BARCELONA, SPAIN
La Sagrada Família
La Rambla
Montjuïc
Hidden Treasures in the Barri Gòtic
Sights
Tours
Shopping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Information
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona is a mix of sunny Mediterranean charm and European urban style. The city bursts with art and architecture, Catalan cooking is among the country’s best, summer-sun seekers fill the beaches in and beyond the city, and bars and clubs heave year-round.
The city began as a middle-ranking Roman town, of which vestiges can be seen today, and its old centre has one of the greatest concentrations of Gothic architecture in Europe. Beyond this core are some of the world’s more bizarre buildings: surreal spectacles, capped by Gaudí’s La Sagrada Família.
Two Days in Barcelona
Start with the Barri Gòtic. After a stroll along La Rambla, admire La Catedral and the Museu d’Història de Barcelona on historic Plaça del Rei, then visit the Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar, and the nearby Museu Picasso. On day two, experience Park Güell and La Sagrada Família.
Four Days in Barcelona
Start the third day with more Gaudí, visiting Casa Batlló and La Pedrera, followed by beachside relaxation and seafood in Barceloneta. Day four should be dedicated to Montjuïc, with its museums, galleries, fortress, gardens and Olympic stadium.
Looking for more Spain? Fly, drive or catch a train to Andalucía.
Arriving in Barcelona
El Prat airport has myriad flights. Frequent Aerobúses make the 35-minute run into town (€5.90) from 5.35am to 1am. Taxis cost around €25.
Barcelona Sants, near the centre of town, is the long-distance train station. It’s connected to the metro.
Estació del Nord is the long-haul bus station in L’Eixample, about 1.5km northeast of Plaça de Catalunya. It’s a short walk from the Arc de Triomf metro station.
Where to Stay
Barcelona has some fabulous accommodation, but never arrive in town without a reservation. Designer digs are something of a Barcelona specialty, with midrange and top-end travellers particularly well served. Apartments are also widespread and a fine alternative to hotels. Prices in Barcelona are generally higher than elsewhere in the country.
TOP EXPERIENCE
La Sagrada Família
If you have time for only one sightseeing outing, this is it. La Sagrada Família inspires awe by its sheer verticality, inspiring use of light and Gaudí’s offbeat design elements.
Great For…
yDon’t Miss
The apse, the extraordinary pillars and the stained glass.
8Need to Know
map Google map; 
%93 208 04 14; www.sagradafamilia.org; Carrer de la Marina; adult/child €15/free; 
h9am-8pm Apr-Sep, to 7pm Mar & Oct, to 6pm Nov-Feb; 
mSagrada Família
5Take a Break
Across the square, Michael Collins (map; %93 459 19 64; www.michaelcollinspubs.com; Plaça de la Sagrada Família 4; h1pm-2.30am Sun-Thu, to 3am Fri & Sat; 
W; mSagrada Família) is good for a beer.
oTop Tip
It’s strongly advised to book all tickets online, allowing you to skip what can be very lengthy queues.
In the manner of the medieval cathedrals La Sagrada Família emulates, it’s still under construction after more than 100 years. When completed (the latest target is 2026), the highest tower will be more than half as high again as those that stand today.
A Holy Mission
The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family) was Antoni Gaudí’s all-consuming obsession. Given the commission by a conservative society that wished to build a temple as atonement for the city’s sins of modernity, Gaudí saw its completion as his holy mission. As funds dried up, he contributed his own, and in the last years of his life he was never shy of pleading with anyone he thought a likely donor.
Gaudí devised a temple 95m long and 60m wide, able to seat 13,000 people, with a central tower 170m high above the transept (representing Christ) and another 17 of 100m or more. The 12 along the three facades represent the Apostles, while the remaining five represent the Virgin Mary and the four evangelists. With his characteristic dislike for straight lines (there were none in nature, he said), Gaudí gave his towers swelling outlines inspired by the weird peaks of the holy mountain Montserrat outside Barcelona, and encrusted them with a tangle of sculpture that seems an outgrowth of the stone.
At Gaudí’s death, only the crypt, the apse walls, one portal and one tower had been finished. Three more towers were added by 1930, completing the northeast (Nativity) facade. In 1936 anarchists burned and smashed the interior, including workshops, plans and models. Work began again in 1952, but controversy has always clouded progress. Opponents of the continuation of the project claim that the computer models based on what little of Gaudí’s plans survived the anarchists’ ire have led to the creation of a monster that has little to do with Gaudí’s plans and style. It is a debate that appears to have little hope of resolution. Like or hate what is being done, the fascination it awakens is undeniable.
Even as debate rages about when the building will be complete, some of the oldest parts of the church, especially the apse, have required restoration work.
The Interior & the Apse
Inside, work on roofing over the church was completed in 2010. The roof is held up by a forest of extraordinary angled pillars. As the pillars soar toward the ceiling, they sprout a web of supporting branches, creating the effect of a forest canopy. The tree image is in no way fortuitous – Gaudí envisaged such an effect. Everything was thought through, including the shape and placement of windows to create the mottled effect one would see with sunlight pouring through the branches of a thick forest. The pillars are of four different types of stone. They vary in colour and load-bearing strength, from the soft Montjuïc stone pillars along the lateral aisles through to granite, dark grey basalt and finally burgundy-tinged Iranian porphyry for the key columns at the intersection of the nave and transept. The stained glass, divided in shades of red, blue, green and ochre, creates a hypnotic, magical atmosphere when the sun hits the windows. Tribunes built high above the aisles can host two choirs: the main tribune up to 1300 people and the children’s tribune up to 300.
Nativity Facade
The Nativity Facade is the artistic pinnacle of the building, mostly created under Gaudí’s personal supervision. You can climb high up inside some of the four towers by a combination of lifts and narrow spiral staircases – a vertiginous experience. Do not climb the stairs if you have cardiac or respiratory problems. The towers are destined to hold tubular bells capable of playing complex music at great volume. Their upper parts are decorated with mosaics spelling out ‘Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Hosanna in Excelsis, Amen, Alleluia’. Asked why he lavished so much care on the tops of the spires, which no one would see from close up, Gaudí answered: ‘The angels will see them.’
