Barcelona & Mallorca 7 Day Itinerary: What to Do, See, & Eat

If you’re planning a Barcelona and Mallorca 7 day itinerary, this is the exact trip I put together when my family came to visit me in Spain. 

I live in Barcelona now, but it still feels special showing people the city for the first time. 

My goal was to fit in the highlights without feeling rushed, then finish the week with a few lazy, sun-soaked days in Mallorca. 

It turned out to be a perfect trip balancing sightseeing, food, and downtime.  Here’s exactly what we did if you want to use it for your own trip.

At a glance, this Barcelona Mallorca itinerary includes 3 nights in Barcelona and 3 nights in Mallorca (6 nights/7 days).

You’ll see Gaudí’s masterpieces, take a day trip to Montserrat, eat incredible paella, and end the trip sailing along Mallorca’s coast. 

This week gives you a mix of city life and island relaxation, planned so you can experience Spain without feeling rushed.

Day 1 in Barcelona is all about easing into the trip and trying some great food since you’re most likely going to feel super jetlagged.

Day 1 Itinerary at a Glance:

• Arrival in Barcelona
• Paella on the Beach at Xiringuito Escribà
• Rest at Hotel
• Dinner at Tapeo

After a long overnight flight, the best plan is to keep day one light. Take a taxi straight from Barcelona airport to your hotel to check-in.

If your room isn’t ready yet, you should be able to at least drop off your luggage and freshen up before heading out for lunch.

If you can manage to stay awake, go for paella at Xiringuito Escribà on Bogatell Beach. 

It’s one of my favorite paella restaurants in Barcelona and I pretty much take all of my visitors here. 

The setting is casual and right on the beach, with sea views that make the jet lag feel worth it. 

I always get their Paella Valenciana with chicken and vegetables, but the surf and turf version my brother-in-law ordered was also really good. 

Paella is a lunch tradition in Spain (not dinner) so this is the perfect time to have it. 

Order a pitcher of sangria and toast to being in Spain!

After lunch, go back to your hotel and take a nap if you need to. 

You’ll need the energy for your first tapas dinner later on.

For your first night, make a reservation at Tapeo, which is one of my favorite Barcelona tapas restaurants in the El Born neighborhood. 

It’s a small restaurant right next to the Picasso Museum and they do incredible Spanish tapas with a modern twist.

We got a table in the back room and ordered a mix of dishes. Some of my favorites are the Iberian pork ribs with honey and mustard, the croquettes, and the buffalo burrata. 

We also got a pitcher of cava sangria to go with our meal. It’s a small space, so definitely reserve ahead if you can.

Day 2 in Barcelona is all about seeing some of the city’s most iconic architecture and ending the day with a fun paella cooking class.

Day 2 Itinerary at a Glance:

• Sagrada Familia
• Lunch at Compà (Gracia)
• Park Güell
• Paella Cooking Class at the Paella Club

You absolutely can’t visit Barcelona without seeing Sagrada Familia. 

Designed by Antoni Gaudí, it’s one of the most unique and ambitious churches in the world, with construction still ongoing more than 140 years after it began. 

The interior feels almost otherworldly, with colorful stained glass and towering columns that look like a stone forest. 

The most important thing to know is that tickets must be booked online on the official Sagrada Familia website several weeks in advance. 

We booked tickets about a month in advance for the 10:30am slot, including the audio guide and Tower Visit.

Tip: Make sure to download the Sagrada Familia app and bring your own headphones for the audio guide because they aren’t included.

For lunch, grab a taxi and head to Compà in the Gracia neighborhood. 

It’s a tiny sandwich shop with a few outdoor tables and some of the best sandwiches in Barcelona. 

I always order the Sibari sandwich with mortadella, provolone, sun-dried tomatoes, and pesto. 

I know it’s not Spanish, but it’s perfect for a quick bite before heading to Park Güell.

Next, take a taxi up to Park Güell, which was another Gaudí project, and is now one of Barcelona’s most famous public parks.

