Map: Barcelona Neighborhood Overview
Map: Barcelona’s Public Transportation
SPECIALTY TOURS AND ACTIVITIES
AFTER-HOURS HANGOUT NEIGHBORHOODS
Map: Barcelona’s Old City Hotels
Map: Hotels & Restaurants in the Eixample
Map: Barcelona’s Old City Restaurants
If you’re in the mood to surrender to a city’s charms, let it be in Barcelona. The capital of Catalunya and Spain’s second city, Barcelona bubbles with life in its narrow Barri Gòtic alleys, along the pedestrian boulevard called the Ramblas, in the funky bohemian quarter of El Born, along the bustling beach promenade, and throughout the chic, grid-planned new part of town called the Eixample.
As the capital of the Catalan people, Barcelona is full of history. You’ll see Roman ruins, a medieval cathedral, twisty Gothic lanes, and traces of Columbus and the sea trade. But by the late 19th century, the city had boomed into an industrial powerhouse and became the cradle of a new artistic style—Modernisme. Pablo Picasso lived in Barcelona as a teenager, right as he was on the verge of reinventing painting; his legacy is today’s Picasso Museum. Catalan architects, including Antoni Gaudí, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, and Josep Puig i Cadafalch, forged the Modernista style and remade the city’s skyline with curvy, playful fantasy buildings—culminating in Gaudí’s over-the-top Sagrada Família, a church still under construction. Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró join the long list of world-changing 20th-century artists with ties to this city.
Today’s Barcelona is as vibrant as ever. Locals still join hands and dance the everyone’s-welcome sardana in front of the cathedral every weekend. Neighborhood festivals jam the events calendar. The cafés are filled by day, and people crowd the streets at night, pausing to fortify themselves with a perfectly composed bite of seafood and a drink at a tapas bar. Barcelona’s lively culture is on an unstoppable roll in Spain’s most cosmopolitan and European corner.
Barcelona is easily worth two days, and no one would regret having a third day (or more). If you can spare only one full day for the city, it will be a scramble, but a day you’ll never forget.
When planning your time, be aware that many top sights are closed on Monday—making them especially crowded on Tuesday and Sunday. Some of Barcelona’s major sights can have long lines, such as the Picasso Museum, Sagrada Família, and La Pedrera; it’s smart to get advance tickets (see here).
For a relaxing day, stroll the Ramblas, see the Sagrada Família, add the Picasso Museum if you’re a fan, and have dinner in the trendy El Born district.
To fit in much more, try the following ambitious but doable plan. You’ll have to rush through the big sights (cathedral, Picasso Museum, Sagrada Família), having just enough time to visit each one but not to linger.
| 9:00 | From Plaça de Catalunya (with its handy TI), follow my “Barri Gòtic Walk” and tour the cathedral. |
| 11:00 | Circle back to Plaça de Catalunya and follow my self-guided “Ramblas Ramble” to the harborfront. |
| 12:30 | Walk along the harborfront to El Born, grabbing an early lunch. |
| 14:00 | Tour the Picasso Museum. |
| 16:00 | Hop a taxi or the Metro to the Sagrada Família. |
| 18:00 | Taxi, bus, or walk to Passeig de Gràcia in the Eixample to see the exteriors of Gaudí’s La Pedrera (a.k.a. Casa Milà) and the Block of Discord. Stroll back down toward Plaça de Catalunya. |
| 19:00 | Wander back into the Barri Gòtic at prime paseo time. Enjoy an early tapas dinner along the way, or a restaurant dinner later in the Old City. |
With at least two days, divide and conquer the town geographically: Spend one day in the Old City (Ramblas, Barri Gòtic/cathedral area, Picasso Museum/El Born) and another on the Eixample and Gaudí sights (La Pedrera, Sagrada Família, Park Güell). If you have a third day, visit Montjuïc and/or side-trip to Montserrat.
With extra time on any day, consider taking a hop-on, hop-off bus tour for a sightseeing overview (for example, the Bus Turístic blue route links most Gaudí sights and could work well on Day 2).
Another fun evening activity is to zip up to Montjuïc for the sunset and a drink on the Catalan Art Museum’s terrace, then head down to the Magic Fountains (Fri-Sat, plus Sun and Thu in summer).
| 9:00 | Spend the morning in the Eixample, touring La Pedrera and/or one of the Block of Discord houses—Casa Batlló or Casa Amatller (latter by guided tour only). |
| 12:00 | Eat an early lunch in the Eixample, then tour the Sagrada Família. |
| 15:00 | Choose among these options: Taxi or bus to Park Güell for more Gaudí. Or take the bus to Montjuïc (if you’re not going to Montjuïc on Day 3) to enjoy the city view and your pick of sights. Or explore the harborfront La Rambla de Mar and Old Port (unless you already did this on Day 1, at the end of the “Ramblas Ramble”). |
| Evening | Choose among the evening activities listed earlier. |
Tour Montjuïc from top to bottom (both physically and in order of importance), stopping at these sights: Fundació Joan Miró, Catalan Art Museum, and CaixaForum. If the weather is good, take the scenic cable-car ride down from Montjuïc to the port, and spend the rest of the day at Barceloneta—stroll the promenade, hit the beach, and find your favorite chiringuito (beach bar) for dinner.
Consider a day trip to the mountaintop monastery of Montserrat, the beach resort town of Sitges, or the Salvador Dalí sights at Figueres and Cadaqués (see the next chapter).
Located in the far northeast corner of Spain, Barcelona makes a good first or last stop for your trip. With the high-speed AVE train, Barcelona is three hours away from Madrid—faster and more comfortable than flying. Or you could sandwich Barcelona between flights. From the US, it’s as easy to fly into Barcelona as it is to land in Madrid, Lisbon, or Paris. Those who plan on renting a car later in their trip can start here, take the train or fly to Madrid, and sightsee Madrid and Toledo, all before picking up a car—cleverly saving on several days’ worth of rental fees. For more on train travel and car rentals in Spain, see the Practicalities chapter.
Bustling Barcelona is geographically big and culturally complex. Plan your time carefully, carving up the metropolis into manageable sightseeing neighborhoods. Use my day plans to help prioritize your time, and make advance reservations for sights (or get a sightseeing pass) to save time waiting in lines. For efficiency, learn how to navigate Barcelona by Metro, bus, and taxi. Armed with good information and a thoughtful game plan, you’re ready to go. Then you can relax, enjoy, and let yourself be surprised by all that Barcelona has to offer.
Like Los Angeles, Barcelona is a basically flat city that sprawls out under the sun between the sea and the mountains. It’s huge (1.6 million people, with twice as many people in greater Barcelona), but travelers need only focus on four areas: the Old City, the harbor/Barceloneta, the Eixample, and Montjuïc.
A large square, Plaça de Catalunya, sits at the center of Barcelona, dividing the older and newer parts of town. Below Plaça de Catalunya is the Old City, with the boulevard called the Ramblas running down to the harbor. Above Plaça de Catalunya is the modern residential area called the Eixample. The Montjuïc hill overlooks the harbor. Outside the Old City, Barcelona’s sights are widely scattered, but with a map and a willingness to figure out public transit (or take taxis), all is manageable.
Here are overviews of the major neighborhoods:
Old City (Ciutat Vella): This is the compact core of Barcelona—ideal for strolling, shopping, and people-watching—where you’ll probably spend most of your time. It’s a labyrinth of narrow streets that once were confined by the medieval walls. The lively pedestrian drag called the Ramblas goes through the heart of the Old City from Plaça de Catalunya to the harbor. The Old City is divided into thirds by the Ramblas and Via Laietana, a vehicle-heavy thoroughfare running roughly parallel to the Ramblas. Between the Ramblas and Via Laietana is the characteristic Barri Gòtic (BAH-ree GOH-teek, Gothic Quarter), with the cathedral as its navel. Locals call it “El Gòtic” for short. To the east of Via Laietana is the trendy El Born district (a.k.a. “La Ribera”), a shopping, dining, and nightlife mecca centered on the Picasso Museum and the Church of Santa Maria del Mar. To the west of the Ramblas is the Raval (rah-VAHL), enlivened by its university and modern-art museum. The Raval is of least interest to tourists (while some parts of the neighborhood are becoming trendy, others are quite dodgy and should be avoided).
Harborfront: The old harbor, Port Vell, gleams with landmark monuments and new developments. A pedestrian bridge links the Ramblas with the modern Maremagnum shopping/aquarium/entertainment complex. On the peninsula across the quaint sailboat harbor is Barceloneta, a traditional fishing neighborhood with gritty charm and some good seafood restaurants. Beyond Barceloneta, a gorgeous man-made beach several miles long leads east to the commercial and convention district called the Fòrum.
Eixample: Above the Old City, beyond the bustling hub of Plaça de Catalunya, is the elegant Eixample (eye-SHAM-plah) district, its grid plan softened by cutoff corners. Much of Barcelona’s Modernista architecture is found here—especially along the swanky artery Passeig de Gràcia, an area called Quadrat d’Or (“Golden Quarter”). Beyond that is the Gràcia district and Antoni Gaudí’s Park Güell.
Montjuïc: The large hill overlooking the city to the southwest is Montjuïc (mohn-jew-EEK), home to a variety of attractions, including some excellent museums (Catalan Art, Joan Miró) and the Olympic Stadium. At the base of Montjuïc, stretching toward Plaça d’Espanya, are the former 1929 World Expo Fairgrounds, with additional fine attractions (including the CaixaForum art gallery and the bullring-turned-mall, Las Arenas).
Apart from your geographical orientation, it’s smart to orient yourself linguistically to a language distinct from Spanish. Although Spanish (“Castilian”/castellano) is widely spoken, the native tongue in this region is Catalan—nearly as different from Spanish as Italian (see the sidebar on here).
Barcelona’s TI has several branches (central tel. 932-853-834, www.barcelonaturisme.cat). The primary TI is beneath the main square, Plaça de Catalunya (daily 8:30-21:00, entrance just across from El Corte Inglés department store—look for red sign and take stairs down).
Other branches are scattered around the city and generally have the same hours (daily 8:30-20:30, some have shorter hours on Sun). Locations include near the top of the Ramblas (kiosk at #115), on Plaça de Sant Jaume just south of the cathedral (inside Barcelona City Hall at Ciutat 2), inside the base of the harborside Columbus Monument, at the airport (terminals 1 and 2B), and at the Sants train station.
Smaller info kiosks pop up in touristy locales: on Plaça d’Espanya, in the park across from the Sagrada Família entrance, near the Columbus Monument (where the shuttle bus from the cruise port arrives), at the Nord bus station, at the various cruise terminals along the port, and on Plaça de Catalunya. In addition, throughout the summer, young red-jacketed tourist-info helpers appear in the most touristy parts of town; although they work for the hop-on, hop-off Bus Turístic, they are happy to answer questions.
At any TI, pick up the monthly Visit Barcelona guidebook (with basic tips on sightseeing, shopping, events, and restaurants). Other publications that may be available include Time Out BCN Guide (concise but thorough day-by-day list of events); Barcelona Metropolitan magazine (timely coverage of local topics and events); and Barcelona Prestige (listings for more upscale dining and shopping). All are also available online and make good pretrip planning tools. The free El Corte Inglés map provided by most hotels is better than the TI’s map.
TIs are handy places to buy tickets for the Bus Turístic (see here) or for TI-run walking tours (see here). You can also buy line-skipping tickets for La Pedrera and Casa Batlló, among other sights. And they sell tickets to FC Barcelona soccer games.
Modernisme Route: A handy map showing all 116 Modernista buildings is available at the Institut Municipal del Paisatge Urbà, inside the Edificio Colón, the city’s first skyscraper (Mon-Fri 9:00-14:00, closed Sat-Sun, Avinguda de les Drassanes 6, 21st floor, www.rutadelmodernisme.com). They also offer a sightseeing discount package (€12 for a great guidebook and 20-50 percent discounts at many Modernista sights—worthwhile if going beyond the biggies I cover in depth; for €18 you’ll also get a guidebook to Modernista bars and restaurants).
Regional Catalunya TI: The all-Catalunya TI, inside a former palace, can help with travel and sightseeing tips for the entire region. They also have a relaxing café and a space for tasting regional treats (daily 10:00-21:00, in Palau Moja, midway along the Ramblas, Portaferrisa 1, tel. 933-162-740, www.palaumoja.com).
Sightseeing Passes: The Articket BCN pass covers admission to six art museums and their temporary exhibits, letting you skip the ticket-buying lines. Sights include the recommended Picasso Museum, Catalan Art Museum, and Fundació Joan Miró (€30, valid three months; sold at participating museums and the TIs at Plaça de Catalunya, Plaça de Sant Jaume, and Sants train station; www.articketbcn.org). If you’re planning to go to three or more covered museums, this ticket will save you money and time, especially at sights prone to long lines, such as the Picasso Museum. Just show your Articket BCN (to the ticket taker, at the info desk, or at a special Articket window), and you’ll get your ticket, which you can use to enter at any time (especially useful for Picasso Museum).
I’d skip the Barcelona Card Express (€20/2 days); on the other hand, the Barcelona Card can be a good deal for busy sightseers staying for more than two days. It includes entry to all museums covered by the Articket BCN, several other recommended sights (such as the Frederic Marès Museum and the CaixaForum), an “Hola BCN!” multiday travel card (covers buses, Metro, Montjuïc funicular), and additional small discounts on many major sights (€45/3 days, €55/4 days, €60/5 days, sold at TIs and online for a 10 percent discount, www.barcelonacard.org).
For more information on getting to or from Barcelona by train, plane, bus, or cruise ship, see “Barcelona Connections,” at the end of this chapter.
By Train: Virtually all trains end up at Barcelona’s Sants train station, west of the Old City (described on here). AVE trains from Madrid go only to Sants station. But many other trains also pass through other stations en route, such as França station (between the El Born and Barceloneta neighborhoods), or the downtown Passeig de Gràcia or Plaça de Catalunya stations (which are also Metro stops—and very close to most of my recommended hotels). Figure out which stations your train stops at (ask the conductor), and get off at the one most convenient to your hotel.
By Plane: Most international flights arrive at El Prat de Llobregat Airport, eight miles southwest of town. Some budget airlines, including Ryanair, fly into Girona-Costa Brava Airport, located 60 miles north of Barcelona near Girona. See here for details on connecting either of these airports to central Barcelona.
By Car: I don’t advise driving in Barcelona—thanks to its excellent public transportation and taxis, you won’t need a car here, and the parking fees are outrageously expensive.
Advance Tickets and Passes: In busy Barcelona, you can avoid long lines and ensure that you’ll get in to popular sights when you want by buying timed-entry tickets in advance for the following: Picasso Museum (see here), Sagrada Família (here), Casa Batlló (here), La Pedrera (here), Palau Güell (here), and Park Güell’s Monumental Zone (here).
It’s smart to plan ahead and buy advance tickets to go inside Casa Amatller (here), as it is viewable by guided tour only. Advance tickets are required to tour the Palace of Catalan Music (here). If you plan to visit several art museums, consider the Articket BCN pass, which can save you money and lets you skip ticket-buying lines (especially helpful at the Picasso Museum; described on previous page).
Closed Days: Many sights are closed on Monday, including the Picasso Museum, Catalan Art Museum, Palau Güell, Barcelona History Museum, Fundació Joan Miró, and Frederic Marès Museum. On Sunday, the food markets are closed and some sights close early—check hours when planning your day.
Theft and Scam Alert: You’re more likely to be pickpocketed here—especially on the Ramblas—than about anywhere else in Europe. Most crime is nonviolent, but muggings do occur. Leave valuables in your hotel and wear a money belt. Whenever you pay with cash, count your change carefully.
Street scams are easy to avoid if you recognize them. Most common is the too-friendly local who tries to engage you in conversation by asking for the time or whether you speak English. If a super-friendly man acts drunk and wants to dance because his soccer team just won, he’s a pickpocket. Beware of thieves posing as lost tourists who ask for your help. Don’t fall for any street-gambling shell games. Beware of groups of women aggressively selling flowers, people offering to clean off a stain from your shirt, and so on. If you stop for any commotion or show on the Ramblas, put your hands in your pockets before someone else does. Assume any scuffle is simply a distraction by a team of thieves. Don’t be intimidated...just be smart.
