Beautiful Places to take Pictures in Barcelona

Barcelona is an increasingly popular tourist destination and a very Instagrammable one too. A quick search of the hashtag #barcelona on Instagram will bring up 36 + MILLION results.

That’s a lot of people snapping photos of this beautiful city in Spain. If you’re looking for the best photo spots in our city, we put together a list of the most Instagrammable and photogenic locations in Barcelona, so if you want to snap that perfect Spanish holiday photo, just read on!

Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Familia is a large Catholic Church, currently unfinished. It is very imposing so if you want to snap a picture with the whole building make sure to take it from the small park in front of the facade of Sagrada Familia, as you’ll be able to get the whole building in one shot.

As you can imagine a masterpiece like the Sagrada Familia is pretty beautiful on the inside as well, and can’t be seen just from the outside. In terms of photo opportunities, the interior doesn’t disappoint either.

One of the things about Barcelona is that the weather is pleasant all year (which is what makes it one of the best cities to visit in Europe in winter!) meaning you can get great photos both indoors and outdoors at any time of year.

Casa Batlló

Fair warning – a few locations are going to be Gaudí properties – the architect left an incredible mark on Barcelona, and the organic nature of his buildings means they’re wonderfully photogenic.

Casa Batlló is no exception. The outside of this building is famous for its Venetian mask-like balconies, whilst the roof is known for its beautiful chimneys. Mid to late morning is probably the best time to visit for photos, as the building is on the west side of a north-south street, so only has the light falling on it for some of the day.

Magic Fountain of Montjuïc

The Magic Fountain (definitely the best name for a fountain) is a huge fountain that was built on the side of Monjuïc hill for the 1923 International Exhibition. Normally, it runs a daily sound and light show which draws big crowds, and is a great spot for photos. But it is unfortunately closed due the Covid-19 measures. It is currently in maintenance, so the fountains will not be shooting in the air, but still, this is a beautiful place to shoot some beautiful pictures.

There are a number of locations to shoot great photo’s. Either up close at the fountain itself, or from the top of the hill by the National Museum of Catalan. From the top, you get a wonderful view across the city with the fountain display as the foreground. Definitely worth photographing during your time in Barcelona!

Park Güell

Another Gaudí installation, Park Güell is situated a little north of the city centre on one of Barcelona’s hills. This means you get great views back across the city, and the Park is a good spot for sunset photos.

It’s also an excellent photography location during the rest of the day (although of course, the best light will be closer to sunrise and sunset!). Whilst the vision of the Park that Gaudí came up with was never completed, the version that exists today is full of interesting photography locations, from the giant mosaic salamander to the huge pillared area supporting the terrace.

The Park has an entry fee during the Covid-19 Crisis to manage capacity, and entries are timed. Barcelona is a city that is known for being busy, so this has definitely helped with the crowds, but be aware that for the classic shots of the entry gates, the mosaic terrace and the salamander, you might have to wait your turn a little or just be OK with having some fellow travellers in your shots.

Ciutadella-Park

Just to the east of the city centre and near one of the main train stations is the Parc de la Ciutadella. This has a number of interesting buildings, including the museum of natural science and the Barcelona Zoo.

Most visitors, however, come to see the Cascada, also known as the Horse Fountain. This was created by Josep Fontsére with a little help from a then largely unknown Anton Gaudí. It’s very photogenic, with a huge golden statue of a horse chariot atop an arch in front of the water cascade and pool, which offers some excellent reflection opportunities. At the moment, the pool and water cascade are empty but maintenance, so this will be filled up soon and will be as beautiful as always.