Three sections of the portal represent, from left to right, Hope, Charity and Faith. Among the forest of sculpture on the Charity portal you can see, low down, the manger surrounded by an ox, an ass, the shepherds and kings, and angel musicians. Some 30 different species of plant from around Catalonia are reproduced here, and the faces of the many figures are taken from plaster casts done of local people and the occasional one made from corpses in the local morgue.
Directly above the blue stained-glass window is the archangel Gabriel’s Annunciation to Mary. At the top is a green cypress tree, a refuge in a storm for the white doves of peace dotted over it. The mosaic work at the pinnacle of the towers is made from Murano glass, from Venice.
To the right of the facade is the curious Claustre del Roser, a Gothic-style minicloister tacked on to the outside of the church (rather than the classic square enclosure of the great Gothic church monasteries). Once inside, look back to the intricately decorated entrance. On the lower right-hand side you’ll notice the sculpture of a reptilian devil handing a terrorist a bomb. Barcelona was regularly rocked by political violence, and bombings were frequent in the decades prior to the civil war. The sculpture is one of several on the ‘temptations of men and women’.
oDid You Know?
La Sagrada Família attracts over 4.5 million visitors yearly and is the most visited monument in Spain.
Passion Facade
The southwestern Passion Facade, on the theme of Christ’s last days and death, was built between 1954 and 1978 based on surviving drawings by Gaudí, with four towers and a large, sculpture-bedecked portal. Sculptor Josep Subirachs worked on its decoration from 1986 to 2006. He did not attempt to imitate Gaudí, instead producing angular, controversial images of his own. The main series of sculptures, on three levels, are in an S-shaped sequence, starting with the Last Supper at the bottom left and ending with Christ’s burial at the top right.
To the right, in front of the Passion Facade, the Escoles de Gaudí is one of his simpler gems. Gaudí built this as a children’s school, creating an original, undulating roof of brick that continues to charm architects to this day. Inside is a re-creation of Gaudí’s modest office as it was when he died, and explanations of the geometric patterns and plans at the heart of his building techniques.
yWhen to Go
There are always lots of people visiting the Sagrada Família, but if you can get there when it opens, you’ll find fewer crowds.
A Hidden Portrait
Careful observation of the Passion Facade will reveal a special tribute from sculptor Josep Subirachs to Gaudí. The central sculptural group (below Christ crucified) shows, from right to left, Christ bearing his cross, Veronica displaying the cloth with Christ’s bloody image, a pair of soldiers and, watching it all, a man called the evangelist. Subirachs used a rare photo of Gaudí, taken a couple of years before his death, as the model for the evangelist’s face.
Glory Facade
The Glory Facade is under construction and will, like the others, be crowned by four towers – the total of 12 representing the Twelve Apostles. Gaudí wanted it to be the most magnificent facade of the church. Inside will be the narthex, a kind of foyer made up of 16 ‘lanterns’, a series of hyperboloid forms topped by cones. Further decoration will make the whole building a microcosmic symbol of the Christian church, with Christ represented by a massive 170m central tower above the transept, and the five remaining planned towers symbolising the Virgin Mary and the four evangelists.
Museu Gaudí
Open the same times as the church, the Museu Gaudí, below ground level, includes interesting material on Gaudí’s life and other works, as well as models and photos of La Sagrada Família. You can see a good example of his plumb-line models that showed him the stresses and strains he could get away with in construction. A side hall towards the eastern end of the museum leads to a viewing point above the simple crypt in which the genius is buried. The crypt, where Masses are now held, can also be visited from the Carrer de Mallorca side of the church.
What’s Nearby?
Església de les SalesesChurch
(map Google map; %93 458 76 67; Passeig de Sant Joan 90; h10am-1pm & 5-7pm Mon-Sat, 10am-2pm Sun; mVerdaguer)
A singular neo-Gothic effort, this church is interesting because it was designed by Joan Martorell i Montells (1833–1906), Gaudí’s architecture professor. Raised in 1878–85 with an adjacent convent (badly damaged in the civil war and now a school), his use of brick, mosaics and sober stained glass offers hints of what was to come with Modernisme.
Recinte Modernista de Sant PauArchitecture
(%93 553 78 01; www.santpaubarcelona.org; Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret 167; adult/child €14/free; h9.30am-7pm Mon-Sat, to 3pm Sun Apr-Oct, 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, to 3pm Sun Nov-Mar; mSant Pau/Dos de Maig)
Domènech i Montaner outdid himself as architect and philanthropist with the Modernista Hospital de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau, redubbed in 2014 the ‘Recinte Modernista’. It was long considered one of the city’s most important hospitals and only recently repurposed, its various spaces becoming cultural centres, offices and something of a monument. The complex, including 16 pavilions, is lavishly decorated and each pavilion is unique. Together with the Palau de la Música Catalana it is a World Heritage Site.
Museu del Disseny de BarcelonaMuseum
(%93 256 68 00; www.museudeldisseny.cat; Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes 37; permanent/temporary exhibitions adult €6/3, child €4/2, combination tickets adult/child €6/4, free from 3pm Sun & 1st Sun of the month; h10am-8pm Tue-Sun; mGlòries)
Barcelona’s design museum lies inside a new monolithic building with geometric facades and a rather brutalist appearance – which has earned the nickname la grapadora (the stapler) by locals. Architecture aside, the museum houses a dazzling collection of ceramics, decorative arts and textiles, and is a must for anyone interested in the design world.
oDid You Know?
Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church in a huge ceremony in November 2010.
oTop Tip
Guided tours (€24) last 50 minutes. Alternatively, take an audio tour (€7), for which you need ID.
