What happens hour by hour when you land here on your own.
The hard part of travelling alone is the gap between dropping your bag and having something to do that evening. That gap can easily take up the first two days. This is how to make use of them.
Before you land: two things worth doing
Pick where you sleep for the social side. A quiet apartment saves you money and takes away the social side of the trip. A hostel with a common area and something on in the evenings does more for a solo trip than any activity you book.
Buy a transport ticket at the airport. Barcelona’s metro runs on multi journey cards you tap and pass between people. Buying one at the airport machine takes two minutes and saves you queueing at a machine every time you move.
Hours 1 to 3: Arrival
Drop your bag and go straight back out. The first evening sets the pattern for the trip, so use it.
If you land in the morning, walk. If you land at night, the common area of wherever you are staying is enough for the first night.
Hour 4: The walking tour
11:00 daily from Plaça Catalunya, a little over two hours. Two reasons it works as a first move.
The obvious one is orientation. You come out understanding how the Gothic Quarter, the Eixample and the waterfront relate to each other, which turns the rest of the week from wandering into navigating.
The second is that it is the easiest way to talk to people on a trip. Everyone is standing in the same place for two hours, most of them are alone, and nobody has to introduce themselves. Conversations start because you are both looking at the same building. By the end there is usually a group deciding where to get lunch.
Hour 6: Lunch
Barcelona eats late. Lunch runs from about 14:00, dinner rarely before 21:00. At 19:00 the places open are mostly aimed at visitors. There is more on that in eating near Las Ramblas without overpaying.
Hour 9: Something free in the evening
The gap between late afternoon and dinner is where solo trips go quiet. Fill it with something that costs nothing and has other people at it.
Barcelona makes this easy: the Magic Fountain on Montjuïc, the park at Ciutadella, the view from Bunkers del Carmel, the tapas street in Poble Sec. They are free, public and busy in the evening. Our WhatsApp community posts a different one most days with a time and a meeting point, and anyone can turn up. If you want a full list of the viewpoints, we ranked them by how far you have to walk.
Hour 12 and after: Optional
If the evening is still going and you want more, that is what the Social Night Out is for: three hosted events in three venues, then club entry, every night. Go to one, go to all three, leave when you want.
Walking into a bar alone in a city where you do not speak the language is hard. At a hosted event there is someone whose job is to introduce you, and everyone there arrived on the same terms.
What day one usually ends up looking like
Most people finish day one having swapped numbers with at least one person from the walking tour or the evening event. That is the goal. Day two is when those loose contacts turn into plans, and from there the trip runs itself.
If day one ends without new contacts, repeat the same plan on day two.
We wrote a separate guide on how to meet people in Barcelona when you arrive alone, which goes deeper into what works and what to look for in a group night.
Practical things worth knowing
- Keep your belongings close in busy places. Bag zipped and phone in your pocket on Las Ramblas, the metro and the beach.
- Carry photo ID. Anything ending in a club needs it, and a photo on your phone does not count at the door.
- The metro runs all night on Saturdays, until around 02:00 on Fridays and the eves of public holidays, and stops around midnight the rest of the week. Taxis from the centre are affordable.
- Barcelona is bilingual. Signs are in Catalan, everyone speaks Spanish, and English is fine in the centre. Either works.
- Sunday afternoons are quiet. Many small places close. It is a good day for the beach or a hill.
Common questions
Is Barcelona safe for solo travellers?
Yes. The centre is busy and lit until late.
Is it weird to eat alone in Barcelona?
No. Bar seating in tapas places exists for exactly that, and plenty of locals eat standing at the bar on their own.
What is the fastest way to meet people as a solo traveller?
Anything with a fixed start time and a group already forming: a walking tour in the morning, a hosted evening event later. In both, conversation starts on its own.
How many days do you need in Barcelona?
Four gets you the city. Six or seven lets you add a beach day and a day trip without rushing.
Do I need to speak Spanish?
No. English works in the centre, in restaurants and on public transport. Learning to say please and thank you goes further than you would expect.
Three hosted events in three venues, then club entry, every night of the week. By the end of the night you know the group. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
See tonight →