Personal Safety: Some areas feel seedy and can be unsafe after dark; I’d avoid the southern part of the Barri Gòtic (basically the two or three blocks directly south and east of Plaça Reial—though the strip near the Carrer de la Mercè tapas bars is better), and I wouldn’t venture too deep into the Raval (just west of the Ramblas). One block can separate a comfy tourist zone from the junkies and prostitutes.
Wi-Fi: The free city network, Barcelona WiFi, has hundreds of hotspots; look for the blue diamond-shaped sign with a big “W” (www.bcn.cat/barcelonawifi). You can also log onto the Apple Store network on Plaça de Catalunya (look for groups of teenagers milking the free Wi-Fi).
Baggage Storage: Locker Barcelona is located near the recommended Hotel Denit. You can pay for the day and access your locker as many times as you want, and can even leave bags overnight (daily 8:30-22:00, slightly shorter hours in winter, €6.50-12 depending on locker size, Carrer Estruc 36, tel. 933-028-796, www.lockerbarcelona.com).
Pharmacy: Pharmacies are sprinkled throughout the Barri Gòtic and Eixample. A 24-hour pharmacy is across from La Boqueria Market at #98 on the Ramblas.
Laundry: Several self-service launderettes are located around the Old City. The clean-as-a-whistle LavaXpres is centrally located near recommended Plaça de Catalunya and Ramblas hotels (self-service, touchscreen instructions in English, daily 8:00-22:00, Passatge d’Elisabets 3, www.lavaxpres.com). Wash ’n Dry, just off the Ramblas, is in a seedier neighborhood just down the street past Palau Güell (self-service and full service, daily 9:00-22:00, Carrer Nou de la Rambla 19, tel. 934-121-953). For both locations, see the map on here.
Bike Rental: Biking is a joy in Citadel Park, the Eixample, and along the beach (suggested route on here), but it’s stressful in the city center, where pedestrians and cars rule. There are bike-rental places in just about every part of the city; I’ve listed just a few (all prices include helmets and locks). Handy Bike Tours Barcelona, near the Church of Santa Maria del Mar (50 yards behind the flame memorial), rents bikes and gives out maps and suggested biking routes (€5/hour, €10/4 hours, €15/24 hours, daily 10:00-19:00, leave €250 or photo ID as deposit, Carrer de l’Esparteria 3—see map on here, tel. 932-682-105, www.biketoursbarcelona.com); they also lead bike tours (see “Tours in Barcelona,” later).
To rent a bike on Barceloneta beach, consider the following shops (see map on here for locations): Biciclot, on the sand 300 yards from Olympic Village towers (€5/hour, €10/3 hours, €17/24 hours, daily in summer 10:00-20:00, shorter hours off-season, Passeig Marítim 33, tel. 932-219-778, www.bikinginbarcelona.net), and Barcelona Rent-A-Bike, about four blocks from the Barceloneta Metro stop (€6/2 hours, €10/4 hours, €15/24 hours, daily 10:00-20:00, Passeig de Joan de Borbó 35, tel. 932-212-790, www.barcelonarentabike.com). Barcelona Rent-A-Bike also has a city-center location three blocks from Plaça de Catalunya (daily 9:30-20:00, inside the courtyard at Carrer dels Tallers 45—see map on here, tel. 933-171-970).
You’ll see racks of government-subsidized “Bicing” borrow-a-bikes around town, but these are only for locals, not tourists.
Barcelona’s Metro and bus system is run by TMB—Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (tel. 902-075-027, www.tmb.cat). It’s worth asking for TMB’s excellent Metro/bus map at the TI, larger stations, or the TMB information counter in the Sants train station (not always available).
The city’s Metro, among Europe’s best, connects just about every place you’ll visit. A single-ride ticket (bitlett senzill) costs €2.15. The T10 Card—€9.95 for 10 rides—is a great deal (cutting the per-ride cost by more than half). The card is shareable, even by companions (insert the card in the machine per passenger). The back of your T10 card will show how many trips were taken, with the time and date of each ride. One “ride” covers you for 1.25 hours of unlimited use on all Metro and local bus lines, as well as local rides on the RENFE and Rodalies de Catalunya train lines (including the ride to the train station) and the suburban FGC trains. Transfers made within your 1.25-hour limit are not counted as a new ride, but you still must revalidate your T10 Card whenever you transfer.
Multiday “Hola BCN!” travel cards are also available (€14.50/2 days, €21.20/3 days, €27.50/4 days, €33.70/5 days). Machines at the Metro entrance have English instructions and sell all types of tickets (most machines accept credit/debit cards as well as cash).
Whatever type of ticket you use, keep it until you have exited the subway. You don’t need the ticket to go through the exit, but inspectors occasionally ask riders to show it.
Barcelona has several color-coded Metro lines. Most useful for tourists is the L3 (green) line. Handy city-center stops on this line include (in order):
Sants Estació: Main train station
Espanya: Plaça d’Espanya, with access to the lower part of Montjuïc and trains to Montserrat
Paral-lel: Funicular to the top of Montjuïc
Drassanes: Bottom of the Ramblas, near Maritime Museum and Maremagnum mall
Liceu: Middle of the Ramblas, near the heart of the Barri Gòtic and cathedral
Plaça de Catalunya: Top of the Ramblas and main square with TI, airport bus, and lots of transportation connections
Passeig de Gràcia: Classy Eixample street at the Block of Discord; also connection to L2 (purple) line to Sagrada Família and L4 (yellow) line (described below)
Diagonal: Gaudí’s La Pedrera
The L4 (yellow) line, which crosses the L3 (green) line at Passeig de Gràcia, has a few helpful stops, including Joanic (bus #116 to Park Güell), Jaume I (between the Barri Gòtic/cathedral and El Born/Picasso Museum), and Barceloneta (at the south end of El Born, near the harbor action).
Before riding the Metro, study a map (available at TIs, posted at entrances, and printed on some tourist city maps) to get familiar with the system. Look for your line number and color, and find the end stop for your direction of travel. Enter the Metro by inserting your ticket into the turnstile (with the arrow pointing in), then reclaim it. Follow signs for your line and direction. On board, most trains have handy lighted displays that indicate upcoming stops. Because the lines cross one another multiple times, there can be several ways to make any one journey. (It’s a good idea to keep a general map with you—especially if you’re transferring.)
Watch your valuables. If I were a pickpocket, I’d set up shop along the made-for-tourists L3 (green) line.
Given the excellent Metro service, it’s unlikely you’ll spend much time on local buses (also €2.15, covered by T10 Card, insert ticket in machine behind driver). However, buses are useful for reaching Park Güell, connecting the sights on Montjuïc, and getting to the beach. For information on hop-on, hop-off bus tours, see “Tours in Barcelona,” later.
Barcelona is one of Europe’s best taxi towns. Taxis are plentiful (there are more than 11,000) and honest, whether they like it or not. A green light indicates that a taxi is available. Cab rates are reasonable (€2.10 drop charge, about €1/kilometer, “Tarif 2” rates—slightly more expensive per kilometer—are in effect weekdays 20:00-8:00 as well as holidays, “Tarif 3” rates apply on weekend evenings 20:00-6:00, €1 surcharge per large suitcase, €2.10 surcharge to/from Sants train station, €3.10 surcharge for airport or cruise port, other fees posted in window). Save time by catching a cab (figure €10 from Ramblas to Sants station).
The TI at Plaça de Sant Jaume offers great guided walks through the Barri Gòtic. You’ll learn the medieval story of the city as you walk from Plaça de Sant Jaume through the cathedral neighborhood (€16, daily at 9:30, 2 hours, groups limited to 35, buy ticket 15 minutes early at the TI desk—not from the guide, in summer stop by the office a day ahead to reserve, tel. 932-853-832, www.barcelonaturisme.cat). The TI at Plaça de Sant Jaume also offers walks for gourmets (€22, Mon-Fri at 10:30, 2 hours) and fans of Modernisme (€16, Wed and Fri at 18:00 April-Oct, off-season at 15:30, 2 hours).
The TI at Plaça de Catalunya offers a Picasso walk, taking you through the streets of his youth and early career and finishing in the Picasso Museum (€22, includes museum entry, runs Tue-Sat at 15:00, 2 hours including museum visit). It’s always smart to reserve in advance and double-check departure times with the TI.
Discover Walks offers good walking tours in under two hours for €19. These include Gaudí (daily at 10:30, meet in front of Casa Batlló), and the Ramblas and Barri Gòtic (Tue, Thu, and Sat at 15:00, meet in front of Liceu Opera House on the Ramblas). They also have a daily Gaudí tour for €49, which includes entry to Casa Batlló (skipping the line). The company uses exclusively native-born guides—no expats (tel. 931-816-810, www.discoverwalks.com).
A dozen or so companies offer “free” walks that rely on—and expect—tips to stay in business. Though led by young people who’ve basically memorized a clever script (rather than trained historians), these walks can be a fun, casual way to get your bearings. Runner Bean Tours, run by Gorka, Ann-Marie, and a handful of local guides, is reliable and well established. They offer two 2.5-hour, English-only walks, one on the Old City and the other covering Gaudí (both tours depart from Plaça Reial daily at 11:00, also at 16:30 April-mid-Oct, mobile 636-108-776, www.runnerbeantours.com). They also do night tours, family walks, and more. Groups can range from just a couple of people up to 30.
The Barcelona Guide Bureau is a co-op with about 35 local guides who give themed group tours as well as private, customized tours (check website for prices of group walks; customized tours average €230/4 hours on weekdays, €275 on weekends; Via Laietana 50, tel. 932-682-422, www.barcelonaguidebureau.com).
This is a popular nationalistic refrain you might see on T-shirts or stickers around town. Catalunya is not the land of bullfighting and flamenco that many visitors envision when they think of Spain (best to visit Madrid or Sevilla for those).
The region of Catalunya, with Barcelona as its capital, has its own language, history, and culture. Its people—over seven million strong—have a proud, independent spirit. Historically, Catalunya (“Cataluña” in Spanish, sometimes spelled “Catalonia” in English) has often been at odds with the central Spanish government in Madrid. The Catalan language and culture were discouraged or even outlawed at various times in history, as Catalunya often chose the wrong side in wars and rebellions against the kings in Madrid. In the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), Catalunya was one of the last pockets of democratic resistance against the military coup of the fascist dictator Francisco Franco, who punished the region with four decades of repression. During that time, the Catalan flag was banned—but locals vented their national spirit by flying their football team’s flag instead.
Three of Barcelona’s monuments are reminders of royal and Franco-era suppression. Citadel Park (Parc de la Ciutadella) was originally a much-despised military citadel, constructed in the 18th century to keep locals in line. The Castle of Montjuïc, built for similar reasons, has been the site of numerous political executions, including hundreds during the Franco era. The Sacred Heart Church atop Tibidabo, completed under Franco, was meant to atone for the sins of Barcelonans during the civil war—the main sin being opposition to Franco. Today, many Catalans favor breaking away from Spain, but the central government has vowed to block any referendum on independence.
To see real Catalan culture, look for the sardana dance or an exhibition of castellers (both described on here). An important symbol of Catalunya is the dragon, which was slain by St. George (“Jordi” in Catalan)—the region’s patron saint. You’ll find dragons all over Barcelona, along with the Catalan flag—called the Senyera—with four horizontal red stripes on a gold field. Nineteenth-century Catalan Romantics embraced a vivid story about the origins of their flag: In the ninth century, Wilfred the Hairy—a count of Barcelona and one of the founding fathers of Catalunya—was wounded in battle. A grateful neighboring king rewarded Wilfred’s bravery with a copper shield and ran Wilfred’s four bloody fingers across its surface, leaving four red stripes. While almost certainly false, this legend hints at the nostalgic mood in 19th-century Barcelona, when the Renaixença (Catalan cultural revival) prodded historians to dig deeply into their medieval past to revive obscure historical figures and lend legitimacy to the resurgent Catalan nation.
The Catalan language is irrevocably tied to the history and spirit of the people here. After the end of the Franco era in the mid-1970s, the language made a huge comeback. Schools are now required by law to conduct all classes in Catalan; most school-age children learn Catalan first and Spanish second. While all Barcelonans still speak Spanish, nearly all understand Catalan, three-quarters speak Catalan, and half can write it.
Here are the essential Catalan phrases:
| English | Catalan |
| Hello | Hola (OH-lah) |
| Please | Si us plau (see oos plow) |
| Thank you | Gracies (GRAH-see-es) |
| Goodbye | Adéu (ah-DAY-oo) |
| Long live Catalunya! | ¡Visca Catalunya! (BEE-skah kah-tah-LOON-yah) |
When finding your way, these words and place names will come in handy:
| exit | sortida (sor-TEE-dah) |
| square | plaça (PLAH-sah) |
| street | carrer (kah-REHR) |
| boulevard | passeig (PAH-sage) |
| avenue | avinguda (ah-veen-GOO-dah) |
Here’s how to pronounce the city’s major landmarks:
| Plaça de Catalunya | PLAH-sah duh kah-tah-LOON-yah |
| Eixample | eye-SHAM-plah |
| Passeig de Gràcia | PAH-sage duh grass-EE-ah |
| Catedral | kah-teh-DRAL |
| Barri Gòtic | BAH-ree GOH-teek |
| El Born | “el born” |
| Montjuïc | mohn-jew-EEK |
José Soler is a great and fun-to-be-with local guide who enjoys tailoring a walk through his hometown to your interests (€250/half-day per group, mobile 615-059-326, www.pepitotours.com, info@pepitotours.com). He and his driver can take small groups by car or van on a four-hour Barcelona Highlights tour (€450-475) and can meet you at your hotel, the cruise port, or airport.
Cristina Sanjuán of Live Barcelona is another good, professional guide who leads several different walking or driving tours, and can also arrange cruise excursions (€195/3 hours; €195 extra for a car for up to 2 people, €220 extra for up to 6; tel. 936-327-259, mobile 609-205-844, book reservations at www.livebarcelona.com, info@livebarcelona.com).
The Barcelona Guide Bureau offers several sightseeing tours leaving from Plaça de Catalunya. Tours include most sight admissions and are designed to end at a major sight in case you’d like to spend more time there. The Gaudí tour visits Casa Batlló and Sagrada Família, as well as the facade of La Pedrera (€68, daily at 9:00, 3.5 hours). Other tours offered year-round include Montjuïc (€33, daily at 12:30, 2.5 hours); Barcelona Highlights (€64, daily at 10:00, also Mon-Sat at 12:30, 5 hours); and Montserrat (€49, Mon-Sat at 15:00, 4 hours—a convenient way to get to this mountaintop monastery if you don’t want to deal with public transportation). During high season, there are additional itineraries. You can get details and book tickets at a TI, on their website, or simply by showing up at their departure point on Plaça de Catalunya in front of the Deutsche Bank (next to Hard Rock Café—look for guides holding orange umbrellas; tel. 933-152-261, www.barcelonaguidebureau.com).
Catalunya Bus Turístic also runs excursions to nearby destinations, including some that are difficult to reach by public transportation. Trips run April-October and include Montserrat (€70, Mon-Sat at 8:30, 8 hours, includes Gaudí’s unfinished Colònia Güell development), Easy Montserrat (€48, Tue-Sat at 10:00, 6 hours, includes the rack railway), and Salvador Dalí sights in Figueres and Girona (€78, daily at 8:30, 11 hours). All itineraries depart from Plaça de Catalunya in front of El Corte Inglés (live trilingual commentary in Catalan, Spanish, and English; €5 extra for a more in-depth English audioguide; book at TIs, by phone, or online—10 percent Web discount; tel. 932-853-832, www.catalunyabusturistic.com).
