10 Best Views in Barcelona

Barcelona has a special feature. Although it is a coastal city, it is surrounded by mountains and hills that allow us to have a privileged view of the peculiar structure of the city. If we add to this the fact that there are several places and high-rise buildings in the heart of the city, what we get is a wide range of viewpoints, all with different panoramic views and perspectives. In my opinion, it's one of the best things to do in Barcelona.

Surely the sum of all its viewpoints makes Barcelona one of the cities with the best views in the world. There are so many options for seeing the city from above that choosing one or more of them can be a complicated mission. But to make it easier for you, I've put together in this post what, for me, are the 10 best views of Barcelona, including both paid and free viewpoints and from different perspectives.

As well as being one of the most visited monuments in Barcelona, Park Güell also has one of the best views of the city thanks to its location on the side of a hill. Within the park there are several places from which to contemplate the views, divided into two areas. One is paid, and the other is less well known and free of charge.

The paid area corresponds to the monumental zone where tourism is concentrated. The good thing about this area is that you can combine the views with the best examples of architecture that Gaudí designed for the park, such as the Sala Hipóstila or the famous Trencadis lizard.

What not many people know is that there is a part of Park Güell that can be visited free of charge and which also has the best panoramic views as it corresponds to the highest part.

My recommendation is to visit both areas, but book your tickets for the monumental part in advance, otherwise you risk long queues. In any case, the views of Barcelona from Park Güell are well worth the entrance fee. The timetables are available at this link.

Montjuic is a mountain located near the port of Barcelona and has several viewpoints, most of them free of charge. The best way to get to Montjuic is to take the funicular that leaves from the Paralel stop where the metro lines 3 and 2 arrive.

In Montjuic you will find, among other things, the Olympic Village of the 1992 Games, although the best viewpoints are not here.

The best place to get a good view of Montjuic is from the castle walls. There is an entrance fee, but in exchange you will have wonderful views from two different perspectives. From one side you will see the skyline of the city and from the other the port area and the Mediterranean Sea.

There are free alternatives such as the Alcalde viewpoint or the Miramar viewpoint in the Montjuic park area.

If you travel to Barcelona you are sure to visit the Sagrada Familia. There is a reason why it is the symbol of the city and its most visited monument. In that case, and if you have time, I recommend you to see the temple in depth, from its façades to its interior and, of course, to climb its towers. The Sagrada Família currently has 8 of the 18 towers that were planned for its construction and you can climb two of them to see Barcelona from its main monument.

These two towers are the tower of the birth from which you can see the east side of the city, and the tower of the passion which covers the west side. You can climb both, although the entrance fee is separate.

In any case, if you want to go up to see the views, I recommend you book your ticket in advance because, as you can imagine, the queues at the Sagrada Família to get tickets are considerable.

We begin this tour of the best views of Barcelona with what, in my opinion and that of many, are the most complete of all. I'm talking about Tibidabo Mountain. This mountain protects Barcelona and is home to two of the best places to see almost the entire city.

The first is the Tibidabo amusement park. To access it, of course, you have to buy a ticket, but in exchange, in addition to the more than 25 attractions, you get incredible views of the whole of Barcelona.

To make the experience even better, my recommendation is to go on the Ferris wheel from where you can see Barcelona in full view with the Mediterranean Sea in the background.

The second point is the highest point in Barcelona. Near the Tibidabo amusement park is the Collserola tower. Adding the height of the mountain to that of the tower, we have views from 560 metres above sea level. This communications tower has the advantage that the view is 360º and in addition to the city we can see the landscape on the other side of the mountain. In this case, there is also a fee.

We now move to the Gothic Quarter, to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Pi, from whose bell towers we can contemplate some of the best 360º views of the whole city.

Although it shares the limelight with Barcelona Cathedral, this church has the advantage over the cathedral of having a terrace with views from all directions. It is the best place to see the historic centre of Barcelona from the top.

To climb its bell towers you will have to do it with a guided tour as it is not freely accessible. The entrance fee for this guided tour is 10 euros and it is only available on Fridays and Saturdays.

But don't let that put you off, because as well as getting to know the beautiful basilica you'll be able to admire the best views of the centre of Barcelona.

Not everyone knows that inside the statue of Christopher Columbus, located at the end of the Rambla, there is a small viewpoint.

