Tourist Traps in Barcelona

So you’re off to Barcelona? Of course you’re going to want to get inside the Sagrada Família! Of course you’re going to want to give your selfie stick a workout at Park Güell! And of course you’re going to want to fill your face with as much paella and sangria as you possibly can! Right? Wrong! Beautiful Barcelona may be, but like many major cities it’s also plagued with tourist traps, from long lines and terrible food to flamenco show rip-offs and, of course, the city’s near-legendary pickpockets. But fear not, for there are plenty of ways to enjoy everything Barcelona has to offer without being caught out by a disappointing La Rambla meal, comically overpriced souvenir tat or modern-day Artful Dodger. We’ve got your back: read on for our guide to Barcelona’s most notorious tourist traps, plus how to avoid them, and what you should do instead.

Barcelona Tourist Traps: Attractions

A good rule of thumb when on vacation in Barcelona (or indeed any major city) is that, the closer you get to a major landmark, the more likely you are to fall into a tourist trap. Case in point: La Sagrada Família is Spain’s most popular monument, attracting some four million visitors every year. That’s just a little shy of 11,000 people on average every single day. Yet most tourists make the same fatal error, and it’s a doozy. That’s right: turning up without a ticket. Book your skip-the-line ticket in advance (available with a Barcelona pass from Go City, bargain hunters!) and you can breeze smugly past the sweating masses, safe in the knowledge that you’re waaaay smarter than they are.

But Gaudí’s masterwork ain’t the only attraction you’ve got to worry about. Barcelona’s up there with Paris, London and Rome in terms of tourist numbers, so apply the same rule to any major museum or landmark you want to visit. Park Güell? Sure, it’s iconic, but boy can those (admittedly iconic) Gaudí monuments get crowded. And there’s plenty more great architecture to ogle on a stroll around the rest of the city. We’re talking great Gothic churches and further fantastical confections by Gaudí and his contemporaries in Modernisme, including Domènech and Puig i Cadalfach. If you absolutely must scratch your Insta itch at Park Güell, go in the early morning or evening. Otherwise, hit up lesser-visited Gaudí hotspots including Casa Batlló and La Pedrera, or even his magical Portal Miralles arch (presided over by a life-sized Gaudí statue) in Barcelona’s upscale Sarrià neighborhood. All of these (and more!) are included with the Barcelona pass from Go City.

Visiting between May and September? Chances are you’ll have packed your most glamorous swimwear the better to show off your Barcelona tan on the beach. A word to the wise though: those city beaches might seem alluring but to say they can get crowded in summer would be a gross understatement. If you fancy something a little less hectic, you may find it at Nova Mar, a little way north of the main drag. Or you could always strike out for the broad, sandy beaches of the Costa Brava, an easy day trip from the city center by car or bus.

Traps for Hungry Barcelona Tourists

Ok, we need to talk about La Rambla. Barcelona’s busiest thoroughfare sees a footfall of some 100 million tourists per year. Crammed with bars, eateries, souvenir stores, markets and theaters, this place is like catnip for tourists who gather here in droves, eager to sample the perfect paella or score unique gifts for the gang back home. Well, newsflash: you’ve come to the wrong place. La Rambla is practically the dictionary definition of ‘tourist trap’. Sure, its location between Plaça de Catalunya, the Gothic Quarter and the port means you’re bound to pass through it at some point but trust us when we say that pass through is all you should do.

Among some stiff competition, La Rambla’s worst tourist traps are its restaurants (if you can call them that). Here’s where unsuspecting tourists fresh off the plane are lured in by street touts for terrible tapas, pitiful paella and sorry sangria. Follow our helpful tips on which joints to try and which to avoid on La Rambla and beyond…

• A restaurant that requires a waiter to stand on the street begging passers-by to come in is a major red flag. Avoid.
• Signs and menus in English mean the food inside is almost certainly… not authentic Catalan. And probably also microwaved from frozen. If it doesn’t come served in the skillet it was cooked in, it’s a hard no.
• Does the menu use stock images of various paellas? Run for the hills: this is reheated (and overpriced) mush aimed squarely at the tourist dollar. That means you, my friend.
• You won’t find any self-respecting local in a joint calling itself a ‘sangria bar’. The watered-down wine/frozen fruit concoctions found within are no way to get the party started.

Barcelona has a vibrant foodie scene… if only you know where to look. And – yep, you guessed it – La Rambla ain’t it. As ever, the further you get from the tourist hotspots, the more likely you are to find truly authentic Catalan fare. Check Tripadvisor for ideas and seek recommendations from hotel staff and locals. You’ll find that you don’t necessarily have to go out to the sticks for the best tapas in town; there are plenty of popular local faves in Gràcia, El Born and Eixample if you do your research. And be sure to try regionally produced cava with your meal – a perfectly chilled glass of the good stuff can rival a decent champagne for flavor and fizz.

Classic Barcelona Tourist Traps

Last but by no means least in our whistle-stop tour of Barcelona’s most notorious tourist traps are its crack pickpocketing squads and ubiquitous flamenco shows. Everybody knows that Barcelona’s pickpockets are the finest in Europe. And, as surely as night follows day, most thefts happen in and around the city’s major tourist attractions – Park Güell and La Rambla being some of the places you’re most likely to be relieved of your valuables. After all, crowds make for rich pickings and rapid disappearing acts, meaning your belongings will likely be long gone before you’ve even noticed they’re missing. Inevitably, an out-of-towner waving their brand-new camera-phone around in front of the Sagrada Família is going to be an easier target than a street-smart local. You can avoid becoming a victim by staying vigilant, keeping valuables out of sight, and ideally investing in an anti-theft backpack or purse.

As for flamenco, well… it’s an Andalusian cultural tradition that isn’t generally associated with Catalonia at all, so you’re already being kinda gaslit by the dozens of ‘traditional’ shows being advertised on nearly every street corner in central Barcelona. These are, we’re afraid to say, inauthentic, overpriced, and very squarely targeted at tourists with more money than sense. But sure, they can also be fun when done well. If you absolutely must see one, we recommend seeking out smaller venues with genuine flamenco artists for the best value:experience ratio.

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