The handy hop-on, hop-off Bus Turístic offers three multistop circuits in colorful double-decker buses that go topless in sunny weather and are useful as a once-over-lightly tour or simply to get around. The two-hour blue route covers north Barcelona (most Gaudí sights); the two-hour red route covers south Barcelona (Barri Gòtic and Montjuïc); and the 40-minute green route covers the beaches and modern Fòrum complex (this route runs April-Oct only). All have headphone commentary and free Wi-Fi (daily 9:00-20:00 in summer, off-season until 19:00, buses run every 10-25 minutes, most frequent in summer, www.barcelonabusturistic.cat). One-day (€29) and two-day (€39) tickets, which you can buy on the bus, at the TI, or online, offer discounts on the city’s major sights and walking tours. From Plaça de Catalunya, the blue northern route leaves from El Corte Inglés; the red southern route leaves from the west—Ramblas—side of the square. A different company, Barcelona City Tour, offers a nearly identical service (same price and discounts, two loops instead of three, www.barcelona.city-tour.com).
Bike Tours Barcelona offers three-hour English-only bike tours, during which you’ll ride from sight to sight, mostly on bike paths and through parks, with stop-and-go commentary (€23, daily at 11:00, also Fri-Mon at 16:30 April-mid-Sept, no reservations needed, includes one drink, tours meet just outside TI on Plaça Sant Jaume in Barri Gòtic—or, 15 minutes later, at their bike shop in El Born near the Church of Santa Maria del Mar; for contact info see their bike-rental listing on here).
Nick Lloyd is the author of Forgotten Places: Barcelona and the Spanish Civil War. Both he and his partner, Catherine Howley, are passionate teachers, taking small groups on highly regarded walks through the old town to explain the social context and significance of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) in Barcelona. History buffs absolutely love this tour (€25/person, Mon-Tue and Thu-Sat mornings, 4 hours, English only, www.iberianature.com, nick.iberianature@gmail.com).
Cook & Taste offers private and group cooking classes in which you’ll make and eat four traditional dishes paired with local wines (group classes daily at 11:00 and 17:00, €65/person, €13 extra for guided La Boqueria or Santa Caterina visit offered Tue-Sat morning or Fri afternoon; private class for 2 people-€215/person, less per person for larger groups, includes market visit, meal, and wine; Carrer Paradís 3, tel. 933-021-320, www.cookandtaste.net, info@cookandtaste.net). They also offer a gastronomic tour guided by a chef who shows you gourmet food and wine shops and takes you to La Boqueria.
At The Barcelona Taste, Joe Littenberg and Jo Marvel, American ex-pat foodie guides and long-time Barcelona residents, take small groups on guided walks, making three or four stops in roughly three hours. They enthusiastically introduce you to lots of local taste treats and drinks. You can choose from a tour of the Barri Gòtic or the Poble Sec neighborhood at the foot of Montjuïc (€95/person, Tue-Sat at 19:00, reserve early in season, www.thebarcelonataste.com, contact@thebarcelonataste.com).
Locals Nuria and Margherita at Food Lovers Company carefully select four traditional and atmospheric spots where, over four hours, you can sample high-quality seasonal specialties as they share personal insights on Barcelona and its cuisine (€125/person, daily at 12:00 and 18:00, max 8 people, mobile 617-710-624, www.foodloverscompany.com, hello@foodloverscompany.com).
Andy Steves (Rick’s son) runs Weekend Student Adventures (WSA Europe), offering 3-day and 10-day budget travel packages across Europe including accommodations, skip-the-line sightseeing, and unique local experiences. Locally guided and DIY options are available for student and budget travelers in 13 of Europe’s most popular cities, including Barcelona (guided trips from €199, see www.wsaeurope.com for details). Check out Andy’s tips, resources, and podcast at www.andysteves.com.
3 Rambla of the Little Birds (RIP)
11 Waterfront
1 Avinguda del Portal de l’Angel
4 Fountain
8 Monument to the Martyrs of Independence
These two self-guided walks take you through the old town—down the main boulevard (“Ramblas Ramble”) and through the cathedral neighborhood (“Barri Gòtic Walk”).
My free Barcelona City Walk audio tour covers the Ramblas (in part), the Barri Gòtic, and the El Born neighborhood.
For more than a century, this walk down Barcelona’s main boulevard has been a magnet for visitors. It’s a one-hour stroll that goes from Plaça de Catalunya gently downhill to the waterfront, with an easy return by Metro.
Sadly, the charm of the Ramblas (worth ▲▲) has not survived the advent of mass tourism in Barcelona. Back when locals enjoyed strolling here, there was plenty of business to keep characteristic flower stalls, bird markets, and newspaper stands healthy. Today, the crowds are mostly tourists, locals are few and far between, and the street is lined not with cultural attractions, but with tacky souvenir trinkets and lousy eateries. Still, if you come to Barcelona...you’ve got to ramble the Ramblas.
The word “Ramblas” is plural; the street is actually a succession of five separately named segments. But street signs and addresses treat it as a single long street—“La Rambla,” singular. This walk will help you see beyond the tourist crowds and enjoy the essence of the area. On the wide central sidewalk, you’ll raft the river of tourism as you pass plenty of historic bits and pieces of this great city.
When to Go: The Ramblas is two different streets by day and by night. To fully experience its yin and yang, walk it once in the evening and again in the morning, grabbing breakfast on a stool in a market café. Note that the Ramblas can be rowdy and off-putting late at night. Saturday is the best time to see La Boqueria Market (it’s also open weekdays, but closed on Sun); Palau Güell and Santa Eulália are both closed on Monday.
Pickpockets: The Ramblas is prime hunting ground for pickpockets. Keep only today’s spending money in your front pocket; secure your credit/debit cards, extra cash, and passport in your money belt.
Eating: The eateries here are tourist traps; don’t eat or drink on the Ramblas. But just off the street you’ll find a few handy lunch spots, and the stalls of La Boqueria Market invite grazing. For details, see here.
Self-Guided Walk• Start your ramble on Plaça de Catalunya, at the top of the Ramblas.
Dotted with fountains, statues, and pigeons, and ringed by grand buildings, this plaza is Barcelona’s center. The square once boasted curvy and decorative Modernisme buildings (which still predominate in the Eixample district, just above the plaza); but during the Franco years, they were replaced with stern, straight lines as a show of dominance. Plaça de Catalunya is the hub for the Metro, bus, airport shuttle, and Bus Turístic. More than half of the 7.4 million Catalans live in greater Barcelona, and for the inhabitants of this proud region, this is their Times Square.
Geographically, the 12-acre square links the narrow streets of old Barcelona with the broad boulevards of the newer city. Four great thoroughfares radiate from here. The Ramblas is the popular tourist promenade. Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona’s answer to Paris’ Champs-Elysées, has fashionable shops and cafés (and noisy traffic). Rambla de Catalunya is equally fashionable but cozier and more pedestrian-friendly. Avinguda del Portal de l’Angel (shopper-friendly and traffic-free) leads to the Barri Gòtic.
At the Ramblas end of the square, the odd, inverted-staircase monument represents the shape of Catalunya and honors one of its former presidents, Francesc Macià i Llussà, who declared independence for the breakaway region in 1931. (It didn’t quite stick.) Sculptor Josep Maria Subirachs, whose work you’ll see at the Sagrada Família (see here), designed it.
The giant El Corte Inglés department store towering above the square (on the northeast side) has just about anything you might need.
• Cross the street and start heading down the Ramblas. (Odd street numbers are on your right, even numbers on your left.) To get oriented, pause 20 yards down, at the ornate lamppost with a fountain as its base (near #129).
The black-and-gold fountain has been a local favorite for more than a century. When Barcelona tore down its medieval wall and transformed the Ramblas from a drainage ditch into an elegant promenade, this fountain was one of its early attractions. Legend says that a drink from the fountain ensures that you’ll come back to Barcelona one day. Watch the tourists—eager to guarantee a return trip—struggle with the awkwardly high water pressure. It’s still a popular let’s-meet-at-the-fountain rendezvous spot and a gathering place for celebrations and demonstrations.
As you survey the Ramblas action, get your bearings for our upcoming stroll. You’ll see the following features here and all along the way:
Wavy Tile Work: The pavement decorations represent the stream that once flowed here. Rambla means “stream” in Arabic, and this used to be a drainage ditch along the medieval wall of the Barri Gòtic (to the left). Many Catalan towns, established where rivers approach the sea, have streets called “Ramblas.” Today Barcelona’s “stream” has become a river of humanity.
Skinny Balconies: Look up to see the city’s characteristic shallow balconies. They’re functional as well as decorative, with windows opening from floor to ceiling to allow more light and air into the tight, dark spaces of these cramped old buildings.
Hearty Plane Trees: The deciduous trees lining the boulevard are known for their peeling bark and toughness in urban settings. They’re ideal for the climate, letting in maximum sun in the winter and providing maximum shade in the summer.
Fixed Chairs: Nearby, notice the chairs fixed to the sidewalk at jaunty angles. It used to be that you’d pay to rent a chair here to look at the constant parade of passersby. Seats are now free, and it’s still the best people-watching in town. Enjoy these chairs while you can—you’ll find virtually no public benches or other seating farther down the Ramblas, only cafés that serve beer and sangria in just one (expensive) size: gigante.
ONCE Booths: Across from the fountain and a few steps down, notice the first of many ONCE booths along this walk (pronounced OHN-thay, the Spanish “11”). These sell lottery tickets that support Spain’s organization of the blind, a powerful advocate for the needs of people with disabilities.
A generation ago the Ramblas had a different kind of commerce. Locals came here for their newspapers, flowers, and even domestic pets like birds and hamsters. Today, these businesses have vanished and the commerce that remains is trinkets and drinks for hordes of tourists. Among the souvenirs, you’ll see soccer paraphernalia, especially the scarlet-and-blue of FC Barcelona (known as “Barça”). Their motto, “More than a club” (Mes que un club), suggests that Barça represents not only athletic prowess but also Catalan cultural identity.
• Continue strolling.
Walk 100 yards farther to an entrance with two columns and a fine facade struggling to be noticed above the Ramblas ruckus. This marks the venerable Royal Academy of Science and Arts building at #115 (now home to a performing-arts theater). This is a city of striking and creative architecture from the late 1900s—an industrial boom time that brought with it lots of construction. Look up: The clock high on the facade marks official Barcelona time—synchronize. The Carrefour supermarket just down the street has cheap groceries (at #113).
• You’re now standing at what was the...
Traditionally, kids brought their parents here to buy pets, especially on Sundays. But the clientele stopped coming and animal-rights groups lobbied to cut back on the stalls, claiming that many families were making impulse buys with no serious interest in taking care of these cute little critters. Today, none of the traditional pet kiosks survive—and there’s not a bird in sight. Nowadays only the locals—and you—know the story behind the name, and ice cream and souvenir shops line this stretch.
• At #122 (the big, modern Citadines Hotel on the left), take a 100-yard detour through a modern passageway marked with the hotel’s name to a restored...
Roman Necropolis: Look down and imagine a 2,000-year-old tomb-lined road. In Roman cities, tombs (outside the walls) typically lined the roads leading into town. Emperor Augustus spent a lot of time in modern-day Spain conquering new land, so the Romans were sure to incorporate Hispania into the empire’s infrastructure. This road, Via Augusta, led into the Roman port of Barcino (today’s highway to France still follows the route laid out by this Roman thoroughfare). Looking down at these ruins, you can see how Roman Barcino was about 10 feet lower than today’s street level. For more on this city’s Roman chapter, follow my “Barri Gòtic Walk,” later.
• Return to the Ramblas and continue down 100 yards or so to the next cross street, Carrer de la Portaferrissa (across from the big church). Turn left a few steps and look right to see the decorative tile over a fountain still in use by locals. The scene shows the original city wall with the gate that once stood here and the action on what is today’s Ramblas. Study the merchants and their wares. Now cross the boulevard to the front of the big church.
This imposing church is dedicated to Bethlehem, and for centuries locals have flocked here at Christmastime to see Nativity scenes.
The church is 17th-century Baroque: Check out the sloping roofline, ball-topped pinnacles, corkscrew columns, and scrolls above the entrance. The Baroque and Renaissance styles are relatively unusual in Barcelona because it missed out on several centuries of architectural development. Barcelona enjoyed two heydays: during the medieval period (before the Renaissance) and during the turn of the 20th century (after Baroque). In between those periods, from about 1500 until 1850, the city’s importance dropped—first, New World discoveries shifted lucrative trade to ports on the Atlantic, and then the Spanish crown kept unruly Catalunya on a short leash. The church interior is stark, having been burned during the Civil War back in the 1930s.
For a sweet treat, head around to the narrow lane on the far side of the church (running parallel to the Ramblas) to the recommended Café Granja Viader.
• Continue down the boulevard, through the stretch called the...
This colorful block, until recent years lined with a lot more flower stands, is the Rambla of Flowers. Besides admiring the blossoms on display, gardeners will covet the seeds sold here for varieties of radishes, greens, peppers, and beans seldom seen in the US—including the iconic green Padrón pepper of tapas fame (if you buy seeds, you’re obligated to declare them at US customs when returning home).
If you’re interested in events such as dance and musical concerts, tickets are available at the cultural center in Palau de la Virreina at #99, on your right (it’s easier to inquire here than at the main TI).
On the left, at #100, Tabacs Gimeno has been selling cigars since the 1920s. Step inside and appreciate the dying art of cigar boxes.
• A little farther on, across the street (opposite the Erotic Museum) is the arcaded entrance to Barcelona’s great covered market, La Boqueria.
Since as far back as 1200, Barcelonans have bought their animal parts here. The market, worth ▲, was originally located just outside the walled city’s entrance, as many medieval markets were (since it was more expensive to trade within the walls). It later expanded into the colonnaded courtyard of a now-gone monastery before being covered with a colorful arcade in 1850.
While tourists are drawn to the area around the main entry, locals know that the stalls up front pay the highest rent—and therefore inflate their prices and cater to out-of-towners. If you venture to the right a couple of aisles, the clientele gets more local and the prices drop dramatically (market open Mon-Sat 8:00-20:00, best mornings after 9:00, closed Sun).
Stop in at the Pinotxo Bar—it’s just inside the market, under the sign—and snap a photo of Juan. Animated Juan and his family are always busy feeding shoppers. Getting Juan to crack a huge smile and a thumbs-up for your camera makes a great shot...and he loves it. The market and lanes nearby are busy with tempting little eateries (several are listed on here).
Produce stands show off seasonal fruits and vegetables that you’ll see on local menus. (“Market cuisine” is big at Barcelona restaurants—chefs come to markets like this each morning to rustle up ingredients.) The tubs of little green peppers that look like jalapeños are lightly fried for the dish called pimientos de Padrón. In a culinary form of Russian roulette, a few of these mild peppers sometimes turn out to be hot—greeting the eater with a fiery jolt. In the fall, you’ll see lots of mushrooms; in the winter, artichokes.
Full legs of jamón (ham) abound. The many varieties of jamón serrano are distinguished by the type of pig it comes from and what that pig ate. Top quality are ibérico (Iberian type) and bellota (acorn eaters)—even by the slice these are very expensive, but gourmets pay €300 or more to go whole hock (see the “Sampling Jamón” sidebar on here).
You’ll see many types of the Catalan specialty sausage botifarra. Some can be eaten as-is, while others must be cooked. You’ll also find chorizo, the red Spanish sausage that’s sometimes spicy (a rare bit of heat in an otherwise tame cuisine). Also keep an eye out for a few meats that are uncommon in American dishes—rabbit and suckling pig. Beware: Huevos de toro means bull testicles—surprisingly inexpensive...and oh so good.
The fishmonger stalls could double as a marine biology lab; in this Mediterranean city, people have come up with endless ways to harvest the sea. Notice that fish is sold whole, not filleted—local shoppers like to look their dinner in the eye to be sure it’s fresh. Count the many different types of shrimp (gamba, langostino, clawed cigala). One of the weirdest Spanish edibles is the tubular razor clam (navaja), with something oozing out of each end.
