If you have visited Barcelona more than once, and already checked all those “must-visit” spots on the list, you might want to explore the city like locals do. This is why we wrote these what locals do in Barcelona list:
Have fun in Festes majors
“Festes Majors” are the traditional Catalan festivities held in neighborhoods once or twice a year, specially during Summer. One of the most famous is the one celebrated in Gràcia, specially because of its street decoration contest. Groups of neighbors of each street work on the handmade decorations throughout the year. They usually pick a topic and recreate a scenario on the street (films, historical periods, futurist scenarios, etc.).
These traditional festivities also include live music at night, activities for children, popular lunch gatherings, etc. A great plan to get to know the Catalan culture, included among the things to do in Barcelona that aren’t touristy.
Vermouth with friends
We love to spend time with our loved ones (family and friends). We love it that much, that we even created our own ritual consisting in gastronomic gatherings to get us together before having lunch. And we called it “Vermouth”.
Vermouth it is the traditional drink (usually served with an olive inside the glass) which looks like a Coke, but with a different favour. Vermut is usually accompanied by some food (olives, crisps, mussels…) which makes it the perfect “pre-lunch” or kind of an appetizer before starting to eat. In Barcelona, we use to meet with friends in bars or bar terraces (when it’s nice outside) and have this “vermut”. After finishing it, we might stay and have lunch or maybe we decide to go eat at home. The most important: spending some time with our friends, chatting and laughing. So if you are wondering what locals do in Barcelona, this is one of the things we love to do.
Gastronomic ritual: Calçotada
Following with another gastronomic ritual… la Calçotada! This is a highly recommended experience to get to know the Catalan cuisine in the most authentic way. The ideal way of cooking this vegetables named “calçots” is “a la brasa” in a rural area and share this meal along with family and friends (all of them dress up with bibs to avoid getting their shirts stained with the sauce). But you can also get this feeling by joining popular calçotades which are often held in many Barcelona neighborhoods. Music, a long row of tables, and calçots cooked “a la brasa”. One of the non-touristy things to do in Barcelona we highly recommend.
Buy at local food markets
La Boqueria is the most popular food market in Barcelona, and some local people buy food there. But in general we buy fresh vegetables, meat, fish… in local food markets located in our neighborhoods. For example, Mercat de Lesseps, Mercat del Ninot, Mercat de la Llibertat, Mercat de Santa Caterina… Buying fresh food in these local markets is also one of the things to do in Barcelona that aren’t touristy.
Running and cycling in Carretera de les Aigües
Practice running in the city center might not be the best idea because of the pollution. What locals do in Barcelona to practice sports like running or biking is basically choosing a less polluted area. Most of us prefer to run in paths with a greener environment such as Carretera de les Aigues, in Collserola. If you go there on the evening or during the weekend, you will see quite a few people running or biking.
Beaches beyond la Barceloneta
If you decide to spend a Summer day in la Barceloneta beach you will probably notice most of the people are tourists. During Summer, we like to drive to beautiful beaches in la Costa Brava (Girona) or Costa Daurada (Tarragona). If you love hidden beaches and beautiful Mediterranean sunsets, this is also a non touristy things to do in Barcelona during Summer: driving to beaches less crowded.