TOP EXPERIENCE
La Rambla
Barcelona’s most famous street is both tourist magnet and window into Catalan culture, with arts centres, theatres and intriguing architecture. The middle is a broad pedestrian boulevard, crowded daily with a wide cross-section of society. A stroll here is pure sensory overload, with souvenir hawkers, buskers, pavement artists and living statues part of the ever-changing street scene.
Great For…
yDon’t Miss
Strolling the whole Rambla from end to end, keeping an eye on the architecture alongside.
8Need to Know
map Google map; mCatalunya, Liceu, Drassanes The stroll, from Plaça de Catalunya to Plaça del Portal de la Pau, is 1.5km.
oLocal Knowledge
While there are some decent eateries in the vicinity, the vast majority of cafes and restaurants along La Rambla are expensive, mediocre tourist traps.
oTop Tip
La Rambla is at its best first thing in the morning, before the cruise ships disgorge their passengers.
History
La Rambla takes its name from a seasonal stream (derived from the Arabic word for sand, raml) that once ran here. From the early Middle Ages, it was better known as the Cagalell (Stream of Shit) and lay outside the city walls until the 14th century. Monastic buildings were then built and, subsequently, mansions of the well-to-do from the 16th to the early 19th centuries. Unofficially, La Rambla is divided into five sections, which explains why many know it as Las Ramblas.
La Rambla de Canaletes
The section of La Rambla north of Plaça de Catalunya is named after the Font de Canaletes (map Google map; La Rambla; mCatalunya), an inconspicuous turn-of-the-20th-century drinking fountain, the water of which supposedly emerges from what were once known as the springs of Canaletes. It used to be said that barcelonins ‘drank the waters of Les Canaletes’. Nowadays people claim that anyone who drinks from the fountain will return to Barcelona, which is not such a bad prospect. Delirious football fans gather here to celebrate whenever the city’s principal team, FC Barcelona, wins a cup or league title.
La Rambla dels Estudis
La Rambla dels Estudis, from Carrer de la Canuda running south to Carrer de la Portaferrissa, was formerly home to a twittering bird market, which closed in 2010 after 150 years in operation.
Església de Betlem
Just north of Carrer del Carme, this church (map; %93 318 38 23; www.mdbetlem.net; Carrer d’en Xuclà 2; h8.30am-1.30pm & 6-9pm; mLiceu) was constructed in baroque style for the Jesuits in the late 17th and early 18th centuries to replace an earlier church destroyed by fire in 1671. Fire was a bit of a theme for this site: the church was once considered the most splendid of Barcelona’s few baroque offerings, but leftist arsonists torched it in 1936.
Palau Moja
Looming over the eastern side of La Rambla, Palau Moja (map Google map; %93 316 27 40; https://palaumoja.com; Carrer de Portaferrissa 1; h10am-9pm, cafe 9.30am-midnight Mon-Fri, 11am-midnight Sat & Sun; mLiceu) 
F is a neoclassical building dating from the second half of the 18th century. Its clean, classical lines are best appreciated from across La Rambla. Unfortunately, interior access is limited, as it houses mostly government offices.
La Rambla de Sant Josep
From Carrer de la Portaferrissa to Plaça de la Boqueria, what is officially called La Rambla de Sant Josep (named after a now nonexistent monastery) is lined with flower stalls, which give it the alternative name La Rambla de les Flors.
Palau de la Virreina
The Palau de la Virreina (map Google map; La Rambla 99; mLiceu) is a grand 18th-century rococo mansion (with some neoclassical elements) that houses a municipal arts/entertainment information and ticket office run by the Ajuntament (town hall). Built by Manuel d’Amat i de Junyent, the corrupt Viceroy of Peru (a Spanish colony that included the silver mines of Potosí), it is a rare example of such a postbaroque building in Barcelona. It’s home to the Centre de la Imatge (map Google map; %93 316 10 00; http://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/lavirreina; Palau de la Virreina; h11am-8pm Tue-Sun; mLiceu) F, which has rotating photography exhibits.
Mosaïc de Miró
At Plaça de la Boqueria, where four side streets meet just north of Liceu metro station, you can walk all over a Miró – the colourful mosaic (map; Plaça de la Boqueria; mLiceu) in the pavement, with one tile signed by the artist. Miró chose this site as it’s near the house where he was born on the Passatge del Crèdit. The mosaic’s bold colours and vivid swirling forms are instantly recognisable to Miró fans, though plenty of tourists stroll right over it without realising.
La Rambla dels Caputxins
La Rambla dels Caputxins, named after a former monastery, runs from Plaça de la Boqueria to Carrer dels Escudellers. The latter street is named after the potters’ guild, founded in the 13th century, the members of which lived and worked here. On the western side of La Rambla is the Gran Teatre del Liceu (map Google map; %93 485 99 14; www.liceubarcelona.cat; La Rambla 51-59; tours adult/concession/under 7yr 30min €6/5/free, 45min €9/7.50/free; h30min tours 1pm Mon-Sat, 45min tours hourly 2-5pm Mon-Fri, from 11am Sat; mLiceu); to the southeast is the entrance to the palm-shaded Plaça Reial. Below this point La Rambla gets seedier, with the occasional strip club and peep show.
oDid You Know?
La Rambla saw plenty of action during the civil war. In Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell vividly described the avenue gripped by revolutionary fervour.
La Rambla de Santa Mònica
The final stretch of La Rambla widens out to approach the Mirador de Colom overlooking Port Vell. La Rambla here is named after the Convent de Santa Mònica, which once stood on the western flank of the street and has since been converted into a cultural centre.
What’s Nearby?
Basílica de Santa Maria del PiChurch
(map Google map; %93 318 47 43; www.basilicadelpi.cat; Plaça del Pi; adult/concession/child under 8yr €4.50/3.50/free; h10am-6pm; mLiceu)
This striking 14th-century church is a classic of Catalan Gothic, with an imposing facade, a wide interior and a single nave. The simple decor in the main sanctuary contrasts with the gilded chapels and exquisite stained-glass windows that bathe the interior in ethereal light. The beautiful rose window above its entrance is one of the world’s largest. Occasional concerts are staged here (classical guitar, choral groups and chamber orchestras).