Some stalls specialize in dried salt cod (bacalao). Historically, codfish—preserved in salt and dried—provided desperately needed protein on long sea voyages and was critical in allowing seafaring cultures like that of Catalunya to venture farther from their home ports. Before it can be eaten, salt cod must be rehydrated. Fish stalls sell it either covered in salt or submerged in water, to hasten the time between market and plate.
Olives are a keystone of the Spanish diet. Take a look at the 25 kinds offered at Graus Olives i Conserves shop (center, at the back).
• Head back out to the street and continue down the Ramblas.
You’re skirting the western boundary of the old Barri Gòtic neighborhood. As you walk, glance to the left through a modern cutaway arch for a glimpse of the medieval church tower of Santa Maria del Pi, a popular venue for guitar concerts (see here). This marks the Plaça del Pi and a great shopping street, Carrer Petritxol, which runs parallel to the Ramblas. Also nearby is the recommended Taverna Basca Irati, one of many user-friendly, Basque-style tapas bars in town (for more on these types of bars, see here).
Now look across to the other side of the Ramblas. At the corner, find the highly regarded Escribà bakery, with its fine Modernista facade and interior (look for the Antigua Casa Figueras sign arching over the doorway). Notice the beautiful mosaics of twining plants, the stained-glass peacock displaying his tail feathers, and the undulating woodwork. In the sidewalk in front of the door, a plaque dates the building to 1902 (plaques like this identify historic shops all over town), but the bakery has sold chocolate only since 1986. Indulge in a unique, edible piece of jewelry before continuing your ramble.
• After another block, you reach the Liceu Metro station, marking the...
At the Liceu Metro station’s elevators, the Ramblas widens a bit into a small, lively square (Plaça de la Boqueria). Liceu marks the midpoint of the Ramblas, halfway between Plaça de Catalunya and the waterfront.
Underfoot in the center of the Ramblas, find the much-trod-upon red-white-yellow-and-blue mosaic by abstract artist Joan Miró. The mosaic’s black arrow represents an anchor, a reminder of the city’s attachment to the ocean and a welcome to visitors arriving by sea. Miró’s simple, colorful designs are found all over the city, from murals to mobiles to the La Caixa bank logo. The best place to see his work is in the Fundació Joan Miró at Montjuïc (see here).
The surrounding buildings have playful ornamentation typical of the city. The Chinese dragon holding a lantern (at #82) decorates a former umbrella shop (notice the fun umbrellas perched high up). While the dragon may seem purely decorative, it’s actually an important symbol of Catalan pride for its connection to the local patron saint, St. George (Jordi).
A few steps down (on the right) is the Liceu Opera House (Gran Teatre del Liceu), which hosts world-class opera, dance, and theater (box office left of main entrance, open Mon-Fri 9:30-20:00). Opposite the opera house is Café de l’Opera (#74), an elegant stop for an expensive beverage. This bustling café, with Modernista decor and a historic atmosphere, boasts that it’s been open since 1929, even during the Spanish Civil War.
• We’ve seen the best stretch of the Ramblas; to cut this walk short, you could catch the Metro back to Plaça de Catalunya. Otherwise, let’s continue to the port. The wide, straight street in another 30 yards (Carrer de Ferran) leads left to Plaça de Sant Jaume, the government center. Enjoy the view (even though flanked by KFC and McDonald’s) of elegant lamps, facades, and balconies as it leads to the capital of Catalunya.
Head down the Ramblas another 50 yards (to #46), and turn left down an arcaded lane (Carrer de Colom) to the square called...
Dotted with palm trees, surrounded by an arcade, and ringed by yellow buildings with white Neoclassical trim, this elegant square has a colonial ambience. It comes complete with old-fashioned taverns, modern bars with patio seating, and a Sunday coin-and-stamp market. Completing the picture are Gaudí’s first public works (the two colorful helmeted lampposts). It’s a lively hangout by day or by night (for nightlife options, see here).
• Head back out to the Ramblas.
Across the boulevard, a half-block detour down Carrer Nou de la Rambla brings you to Palau Güell, designed by Antoni Gaudí (on the left, at #3). Even from the outside, you get a sense of this innovative apartment, the first of Gaudí’s Modernista buildings. As this is early Gaudí (built 1886-1890), it’s darker and more Neo-Gothic than his more famous later work. The two parabolic-arch doorways and elaborate wrought-iron work signal his emerging nonlinear style. Completely restored in 2011, Palau Güell offers an informative look at a Gaudí interior (see listing on here).
• Return to the Ramblas and keep heading down.
The neighborhood on the right-hand side of this stretch of the Ramblas is El Raval. Its nickname was Barri Xines—the world’s only Chinatown with nothing even remotely Chinese in or near it. Named for the prejudiced notion that Chinese immigrants went hand-in-hand with poverty, prostitution, and drug dealing, the neighborhood’s actual inhabitants were poor Spanish, North African, and Roma (Gypsy) people. At night, the Barri Xines was frequented by prostitutes, many of them transvestites, who catered to sailors wandering up from the port. Today, it’s becoming gentrified, but it’s still a pretty rough neighborhood.
Near the bottom of the Ramblas is the Drassanes Metro stop, which can take you back to Plaça de Catalunya when this walk is over. Since 2012 the city government has cracked down on the Ramblas tradition of living statues. Many out-of-work locals saw increased tourism as an opportunity to make a quick euro by posing in costumes of questionable taste. These days, only 15 living statues are allowed around the Drassanes Metro station each morning and afternoon, and they must apply for a permit. Performance artists with experience are usually the only ones who pass the test. Offer a tip if you enjoy their creativity.
The skyscraper to the right of the Ramblas is the Edificio Colón. When built in 1970, the 28-story structure was Barcelona’s first high-rise. (If you’d like a map of Barcelona’s Modernista architecture, go to the 21st floor for a free copy—see here.) Near the skyscraper is the Maritime Museum, housed in what were the city’s giant medieval shipyards (see listing on here).
• Up ahead is the...
The 200-foot column honors Christopher Columbus, who came to Barcelona in 1493 after journeying to America. This Catalan answer to Nelson’s Column on London’s Trafalgar Square (right down to the lions, perfect for posing with at the base) was erected for the 1888 Universal Exposition, an international fair that helped vault a surging Barcelona onto the world stage.
The base of the monument, ringed with four winged victories (taking flight to the four corners of the earth), is loaded with symbolism: statues and reliefs of mapmakers, navigators, early explorers preaching to subservient Native Americans, and (enthroned just below the winged victories) the four regions of Spain. The reliefs near the bottom illustrate scenes from Columbus’ fateful voyage. (There’s also an official TI in the monument’s base.) A tiny elevator ascends to the top of the column, lifting visitors to a covered observation area for panoramas over the city (entrance/ticket desk in TI inside the base of the monument; elevator-€6, daily 8:30-20:30, when crowded they may close the line up to an hour early).
• Scoot across the busy traffic circle to survey the…
Stand on the boardwalk (between the modern bridge and the kiosks selling harbor cruises), and survey Barcelona’s bustling maritime zone. As you face the water, the frilly yellow building to your left is the fanciful Modernista-style port-authority building. The wooden pedestrian bridge jutting straight out into the harbor is a modern extension of the Ramblas. Called La Rambla de Mar (“Rambla of the Sea”), the bridge swings out to allow boat traffic into the marina; when closed, the footpath leads to an entertainment and shopping complex. Just to your right are the golondrinas harbor cruise boats (for details, see here).
• Turn left and walk 100 yards along the promenade between the port authority and the harbor.
This delightful promenade is part of Barcelona’s Old Port (Port Vell), stretching from the Columbus Monument to the Barceloneta neighborhood. The port’s pleasant sailboat marina is completely enclosed by La Rambla del Mar’s shopping and entertainment zone (notice that La Rambla del Mar connects back around to the mainland at the far end of the port, creating a handy pedestrian loop). Its attractions include the Maremagnum shopping mall, an IMAX cinema, a huge aquarium, restaurants, and piles of people. Late at night, it’s a rollicking youth hangout. Along the promenade is a permanently moored historic schooner, the Santa Eulália (part of the Maritime Museum—see here).
On a sunny day, it’s fun to walk the length of the promenade to the iconic Barcelona Head sculpture (by American Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, not quite visible from here), which puts you right at the edge of El Born.
From here, you can also pick out some of Barcelona’s more distant charms. The triangular spit of land across the harbor is Barceloneta, popular for its easy access to a gorgeous and inviting stretch of broad, sandy beaches (see here).
Following the cable cars, you’ll see in the distance the majestic, 570-foot bluff of Montjuïc, a parklike setting dotted with a number of sights and museums (see here; to get there, ride the Metro from Drassanes one stop to the Paral-lel stop, then take the funicular or bus up).
• Your ramble is over. If it’s a nice day, consider strolling the harborfront promenade and looping back around on La Rambla del Mar, dipping into El Born, or walking through Barceloneta to the beach.
To get to other points in town, your best bet is to backtrack to the Drassanes Metro stop, at the bottom of the Ramblas. Alternatively, you can catch bus #59 from the waterfront avenue Passeig de Colom back to Plaça de Catalunya, or hop in a cab.
Barcelona’s Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter) is a bustling world of shops, bars, and nightlife packed into narrow, winding lanes and undiscovered courtyards. This is Barcelona’s birthplace—where the ancient Romans built a city, where medieval Christians built their cathedral, where Jews gathered together, and where Barcelonans lived within a ring of protective walls until the 1850s, when the city expanded.
Treat this 1.5-hour self-guided walk from Plaça de Catalunya to Plaça del Rei as a historical scavenger hunt. You’ll focus on the earliest chunk of Roman Barcelona, right around the cathedral, and explore some legacy sights from the city’s medieval era.
When to Go: To visit the cathedral when admission is free, take this walk in the morning or late afternoon. If you plan to enter the museums mentioned on this walk, avoid Monday, when some sights are closed.
Eating: For restaurants and tapas bars along the way, see here.
Self-Guided Walk• Start on Barcelona’s grand main square, Plaça de Catalunya (described on page 53). From the northeast corner (between the giant El Corte Inglés department store and the Banco de España), head down the broad pedestrian boulevard called...
For much of Barcelona’s history, this was a major city gate. A medieval wall enclosed the city, and there was an entrance here—the “Gate of the Angel,” which gives the street its name. An angel statue atop the gate purportedly kept the city safe from plagues and bid voyagers safe journey as they left the security of the city. Imagine the fascinating scene here at the Gate of the Angel, where Barcelona stopped and the mountains began. Much later, this same boulevard (and much of the city) got a facelift in preparation for the 1888 Universal Exposition, the first international fair held in Spain.
Picture the traffic congestion here in the 1980s, before this street was closed to most motorized vehicles (if you visit in the morning you’ll still dodge the many delivery trucks supplying this street’s Spanish and international chains). Today, you’re elbow-to-elbow with shoppers cruising through some of the most expensive retail space in town.
Although today this street has been globalized and sanitized, a handful of businesses with local roots survive. On the right at the first corner (at #25), a green sign and particularly appetizing display window mark Planelles Donat—long appreciated for its ice cream, sweet turró (or turrón, almond-and-honey candy), refreshing orxata (or horchata, almond-flavored drink), and granissat (or granizado, ice slush). Imagine how historic shops like this one started, with artisans from villages camping out here in a vestibule of some big building, selling baskets of their homemade goodies—and eventually evolving into real shops.
• A block farther down, pause at Carrer de Santa Anna to admire the Art Nouveau awning at another El Corte Inglés department store. From here, take a half-block detour to the right on Carrer de Santa Anna. At #32 go through a large entryway into to a pleasant, flower-fragrant courtyard with the...
This austere Catalan Gothic church—a 12th-century gem—was part of a convent and still has its marker cross standing outside. It has a fine cloister—an arcaded walkway around a leafy courtyard (viewable to the left of the church). Climb the modern stairs across from the church for views of the bell tower. Inside the church you’ll find a bare Romanesque interior, topped with an octagonal wooden roof. At the back of the nave, the recumbent-knight tomb is of Miguel de Boera, renowned admiral of Charles V. (Let’s hope his hands were not that large.) To reach the cloister, enter the door at the far end of the nave (€2, usually Mon-Sat 11:00-14:00 & 16:00-19:00, Sun 11:00-13:00). Spanish-guitar concerts are often performed here (see www.spanishguitarbarcelona.es).
Take a moment here on Carrer de Santa Anna to look around and notice little details. Look up at pulleys (handy in buildings with no elevators), and note the ironwork, ugly buildings with fine old entrances, cheaper facades with plasterwork showing fake columns, and how the buildings all maxed out on their late-19th-century height limits. Here (and around town), you may see the estelada flag—red-and-gold with a blue triangle and white star—a symbol of Catalan separatists (see here for more about Catalunya vs. Spain).
• Backtrack to Avinguda del Portal de l’Angel. At Carrer de Montsió (on the left), just past the H&M store, side-trip half a block to...
This restaurant (at #3) is a historic monument, tourist attraction, nightspot, and recommended eatery. It’s famous for being the circa-1900 bohemian-artist hangout where Picasso nursed drinks with friends and had his first one-man show (in 1900). The building itself, by prominent architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, represents Neo-Gothic Modernisme. Stepping inside, you feel the turn-of-the-century vibe. Rich Barcelona elites and would-be avant-garde artists looked to Paris, not Madrid, for cultural inspiration. Consequently, this place was clearly inspired by the Paris scene (especially Le Chat Noir cabaret/café, the hangout of Montmartre intellectuals). Like Le Chat Noir, Els Quatre Gats even published its own artsy magazine for a while. The story of the name? When the proprietor told his friends that he’d stay open 24 hours a day, they said, “No one will come. It’ll just be you and four cats” (Catalan slang for “just a few people”). While you can have a snack, meal, or drink here, you’re also welcome to pop in, check out the circa-1900 photos on the wall, and take a quick look around (ask “Solo mirar, por favor?”).
• Return to and continue down Avinguda del Portal de l’Angel. You’ll soon reach a fork in the road and a building with a...
The blue-and-yellow tilework, a circa-1918 addition to this even-older fountain, depicts ladies carrying jugs of water. In the 17th century, this was the last watering stop for horses before leaving town. As recently as 1940, about 10 percent of Barcelonans still got their water from fountains like this.
• Shoppers will feel the pull of wonderful little shops down the street to the right. But be strong and take the left fork, down Carrer dels Arcs. Just past the corner, you’ll pass the Reial Cercle Artistic Museum, a private collection of Dalí’s work (€10, daily 10:00-22:00). Continue and enter the large square called...
Two bold Roman towers flank the street where you arrived. These once guarded the entrance gate of the ancient Roman city of Barcino. The big stones that make up the base of the (reconstructed) towers are actually Roman. Near the base of the left tower, modern bronze letters spell out “BARCINO.” The city’s name may have come from Barca, one of Hannibal’s generals, who is said to have passed through during Hannibal’s roundabout invasion of Italy. At Barcino’s peak, the Roman wall (see the section stretching to the left of the towers) was 25 feet high and a mile around, with 74 towers. It enclosed a population of 4,000.
One of the towers has a bit of reconstructed Roman aqueduct (notice the streambed on top). In ancient times, bridges of stone carried fresh water from the distant hillsides into the walled city.
Opposite the towers is the modern Catalan College of Architects building (Collegi d’Arquitectes de Barcelona, TI inside), which is, ironically for a city with so much great architecture, quite ugly. The frieze was designed by Picasso (1962) in his distinctive simplified style, showing (on three sides) Catalan traditions: shipping, music, the sardana dance, bullfighting, and branch-waving kings and children celebrating a local festival. Picasso spent his formative years (1895-1904, age 14-23) here in the old town. He drank with fellow bohemians at Els Quatre Gats (which we just passed) and frequented brothels a few blocks from here on Carrer d’Avinyó (“Avignon”)—which inspired his influential Cubist painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.
• Immediately to the left as you face the Picasso frieze, Carrer de la Palla is an inviting shopping street. But let’s head through Plaça Nova to take in the mighty facade of the...