I’d recommend starting at the top entrance so you can walk downhill through the whimsical park.

The most famous section is known as the Monumental Zone, where you’ll find the mosaic benches, the colorful lizard statue (known as “El Drac”), and the iconic gingerbread-style houses. 

The viaducts and Hypostyle Hall also shouldn’t be missed. 

Just make sure to book your tickets on the official Park Güell website about a week or two in advance. 

We booked the 2:00pm time slot, which gave us time to have lunch after Sagrada Familia.

That night, we did a cooking class at The Paella Club. I’d been before and couldn’t wait to bring my family back. 

It’s one of the best food experiences in Barcelona that’s equal parts cooking, dancing, and laughing. 

Everyone pairs up and makes a different kind of paella at their own station, and at the end you all sit down to eat together family-style. 

It’s super high energy, the unlimited cava is flowing, and you’ll learn how to prepare one of Spain’s most famous dishes. 

If you like cooking, drinking, and music, you will love this experience. You can read my full Paella Club review for all the details!

Day 3 in Barcelona gets you out of the city for a morning trip to Montserrat, followed by some more sightseeing of the city’s most famous landmarks.

Day 3 Itinerary at a Glance:

• Montserrat
• Barcelona Walking Tour
• Dinner at Gloria Osteria

Start the day early with a visit to Montserrat, which is a famous monastery in the mountains about an hour outside of Barcelona. 

It’s known for its dramatic rock formations, and the peaks here are jagged and almost otherworldly. 

We had a rental car this time, but I’ve also done this guided tour and loved it. 

Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t great on this visit (it was foggy most of the day) but it was still worth going. 

We visited the cathedral, saw the Black Madonna statue, and took the funicular up for views over the mountains. 

If you’re hungry, there are restaurants and a small farmer’s market on-site.

Once you’re back in the city, spend the afternoon exploring on foot. 

My family stayed at Forget Me Not Hotel in Eixample, so we started with Casa Milá, Casa Batlló, and Casa Amatller, then wandered down toward the Gothic Quarter. 

We stopped by La Rambla, La Boqueria Market, Barcelona Cathedral, and Plaça Reial before browsing a few shops in El Born. 

These neighborhoods are great spots for shopping and picking up some unique Barcelona souvenirs. 

For dinner, we tried Gloria Osteria, a newer upscale Italian restaurant that’s become popular recently. 

The space is super stylish, and the food and drinks were really good. 

My sister ordered the carbonara served in a cheese wheel, which was as good as it sounds. 

I’ll definitely be going back!

The majority of Day 4 is going to be spent traveling from Barcelona to Mallorca, which is part of the Balearic Islands.

Day 4 Itinerary at a Glance:

• Fly to Mallorca
• Hotel Check-In

Flights from Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca are super quick and pretty cheap with frequent departures throughout the day. 

We booked a 3:30pm flight to Mallorca on Air Europa and everything went really smoothly.

The flight from Barcelona to Mallorca is quick, about 30 minutes in the air, though airport time adds up. 

Palma’s airport is surprisingly big, and our bags came out pretty quickly.

We arranged a private transfer through our resort so it didn’t take long for our driver to greet us. 

Once you arrive at your hotel, get checked-in and explore the area.

We stayed at Secrets Mallorca in the Paguera area, which is on the western side of the island. 

The beach in front of the resort was absolutely stunning, and we spent our first evening just walking around, and getting food and drinks by the water. 

The rooms at the resort were a little dated, but the beach and pool were great.  You can read my full Secrets Mallorca review for all the details!

Day 5 in Mallorca is all about enjoying the sea and getting to see the island from a different perspective.

Day 5 Itinerary at a Glance:

• Mallorca Private Boat Charter
• Pool or Beach Time
• Dinner at Your Hotel

Start the day with a private boat charter to explore more of Mallorca by sea.

We booked this 4-hour private boat rental from Port d’Andratx and it ended up being the highlight of the trip. 