Plaça ReialSquare
(map Google map; mLiceu)
One of the most photogenic squares in Barcelona, the Plaça Reial is a delightful retreat from the traffic and pedestrian mobs on the nearby Rambla. Numerous eateries, bars and nightspots lie beneath the arcades of 19th-century neoclassical buildings, with a buzz of activity at all hours.
oTop Tip
Pickpockets find easy pickings along La Rambla. Wear backpacks on your front.
TOP EXPERIENCE
Montjuïc
The Montjuïc hillside, crowned by a castle and gardens, overlooks the port with some of the city’s finest art collections: the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, the Fundació Joan Miró and CaixaForum.
Great For…
yDon’t Miss
The Romanesque frescoes in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.
8Need to Know
The metro stops at the foot of Montjuïc; buses and funiculars go all the way.
5Take a Break
Montjuïc eateries tend to be over-priced. The gardens surrounding Fundació Joan Miró museum are perfect for a picnic.
oTop Tip
Ride the Transbordador Aeri from Barceloneta for a bird’s-eye approach to Montjuïc.
Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
From across the city, the bombastic neobaroque silhouette of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC; map Google map; %936 22 03 76; www.museunacional.cat; Mirador del Palau Nacional; adult/child €12/free, after 3pm Sat & 1st Sun of month free, rooftop viewpoint only €2; h10am-8pm Tue-Sat, to 3pm Sun May-Sep, to 6pm Tue-Sat, to 3pm Sun Oct-Apr; 
g55, mEspanya) can be seen on the slopes of Montjuïc. Built for the 1929 World Exhibition and restored in 2005, it houses a vast collection of mostly Catalan art, from the early Middle Ages to the early 20th century. The highlight is the collection of extraordinary Romanesque frescoes. Rescued from neglected country churches across northern Catalonia, the collection consists of 21 frescoes, woodcarvings and painted altar frontals.
Fundació Joan Miró
Joan Miró, the city’s best-known 20th-century artistic progeny, bequeathed the Fundació Joan Miró (map Google map; %93 443 94 70; www.fmirobcn.org; Parc de Montjuïc; adult/child €12/free; h10am-8pm Tue, Wed, Fri & Sat, to 9pm Thu, to 3pm Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-6pm Tue, Wed & Fri, to 9pm Thu, to 8pm Sat, to 3pm Sun Nov-Mar; g55, 150, 
jParal·lel) to his hometown in 1971. Its light-filled buildings, designed by close friend and architect Josep Lluís Sert (who also built Miró’s Mallorca studios), are crammed with seminal works, from Miró’s earliest timid sketches to paintings from his last years. Highlights include Sala Joan Prats, with works from the early years until 1919; Sala Pilar Juncosa, which covers his surrealist years (1932–55); and Rooms 18 and 19, which contain masterworks from his later years (1956–83).
CaixaForum
The Caixa building society prides itself on its involvement in (and ownership of) art, in particular all that is contemporary. CaixaForum (map Google map; %93 476 86 00; www.caixaforum.es; Avinguda de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia 6-8; adult/child €4/free, 1st Sun of month free; h10am-8pm; mEspanya) hosts part of the bank’s extensive collection from around the globe. The setting is a completely renovated former factory, the Fàbrica Casaramona, an outstanding Modernista brick structure designed by Puig i Cadafalch. On occasion portions of La Caixa’s own collection goes on display, but more often than not major international exhibitions are the key draw.
Castell de Montjuïc
This forbidding castle dominates the southeastern heights of Montjuïc and enjoys commanding views over the Mediterranean. It dates, in its present form, from the late 17th and 18th centuries. For most of its dark history, it has been used to watch over the city and as a political prison and killing ground.
1Sights
1La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
La CatedralCathedral
(map Google map; %93 342 82 62; www.catedralbcn.org; Plaça de la Seu; donation €7 or choir €3, roof €3; hworshipping 8.30am-12.30pm & 5.45-7.30pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-12.30pm & 5.15-8pm Sat, 8.30am-1.45pm & 5.15-8pm Sun, tourist visits 12.30-7.45pm Mon-Fri, 12.30-5.30pm Sat, 2-5.30pm Sun; mJaume I)
Barcelona’s central place of worship presents a magnificent image. The richly decorated main facade, dotted with gargoyles and the kinds of stone intricacies you would expect of northern European Gothic, sets it quite apart from other churches in Barcelona. The facade was actually added in 1870, although the rest of the building was built between 1298 and 1460. Its other facades are sparse in decoration, and the octagonal, flat-roofed towers are a clear reminder that, even here, Catalan Gothic architectural principles prevailed.
Museu d’Història de BarcelonaMuseum
(MUHBA; map Google map; %93 256 21 00; www.museuhistoria.bcn.cat; Plaça del Rei; adult/concession/child €7/5/free, 3-8pm Sun & 1st Sun of month free; h10am-7pm Tue-Sat, to 8pm Sun; mJaume I)
One of Barcelona’s most fascinating museums takes you back through the centuries to the very foundations of Roman Barcino. You’ll stroll over ruins of the old streets, sewers, laundries and wine- and fish-making factories that flourished here following the town’s founding by Emperor Augustus around 10 BC. Equally impressive is the building itself, which was once part of the Palau Reial Major (Grand Royal Palace) on Plaça del Rei, among the key locations of medieval princely power in Barcelona.