While this location has been a center of Christian worship since the fourth century, what you see today dates (mainly) from the 14th century, with a 19th-century Neo-Gothic facade. The facade is a virtual catalog of Gothic motifs: a pointed arch over the entrance, robed statues, tracery in windows, gargoyles, and winged angels filling any available space. This Gothic variation is called French Flamboyant (meaning “flame-like”), and the roofline sports the prickly spires meant to give the impression of a church flickering with spiritual fires. The area in front of the cathedral is where Barcelonans dance the sardana (see here).
The cathedral’s interior—with its vast size, peaceful cloister, and many ornate chapels—is worth a visit (see listing on here). If you interrupt this tour to visit the cathedral now, you’ll exit from the cloister a block down Carrer del Bisbe. From there you can circle back to the right, following the wall of the cathedral to visit stop #7—or skip #7 and step directly into stop #8.
As you stand in the square facing the cathedral, look far to your left to see the multicolored, wavy canopy marking the roofline of the Santa Caterina Market. The busy street between here and the market—called Via Laietana—is the boundary between the Barri Gòtic and the funkier, edgier El Born neighborhood.
• For now, return to the Roman towers. Pass between the towers to head up Carrer del Bisbe, and take an immediate left, up the ramp to the entrance of...
It’s free to enter this mansion, which was once the archdeacon’s residence and now functions as the city archives. The elaborately carved doorway is Renaissance. To the right of the doorway is a carved mail slot by 19th-century Modernista architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. Enter a small courtyard with a fountain. Notice how the century-old palm tree seems to be held captive by urban man. Next, step inside the air-conditioned lobby of the city archives, where—along the back of the ancient Roman wall—there are often free temporary exhibits. At the left end of the lobby, go through the archway and look down into the stairwell for a peek at more impressive Roman stonework. Back in the courtyard, climb to the balcony for views of the cathedral steeple and gargoyles. From this vantage point, note the small Romanesque chapel on the right (the only surviving 13th-century bit of the cathedral) and how it’s dwarfed by the towering cathedral.
• Return to Carrer del Bisbe and turn left. After a few steps, you reach a small square with a bronze statue ensemble.
Five Barcelona patriots—including two priests—calmly receive their last rites before being garroted (strangled) for resisting Napoleon’s occupation of Spain in the early 19th century. They’d been outraged by French atrocities in Madrid (depicted in Goya’s famous Third of May painting in Madrid’s Prado Museum). According to the plaque marking their mortal remains, these martyrs to independence gave their lives in 1809 “por Dios, por la Patria, y por el Rey”—for God, country, and king.
• Exit the square down tiny Carrer de Montjuïc del Bisbe (to the right as you face the martyrs). This leads to the cute...
This shaded square serves as the playground of an elementary school and is often bursting with energetic kids speaking Catalan (just a couple of generations ago, this would have been illegal and they would be speaking Spanish). The Church of Sant Felip Neri, which Gaudí attended, is still pocked with bomb damage from the Spanish Civil War. As a stronghold of democratic, anti-Franco forces, Barcelona saw a lot of fighting. The shrapnel that damaged this church was meant for the nearby Catalan government building (Palau de la Generalitat, which we’ll see later on this walk).
Just as the Germans practiced their new air force technology in Guernica in the years leading up to World War II, the fascist friends of Franco (both German and Italian) also helped bomb Barcelona from the air. As was the fascist tactic, a second bombing followed the first as survivors combed the rubble for lost loved ones. A plaque on the wall (left of church door) honors the 42 killed—mostly children—in that 1938 aerial bombardment.
The buildings here were paid for by the guilds that powered the local economy (notice the carved reliefs high above). To the right of the arch where you entered the square, look for shoe reliefs above the windows—this is the former home of the shoemakers’ guild.
• Exit the square past the fun Sabater Hermanos artisanal soap shop, and head down Carrer de Sant Felip Neri. At the T-intersection, turn right onto Carrer de Sant Sever, then immediately left on Carrer de Sant Domènec del Call (look for the blue El Call sign). You’ve entered the...
In Catalan, a Jewish quarter goes by the name El Call—literally “narrow passage,” for the tight lanes where medieval Jews were forced to live, under the watchful eye of the nearby cathedral. (Or some believe El Call comes from the Hebrew kahal, which means congregation.) At the peak of Barcelona’s El Call, some 4,000 Jews were crammed into just a few alleys in this neighborhood.
Walk down Carrer de Sant Domènec del Call and pass though the charming little square (a gap in the dense tangle of medieval buildings cleared by another civil war bomb) where you will find a rust-colored sign displaying a map of the Jewish Quarter. Take the next lane to the right (Carrer de Marlet).
On the right is the low-profile entrance to what was likely Barcelona’s main synagogue during the Middle Ages (Antigua Sinagoga Mayor, €2.50 entry includes a little tour by the attendant if you ask; Sun 10:30-15:00, Mon-Fri 10:30-18:30, closed Sat, shorter hours off-season). The structure dates from the third century, but it was destroyed during a brutal pogrom in 1391. The city’s remaining Jews were expelled in 1492, and artifacts of their culture—including this synagogue—were forgotten for centuries. In the 1980s, a historian tracked down the synagogue using old tax-collection records. Another clue that this was the main synagogue: In accordance with Jewish traditions, it stubbornly faces east (toward Jerusalem), putting it at an angle at odds with surrounding structures. The sparse interior includes access to two small subterranean rooms with Roman walls topped by a medieval Catalan vault. Look through the glass floor to see dyeing vats used for a later shop on this site (run by former Jews who had been forcibly converted to Christianity).
• From the synagogue, start back the way you came but then continue straight ahead, onto Carrer de la Fruita. At the T-intersection, turn left, then right, to find your way back to the Martyrs statue. From here, turn right down Carrer del Bisbe to the...
This structure—reminiscent of Venice’s Bridge of Sighs—connects the Catalan government building (on the right) with what was the Catalan president’s ceremonial residence (on the left). Though the bridge looks medieval, it was constructed in the 1920s by Catalan architect Joan Rubió (a follower of Gaudí), who also did the carved ornamentation on the buildings.
• Continue along Carrer del Bisbe to...
This stately central square of the Barri Gòtic takes its name from the Church of St. James (in Catalan: Jaume, JOW-mah) that once stood here. After the church was torn down in 1823, the square was fixed up and rechristened “Plaça de la Constitució” in honor of the then-decade-old Spanish constitution. But the plucky Catalans never embraced the name, and after Franco, they went back to the original title—even though the namesake church is long gone.
Set at the intersection of ancient Barcino’s main thoroughfares, this square was once a Roman forum. In that sense, it’s been the seat of city government for 2,000 years.
For more than six centuries, the Palau de la Generalitat (to your immediate right as you enter the square) has housed the offices of the autonomous government of Catalunya. It always flies the Catalan flag next to the obligatory Spanish one. Above the building’s doorway is Catalunya’s patron saint—St. George (Jordi), slaying the dragon. From these balconies, the nation’s leaders (and soccer heroes) greet the people on momentous days. The square is often the site of demonstrations or festivals.
Facing the Generalitat across the square is the Barcelona City Hall (Casa de la Ciutat). It sports a statue (in the niche to the left of the door) of a different James—“Jaume el Conqueridor.” The 13th-century King Jaume I is credited with freeing Barcelona from French control, granting self-government, and setting it on a course to become a major city. He was the driving force behind construction of the Royal Palace (which we’ll see shortly).
Look left and right down the main streets branching off the square; they’re lined with ironwork streetlamps and balconies draped with plants. Carrer de Ferran, which leads to the Ramblas, is classic Barcelona.
In ancient Roman days, when Plaça de Sant Jaume was the town’s central square, two main streets converged here—the Decumanus (Carrer del Bisbe—bishop’s street) and the Cardus (Carrer de la Llibreteria/Carrer del Call). The forum’s biggest building was a massive temple of Augustus, which we’ll see next.
• Facing the Generalitat, exit the square going up the second street to the right of the building, on tiny Carrer del Paradís. Follow this street as it turns right. When it swings left, pause at #10, the entrance to the...
You’re standing at the summit of Mont Tàber, the Barri Gòtic’s highest spot. A plaque on the wall reads: “Mont Tàber, 16.9 meters” (elevation 55 feet). A millstone inlaid in the pavement at the doorstep of #10 also marks the spot. It was here that the ancient Romans founded the town of Barcino around 15 B.C. They built a castrum (fort) on the hilltop, protecting the harbor.
Go inside for a peek at the last vestiges of an imposing Roman temple (Temple Roma d’August; free, daily 10:00-19:00 except Mon until 14:00). All that’s left now are four columns and some fragments of the transept and its plinth (good English info on-site). The huge columns, dating from the late first century B.C., are as old as Barcelona itself. They were part of the ancient town’s biggest structure, a temple dedicated to the Emperor Augustus, who was worshipped as a god. These Corinthian columns (with deep fluting and topped with leafy capitals) were the back corner of a 120-foot-long temple that extended from here to Barcino’s forum...Plaça de Sant Jaume, which you just visited.
• Continue down Carrer del Paradís one block. When you bump into the back end of the cathedral, pause to notice how amazingly well preserved the cityscape is here—under an assembly of gargoyles and a unicorn. This spot is a popular movie location.
Take a right, and go downhill about 100 yards (down Carrer de la Pietat/Baixada de Santa Clara) until you emerge into a square called...
The buildings enclosing this square exemplify Barcelona’s medieval past. The central section (topped by a five-story addition) was the core of the Royal Palace (Palau Reial Major). A vast hall on its ground floor once served as the throne room and reception room. From the 13th to the 15th century, the Royal Palace housed Barcelona’s counts as well as the resident kings of Aragon. In 1493, a triumphant Christopher Columbus, accompanied by six New World natives (whom he called “indios”) and several pure-gold statues, entered the Royal Palace. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella rose to welcome him home and honored him with the title “Admiral of the Oceans.”
To the right is the palace’s church, the 14th-century Chapel of Saint Agatha, which sits atop the foundations of a Roman wall (covered by Barcelona History Museum admission; see here).
To the left is the Viceroy’s Palace (Palau del Lloctinent, for the ruler’s right-hand man). This 16th-century building currently serves as the archives of the Crown of Aragon. After Catalunya became part of Spain in the late 15th century, Toledo became its capital. The Royal Palace was demoted and became a small regional residence, and the Viceroy’s Palace became the headquarters of the local Inquisition. Step inside to see the delightful Renaissance courtyard. To the right, gaze up at a staircase and fine coffered wood ceilings. Among the archive’s treasures (though it’s rarely on display) is the 1492 Santa Fe Capitulations, a contract between Columbus and the monarchs about his upcoming sea voyage. (See the poster of the yellowed document on the wall outside, with an English explanation.) Ironically, Columbus’ discovery of new trade routes (abandoning the Mediterranean for the Atlantic) made Barcelona’s port less important.
• Return to the square, and go downhill onto Carrer del Veguer, where you’ll find the entrance to the 15 Barcelona History Museum, with its underground exhibit of excavated Roman ruins (see listing on here). For a peek at the Roman streets without going in, look through the low windows lining the street.
Your walk is over. It’s easy to get your bearings by backtracking to either Plaça de Sant Jaume or the cathedral. The Jaume I Metro stop is two blocks away (leave the square on Carrer del Veguer and turn left). From here, you could head over to the Santa Caterina Market or simply wander through more of this area, enjoying Barcelona at its Gothic best.
▲Maritime Museum (Museu Marítim)
▲Barcelona Cathedral (Catedral de Barcelona)
▲Frederic Marès Museum (Museu Frederic Marès)
▲Barcelona History Museum (Museu d’Història de Barcelona: Plaça del Rei)
▲▲▲Picasso Museum (Museu Picasso)
▲▲Palace of Catalan Music (Palau de la Música Catalana)
▲Santa Caterina Market (Mercat de Santa Caterina)
▲Church of Santa Maria del Mar (Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar)
▲▲▲Sagrada Família (Holy Family Church)
Castle of Montjuïc (Castell de Montjuïc)
Olympic Stadium (Estadi Olímpic)
▲▲Catalan Art Museum (Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya)
1929 WORLD EXPO FAIRGROUNDS AND NEARBY
▲Magic Fountains (Font Màgica)
Citadel Park (Parc de la Ciutadella)
The Ramblas—Barcelona’s most famous boulevard—flows from Plaça de Catalunya, past the core of the Barri Gòtic, to the harborfront Columbus Monument. Several sights are located along this main boulevard and covered in my “Ramblas Ramble” self-guided walk, including the booming La Boqueria Market (worth ▲ and described on here) and the Columbus Monument (here). The following sights are located just off the Ramblas.
Just as the Picasso Museum reveals a young genius on the verge of a breakthrough, this early building by Antoni Gaudí (completed in 1890) shows the architect taking his first tentative steps toward what would become his trademark curvy style. Dark and masculine, with castle-like rooms, Palau Güell (pronounced “gway”) was custom built to house the Güell clan and gives an insight into Gaudí’s artistic genius.
Inside, an engaging 24-stop audioguide, included with your admission, fills in the details. The rooftop has his signature colorful tile mosaic chimneys and offers a fantastic panorama of the city. While some people will find this redundant if also visiting La Pedrera, others will appreciate this exquisite building for its delightfully loopy rooftop and far fewer crowds.
Cost and Hours: €12 for timed-entry ticket, includes good audioguide, free first Sun of the month; open Tue-Sun 10:00-20:00, Nov-March until 17:30, closed Mon year-round; last entry one hour before closing, rooftop closes when raining; best to buy tickets in advance on-site or online to avoid lines or a wait for your entry time; a half-block off the Ramblas at Carrer Nou de la Rambla 3, Metro: Liceu or Drassanes, tel. 934-725-775, www.palauguell.cat.
Barcelona’s medieval shipyard, the best-preserved in the entire Mediterranean, is home to an excellent museum near the bottom of the Ramblas. Its permanent collection is closed for renovation, but the museum hosts a series of worthwhile temporary exhibits.
Cost and Hours: €5, free Sun from 15:00, open daily 10:00-20:00, nice café with seating inside or out on the museum courtyard (free to enter), Avinguda de les Drassanes, Metro: Drassanes, tel. 933-429-920, www.mmb.cat.
Visiting the Museum: The building’s cavernous halls evoke the 14th-century days when Catalunya was a naval and shipbuilding power, cranking out 30 huge galleys each winter. As in the US today, military and commercial ventures mingled as Catalunya built its trading empire. When the permanent collection reopens, it’ll cover the salty history of ships and navigation from the 13th to the 20th century. In the meantime, a highlight is the impressively huge and richly decorated replica of the royal galley Juan de Austria, which fought in the 1571 Battle of Lepanto.
If you just want to view the building and appreciate its history, you can walk around the outside and look into the big glass windows. Or you can go inside the main entrance (around the back of the museum, facing the water) and into a long hallway, which often holds interesting and free exhibits; from here you can also glimpse the building’s interior.
Nearby: Your ticket includes entrance to the Santa Eulàlia, an early 20th-century schooner docked a short walk from the Columbus Monument (€3 for entry without museum visit, Tue-Sun 10:00-20:30, Nov-March until 17:30, closed Mon year-round). On Saturday mornings, you can ride along as the schooner sets sail around the harbor for three hours—reserve well in advance (Sat 10:00-13:00, €12 for adults, €6 for kids 6-14, tel. 933-429-920, reserves.mmaritim@diba.cat).
At the harbor near the Columbus Monument, tourist boats called golondrinas offer two different unguided trips, giving you a view of Barcelona’s (not particularly striking) skyline from the water. The shorter version goes around the harbor in 40 minutes (€7.50, daily about 11:30-19:00, more in summer, fewer in winter, tel. 934-423-106, www.lasgolondrinas.com). The 1.5-hour trip goes up the coast to the Fòrum complex and back (€15, can disembark at Fòrum in summer only, daily 11:30-19:30, shorter hours off-season).
For more details on this area and several of the following sights, see my “Barri Gòtic Walk” or download my free Barcelona City Walk audio tour.
