Plaça Catalunya – Most BORING Place in Barcelona!

You’ve traveled all the way to Barcelona to see… some pigeons?

You may have noticed that almost all the Google searches and travel guides to Barcelona say Plaça Catalunya is one of the main sights in the city. Every year millions of tourists of the city make sure to pass by thinking this is the must-see spot in Barcelona.  

In reality, there’s not much to it. Plaça Catalunya is a simple square in the center of Barcelona.

Sure, there’s a modern stone statue and a water feature, it’s decorated with colorful flowers and surrounded by restaurants and coffee shops. But while this place is worth passing by, I gotta let you know that Plaça Catalunya is far and away not the best or the most interesting place to visit in Barcelona.

So, What’s the Deal with Plaça Catalunya?

Plaça Catalunya is rather one of the most boring places in Barcelona. And, please don’t get us wrong: the place does have a beautiful design and a great location, however people somehow make too much of a big deal out of it.

In this article, we will try to understand why exactly Plaça Catalunya managed to attract so much attention among the tourists promoting the simple square to be one of the top destinations in Barcelona. We will also see what other better places there are in our beautiful city, that are so much more interesting and fun to visit. So here we go, let’s start from the very beginning.

There is Nothing Special About Plaça Catalunya!

So, Plaça Catalunya is located in the center of Barcelona. It is a large and beautiful square featuring a tasteful garden and water fountains. There are loads of fashion shops, classy restaurants, and touristic cafes nearby. But really look into it! What is so special about this place? You can walk around the entire square in a maximum of 15 minutes. This includes the time for taking some photos and looking around at the passing traffic. That is pretty much it…!

The place is surely nice and pretty, but there is nothing particular and special about it. You can hardly find any types of attractions here expect the restaurants and shops around it, but hey – there are shops and restaurants everywhere!

Then Why is Plaça Catalunya so Famous?

And somehow, Plaça Catalunya managed to become one of the main visiting points of Barcelona. Now, let’s see how possibly this could have happened. First of all, see the location. Plaça Catalunya is, in fact, one of the main central meeting points in Barcelona. It has got rather a perfect central location and everyone knows where it is.

Many of the luxury hotels of Barcelona are within walking distance on Passeig de Gracia. And for tourists especially, it is so much easier to go there and arrange meetings. This is because there are almost no chances you will possibly manage to miss this place or get lost anywhere around it. So, this is most likely why Plaça Catalunya became to be so famous.

What Else?

Plaça Catalunya has great connections with public transport lines. You can get just anywhere in the city from Plaça Catalunya by metro, buses, and not to mention rather endless taxis roaming around the square. The place is very easy to get to. From here you can walk to all the city center attractions which are always a great starting point in exploring Barcelona.  

Another not less important fact about the place is that Plaça Catalunya leads into the famous Las Ramblas pedestrian street in Barcelona. One of the longest pedestrian streets in the city center, it’s a true tourist attraction. And, it conveniently starts from Plaça Catalunya and so, it is more than understandable why tourists prefer to visit everything in one go.  

Location, Location, Location…

As we can see, except for the great central location there is hardly anything else so special about Plaça Catalunya. It still is a nice place to have a walk and see, but we are more than sure that there are better and more exciting places in Barcelona worth all the attention that the square is getting instead. In order to make it fair, we will give you some examples of places that are way more worth your precious holiday time.

Better Things to See in Barcelona

Barcelona is a large and interesting city, where you can find just anything you have been looking for in a colorful city. In addition, you will have some great new experiences you are about to discover for yourself here as well. While the travel guides will give you the names of the most popular must visit spots such as Plaça Catalunya or La Sagrada Familia, we can offer you some other much better and more interesting places to check out.  

Great Alternatives

So, first of all, why don’t you take a walk in the beautiful city parks, huge botanic gardens, and spectacular viewpoints in Barcelona? Or, go check out the interesting and less crowded Gracia neighborhood, the gothic and Jewish quarters of the city. Here you will be able to feel the true history and different styles which had passed through the city over the years. You can also try out some special local tapas and drinks, take part in traditional dances, street festivals, and activities of the city and chill on rooftop bars in the evenings.

Everyone checks in by the famous Gaudi buildings or the main squares of Barcelona, while you can check out the wonderful museums such as Can Framis, visit art galleries, and music halls for some tasteful and fantastic experience and hence feel the true classy and rich spirit of the city.

You may want to check out our Quick Guide to Barcelona for more ideas…

So, What we Advise you Try

Checking out must-visit spots in any new city is surely amazing. In most of the cases, you will get to see the true cultural magic of the place you are visiting. For instance, visiting Barcelona without checking out the precious Sagrada Familia or other Gaudi creations can be rather a waste of the experience. Just because Barcelona is known for certain special buildings, specific activities and, of course, amazing beaches, you will probably need to go to some of the most visited and even most crowded spots in here to make the experience complete. Simply keep in mind that there is always so much more going on in Barcelona that in case you don’t have many days to spend here you may want to skip some tourist traps.  

So, don’t get too confused wasting time on such “popular” spots which in fact have nothing particularly special about them. Especially if you have less time and so many things to visit, make sure to explore each point before you actually spend time going there. In this way, you can really save some precious time and make sure you are visiting the places which are truly interesting for you and can be inspiring to remember after your trip.

Final thought on Plaça Catalunya

Plaça Catalunya is a pretty ordinary Spanish plaza that happens to be located at the (rapidly beating passionate) heart of Barcelona. But as we saw, there are so many other wonderful things you can see and do in Barcelona that skipping it should not be a big loss for you. Meanwhile, as you happen to pass by it is surely worth having a look. Or maybe you can simply make the most of its perfect central location and start planning your city exploration day from here. Simply don’t expect too much to see in here, as the place can be somewhat overrated compared to many other wonderful spots you will find in Barcelona.

Barcelona is the cultural and fashionable hub of Spain. Don’t waste your time photographing pigeons Plaça Catalunya (unless you’re an ornithologist).

And whatever traveling style and activities you’re into – be it wandering in the city, going for exciting city tours, chilling on the marvellous beaches, partying whole night, or trying out some water sports- we hope you have a great time in Barcelona. Have fun exploring the beautiful city and enjoy each and every experience you will find here. Or have fun with the Catalan pigeons!

Check out our Quick Guide to Barcelona for more ideas…