Museu Frederic MarèsMuseum
(map Google map; %93 256 35 00; www.museumares.bcn.cat; Plaça de Sant Iu 5; adult/concession/child €4.20/2.40/free, 3-8pm Sun & 1st Sun of month free; h10am-7pm Tue-Sat, 11am-8pm Sun; mJaume I)
One of the wildest collections of historical curios lies inside this vast medieval complex, once part of the royal palace of the counts of Barcelona. A rather worn coat of arms on the wall indicates that it was also, for a while, the seat of the Spanish Inquisition in Barcelona. Frederic Marès i Deulovol (1893–1991) was a rich sculptor, traveller and obsessive collector, and displays of religious art and vast varieties of antique objets litter the museum.
Plaça del ReiSquare
(King’s Square; map Google map; mJaume I)
Plaça del Rei is a picturesque plaza where Fernando and Isabel are thought to have received Columbus following his first New World voyage. It is the courtyard of the former Palau Reial Major. The palace today houses a superb history museum, with significant Roman ruins underground.
1El Raval
MACBAArts Centre
(Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona; %93 412 08 10; www.macba.cat; Plaça dels Àngels 1; adult/concession/child under 14yr €10/8/free, 4-8pm Sat free; h11am-7.30pm Mon & Wed-Fri, 10am-8pm Sat, 10am-3pm Sun & holidays; mUniversitat)
Designed by Richard Meier and opened in 1995, MACBA has become the city’s foremost contemporary art centre, with captivating exhibitions for the serious art lover. The permanent collection is on the ground floor and dedicates itself to Spanish and Catalan art from the second half of the 20th century, with works by Antoni Tàpies, Joan Brossa and Miquel Barceló, among others; international artists, such as Paul Klee, Bruce Nauman and John Cage, are also represented.
Palau GüellPalace
(map Google map; %93 472 57 75; www.palauguell.cat; Carrer Nou de la Rambla 3-5; adult/concession/child under 10yr incl audio guide €12/9/free, 1st Sun of month free; h10am-8pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, to 5.30pm Nov-Mar; mDrassanes)
Palau Güell is a magnificent example of the early days of Gaudí’s fevered architectural imagination. The extraordinary neo-Gothic mansion, one of the few major buildings of that era raised in Ciutat Vella (Old City), gives an insight into its maker’s prodigious genius.
Park Güell
North of Gràcia, Unesco-listed Park Güell (%93 409 18 31; www.parkguell.cat; Carrer d’Olot 7; adult/child €8.50/6; h8am-9.30pm May-Aug, to 8.30pm Apr, Sep & Oct, to 6.15pm Nov–mid-Feb, to 7pm mid-Feb–Mar; g24, 92, mLesseps, Vallcarca) is where architect Antoni Gaudí turned his hand to landscape gardening. It’s a strange, enchanting place where his passion for natural forms really took flight and the artificial almost seems more natural than the natural.
The park is extremely popular, and access to the central area is limited to a certain number of people every half-hour – book ahead online (and you’ll also save on the admission fee). The rest of the park is free and can be visited without booking.
1La Ribera
Basílica de Santa Maria del MarChurch
(map Google map; %93 310 23 90; www.santamariadelmarbarcelona.org; Plaça de Santa Maria; guided tour €10; h9am-8.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-8pm Sun, tours 1-5pm; mJaume I)
At the southwestern end of Passeig del Born stands the apse of Barcelona’s finest Catalan Gothic church, Santa Maria del Mar (Our Lady of the Sea). Built in the 14th century with record-breaking alacrity for the time (it took just 54 years), the church is remarkable for its architectural harmony and simplicity.
Museu PicassoMuseum
(map Google map; %93 256 30 00; www.museupicasso.bcn.cat; Carrer de Montcada 15-23; adult/concession/under 16yr permanent collection & temporary exhibit €14/7.50/free, 6-9.30pm Thu & 1st Sun of month free; h9am-7pm Tue, Wed & Fri-Sun, to 9.30pm Thu; mJaume I)
The setting alone, in five contiguous medieval stone mansions, makes the Museu Picasso unique (and worth the queues). The pretty courtyards, galleries and staircases preserved in the first three of these buildings are as delightful as the collection inside. While the collection concentrates on Pablo Picasso’s formative years – potentially disappointing for those hoping for a feast of his better-known later works – there is enough material from subsequent periods to give you a thorough impression of the artist’s versatility and genius.
1Barceloneta, the Waterfront & El Poblenou
Museu MarítimMuseum
(%93 342 99 20; www.mmb.cat; Avinguda de les Drassanes; adult/child €10/5, free from 3pm Sun; h10am-8pm; mDrassanes)
The city’s maritime museum occupies Gothic shipyards – a remarkable relic from Barcelona’s days as the seat of a seafaring empire. Highlights include a full-scale 1970s replica of Don Juan of Austria’s 16th-century flagship, fishing vessels, antique navigation charts and dioramas of the Barcelona waterfront.
Platja de Sant MiquelBeach
(www.barcelona.cat; mBarceloneta)
Taking its name from the 18th-century church in nearby Barceloneta, this stretch of sand fills with beachgoers when warm days arrive. Given its proximity to the old city, the crowds are thicker here than at beaches further out.
L’AquàriumAquarium
(%93 221 74 74; www.aquariumbcn.com; Moll d’Espanya; adult/child €20/15, dive from €150; h10am-9.30pm Jul & Aug, shorter hours Sep-Jun; mDrassanes)
It’s hard not to shudder at the sight of a shark gliding above you, displaying its toothy, wide-mouthed grin. But this, the 80m shark tunnel, is the highlight of one of Europe’s largest aquariums. It has the world’s best Mediterranean collection and plenty of colourful fish from as far off as the Red Sea, the Caribbean and the Great Barrier Reef. All up, some 11,000 creatures of 450 species reside here.
1L’Eixample
Casa BatllóArchitecture
(map Google map; %93 216 03 06; www.casabatllo.es; Passeig de Gràcia 43; adult/child €28.50/25.50; h9am-9pm, last admission 8pm; mPasseig de Gràcia)
One of the strangest residential buildings in Europe, this is Gaudí at his hallucinatory best. The facade, sprinkled with bits of blue, mauve and green tiles and studded with wave-shaped window frames and balconies, rises to an uneven blue-tiled roof with a solitary tower.