The city’s 14th-century, Gothic-style cathedral (with a Neo-Gothic facade) has played a significant role in Barcelona’s history—but as far as grand cathedrals go, this one is relatively unexciting. Still, it’s worth a visit to see its richly decorated chapels, finely carved choir, tomb of Santa Eulàlia, and restful cloister with gurgling fountains and resident geese.
Cost: Free to enter Mon-Sat before 12:45, Sun before 13:45, and daily after 17:45, but during free times you must pay €3 each to visit the choir or the terrace (the museum is closed during these hours). The church is open to tourists for several hours each afternoon (Mon-Fri 13:00-17:30, Sat 13:00-17:00, Sun 14:00-17:00), but you must pay €7 (covers admission to choir, terrace, and museum).
Hours: Cathedral generally open to visitors Mon-Fri 8:00-19:30, Sat-Sun until 20:00. The cathedral’s three minor sights are open Mon-Sat (with different hours) and closed Sun: choir 9:00-19:00, terrace 9:00-18:00, museum 12:45-17:15. Both the choir and terrace may close earlier on slow days; located on Plaça de la Seu (Metro: Jaume I).
Information: Tel. 933-151-554, www.catedralbcn.org.
Dress Code: The dress code is strictly enforced; don’t wear tank tops, shorts, or skirts above the knee.
Getting In: The main, front door is open most of the time. While it can be crowded, the line generally moves fast. You can also enter directly into the cloister (through the door facing the Martyrs statue on the small square along Carrer del Bisbe) or through the side door (facing the Frederic Marès Museum along Carrer dels Comtes).
Visiting the Cathedral: This has been Barcelona’s holiest spot for 2,000 years. The Romans built their Temple of Jupiter here. In A.D. 343, the pagan temple was replaced with a Christian cathedral. That building was supplanted by a Romanesque-style church (11th century). The current Gothic structure was started in 1298 and finished in 1450, during the medieval glory days of the Catalan nation. The facade was humble, so in the 19th century the proud local bourgeoisie (enjoying a second Golden Age) redid it in a more ornate, Neo-Gothic style. Construction was capped in 1913 with the central spire, 230 feet tall.
The nave is ringed with 28 chapels. Besides creating worship spaces, the walls defining these chapels serve as interior buttresses supporting the roof (which is why the exterior walls are smooth, without the normal Gothic buttresses outside). Barcelona honors many of the homegrown saints found in these chapels with public holidays. In the middle of the nave, the 15th-century choir (coro) features ornately carved stalls. During the standing parts of the Mass, the chairs were folded up, but VIPs still had those little wooden ledges to lean on. Each was creatively carved and—since you couldn’t sit on sacred things—the artists were free to enjoy some secular and naughty fun here.
Look behind the high altar (beneath the crucifix) to find the bishop’s chair, or cathedra. As a cathedral, this church is the bishop’s seat—hence its Catalan nickname of La Seu. To the left of the altar is the organ and the elevator up to the terrace. To the right of the altar, the wall is decorated with Catalunya’s yellow-and-red coat of arms. Steps beneath the altar lead to the crypt, featuring the marble-and-alabaster sarcophagus (1327-1339) containing the remains of Santa Eulàlia. The cathedral is dedicated to this saint. Thirteen-year-old Eulàlia, daughter of a prominent Barcelona family, was martyred by the Romans for her faith in A.D. 304. Murky legends say she was subjected to 13 tortures, including crucifixion on an X-shaped cross. You’ll find Xs all over the cathedral.
The elevator in the left transept takes you up to the rooftop terrace, made of sturdy scaffolding pieces, for an expansive city view (€3).
Exit through the right transept and enter the cloister. Its arcaded walkway surrounds a lush circa-1450 courtyard. Ahhhh. It’s a tropical atmosphere of palm, orange, and magnolia trees; a fish pond; trickling fountains; and squawking geese. During the Corpus Christi festival in June, kids come here to watch a hollow egg dance atop the fountain’s spray. As you wander the cloister (clockwise), check out the coats of arms as well as the tombs in the pavement. These were for rich merchants who paid good money to be buried as close to the altar as possible. Notice the symbols of their trades: scissors, shoes, bakers, and so on. The resident geese have been here for at least 500 years. There are always 13, in memory of Eulàlia’s 13 years and 13 torments.
The little museum (at far end of cloister; entry possible only during paid visiting hours) has the six-foot-tall, 14th-century Great Monstrance, a ceremonial display case for the communion wafer that’s paraded through the streets during the Corpus Christi festival. The next room, the Sala Capitular, has several altarpieces, including a pietá (a.k.a. Desplà) by Bartolomé Bermejo (1490).
If you’re in town on a weekend, you can see the sardana, a patriotic dance in which Barcelonans link hands and dance in a circle (see sidebar on next page).
Cost and Hours: Free, Sun at 12:00, sometimes also Sat at 18:00, no dances in Aug, event lasts 1-2 hours, in the square in front of the cathedral.
This center fills the stony complex of ancient and medieval buildings immediately to the left of the cathedral with a thoughtful, beautifully lit, and well-described exhibit (via the included audioguide). With plenty of actual historic artifacts, it provides the best introduction to Antoni Gaudí—the man and the architect. You’ll spend about an hour following the audioguide through several rooms on three floors.
Cost and Hours: €15, daily 10:00-20:00, until 18:00 in winter, Pla de la Seu 7, Metro: Jaume I, tel. 932-687-582, www.gaudiexhibitioncenter.com.
This delightful museum, adjacent to the cathedral, features the eclectic collection of Frederic Marès (1893-1991), a local sculptor and packrat. The museum, which sprawls through several old Barri Gòtic buildings around a peaceful courtyard, offers a fascinating look at ancient Roman statues from this region and is an exquisite warehouse of Romanesque and Gothic Christian art from Catalonia. Think of the first two floors as private inspiration for Marès, whose own art can be found in his former library/studio on floor 3. The top floor offers a glimpse at life in 19th-century Barcelona through Marès’ fascinating “Collector’s Cabinet”—an entire attic stacked with curiosities. And it’s all well described with the essential audioguide. The tranquil courtyard café offers a pleasant break, even when the museum is closed (café open in summer only, until 22:00).
Cost and Hours: €4.20, free first Sun of the month and other Sun from 15:00; open Tue-Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun 11:00-20:00, closed Mon; audioguide-€1, Plaça de Sant Iu 5, Metro: Jaume I, tel. 932-563-500, www.museumares.bcn.cat.
From group circle dancing to human towers, Catalans have some interesting and unique traditions. A memorable Barcelona experience is watching (or participating in) the patriotic sardana dances. Locals of all ages seem to spontaneously appear. For some it’s a highly symbolic, politically charged action representing Catalan unity—but for most it’s just a fun chance to kick up their heels. All are welcome, even tourists cursed with two left feet. The dances are held in the square in front of the cathedral on Sundays at noon (and occasionally on Saturdays at 18:00).
Participants gather in circles after putting their things in the center—symbolic of community and sharing (and the ever-present risk of theft). Holding hands, dancers raise their arms—slow-motion, Zorba the Greek-style—as they hop and sway gracefully to the music. The band (cobla) consists of a long flute, tenor and soprano oboes, strange-looking brass instruments, and a tiny bongo-like drum (tambori). The rest of Spain mocks this lazy circle dance, but considering what it takes for a culture to survive within another culture’s country, it is a stirring display of local pride and patriotism. During 36 years of Franco dictatorship, the sardana was forbidden.
Another Catalan tradition is the castell, a tower erected solely of people. Castells pop up on special occasions, such as the Festa Major de Gràcia in mid-August and La Mercè festival in late September. Towers can be up to 10 humans high. Imagine balancing 50 or 60 feet in the air, with nothing but a pile of flesh and bone between you and the ground. The base is formed by burly supports called baixos; above them are the manilles (“handles”), which help haul up the people to the top. The castell is capped with a human steeple—usually a child—who extends four fingers into the air, representing the four red stripes of the Catalan flag. A scrum of spotters (called pinyas) cluster around the base in case anyone falls. Castelleres are judged both on how quickly they erect their human towers and how fast they can take them down. You can usually see this spectacle during festivals in Plaça de Sant Jaume, and in front of the cathedral on spring and summer Saturdays at 19:30 (as part of the Festa Catalana).
One thing that these two traditions have in common is their communal nature. Perhaps it’s no coincidence, as Catalunya is known for its community spirit, team building, and socialistic bent.
At this main branch of the city history museum (MUHBA for short), you can literally walk through the history of Barcelona, including an underground labyrinth of excavated Roman ruins.
Cost and Hours: €7; ticket includes audioguide and other MUHBA branches; free all day first Sun of month and other Sun from 15:00—but no audioguide during free times; open Tue-Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun until 20:00, closed Mon; Plaça del Rei, enter on Carrer del Veguer, Metro: Jaume I, tel. 932-562-122.
Visiting the Museum: Though the museum is housed in part of the former Royal Palace complex, you’ll see only a bit of that grand space. Instead, the focus is on the exhibits in the cellar. The included audioguide provides informative, if dry, descriptions of the exhibits; you’ll also find abundant English handouts.
Start with the 10-minute introductory video in the theater (at the end of the first floor to the left). Then take an elevator down 65 feet (and 2,000 years—see the date spin back as you descend) to stroll the streets of Roman Barcino—founded by Emperor Augustus around 10 B.C.
The history is so strong here, you can smell it. This was a working-class part of town. The archaeological route leads through areas used for laundering clothes and dyeing garments, the remains of a factory that salted fish and produced garum (a fish-derived sauce used extensively in ancient Roman cooking), and facilities for winemaking. Next, wander through bits of a seventh-century early Christian church and an exhibit in the 11th-century count’s palace that shows Barcelona through its glory days in the Middle Ages. The final section downstairs takes you through Visigothic remains, including a baptistery.
Finally, head upstairs (or ride the elevator to floor 0) to see a model of the city from the early 16th century. From here, you can enter Tinell Hall (part of the Royal Palace), with its long, graceful, rounded vaults and displays on local medieval history in a Mediterranean context. The nearby 14th-century Chapel of St. Agatha sometimes hosts free temporary exhibits.
Despite being home to the Picasso Museum, El Born (also known as “La Ribera”) feels wonderfully local, with a higher ratio of Barcelonans to tourists than most other city-center zones (Metro: Jaume I). Narrow lanes sprout from the neighborhood’s main artery, Passeig del Born—the perfect springboard for exploring artsy boutiques, inviting eateries, funky shops, and rollicking nightlife. For a tour of this neighborhood, download my free Barcelona City Walk audio tour. For tips on shopping here, see here.
Pablo Picasso may have made his career in Paris, but the years he spent in Barcelona—from age 14 through 23—were among the most formative of his life. It was here that young Pablo mastered the realistic painting style of his artistic forebears—and it was also here that he first felt the freedom that allowed him to leave that all behind and give in to his creative, experimental urges. When he left Barcelona, Picasso headed for Paris...and revolutionized art forever.
The pieces in this excellent museum capture that priceless moment just before this bold young thinker changed the world. While you won’t find Picasso’s famous later Cubist works here, you will enjoy a representative sweep of his early years, as well as works from his twilight. It’s the top collection of Picassos here in his native country.
Cost and Hours: €11 for timed-entry ticket to permanent collection, €14 ticket includes temporary exhibits, free Thu 18:00-21:30 and all day first Sun of month; open Tue-Sun 9:00-19:00, Thu until 21:30, closed Mon; audioguide-€5, Carrer de Montcada 15, tel. 932-563-000, www.museupicasso.bcn.cat.
Crowd-Avoiding Tips: There’s almost always a ticket-buying line, sometimes with waits of more than an hour. During peak season, tickets may sell out altogether. To get in when you want—without a wait—buy an advance timed-entry ticket online at www.museupicasso.bcn.cat (if the temperamental website won’t work, try it on another device, such as your mobile phone), or use an Articket BCN (described on here). With the Articket, you can enter the galleries whenever you wish—but you must first go to the Articket window, to show your pass and receive a ticket. (You can also buy an Articket at the window.)
For day-of tickets, go as early as possible, especially in peak season. Upon arrival, check any screen near the ticket office for available entry times (you can either try for immediate entry or buy tickets for later in the day). Day-of tickets are also sold online (must purchase at least two hours before you want to go). Off-season, you can probably just line up for tickets and get right in.
The museum’s busiest times are mornings before 13:00, all day Tuesday, and during the free entry times on Sundays.
Getting There: It’s at Carrer de Montcada—the general ticket office is at #19, and the Articket BCN booth is at #23. From the Jaume I Metro stop, it’s a quick five-minute walk. Just head down Carrer de la Princesa (across the busy Via Laietana from the Barri Gòtic), turning right on Carrer de Montcada.
Getting In: The galleries sit one floor above a free-to-enter courtyard with several entrances. Tickets are sold at the center ground-floor entry; those with timed tickets can enter at either side. The Articket window is at the far right.
Services: The ground floor, which is free to enter, has a required bag check, a bookshop, and WC. For places to eat near the museum, see my recommendations on here.
Self-Guided TourThe Picasso Museum’s collection of nearly 300 paintings is presented more or less chronologically. With good text panels in every room (and guards who don’t let you stray), it’s easy to follow the evolution of Picasso’s work. This tour is arranged by the stages of his life and art. If you don’t see a specific piece, it may be out for restoration, on tour, or “sleeping,” as local guides and museum guards say (the museum director likes to let certain paintings rest while putting other works up in their place). The art is rearranged every so often, but the themes and chronology remain constant.
• Begin in Room 1.
Pablo’s earliest art (in the first room) is realistic and earnest. His work quickly advances from childish pencil drawings (from about 1890), through a series of technically skilled art-school works (copies of plaster feet and arms), to impressively executed oil paintings. Even at a young age, his portraits of grizzled peasants demonstrate surprising psychological insight. Because his dedicated father—himself a curator and artist—kept everything his son ever did, Picasso must have the best-documented youth of any great painter.
• In Rooms 2 and 3, you’ll find more paintings from Pablo’s early years.
During a summer trip to Málaga in 1896, Picasso dabbles in a series of fresh, Impressionistic-style landscapes (relatively rare in Spain at the time). As a 15-year-old, Pablo dutifully enters art-school competitions. His first big work, First Communion, features a prescribed religious subject, but Picasso makes it an excuse to paint his family. His sister Lola is the model for the communicant, and the features of the man beside her belong to Picasso’s father. If it’s on view, find the portrait of his mother (this and other family portraits are among the works that are frequently rotated). The teenage Pablo is working on the fine details and gradients of white in her blouse and the expression in her cameo-like face.
In the large, classically painted Science and Charity (1897), Picasso conveys the real feeling typical of the social realism movement of the late 19th century. The doctor (modeled on Pablo’s father) represents science. The nun represents charity and religion. From her hopeless face and lifeless hand, it seems that Picasso believes nothing will save this woman from death. Pablo painted a little perspective trick: Walk back and forth across the room to see the bed stretch and shrink. Three small studies for this painting (on the right) show how this was an exploratory work. The frontier: light.
Science and Charity wins second prize at a fine-arts exhibition, earning Picasso the chance to study in Madrid. Stifled by the stuffy fine-arts school there, he hangs out instead in the Prado Museum and learns by copying the masters. An example of his impressive mimicry is sometimes displayed in this room—a nearly perfect copy of a portrait of Philip IV by the earlier Spanish master Diego Velázquez. (Near the end of this tour, we’ll see a much older Picasso riffing on another Velázquez painting.)
Having absorbed the wisdom of the ages, in 1898 Pablo visits Horta de San Joan, a rural Catalan village. The small landscapes and scenes of village life he did there show him finding his artistic independence. But poor and without a love in his life, he returns to Barcelona.
• Continue into Room 4.
Art Nouveau is all the rage in Barcelona when Pablo returns there in 1900. Upsetting his dad, he quits art school and falls in with the avant-garde crowd. These bohemians congregate daily at Els Quatre Gats (“The Four Cats,” a popular restaurant to this day—see here). Picasso even created the menu cover for this favorite hangout. Further establishing his artistic freedom, he paints portraits of his new friends (including one of Jaume Sabartés, who later became his personal assistant and donated the foundational works of this museum).
