Barcelona is a city open to tourism, sometimes perhaps too much. But anyone who knows the city knows that tourists occupy specific areas, those saturated by visitors who consult what to do and where to go in the same guides as always. But this city is much more than that, that’s why we propose this list of secret places in Barcelona where to hide.
Whether you want to surprise your partner, or escape from the hustle and bustle, escaping from the city.
Jardins de la Tamarita, one of the most romantic corners of Barcelona.
To talk about this modern oasis it would be enough to refer to the commonplace, the obviousness of: “it is for all audiences”. It is super hackneyed, but it is still true. Man, whoever has the intention to go drinking or petting, it is almost better to do it at home.
What we mean is that, for a walk, any kind of company -loving, friendly, family- is appropriate. Besides, there are pingpong tables and a children’s playground.
Visit Castellcir Castle before it’s too late.
This castle has not impacted popular culture as it deserves, and despite being an Asset of Cultural Interest since 1888, the state it is in is precarious to say the least.
The castle is in ruins. It is in an advanced state of degradation. One day the stone on which it is built will give way and it will be too late to repent.
Those who visit it frequently know this. And is that the visit to the Castillo de la Popa is one of the star routes of mild hiking in the province of Barcelona. Mild, we say, because it is about four kilometers and leaves the village of Castellcir.
Plaça de Sant Felip Neri and its history
Surely you have noticed the holes in the facade of the church that gives its name to the square; surely, also, you have wondered why the walls have not been restored. Marks that appear on the facade like wounds or scars of a dark time.
Dark both for Barcelona and for Spain, in general: to know the origin of the holes you have to go back to 1938, to the last stages of the Civil War. These are due to a bombing caused by Franco’s side during the war, in the middle of the capture of Barcelona.
If what you are looking for is intimacy… here we have a list of secret places to go as a couple.
We are not responsible for the use of these facilities, since the places we include in this list are a double-edged sword because their romantic and intimate atmosphere could be considered manipulation.
If you want to make sure you say yes, or just want to have an original date, don’t miss these secret places in Barcelona to go as a couple.
Air-raid shelters, the most hidden places for obvious reasons.
One of the best known is the one in Plaça del Diamant. Such is the level of detail and conservation of this shelter that you can see the marks left on the walls by the candles with which the people who sheltered in it were illuminated.
Many of these bunkers could be accessed from tunnels in the middle of the street. However, there were also a privileged few who had the possibility of access from the same block of apartments. One of the most striking cases is that of La Pedrera: it had a direct connection to an air-raid shelter.
Carrer Petritxol, the most iconic street
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iH9a24RKK4&t=1s
It is one of the most emblematic streets of Barcelona: recognized by locals and sought after by tourists. And it is, among other things, because it smells of chocolate.
A narrow street like the furrow through which the water of a stream flows; a street with a sinuous layout like a black mamba; a street where, by stretching out your arms, you can almost touch the walls on one side and the other; a street that brings together the essence of a neighborhood: the Gothic.
Mythical street for its history, with an uncertain etymological origin, precursor of movements and loved by, as it is popularly said, locals and strangers.
The other and secret Sagrada Familia
Given that it is not possible to travel to the future and also given that virtual reconstructions do not satisfy the cultural concerns of the most impatient, we will tell you that there is another Holy Family.
No, not a Sagrada Familia at 1:40 scale -that’s for sure-. Nor a temple of similar aesthetics and same dimensions in another continent. No, there is another Sagrada Familia just a few minutes drive from Barcelona.
The kiss of death
The kiss of death is the petrification of sadness. Of the funereal. It is the story of claws that have been digging into young flesh for almost a century. A winged skeleton that kisses a handsome young man on the forehead, if not dead, then faint.
The truly terrifying thing about The Kiss of Death is not the death itself. It makes things easier, no doubt. But what is terrifying is the sweetness. The possibility that death is not traumatic. The possibility that death is not what it is. And that it is not when it comes to a person as young as the one portrayed in the sculpture. That death is a partner, a repentant figure that approaches the piano, unwillingly, little by little, asking for forgiveness. Like a good boss who is forced from above to fire an employee who works well.
The cloister of the parish of Santa Anna
The parish, which is open from 9 am to 1 pm and from 6:30 pm to 8 pm, is just that: a parish, but the great interest (or the point on which all my interest is focused) is the cloister. A cloister that, as my actor’s face says, is of Gothic inspiration. Not that it detracts from the interior of the church.