The coves (known as “calas”) are quiet, the water is insanely turquoise, and the coastline looks almost unreal.

We stopped twice to swim and snorkel, then enjoyed cava and some charcuterie on deck. 

The local captain was so friendly and handled everything, so it felt effortless from start to finish. 

It was so unforgettable and definitely something I’d recommend to anyone visiting the island.

You can read my full Mallorca private charter review for all the details!

After the charter, spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing at your hotel or on the beach. 

By this point in the trip, it feels nice to have a slower day.

End the day with a relaxed dinner at your hotel or a nearby restaurant. 

We dined at our hotel’s upscale dinner restaurant and it had a really nice outdoor terrace overlooking the sea.

There were also a lot of other restaurants nearby if you wanted something different.

Day 6 in Mallorca is all about rest and relaxation, with optional spa treatments, beach time, and dinner at a viral restaurant.

Day 6 Itinerary at a Glance:

• Spa Treatments
• Beach Day
• Dinner at Restaurant Illeta

If you’re craving extra relaxation, book a spa treatment while visiting Mallorca. 

Our resort had an extensive spa so my sister and I booked morning massages.

I tried my first lymphatic drainage massage, which was lighter than I expected but still really calming. 

It’s a nice way to unwind after a few busy days of sightseeing.

Spend your final full day in Mallorca enjoying the beach. 

We had a really nice public beach right in front of our resort so we rented lounge chairs and spent hours swimming and reading. 

The beaches in Mallorca are absolutely stunning (way nicer than the beaches in Barcelona) and ours had really soft sand and calm, shallow water.

And one nice thing I noticed about Mallorca’s beaches is that many of the chair rentals come with small lockboxes for your phone and wallet. 

I loved that since that’s something I’m always paranoid about!

That evening, we got dressed up and went to Restaurant Illeta, a beautiful restaurant that my sister found on TikTok. 

What makes it so unique is that it’s on its own tiny island connected to the beach by a bridge.

It was just as pretty in person and the food was surprisingly good! 

We shared a few seafood dishes, and the ahi tuna tartar was my favorite.  

It really wasn’t overhyped and was a nice place to end the trip.

Day 7 is another travel day returning to Barcelona, and then flying back home.

Day 7 Itinerary at a Glance:

• Return to Barcelona
• Fly Home

On our last morning, we had an early flight from Palma de Mallorca back to Barcelona at 10:15am. 

We had arranged a round-trip airport transfer and the pick-up was easy and on-time.

Once we arrived in Barcelona, my family collected their luggage and headed on to their next flight back to the US.

They had about a 2.5 hour layover in between flights so we were a little concerned it would be a tight turnaround but everything went pretty smoothly and they made it on time.

But unfortunately that’s when I had to say my goodbyes! It’s always hard to see them go but I absolutely love getting to make memories with them in Spain.

Here are a few travel tips to make the most of your Barcelona Mallorca trip:

• Book in advance: Make sure to book your tickets in advance for Sagrada Familia and Park Güell.  Tickets often sell out weeks ahead so make sure to buy your tickets on the official websites as far in advance as possible.

• Book airport transfers in Mallorca: Book airport transfers in Mallorca ahead of time, especially if you’re not renting a car. Taxis and rideshares are available, but pre-booking a private transfer means no waiting or stress when you land.

I hope this itinerary helps you plan your own Barcelona and Mallorca 7 day trip! 

It’s a week that combines two of my favorite places in Spain: the city life and unique history of Barcelona with the calm beaches and turquoise water of Mallorca. 

Just make sure to book your tickets well in advance, especially for Sagrada Familia and Park Güell. And don’t forget your phone leash!

If you follow this plan, you’ll get the best of both worlds and will probably fall in love with Spain the same way I did!

READ NEXT:

• Honest Secrets Mallorca Review: Pros & Cons to Consider
• Mallorca Private Boat Charter: How to Book + What to Expect
• Is Mallorca Worth Visiting? Travel Guide + Tips