La PedreraArchitecture
(Casa Milà; map Google map; %93 214 25 76; www.lapedrera.com; Passeig de Gràcia 92; adult/child €25/14; h9am-8.30pm & 9-11pm Mar-Oct, 9am-6.30pm & 7-9pm Nov-Feb; mDiagonal)
This madcap Gaudí masterpiece was built in 1905–10 as a combined apartment and office block. Formally called Casa Milà, after the businessman who commissioned it, it is better known as La Pedrera (the Quarry) because of its uneven grey stone facade, which ripples around the corner of Carrer de Provença.
TTours
Barcelona Walking ToursWalking
(map Google map; %93 285 38 32; www.barcelonaturisme.com; Plaça de Catalunya 17; mCatalunya)
The Oficina d’Informació de Turisme de Barcelona organises several one- to two-hour guided walking tours (available in English) exploring the Barri Gòtic (adult/child €16/free), Picasso’s footsteps (€22/7) and Modernisme (€16/free). A two-hour gourmet food tour (€22/7) includes tastings. Various street-art walking and cycling tours (from €21) also take place. There is a 10% discount on most tours if you book online.
Bike Tours BarcelonaCycling
(map Google map; %93 268 21 05; www.biketoursbarcelona.com; Carrer de l’Esparteria 3; per person €25; h10am-7pm; mJaume I)
One of the oldest bike-tour operators in the city, they offer daily three-hour bicycle tours of the Barri Gòtic, the waterfront, La Sagrada Família and other Gaudí landmarks. Tours depart from the tourist office on Plaça de Sant Jaume; check the website for departure times, and for details of vineyard tours. Bike rental (from €5 per hour) is also available.
Shopping Strips
Avinguda del Portal de l’Àngel This broad pedestrian avenue is lined with high-street chains, shoe shops, bookshops and more.
Avinguda Diagonal This boulevard is loaded with international fashion names and design boutiques.
Carrer d’Avinyó A dynamic young fashion street.
Carrer del Petritxol Best for chocolate shops and art.
Passeig de Gràcia This is the premier shopping boulevard, home to big-name international brands.
7Shopping
Les TopettesCosmetics
(%93 500 55 64; www.lestopettes.com; Carrer de Joaquín Costa 33; h11am-2pm & 4-9pm Tue-Sat, 4-9pm Mon; mUniversitat)
The items in this chic little temple to soap and perfume have been picked for their designs as much as for the products themselves. You’ll find gorgeously packaged scents, candles and unguents from Diptyque, Cowshed and L’Artisan Parfumeur, among others.
Joan MúrriaFood & Drinks
(map Google map; %93 215 57 89; www.murria.cat; Carrer de Roger de Llúria 85; h10am-8.30pm Tue-Fri, 10am-2pm & 5-8.30pm Sat; mGirona)
Ramon Casas designed the 1898 Modernista shopfront advertisements featured at this culinary temple of speciality food goods from around Catalonia and beyond. Artisan cheeses, Iberian hams, caviar, canned delicacies, smoked fish, cavas and wines, coffee and loose-leaf teas are among the treats in store.
Colmillo de MorsaFashion & Accessories
(map Google map; %645 206 365; www.colmillodemorsa.com; Carrer de Vic 15; h11am-2.30pm & 4.30-7pm Mon-Fri, 11am-3pm Sat; 
dFGC Gràcia)
Design team Javier Blanco and Elisabet Vallecillo, who have made waves at Madrid’s Cibeles Fashion Week and Paris’ fashion fair Who’s Next, showcase their Barcelona-made women’s fashion here at their flagship boutique. They’ve also opened the floor to promote other up-and-coming local labels.
El Rei de la MàgiaMagic
(map Google map; %93 319 39 20; www.elreydelamagia.com; Carrer de la Princesa 11; h10.30am-7.30pm Mon-Fri, 10.30am-2pm & 4-7.30pm Sat; mJaume I)
For more than 100 years, the owners have been keeping locals both astounded and amused. Should you decide to stay in Barcelona and make a living as a magician, this is the place to buy levitation brooms, glasses of disappearing milk and decks of magic cards.
Vila VinitecaWine
(map Google map; %90 232 77 77; www.vilaviniteca.es; Carrer dels Agullers 7; h8.30am-8.30pm Mon-Sat; mJaume I)
One of the best wine stores in Barcelona (and there are a few…), Vila Viniteca has been searching out the best local and imported wines since 1932. On a couple of November evenings it organises what has become an almost riotous wine-tasting event in Carrer dels Agullers and surrounding lanes, at which cellars from around Spain present their young new wines.
5Eating
Traditional Catalan recipes showcase the great produce of the Mediterranean: fish, prawns, cuttlefish, clams, pork, rabbit, game, first-rate olive oil, peppers and loads of garlic. Classic dishes also feature unusual pairings (seafood with meat, fruit with fowl): cuttlefish with chickpeas, cured pork with caviar, rabbit with prawns, goose with pears.
5La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
FederalCafe€
(%93 280 81 71; www.federalcafe.es; Passatge de la Pau 11; mains €7-10; h9am-midnight Mon-Thu, to 1am Fri & Sat, to 5.30pm Sun; W; mDrassanes)
Don’t be intimidated by the industrial chic, the sea of open MacBooks or the stack of design mags – this branch of the Poble Sec Federal mothership is incredibly welcoming, with healthy, good-value food. Set in a lovely, quiet square, it’s best known for its Australian-inspired brunches such as baked eggs with feta and chorizo, avocado toast and French toast with berry compote.