• The next few pieces are displayed in Rooms 5-7.
In 1900 Picasso makes his first trip to Paris, a city bursting with life, light, and love. He begins sampling the contemporary art styles around him: He paints cancan dancers like Toulouse-Lautrec, still lifes like Paul Cézanne, brightly colored Fauvist works like Henri Matisse, and Impressionist landscapes like Claude Monet. In The Waiting (Margot), the subject—with her bold outline and strong gaze—pops out from the vivid, mosaic-like background.
• Outside Room 7, turn right into the hall, then—farther along—right again, to find Room 8 (and its side rooms), where you’ll see hints of Picasso’s Blue and Rose Periods.
Pablo Picasso was the most famous and, for me, the greatest artist of the 20th century. Always exploring, he became the master of many styles (Cubism, Surrealism, Expressionism) and of many media (painting, sculpture, prints, ceramics, assemblages). Still, he could make anything he touched look unmistakably like “a Picasso.”
Born in Málaga, Spain, Picasso was the son of an art teacher. At a very young age, he quickly advanced beyond his teachers. Picasso’s teenage works are stunningly realistic and capture the inner complexities of the people he painted. As a youth in Barcelona, he fell in with a bohemian crowd that mixed wine, women, and art.
In 1900, at age 19, Picasso started making trips to Paris. Four years later, he moved to the City of Light and absorbed the styles of many painters (especially Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec) while searching for his own artist’s voice. His paintings of beggars and other social outcasts show the empathy of a man who was himself a poor, homesick foreigner. When his best friend, Spanish artist Carlos Casagemas, committed suicide, Picasso plunged into a Blue Period (1901-1904)—so called because the dominant color in these paintings matches their melancholy mood and subject matter (emaciated beggars, hard-eyed pimps).
In 1904, Picasso got a steady girlfriend (Fernande Olivier) and suddenly saw the world through rose-colored glasses—the Rose Period. He was further jolted out of his Blue Period by the “flat” look of the Fauve paintings being made around him. Not satisfied with their take on 3-D, Picasso played with the “building blocks” of line and color to find new ways to reconstruct the real world on canvas.
At his studio in Montmartre, Picasso and his neighbor Georges Braque worked together in poverty so dire they often didn’t know where their next bottle of wine was coming from. And then, at age 25, Picasso reinvented painting. Fascinated by the primitive power of African tribal masks, he sketched human faces with simple outlines and almond eyes. Intrigued by his girlfriend’s body, he sketched Fernande from every angle, then experimented with showing several different views on the same canvas. A hundred paintings and nine months later, Picasso gave birth to a monstrous canvas of five nude, fragmented prostitutes with mask-like faces—Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907).
This bold new style was called Cubism. With Cubism, Picasso shattered the Old World and put it back together in a new way. The subjects are somewhat recognizable (with the help of the titles), but they’re built with geometric shards (let’s call them “cubes”)—it’s like viewing the world through a kaleidoscope of brown and gray. Cubism presents several different angles of the subject at once—say, a woman seen from the front and side simultaneously, resulting in two eyes on the same side of the nose. Cubism showed the traditional three dimensions, plus Einstein’s new fourth dimension—the time it takes to walk around the subject to see other angles.
In 1918, Picasso married his first wife, Olga Kokhlova. He then traveled to Rome and entered a Classical Period (1920s) of more realistic, full-bodied women and children, inspired by the three-dimensional sturdiness of ancient statues. While he flirted with abstraction, throughout his life Picasso always kept a grip on “reality.” His favorite subject was people. The anatomy might be jumbled, but it’s all there.
Though he lived in France and Italy, Picasso remained a Spaniard at heart, incorporating Spanish motifs into his work. Unrepentantly macho, he loved bullfights, seeing them as a metaphor for the timeless human interaction between the genders. The horse—clad with blinders and pummeled by the bull—is just a pawn in the battle between bull and matador. To Picasso, the horse symbolizes the feminine, and the bull, the masculine. Spanish imagery—bulls, screaming horses, a Madonna—appears in Picasso’s most famous work, Guernica (1937). The monumental canvas of a bombed village summed up the pain of Spain’s brutal civil war (1936-1939) and foreshadowed the onslaught of World War II.
At war’s end, Picasso left Paris, his wife, and his emotional baggage behind, finding fun in the south of France. Sun! Color! Water! Freedom! Senior citizen Pablo Picasso was reborn, enjoying worldwide fame. He lived at first with the beautiful young painter Françoise Gilot, mother of two of his children, but it was another young beauty, Jacqueline Roque, who became his second wife. Dressed in rolled-up white pants and a striped sailor’s shirt, bursting with pent-up creativity, Picasso often cranked out a painting a day. Picasso’s Riviera works set the tone for the rest of his life. They’re sunny, lighthearted, and childlike; filled with motifs of the sea, Greek mythology (fauns, centaurs), and animals; and freely experimental in their use of new media. The simple drawing of doves Picasso made at this time become emblematic of the artist and an international symbol of peace.
Picasso made collages, built “statues” out of wood, wire, ceramics, papier-mâché, or whatever, and even turned everyday household objects into statues (like his famous bull’s head made of a bicycle seat with handlebar horns). Multimedia works like these have become so standard today that we forget how revolutionary they once were. His last works have the playfulness of someone much younger. As is often said of Picasso, “When he was a child, he painted like a man. When he was old, he painted like a child.”
Picasso travels to Paris several times (he settles there permanently in 1904). The suicide of his best friend, his own poverty, and the influence of new ideas linking color and mood lead Picasso to abandon jewel-bright color for his Blue Period (1901-1904). Now the artist is painting not what he sees, but what he feels. Look for the touching portrait of a sorrowful woman (this very fragile watercolor is only displayed intermittently), which captures the period well. Painting misfits and street people, Picasso, like Velázquez and Toulouse-Lautrec, sees the beauty in ugliness.
Back home in Barcelona, Picasso paints his hometown at night from rooftops. The painting is still blue, but here we see proto-Cubism...five years before the first real Cubist painting.
Picasso is finally lifted out of his funk after meeting a new lady, Fernande Olivier. He moves out of the blue and into the happier Rose Period (1904-1907). For a fine example, see the portrait of a woman wearing a classic Spanish mantilla (Portrait of Benedetta Bianco). Its soft pink and reddish tones are the colors of flesh and sensuality. (This is the only actual Rose Period painting in the museum, but don’t be surprised if it is on loan elsewhere.)
• Now move into Rooms 9-11.
Picasso spent six months back in Barcelona in 1917 (yet another girlfriend, a Russian ballet dancer, had a gig in town). The paintings in these rooms demonstrate the artist’s irrepressible versatility: He’s already developed Cubism (with his friend Georges Braque), but he also continues to play with other styles. In Woman with Mantilla, we see a little Post-Impressionistic Pointillism in a portrait that is as elegant as a classical statue. Nearby, Gored Horse has all the anguish and power of his iconic Guernica (painted years later).
The technique of “building” a subject with “cubes” of paint simmered in Picasso’s artistic stew for years. In this museum, you’ll see some so-called Synthetic Cubist paintings—a later variation that flattens the various angles, as opposed to the purer, original “Analytical Cubist” paintings, in which you can simultaneously see several 3-D facets of the subject.
• Remember that this museum has very little from the most famous and prolific “middle” part of Picasso’s career—basically, from his adoption of Cubism to his sunset years on the French Riviera. (To fill in the gaps in his middle career, see the “Pablo Picasso” sidebar on here.) Skip ahead more than 30 years and into Rooms 12-14 (at the end of the main hallway, on the right).
Heralded as the first completely realistic painting, Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas (located in Madrid’s Prado Museum—see here) became an obsession for Picasso, who painted more than 40 interpretations of this piece. Picasso deconstructs Velázquez and then injects light, color, and perspective as he improvises on the earlier masterpiece. In Picasso’s big black-and-white canvas, the king and queen (reflected in the mirror in the back of the room) are hardly seen, while the painter towers above everyone. The two women of the court on the right look like they’re in a tomb—but they’re wearing party shoes.
• Head back down the hall and turn right, through Room 16, to find a flock of carefree white birds in Room 15.
Picasso spends the last 36 years of his life living simply in the south of France. With simple black outlines and Crayola colors, Picasso paints sun-splashed nature, peaceful doves, and the joys of the beach. He’s enjoying life with his second (and much younger) wife, Jacqueline Roque, but stealing the show in nearby portraits is Françoise Gilot, the mother of his last two children.
• Go back into the hallway and turn right into Rooms B1, N, and B2 to see Picasso’s 9 ceramic designs, including bowls and vases made in fun animal shapes and decorated with simple motifs. You’ll also find portraits of Jaume Sabartés, whose initial donation made this museum possible.
Picasso died with brush in hand, still growing as an artist. Picasso—who had vowed never to set foot in a fascist, Franco-ruled Spain—sadly never returned to his homeland...and never saw this museum (his death came in 1973—two years before Franco’s). However, to the end, Picasso continued exploring and loving life through his art.
This concert hall, built in just three years, was finished in 1908. Its tall facade has many beautiful decorations, but its location—on a narrow street that offers little perspective—makes it hard to appreciate. Still, the building boasts my favorite Modernista interior in town (by Lluís Domènech i Montaner). Its inviting arches lead you into the 2,138-seat hall, which is accessible only with a tour (or by attending a concert). A kaleidoscopic skylight features a choir singing around the sun, while playful carvings and mosaics celebrate music and Catalan culture. If you’re interested in Modernisme, taking this tour (which starts with a relaxing 12-minute video) is one of the best experiences in town—and helps balance the hard-to-avoid focus on Gaudí as “Mr. Modernisme.”
Cost and Hours: €18, 55-minute tours in English run daily every hour 10:00-15:00, tour times may change based on performance schedule, about 6 blocks northeast of cathedral, Carrer Palau de la Música 4, Metro: Urquinaona, tel. 932-957-200, www.palaumusica.cat.
Advance Reservations Required: You must buy tickets in advance to get a spot on an English guided tour (tickets available up to 4 months in advance—purchase yours at least 2 days before, though they’re sometimes available the same day or day before—especially Oct-March). You can buy tickets in person at the concert hall box office or at its Modernista ticket window to the left of the main concert hall entrance (box office open Mon-Sat 9:30-21:00, Sun 10:00-15:00, less than a 10-minute walk from the cathedral or Picasso Museum). You can also purchase tickets over the phone (no extra charge, tel. 902-475-485) or on the concert hall website (€1 fee).
Concerts: An excellent way to see the hall is by attending a concert (300 per year, €20-50 tickets, see website for details and to buy tickets, box office tel. 902-442-882).
This eye-catching market hall was built on the ruins of an old Dominican monastery, then renovated in 2006 with a wildly colorful, swooping, Gaudí-inspired roof and shell built around its original white walls (a good exhibition at the rear entrance provides a view of the foundations and English explanations). The much-delayed construction took so long that locals began calling the site the “Hole of Shame.” Come for the outlandish architecture, but stay for a chance to shop for a picnic without the tourist logjam of La Boqueria Market on the Ramblas. Or try the recommended Cuines Santa Caterina, where you can enjoy a beer outside or a nice lunch.
Cost and Hours: Free, open Mon-Sat 7:30-15:30, Tue and Thu-Fri until 20:30, closed Sun, Avinguda de Francesc Cambó 16, www.mercatsantacaterina.cat.
This so-called “Cathedral of the Sea” was built entirely with local funds and labor, in the heart of the wealthy merchant El Born quarter. Proudly independent, the church features a purely Catalan Gothic interior that was forcibly uncluttered of its Baroque decor by civil-war belligerents. On the big front doors, notice the figures of workers who donated their time and sweat to build the church. The stone for the church was quarried at Montjuïc and had to be carried across town on the backs of porters called bastaixos.
Outside, around the right side of the church is a poignant memorial to the “Catalan Alamo” of September 11, 1714, when the Spanish crown besieged and conquered Barcelona, slaughtering Catalan insurgents and kicking off more than two centuries of cultural suppression.
Cost and Hours: Free to all during worship times: Mon-Fri 9:00-13:00 & 17:00-20:30, Sat-Sun 10:00-14:00 & 17:00-20:30; otherwise, entry is with a €5 ticket Mon-Fri 13:00-17:00, Sat-Sun 14:00-17:00 (interior is illuminated, includes access to choir and crypt); €8 guided rooftop tours on the hour during paid entry times; Plaça Santa Maria, Metro: Jaume I, tel. 933-102-390, www.santamariadelmarbarcelona.org.
For many visitors, Modernista architecture is Barcelona’s main draw. And at the heart of the Modernista movement was the Eixample, a carefully planned “new town,” just beyond the Old City, with wide sidewalks, hardy shade trees, and a rigid grid plan cropped at the corners to create space and lightness at each intersection. Conveniently, all of this new construction provided a generation of Modernista architects with a blank canvas for creating boldly experimental designs. (For more on Modernisme, see the sidebar on here.)
At the center of this neighborhood is the Block of Discord, where three colorful Modernista facades compete for your attention: Casa Batlló, Casa Amatller, and Casa Lleó Morera (all on Passeig de Gràcia—near the Metro stop of the same name—between Carrer del Consell de Cent and Carrer d’Aragó). All were built by well-known Modernista architects at the end of the 19th century. Because the mansions look as though they are trying to outdo each other in creative twists, locals nicknamed the noisy block the “Block of Discord.” Of the three houses, two are open to visitors—Casa Batlló and the less crowded Casa Amatller.
By the way, if you’re tempted to snap photos from the middle of the street, be careful—Gaudí died after being struck by a streetcar.
While the highlight of this Gaudí-designed residence is the roof, the interior is also interesting—and much more over-the-top than La Pedrera’s. Paid for with textile industry money, the house features a funky mushroom-shaped fireplace nook on the main floor, a blue-and-white ceramic-slathered atrium, and an attic with parabolic arches. There’s barely a straight line in the house. You can also get a close-up look at the dragon-inspired rooftop. The ticket includes a good (if long-winded) videoguide that shows the rooms as they may have been.
Cost and Hours: €23.50 includes videoguide, €28.50 fast pass ticket (see below); daily 9:00-21:00, may close early for special events—closings posted at entrance; Passeig de Gràcia 43, tel. 932-160-306, www.casabatllo.cat.
Buying Tickets: You can purchase timed-entry tickets from the website, but you’ll still wait in a line with other e-ticket holders to get in. The pricey fast-pass ticket lets you skip the lines. If you don’t purchase a ticket online, you’ll likely face big lines at the ticket office, which are especially fierce in the morning.
The middle residence of the Block of Discord, Casa Amatller was designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch in the late 19th century for the Amatller chocolate-making family. Opened to the public in 2015, the Modernista interior—viewable via guided tour—features mostly original furniture, placed just as the owners had it when they lived there.
Without a ticket, you can still admire the home’s Neo-Catalan Gothic facade, with tiles and esgrafiado decoration, or step inside the foyer (free during open hours) to see the Modernista stained-glass door and ceiling, and an elaborate staircase. Past the foyer is a café and chocolate shop, where you can taste Amatller hot chocolate with toast. From the café, you can catch a tiny peek of the back of Casa Batlló if you strain your neck.
Cost and Hours: €17 for 1-hour English tour (ask about schedule), €14 for videoguide tour; open daily 10:00-18:00, advance tickets available online, Passeig de Gràcia 41, tel. 934-617-460, www.amatller.org.
This house was designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner and finished in 1906. The architect demolished and rebuilt the facade, embellishing it with galleries and balconies on the different floors. To create the sculptural ornamentation, he hired the city’s best craftsmen. Look for the recurring references to mulberries in the decoration—an allusion to the family name (which means mulberry in Spanish). The house has one of the finest Modernista interiors in town—but unfortunately, it’s closed indefinitely to visitors (check at the TI or www.casalleomorera.com for the latest).
