Spain (Barcelona) first trip activities for a few days?

I can't help with beaches, but others can. If you have time for one traditional sightseeing experience I'd suggest La Sagrada Familia. Ticket lines there can be long, so you should buy your (timed) ticket ahead of time. You'll need to decide whether you want to ascend one of the towers (extra cost, separate appointment time). It's commonly suggested that visitors try to book the church for first thing in the morning when it is a bit less crowded.

We liked our meals at Ciudad Condal, Xaloc and Paco Meralgo in Barcelona. Wanted to try Tapas 24, but it was too crowded every time we walked by (might be good for lunch).

You have two full days and two partial days. I disagree that this is "so short a time"; of course you can't do everything, but you can see a lot of Barcelona's top sights. That is, if you want to. Based on your post, it seems you're more interested in the beach and the restaurants than in the "sights" - and there's nothing wrong with that. But that does mean that my recommendations may not help you.

My personal highlights of Barcelona were museums and architecture. The MNAC (National Museum of Catalunya) is huge; my first clue as to its size was the fact that the ticket is good for two days! I also liked the smaller Frederic Mares Museum. On a visit 20 years ago, I liked the early works in the Picasso Museum; since then, it's apparently gotten MUCH more crowded, so careful planning is necessary to visit.

I loved seeing the inside of the Casa Batllo, and even the crowds couldn't dampen this experience. And Sant Pau (formerly a hospital) and Palace of Catalan Music are great too. I enjoyed just walking around the Eixample and looking at the architecture, such as this beauty: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Modernista_buildings_in_Barcelona#/media/File:Salvador.Valeri.i.Pupurull.Casa_Comalat.Back.Barcelona.JPG.

If you just want great views, you can't beat the ones from the top of Montjuic (take the teleferic or cable car) and Tibidabo.

If you're planning to visit the Picasso Museum, book online and pick up your tickets - earliest is best. The one place I wish I'd visited was La Boqueria... Barcelona is fabulous, whatever you choose to do...

We have spent 7 days in Barcelona during 3 trips, and it is one of our favorite places. After talking with my wife, here are our top five: 1) Catalan Music Palace 2) Sagrada Familia 3) Casa Batllo 4) Walk Las Ramblas & Gothic Quarter and take it all in...(RS has both covered in his book) & 5) Book a Tapas Tour or Marta's Private Paella cooking class or both. Enjoy this great city!!

Wander the Bario Gotic (Gothic Quarter) after dark and you'll find a number of great places to eat. It is a compact area and well worth exploring even in a short trip. For food, I'll put a plug in for Ferran 59 (in the Gothic Quarter) and Tapas 24 (in the Eixample) for simple but very good options for lunch or dinner tapas style.

Thank you all for the advice! I'm looking more into the attractions you all mentioned and am really interested so I will probably just limit my beach time to part of a day.

Ps. Do any of you have hotel recommendations in a central area where we can walk to most places or access to transportation? Around anywhere cheaper to max $200 a night.

Good decision; you can go to the beach anytime.

I found staying near Placa Catalunya very convenient, but the city seems very busy on your dates, and you may need to be a bit farther out. I would not book a place without air conditioning, and I assume you don't want a shared bathroom. You can take a look at one of the hotel websites like booking.com and identify a place or places that seem like good possibilities, then check back here to see whether anyone has a comment.

Expect the room rate to be strongly linked to the size of the room. Be sure to read online reviews and look at all the pictures so you're not surprised by cramped conditions.

What about something like this ...
http://www.chicandbasic.com/hotel-barcelona-born/en/
Rooms for your dates approx $200pn. In lively el Born, close to Barceloneta beach, and not far from Las Ramblas.

We're going to Barcelona in October and I couldn't find a centrally located hotel in your price range with the amenities that we wanted. So we ended up booking the U232. It's not as central as I wanted, but it is close to a metro stop and gets positive reviews on Trip Advisor. Plus, we both love to walk! I had previously booked the Gran Via, but when I changed our dates the price shot way up.

http://www.u232hotel.com/en/

No pun intended guys... but it's very funny to read some posters saying "So we ended up booking XXXX. It's not as central as I wanted.... " when most of you come from cities where you "need" a car just for nearly everything, including basic actions such as getting groceries. In Barcelona you certainly DO NOT need one for anything... in fact is rather a nuisance both for parking (expensive) as well as for parking availability (and traffic). While Barcelona is not small, it's compact enough and you always have plenty of shops, restaurants, bars, banks, etc (even tourist sights) at a short walk WHEREVER you're in the city -at literally minutes only. Also, distances are reasonable enough to often move about on foot and, if necessary, metro/buses/tramways are always at a stone throw away, as well as inexpensive taxis roaming the city all day long.

Furthermore, also contrary to many cities in the US --which basically grew radially as new inhabitants moved into the city, thus you often have a "downtown" and then many residential neighbourhoods-- the city of Barcelona grew out of the old city (located in Ciutat Vella district) absorbing neighbouring existing independent towns and villages in the plane of Barcelona which became new neighbourhoods and districts of the city. Many of them had existed since the Middle Ages thus they had their own "downtown" with shops, restaurants, banks, schools... as well as their social life spots and also "tourist" sites. This translates in that modern Barcelona doesn't have many residential-only neighbourhoods. For lack of a better example, think instead a bunch of towns one next to the other where one street is actually the border between this one and the next. The end result is that to go from A to B you hardly have to cross any "boring neighbourhood" as each one has its own distinct "flair" (or "vibe" if you want) which makes it for a pleasant walk, from the bohemian Gràcia to the posh Sarrià, the historic El Gòtic, the homy Poblenou, or the elegant Eixample among other.

Thus, location is not really everything when visiting Barcelona. Exploring different neighbourhoods will yield you a trove of little gems. As mentioned above, making sure you're next to a bus stop/metro stop -so you can move quickly from one end to the city to the other when needed- it might be the best (and only) requirement you should be looking at. Also to add that if you, like me, are not too fond of large crowds, staying in neighbourhoods other than the Old City -especially in summer months- might be a blessing in disguise because you can (and must indeed) visit this area during the day and then 'retire' to a more calmed area in the evening.

Lastly to mention that while some neighbourhoods have more appeal than others, there are no "rough" neighbourhoods in Barcelona -not anywhere you're bound to stay/visit anyway.

Enjoy!

Saving this post for future reference!
Thanks.
Cheers,
Vivian

Enric - I am perfectly well aware of the fact that a car is not needed in Barcelona. I just wanted a shorter walk to many of the attractions. Glad my genuine attempt to help the OP gave you some amusement.

@traylaparks although I did indeed use your post as an example, I wasn't referring to you in particular --otherwise, out of politeness I would have addressed to you by your name :))-- I was just making a more general case for the many posters in the forum that often pop this issue and that might be unfamiliar with the layout/characteristics of Barcelona. In other words, I wasn't referring specifically to you, apologies if it felt otherwise.

It did.

But I accept your reply to my response at face value and will get over it.