Cafè de l’AcadèmiaCatalan€€
(map Google map; %93 319 82 53; Carrer dels Lledó 1; mains €8-20; h1-3.30pm & 8-11.30pm Mon-Fri; W; mJaume I)
Expect a mix of traditional Catalan dishes with the occasional creative twist. At lunchtime, local city hall workers pounce on the menú del día (€16). In the evening it is rather more romantic, as low lighting emphasises the intimacy of the beamed ceiling and stone walls. On warm days you can also dine in the pretty square at the front.
La Vinateria del CallSpanish€€
(map Google map; %93 302 60 92; www.lavinateriadelcall.com; Carrer Salomó Ben Adret 9; raciones €7-12; h7.30pm-1am; W; mJaume I)
In a magical setting in the former Jewish quarter, this tiny jewel-box of a wine bar serves up tasty Iberian dishes including Galician octopus, cider-cooked chorizo and the Catalan escalivada (roasted peppers, aubergine and onions) with anchovies. Portions are small and made for sharing, and there are over 160 varieties of wine to choose from.
5El Raval
Bar Muy BuenasCatalan€
(%93 807 28 57; http://muybuenas.cat; Carrer del Carme 63; mains €9-15; h1-3.30pm & 8-11pm Sun-Thu, 1-4pm & 8-11.30pm Fri & Sat; mLiceu)
Modernista classic Muy Buenas has been a bar since 1928, and wears its past proudly with stunning and sinuous original woodwork, etched-glass windows and a marble bar. Though the cocktails are impressive, these days it’s more restaurant than bar, expertly turning out traditional Catalan dishes such as esqueixada (salad of shredded salted cod) and fricandó (pork and vegetable stew).
Pinotxo BarTapas€€
(map Google map; %93 317 17 31; www.pinotxobar.com; Mercat de la Boqueria, La Rambla 89; mains €9-17; h6.30am-4pm Mon-Sat; mLiceu)
Pinotxo is arguably La Boqueria’s, and even Barcelona’s, best tapas bar. The ever-charming owner, Juanito, might serve up chickpeas with pine nuts and raisins, a soft mix of potato and spinach sprinkled with salt, soft baby squid with cannellini beans, or a quivering cube of caramel-sweet pork belly.
5La Ribera
Casa DelfínCatalan€€
(map Google map; %93 319 50 88; www.casadelfinrestaurant.com; Passeig del Born 36; mains €12-18; hnoon-midnight Sun-Thu, to 1am Fri & Sat; W; mJaume I)
One of Barcelona’s culinary delights, Casa Delfín is everything you dream of when you think of Catalan (and Mediterranean) cooking. Start with salt-strewn Padrón peppers, moving on to plump anchovies from L’Escala in the Costa Brava, then tackle suquet de los pescadores (traditional Catalan fish stew; €14.50, minimum two people).
5Barceloneta, the Waterfront & El Poblenou
Can RecasensCatalan€€
(%93 300 81 23; www.facebook.com/canrecasens; Rambla del Poblenou 102; mains €8-21; hrestaurant 8pm-1am; delicatessen 9.30am-1.30pm & 5pm-1am Mon-Fri, 9.30am-2pm & 5pm-1am Sat; mPoblenou)
One of El Poblenou’s most romantic settings, Can Recasens hides a warren of warmly lit rooms full of oil paintings, flickering candles, fairy lights and baskets of fruit. The food is outstanding, with a mix of salads, smoked meats, fondues, and open sandwiches topped with delicacies like wild mushrooms and Brie, escalivada (grilled vegetables) and Gruyère, and spicy chorizo.
There’s live jazz every second Wednesday.
La Barra de Carles AbellanSeafood€€€
(%93 760 51 29; www.carlesabellan.com/mis-restaurantes/la-barra; Passeig de Joan de Borbó 19; tapas €5-18, mains €22-36; h1.30-4pm & 8-11pm Tue-Sat, 1.30-4pm Sun; mBarceloneta)
Catalan chef Carles Abellán’s stunning glass-encased, glossy-tiled restaurant celebrates seafood in tapas such as pickled octopus and fried oyster with salmon roe. Even more show-stopping are the mains: grilled razor clams with ponzu citrus sauce, squid filled with spicy poached egg yolk, and stir-fried sea cucumber. Most seats are at long, communal counter-style tables, making it great for solo diners.
5L’Eixample
Tapas 24Tapas€
(map Google map; %93 488 09 77; www.carlesabellan.com; Carrer de la Diputació 269; tapas €4-12; h9am-midnight; W; mPasseig de Gràcia)
Hotshot chef Carles Abellán runs this basement tapas haven known for its gourmet versions of old faves. Highlights include the bikini (toasted ham and cheese sandwich – here the ham is cured and the truffle makes all the difference) and zesty boquerones al limón (lemon-marinated anchovies). You can’t book, and service can be slow, but it’s worth the wait.
LasarteModern European€€€
(map Google map; %93 445 32 42; www.restaurantlasarte.com; Carrer de Mallorca 259; mains €52-70; h1.30-3pm & 8.30-10pm Tue-Sat; mDiagonal)
One of the preeminent restaurants in Barcelona – and the city’s first to gain three Michelin stars – Lasarte is overseen by lauded chef Martín Berasategui. From Duroc pig’s trotters with quince to squid tartare with kaffir consommé, this is seriously sophisticated stuff, served in an ultra-contemporary dining room by waiting staff who could put the most overawed diners at ease.
DisfrutarModern European€€€
(%93 348 68 96; www.disfrutarbarcelona.com; Carrer de Villarroel 163; tasting menus €150-190; h1-2.30pm & 8-9.30pm Mon-Fri; mHospital Clínic)
Disfrutar (‘Enjoy’ in Catalan and Spanish) is among the city’s finest restaurants, with two Michelin stars. Run by alumni of Ferran Adrià’s game-changing (now closed) El Bulli restaurant, nothing is as it seems, such as black and green olives that are actually chocolate ganache with orange-blossom water.