Namely, according to this article of the National, here inside are guarded works of Pere Pruna, a disciple of Picasso. I do not detract anything, I say, but the cloister is, in the words of millennials (which is what I am), another roll.
The forest with erotic motifs, one of the most curious places in Barcelona.
Xicu Cabanyes, author of the forest, grew up in the countryside and everything pointed to the fact that he was going to continue living in the countryside. But he showed a skill with the knife and with wood that was beyond doubt.
Cabanyes joined a furniture factory and from then on the rest is history. He began to play with elements and to distinguish himself from his contemporaries by making unparalleled works: Cabanyes was already provoking with his erotic sculptures during the Franco regime.
Restaurants to try at least once in your life
The 100 movies you have to see before you die, the 100 records and songs you can’t miss; the 75 things you have to do in Barcelona before you die or the 50 things you can do for free.
Yes, yes, all very well. But isn’t anyone going to talk about what keeps us alive? Food and drink have 50 temples in Barcelona that you have to visit at least once in your life.
Charming villages less than two hours from Barcelona
Barcelona allows you to disconnect, but sometimes there is nothing like taking the car and backpack, take the road and go to the countryside to breathe the fresh air. Or on the beach. And if we talk about a charming place, the experience improves exponentially. Here are 16 alternative getaways near Barcelona.
The most beautiful patios are the best secret places in Barcelona to go as a couple.
The truth is that disconnecting in a big city is becoming increasingly difficult. We are not going to be us who deny it, although there is always where to hide, that’s why, Barcelona’s patios are a perfect choice of secret place to go as a couple to have a few wines or have a date.
But you don’t need to take the car and go to the boondocks to escape from the urban chaos. You can even do it inside Barcelona itself, for example, with these incredible patios.
The best of La Barceloneta
La Barceloneta is one of those laboratory neighborhoods, one of those places in the city where people from here and there end up coming together, from different social strata, with different ways of understanding life, and that sometimes creates wonderful mixes.
Or maybe La Barceloneta was already wonderful before all this. Guiris and locals, migrants and grandparents, traditional bars and craft beer places. Everything has a place in this neighborhood. And fortunately, at least for the moment, no part of it is gobbling up the other.
Here is our little tribute to this amazing neighborhood. Here are our favorites of La Barceloneta.
Have a great time in these abandoned places.
Bad vibes, uneasiness, bristling hair and a constant feeling of insecurity. That’s what abandoned places usually inspire. The feelings are intensified, even more so if they used to be buildings with a lot of life or colossal structures.
It is normal that there are many who try and want to avoid them. But if, like us, you are not one of those, you might like to know that in Barcelona we also have our little treasures in ruins to visit.
See Barcelona from above
The most obvious ways to get a privileged view over the city are to climb a mountain or take an elevator. In Barcelona there are parks with views and hotels with elegant and spectacular terraces where you can enjoy a picnic or a cocktail overlooking the rooftops of the city.
But there are also viewpoints to use, elevated gardens, mountains and hills, so we leave here a list of the best.
Find the secret coves near Barcelona
If you are one of those who fall in love with the water of Barceloneta when it is clear, you can’t imagine what you have left to discover.
In this link you can find some of our favorite coves closer, although the list is short.
The Barcelona of the underground: sewers and drains
A few meters underground there is a labyrinthine and unknown city: the sewers of Barcelona, and yes, you can visit them. Barcelona has more than 1,700km of sewer tunnels and all the buildings in the city are connected to this network.
A few meters from the terrace of a bar, at the intersection of Passeig Sant Joan with Carrer València, you can access the sewers of the city in a visit open to the public and that we ourselves did to tell you in detail in this article.
Ignacio Puig Gardens
One of the biggest and best ironies of the barri Gótic. A public garden that is inside a private building and is only public at certain times of the day. This romantic garden, remains of what was the palace of Ignacio Puig in 1861, is in a protected building but is owned by a hotel, so to access it you have to go through the reception of the tourist building.
The best thing about it is that it is on Boqueria street, a step away from La Rambla, and is a small oasis to isolate yourself from the hustle and bustle of the area. Just cross the street, enter and rest (if the tourists of the hotel let you).
The unknown Alien Museum hidden in a garage.
Sometimes it seems that Barcelona is no longer a place for secrets, but reality tells us that some remain, and the Alien museum is one of them, a delirium of a fan of the Alien saga that has built a reconstruction of the film in a local La Sagrera, and that has been so successful that just now they are looking for a place to grow and make an even bigger reconstruction. A real hidden gem that we explain here.