This 80-metre high monument was inaugurated in 1888 on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition and is crowned by a statue of Columbus pointing in the opposite direction to America.

At the top of the monument there is a small viewpoint with a panoramic view of the Ramblas and the port area. The disadvantage of this viewpoint is that it is quite narrow and cannot hold many people at the same time, so you will probably have to queue to get in and you will have to pay an entrance fee.

I recommend you visit it at sunset, as the views of the port area at this time of day are beautiful.

The viewpoint at Barcelona Cathedral is along the same lines as the one at the Basilica of Santa Maria, and in fact the views are similar and equally good.

But there is one detail why I have decided to include it in this list. In addition to the views, the terrace of Barcelona Cathedral allows us to see in detail the spires of the towers and other architectural details that are well worth seeing in a temple of this style. Not to detract from the panoramic view, by any means.

To go up to the terrace of the cathedral you need to buy the general ticket, which costs about 9 euros, but includes, in addition to access to the roof, a ticket to the choir, the chapterhouse and an audio guide.

Unlike the Basilica of Santa Maria, its views can be enjoyed every day except Sundays and religious holidays.

The place I'm going to tell you about now is possibly the one with the best views of Barcelona, and access to it is completely free. At the top of the hill of Turó de la Rovira, near Park Güell, are the bunkers of Carmel.

During the Spanish Civil War they were anti-aircraft batteries and today they have been converted into a lookout point.

On clear days the views are among the most complete and you can see almost any part of Barcelona. In addition, this place is surrounded by beautiful green areas with a great atmosphere, perfect to enjoy the sunset and have dinner nearby.

This is one of my favourite places on the list and there are not as many tourists as in other places. And, I repeat, it's free.

If you are a lover of art and museums , one of the best you will find in Barcelona is the National Art Museum of Catalonia. But now it's not time to review its excellent collection, but rather one of the virtues of its location. It is housed in the Royal Palace of Montjuic on the slopes of the hill, with a spectacular view of the Plaza de España and the skyline in the background.

In this case you can choose whether to take advantage of the free views from the entrance to the museum itself or pay the entrance fee to go up to one of the terraces. The difference is not very great, so if you are not interested in the museum you can save the entrance fee.

The modern and luxurious Hotel W, or Hotel Vela because of its sailboat shape, has one of the most modern viewpoints in Barcelona. It is located on the 26th floor in the Eclipse bar. But don't worry, you won't have to pay to stay at the hotel to access it.

Entry is free, although the bar's drinks are quite expensive and there are often queues to get up there. The views of the Mediterranean beaches and the coastal area are well worth the queues, if you have the patience of course.

The hotel is situated at the end of San Sebastian beach in the harbour area. Its location is perfect for combining the views from the lookout point with a stroll along the harbour or the beach at sunset.

The list of viewpoints in Barcelona is practically endless. The 10 above are my favourites, but as they say, there are different colours to suit different tastes. And in case any of the ones we've seen don't convince you, I'll leave you with another, less detailed list but with other spots whose views are also candidates to be considered the best in Barcelona.

Viewpoint of the Urquinaona tower

It is the newest in Barcelona and is located in the tallest building in the centre, the Urquinaona tower. Located near Plaça Catalunya, you can enjoy its 360º views at a height of 70 metres.

Terrace of the Las Arenas shopping centre

This shopping centre is located in the old Las Arenas bullring, which has been adapted. At the top of the building there is a terrace with good views, especially of the Plaça d'Espanya area.

Restaurant at the Corte Inglés department store in Plaça de Catalunya

In the Plaza de Cataluña itself is the Corte Inglés shopping centre building, whose restaurant on the top floor offers privileged views of the Plaza Cataluña and part of the Passeig de Gràcia.

Terrace of the Pedrera house

From the rooftop of Gaudi's legendary house there are also good views. But on this occasion they are limited to the Passeig de Gràcia area with the Sagrada Família in the background. To enjoy them you have to pay the entrance fee to see the Pedrera house.

Port cable car

From the port of Barcelona there is a cable car that connects with the upper part of Montjuic. The route, which takes just over 1 kilometre and 10 minutes, offers some highly recommended views of the port and Montjuic.

Helicopter ride

This last option is not a viewpoint as such. But what better views of Barcelona can there be than from a helicopter flying over the city. You can find all the information about these flights at this link.