stone walls, you can hear them everywhere.

Instead

Drinking in public is forbidden in Barcelona, and you might have to pay a fee if you get caught. If you come to Barcelona to party, do so, go to bars and clubs, get drunk, and have fun. But please, don’t walk through the streets totally wasted – Don’t be this kind of noisy tourist that locals get so tired of neither at 05 pm nor at 05 am.

“Forget” your trash

Waste & trash on the beach, Barceloneta

As mentioned before, Barceloneta’s beach is full of trash. It’s nearly impossible to walk around the beach and see no one that throws away his cigarette butt or his can after finishing their drink.

The waste that people produce during their beach days simply gets “forgotten.” Many people come here every day just to clean, but it is not enough anymore to keep the beach clean.

In the rest of the city, people drop their waste and leftovers wherever they are. Please, please, don’t be like this guy!

Standing on the wrong side of the escalator

What not to do in Barcelona, standing on the left site of the escalator

During rush hour, most of Barcelona’s metro lines are crowded with people. Changing between the lines can be quite stressful during those times of the day. While you are usually not in a hurry as a tourist, many people have to be at work on time and might run late.

In Barcelona (and many other big cities, such as London), there is this unwritten rule about which site you should be standing on when using the escalator. Standing on one side, walking on the other. Sounds like a great solution for everyone involved, don’t you think?

Which site should I stand on?

Usually, the people stand on the right-hand side so that people in a hurry can pass by on the left-hand side.

Looking for bullfights

bullfighting in Spain, torro, things not to do in Barcelona

Many people connect Spain automatically with bullfights. It’s true that there is a long tradition in Spain of fighting with bulls. Anyway, here in Barcelona (and in the whole of Catalonia), you will look for bullfights without any success.

For several years now, this old Spanish tradition has been forbidden in Catalonia.

To be honest, I am happy that those cruel traditions stopped in Catalonia and hope that the rest of Spain is going to follow this law in the near future.

Assume you are buying real brands at the beach

In the beach area, you can usually find a lot of people selling blankets, shoes, sunglasses, and other things along those lines. If you take a look at the prices of those products, you might already guess that they might probably be fake.

Anyway, I can’t really judge the quality of those products as I’ve never bought them. But I just assume that if you buy “Nike” sneakers for 10 โ‚ฌ, you can’t really expect high quality, can you?

Not using sunscreen

Sunscreen Beach, Barceloneta, Barcelona

Please, don’t be this guy – burned from top to bottom, looking like a shrimp. While walking around Barceloneta Beach, you can find so many people that you just want to give an umbrella to and cover them in After-Sun Lotion.

Obviously, I am not your mom, so don’t let me get started on what the sun is doing to your skin. Just keep in mind that Barcelona’s sun intensity is not comparable to that of Germany or England. Especially during the summer months, I never leave the house without applying sunscreen.

Look for the Gaudรญ Park

Park Gรผell, Barcelona, Gaudรญ, catalonia

Park Gรผell is one of the most famous sights in Barcelona. However, its name is not particularly easy to pronounce, especially if you are not familiar with the Spanish language.

That’s why, for instance, we Germans simply call it “Gaudรญ Park”, after its architect. However, if you ask locals for the way to the “Gaudรญ Park”, you might only get some weird looks instead of a helpful answer. And I don’t like to admit that I am actually talking from my own experience. When I came to Barcelona for the first time some years back, I also had no clue how to pronounce the name of this park correctly.

So, how is he called correctly?

The famous park in Barcelona, which was designed by Gaudรญ, is called Park Gรผell. We Germans would probably pronounce that as Park Gรผll.

And how is it pronounced correctly?

In order for the locals to understand you, you should pronounce it like Park Goo-ey.

Further useful information about Barcelona

Tibidabo Wheel, Barcelona, What not to do in Barcelona
The Wheel, as seen in Tibidabo

Accommodation in Barcelona

Here, you can find an overview of the most popular accommodations in Barcelona.

They are separated by estimated price so that there is something for every budget.

For the latest prices, deals, and availabilities, just click on the name of the accommodation that has caught your interest.

Please note that the prices can differ from their estimated budget due to seasonal differences etc.

Best Budget Accommodation in Barcelona

Sea Hostel Barcelona

This hostel (formerly Safestay Barcelona) is especially popular with backpackers. It is popularly booked for its excellent beachfront location and friendly staff.

Mid-range Accommodation in Barcelona

Hotel Santa Marta

The 2-star accommodation in the center of Barcelona (Born neighborhood) not only convinces us with a fantastic location but is also particularly praised for its cozy beds and outstanding cleanliness.

Luxury Accommodation in Barcelona

Ciutat de Barcelona

This popular 3-star hotel is great for those who want something special for their trip to Barcelona. The pool on the roof terrace combines beautiful views with a little refreshment. However, guests also enjoy the location and friendly staff.

Barcelona Points of Interest and attractions off the beaten path

Make sure to check out our Barcelona Guide to the best attractions in 3 days with useful information, maps, prices, and opening hours as well as our Unique things to do in Barcelona Guide with non-touristy activities.

Traveling as a couple?

Read about the most romantic things to do in Barcelona for couples here.


about-the-author

About the AuthorVicki

Hi, we are Vicki & Eduardo, an international travel couple on a mission to help you save money for priceless travel experience. Follow us through the miracles of this world and you will be rewarded with a bunch of practical travel tips.

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8 thoughts on What NOT to do in Barcelona – Barcelona Travel Fails to avoid

  1. Woooow what an amazing blog post haha! This is sooo true! I live in Barcelona and totally agree with everything you wrote. There are so many other amazing spots to eat tapas or paella and the city really has some incredible things to offer, just not the ones most tourist go to. Thanks for sharing, I’ll forward it to all my friends that will visit me ๐Ÿ˜‰

  2. This is such a helpful resource for someone like me who wants to go and has never been so far. Thanks for sharing, I’m pinning it for later!

    • Hi Neha,

      Thank you for your comment! I hope it is useful to you when you go to Barcelona ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. So so useful! So much more refreshing than the typical itinerary guides. Really interesting points regarding Airbnb and authentic food, will definitely pass this knowledge on!

    • Hi Lauren,

      Thank you so much for your comment! Yes, I think those are points that tourist usually don’t consider before visiting a place

  4. Thanks for this great guide! I made the mistake once with the wrong airports and Iโ€™ll never forget it! Iโ€™m going to Barcelona next month and I loved your tips!

    • Hi Linnea,

      Thank you so much for your comment! Hope they will be useful for your trip next month ๐Ÿ™‚

Comments are closed.