6Drinking & Nightlife
PeriketeWine Bar
(map Google map; %93 024 22 29; www.gruporeini.net/perikete; Carrer de Llauder 6; h11am-1am; mBarceloneta)
Since opening in 2017, this fabulous wine bar has been jam-packed with locals. Hams hang from the ceilings, barrels of vermouth sit above the bar and wine bottles cram every available shelf space – over 200 varieties are available by the glass or bottle, accompanied by 50-plus tapas dishes. In the evening, the action spills into the street.
La ConfiteríaBar
(map Google map; %93 140 54 35; http://confiteria.cat; Carrer de Sant Pau 128; h7pm-2am Mon-Thu, 6pm-3am Fri & Sat, 5pm-2am Sun; W; mParal·lel)
This is a trip into the 19th century. Until the 1980s it was a confectioner’s shop, and although the original cabinets are now lined with booze, the look of the place barely changed with its conversion. The back room is similarly evocative, and the vibe these days is lively cocktail bar.
Les Gens Que J’AimeBar
(map Google map; %93 215 68 79; www.facebook.com/lesgensquejaime.pub; Carrer de València 286; h6pm-2.30am Sun-Thu, 7pm-3am Fri & Sat; mPasseig de Gràcia)
Atmospheric and intimate, this basement relic of the 1960s follows a deceptively simple formula: chilled jazz music in the background, minimal lighting from an assortment of flea-market lamps and a cosy, cramped scattering of red-velvet-backed lounges around tiny dark tables.
3Entertainment
Palau de la Música CatalanaClassical Music
(map Google map; %93 295 72 00; www.palaumusica.cat; Carrer de Palau de la Música 4-6; tickets from €18; hbox office 9.30am-9pm Mon-Sat, 10am-3pm Sun; mUrquinaona)
A feast for the eyes, this Modernista confection is also the city’s most traditional venue for classical and choral music, although it has a wide-ranging program, including flamenco, pop and – particularly – jazz. Just being in the building is an experience. In the foyer, its tiled pillars all a-glitter, you can sip a preconcert tipple.
Camp NouFootball
(%902 189900; www.fcbarcelona.com; Carrer d’Arístides Maillol; mPalau Reial)
The massive stadium of Camp Nou (‘New Field’ in Catalan) is home to the legendary Futbol Club Barcelona. Attending a game amid the roar of the crowds is an unforgettable experience; the season runs from August to May. Alternatively, get a taste of all the excitement at the interactive Barça Stadium Tour & Museum (%902 189900; www.fcbarcelona.com; Gate 9, Avinguda de Joan XXIII; adult/child self-guided tour €29.50/23.50, guided tour €50/35; h9.30am-7.30pm mid-Apr–mid-Oct, 10am-6.30pm Mon-Sat, to 2.30pm Sun mid-Oct–mid-Apr; mPalau Reial).
8INFORMATION
Several tourist offices operate in Barcelona. Information booths operate at Estació del Nord bus station and at Portal de la Pau, at the foot of the Mirador de Colom at the port end of La Rambla.
Plaça de Catalunya (map; %93 285 38 34; www.barcelonaturisme.com; Plaça de Catalunya 17-S, underground; h8.30am-9pm; mCatalunya)
Plaça Sant Jaume (map; %93 285 38 34; www.barcelonaturisme.com; Plaça Catalunya 17; h8.30am-9pm; mCatalunya)
Estació Sants (%93 285 38 34; www.barcelonaturisme.com; Barcelona Sants; h8.30am-8.30pm; dSants Estació)
El Prat Airport (%93 378 81 49; www.barcelonaturisme.com; h8.30am-8.30pm)
8GETTING THERE & AWAY
El Prat Airport (%91 321 10 00; www.aena.es; W) has service across Spain and worldwide.
Barcelona is well connected by bus to other parts of Spain, as well as to major European cities. Long-distance buses leave from Estació del Nord (%93 706 53 66; www.barcelonanord.cat; Carrer d’Ali Bei 80; mArc de Triomf).
Highspeed trains serve Barcelona from Madrid and France. The main train station is Barcelona Sants (%912 432343; www.adif.es; Plaça dels Països Catalans; mSants Estació), located 2.5km west of La Rambla.
8GETTING AROUND
Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB; %93 298 70 00; www.tmb.cat) operates local buses, the metro etc.
Metro The most convenient transport option. Runs 5am to midnight Sunday to Thursday, till 2am on Friday and 24 hours on Saturday. Targeta T-10 (10-ride pass; €10.20) is the best value; otherwise, it’s €2.20 per ride.
Bus A hop-on, hop-off Bus Turístic, departing from Plaça de Catalunya, is handy for those wanting to see the city’s highlights in one or two days.
Taxi You can hail taxis on the street (try La Rambla, Via Laietana, Plaça de Catalunya and Passeig de Gràcia) or at taxi stands. Or call Fonotaxi (%93 300 11 00; www.fonotaxi.net).
iWhere to Stay
Barcelona has a wide range of sleeping options, from cheap hostels in the old quarter to luxury hotels overlooking the waterfront. Small-scale apartment rentals around the city are a good-value choice.
| Neighbourhood | Atmosphere |
|---|---|
| La Rambla & Barri Gòtic | Great location, close to major sights, with good nightlife and dining options. This is the perfect area for exploring on foot. It can be very touristy and noisy. |
| El Raval | This central option, with good local nightlife and access to sights, has a bohemian vibe with few tourists. However, it can be noisy, seedy and run-down in parts. |
| La Ribera | Great restaurant scene and neighbourhood exploring, La Ribera is central and close to top sights. It can be noisy, overcrowded and touristy. |
| Barceloneta & the Waterfront | Excellent seafood restaurants, with an easygoing local vibe and handy to the promenade and beaches, but it has few sleeping options. |
| La Sagrada Família & L’Eixample | Offering a wide range of options for all budgets, it is close to Modernista sights, good restaurants and nightlife, and is a prime neighbourhood for the LGBT scene (in the ‘Gaixample’). Can be very noisy with lots of traffic though, and it’s a little far from the old city. |