One of Gaudí’s trademark works, this house—built between 1906 and 1912—is an icon of Modernisme. The wealthy industrialist Pere Milà i Camps commissioned it, and while some still call it Casa Milà, most call it La Pedrera (The Quarry) because of its jagged, rocky facade. While it’s fun to ogle from the outside, it’s also worth going inside, as it’s arguably the purest Gaudí interior in town—executed at the height of his abilities (unlike his earlier Palau Güell)—and contains original furnishings. While Casa Batlló has a Gaudí facade and rooftop, these were appended to an existing building; La Pedrera, on the other hand, was built from the ground up according to Gaudí’s plans. Your ticket includes entry to the interior and to the delightful rooftop, with its forest of tiled chimneys.
Cost and Hours: €22 timed-entry ticket includes good audioguide, €29 premium ticket allows you to skip all lines (see below); open daily 9:00-20:00, Nov-Feb until 18:30; roof may close when it rains; at the corner of Passeig de Gràcia and Provença (visitor entrance at Provença 261), Metro: Diagonal; info tel. 902-400-973, www.lapedrera.com.
Modernisme is Barcelona’s unique contribution to the Europe-wide Art Nouveau movement. Meaning “a taste for what is modern”—things like streetcars, electric lights, and big-wheeled bicycles—this free-flowing organic style lasted from 1888 to 1906.
Broadly speaking, there were two kinds of Modernisme (Catalan Art Nouveau). Early Modernisme is a kind of Neo-Gothic, clearly inspired by medieval castles and towers—logically, since architects wanted to recall the days when Barcelona was at its peak. From that same starting point, Antoni Gaudí branched off on his own, adding the color and curves we most associate with Barcelona’s Modernisme look.
The aim was to create objects that were both practical and decorative. To that end, Modernista architects experimented with new construction techniques. Their most important material was concrete, which they could use to make a hard stone building that curved and rippled like a wave. Then they sprinkled it with brightly colored glass and tile. The structure was fully modern, but the decoration was a clip-art collage of nature images, exotic Moorish or Chinese themes, and fanciful Gothic crosses and knights to celebrate Catalunya’s medieval glory days.
It’s ironic to think that Modernisme was a response to the regimentation of the Industrial Age—and that all those organic shapes were only made possible thanks to Eiffel Tower-like iron frames. As you wander through the Eixample looking at all those fanciful facades and colorful, leafy, flowing, blooming shapes in doorways, entrances, and ceilings, remember that many of these homes were built at the same time as the first skyscrapers in Chicago and New York City.
Underpinning Modernisme was the Catalan cultural revival movement, called the Renaixença. Across Europe, it was a time of national resurgence. It was the dawn of the modern age, and downtrodden peoples—from the Basques to the Irish to the Hungarians to the Finns—were throwing off the cultural domination of other nations and celebrating what made their own culture unique. Here in Catalunya, the Renaixença encouraged everyday people to get excited about all things Catalan—from their language, patriotic dances, and inspirational art to their surprising style of architecture.
Avoiding Lines: As lines can be long (up to a 1.5-hour wait to get in), it’s best to reserve ahead online. Without a ticket, the best time to arrive is right when it opens. The pricey premium ticket allows you to arrive whenever you wish (no entry time, valid 6 months from date of purchase) and skip all lines, including those for audioguides and the elevator to the apartment and roof (often up to a 30-minute wait).
Nighttime Visits: After-hour visits dubbed “Gaudí’s Pedrera: The Origins” include a guided tour of the building (but not the apartment), with the lights turned down low and images projected onto the chimneys, along with a glass of cava (€34; daily mid-May-Oct from 21:00, Nov-mid-May from 19:00, check changeable schedule and offerings online). There’s also the “La Pedrera Day and Night” ticket for €41, which combines a normal day visit with “The Origins” nighttime experience.
Concerts: On summer weekends, an evening rooftop concert series, “Summer Nights at La Pedrera,” features live jazz and the chance to see the rooftop illuminated (€30, late June-early Sept Fri-Sat at 21:00, book advance tickets online or by phone, tel. 902-101-212, www.lapedrera.com).
Visiting the House: A visit covers three sections—the apartment, the attic, and the rooftop. Enter and head upstairs to the apartment. If it’s near closing time, continue up to the attic and rooftop first, to make sure you have enough time to enjoy Gaudí’s works and the views.
The typical bourgeois apartment is decorated as it might have been when the building was first occupied by middle-class urbanites (a seven-minute video explains Barcelona society at the time). Notice Gaudí’s clever use of the atrium to maximize daylight in all the apartments.
The attic houses a sprawling multimedia exhibit tracing the history of the architect’s career, with models, photos, and videos of his work. It’s all displayed under distinctive parabola-shaped arches. While evocative of Gaudí’s style in themselves, the arches are formed this way partly to support the multilevel roof above. This area was also used for ventilation, helping to keep things cool in summer and warm in winter. Tenants had storage spaces and did their laundry up here.
From the attic, a stairway leads to the undulating, jaw-dropping rooftop, where 30 chimneys and ventilation towers play volleyball with the clouds.
Back at the ground level of La Pedrera, poke into the dreamily painted original entrance courtyard.
Gaudí’s grand masterpiece sits unfinished in a residential Eixample neighborhood 1.5 miles north of Plaça de Catalunya. An icon of the city, the Sagrada Família boasts bold, wildly creative, unmistakably organic architecture and decor inside and out—from its melting Glory Facade to its skull-like Passion Facade to its rainforest-esque interior.
Cost and Hours: Basic ticket-€15 (church only), Guided Experience ticket-€24 (church and live guide), Audio Tour ticket-€22 (church and audioguide), Top Views ticket-€29 (church, audioguide, and tower elevator), Gaudí’s Work and Life ticket-€26 (church, audioguide, and Gaudí House Museum at Park Güell—see here). All options are cheaper if you buy online. Open daily 9:00-20:00, Oct-March until 18:00; tel. 932-073-031, www.sagradafamilia.org.
Ticketing and Line-Avoiding Tips: To avoid the ticket-buying line and to save a few euros, you can reserve an entry time and buy tickets in advance online. You must decide if you want to add the audioguide, tower elevator, live guide, or Gaudí House Museum to your ticket at the time of purchase. (You can’t buy any extras once inside the church.) Print tickets at home or save them on your phone (be sure you have the barcode), and go to the main entrance on the Nativity Facade side for a security check before entering. Without advance tickets, waits can be up to 45 minutes at peak times (most crowded in the morning). To minimize waiting, arrive right at 9:00 (when the church opens) or after 16:00.
Getting There: The church address is Carrer de Mallorca 401. The Metro stop Sagrada Família puts you right on its doorstep: Exit toward Plaça de la Sagrada Família.
Getting In: The ticket windows are on the west side of the church, at the Passion Facade. If you already have tickets, head straight for the Nativity Facade (in front of Plaça de Gaudí), where you’ll find entry lines for individuals. Show your ticket to the guard, who will direct you to the right line.
Tours: The 50-minute English tours run May-Oct daily at 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, and 15:00 (no 12:00 tour Mon-Fri in Nov-April; choose tour time when you buy ticket). Or rent the good 1.5-hour audioguide.
Tower Elevators: Elevators take you partway up towers on opposite sides of the Sagrada Família—one elevator on the Passion Facade and one on the Nativity Facade. The elevators only take you up—to get down, you’ll use a stair tower on the same facade.
Tower tickets are not included in the basic entry fee (only as part of the Top Views combo-ticket) and come with an entry window (varies from blocks of 1.5 to 3 hours). When you reserve online, you’ll first select a time for your church visit, then choose a tower elevator and the approximate time you’ll ride it.
To help you decide between the towers, keep in mind that sunlight strikes the Nativity Facade in the morning and the Passion Facade in the afternoon. The Passion Facade elevator takes you up a touch higher, and the stairs to come down are slightly wider than those you’d descend on the Nativity Facade. (It’s not possible to cross over from one facade tower to the other.) From either side, you’ll have great views of the city and a gargoyle’s-eye perspective of the loopy church. You’ll also get the opportunity to cross a dizzying bridge between the towers on the same facade.
Baggage Check: Lockers are available at each elevator (no backpacks or bigger bags are allowed in the towers). Though intended for those riding the elevators, they can be used by anyone.
Gaudí labored on the Sagrada Família for 43 years, from 1883 until his death in 1926. Since then, construction has moved forward in fits and starts, though much progress was made in recent decades. In 2010, the main nave was finished enough to host a consecration Mass by the pope (as a Catholic church, it is used for services, though irregularly). As I stepped inside on my last visit, the brilliance of Gaudí’s vision for the interior was apparent.
The main challenges today: Ensure that construction can withstand the vibrations caused by the speedy AVE trains rumbling underfoot, construct the tallest church spire ever built, and find a way to buy out the people who own the condos in front of the planned Glory Facade so that Gaudí’s vision of a grand esplanade approaching the church can be realized. The goal to finish the church by the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death, in 2026, may seem overly optimistic. But, with money from millions of visitors pouring in each year, this goal appears more obtainable as time goes by.
Self-Guided Tour• Start outside the Nativity Facade (where the entry lines for individuals are located), on the eastern side of the church. Before heading to the entrance, take in the...
Stand and imagine how grand this church will be when completed. The eight 330-foot spires topped with crosses are just a fraction of this mega-church. When finished, the church will have 18 spires. Four will stand at each of the three entrances. Rising above those will be four taller towers, dedicated to the four Evangelists. A tower dedicated to Mary will rise still higher—400 feet. And in the very center of the complex will stand the grand 560-foot Jesus tower, topped with a cross that will shine like a spiritual lighthouse, visible even from out at sea.
The Nativity Facade—where tourists enter today—is only a side entrance to the church. The grand main entrance will be around to the left. A nine-story apartment building will eventually have to be torn down to accommodate the church’s entrance esplanade. The three facades—Nativity, Passion, and Glory—will chronicle Christ’s life from birth to death to resurrection. Inside and out, a goal of the church is to bring the lessons of the Bible to the world. Despite his boldly modern architectural vision, Gaudí was fundamentally traditional and deeply religious. He designed the Sagrada Família to be a bastion of solid Christian values in the midst of what was a humble workers’ colony in a fast-changing city.
When Gaudí died, only one section (on the Nativity Facade) had been completed. The rest of the church has been inspired by Gaudí’s long-range vision, but designed and executed by others. This artistic freedom was amplified in 1936, when civil war shelling burned many of Gaudí’s blueprints. Supporters of the ongoing work insist that Gaudí, who enjoyed saying, “My client [God] is not in a hurry,” knew he wouldn’t live to complete the church and recognized that later architects and artists would rely on their own muses for inspiration.
• If you purchased an audioguide, pick it up now, then examine the...
This is the only part of the church essentially finished in Gaudí’s lifetime. The four spires decorated with his unmistakably nonlinear sculpture mark this facade as part of his original design. Mixing Gothic-style symbolism, images from nature, and Modernista asymmetry, the Nativity Facade is the best example of Gaudí’s original vision, and it established the template for future architects who would work on the building.
The theme of this facade, which faces the rising sun, is Christ’s birth. A statue above the doorway shows Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus in the manger, while a curious cow and donkey peek in. It’s the Holy Family—or “Sagrada Família”—to whom this church is dedicated. Flanking the doorway are the three Magi and adoring shepherds. Other statues at this height show Jesus as a young carpenter and angels playing musical instruments. Higher up on the facade, in the arched niche, Jesus crowns Mary triumphantly.
The four spires are dedicated to apostles, and they repeatedly bear the word “Sanctus,” or holy. Their colorful ceramic caps symbolize the miters (formal hats) of bishops. The shorter spires (to the left) symbolize the Eucharist (communion), alternating between a chalice with grapes and a communion host with wheat.
The doors in the middle of the facade were designed by the Sagrada Família’s head sculptor, Etsuro Sotoo. Born in Japan, Sotoo visited Barcelona for the first time in 1978 and fell in love with the project. He worked hard to become a part of it, and even converted to Catholicism. Go up to the doors and find the small colorful bugs and leaves, which have not been painted, but treated with chemicals to produce the colors you see.
• Enter the church. As you pass through Sotoo’s doors into the 3 atrium, look right to see one of the elevators up to the towers. For now, continue to the center of the church, near the altar, to survey the magnificent...
Typical of even the most traditional Catalan and Spanish churches, the floor plan is in the shape of a Latin cross, 300 feet long and 200 feet wide. Ultimately, the church will encompass 48,000 square feet, accommodating 8,000 worshippers. The nave’s roof is 150 feet high. The crisscross arches of the ceiling (the vaults) show off Gaudí’s distinctive engineering. Throughout the interior, video screens and diagrams explain elements of this engineering feat. The church’s roof and flooring were only completed in 2010—just in time for Pope Benedict XVI to arrive and consecrate the church.
Part of Gaudí’s religious vision was a love for nature. He said, “Nothing is invented; it’s written in nature.” Like the trunks of trees, these columns (56 in all) blossom with life, complete with branches, leaves, and knot-like capitals. The columns are a variety of colors—brown clay, gray granite, dark-gray basalt. The taller columns are 72 feet tall; the shorter ones are exactly half that.
Windows—some clear, but most stained glass—let light filter in like the canopy of a rainforest, giving both privacy and an intimate connection with God. Notice how splashes of color breathe even more life into this amazing space. The morning light shines in through blues, greens, and other cool colors, whereas the evening light shines through reds, oranges, and warm tones. Gaudí envisioned an awe-inspiring canopy with a symphony of colored light to encourage a contemplative mood.
High up at the back half of the church, the U-shaped choir—suspended above the nave—can seat 1,000. The singers will eventually be backed by four organs (there’s one now).
At the center of the church stand four red porphyry columns, each marked with an Evangelist’s symbol and name in Catalan: angel (Mateu), lion (Marc), bull (Luc), and eagle (Joan). Modern architects drew inspiration for the canopied altar from the cathedral in Palma de Mallorca. Gaudí spent 10 years restoring the island’s main church in the early 1900s, designing an altarpiece similar to the one you see here.
Stroll behind the altar through one side of the ambulatory to see a short video about the architect and his work. A wall cuts off the space, so to reach a small chapel set aside for prayer and meditation on the other side, you must go through the nave to the opposite side of the main aisle of chairs. Before the entrance to the chapel you can look through windows down at the crypt (which holds the tomb of Gaudí). Peering down into that surprisingly traditional space, imagine how the church was started as a fairly conventional, 19th-century Neo-Gothic building until Gaudí was given the responsibility to finish it.
• Head to the far end of the church, walking through this forest of massive columns, to what will eventually be the main entrance. Just inside the door, find a square mirror that makes viewing the ceiling easy. Facing the doors, look high up to see Josep Maria Subirachs’ statue of one of Barcelona’s patron saints, George (Jordi). While you can’t see it, imagine that outside these doors will someday be the...
Study the life-size image of the bronze door, emblazoned with the Lord’s Prayer in Catalan, surrounded by “Give us this day our daily bread” in 50 languages. If you were able to walk through the actual door, you’d be face-to-face with...drab, doomed apartment blocks. In the 1950s, the mayor of Barcelona, figuring this day would never really come, sold the land destined for the church project. Now the city must buy back these buildings in order to complete Gaudí’s vision: that of a grand esplanade leading to this main entry. Four towers will rise. The facade’s sculpture will represent how the soul passes through death, faces the Last Judgment, avoids the pitfalls of hell, and finds its way to eternal glory with God. Gaudí purposely left the facade’s design open for later architects—stay tuned.
• Head back up the nave, and exit through the left transept. To the left, notice the second elevator up to the towers. Before exiting, look down at the fine porphyry floor with scenes of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. To the right, stroll through the recently opened sacristy. Once outside, find a wooden model of the completed church, then head down the ramp to take in the...
Judge for yourself how well Gaudí’s original vision has been carried out by later artists. The Passion Facade’s four spires were designed by Gaudí and completed (quite faithfully) in 1976. But the lower part was only inspired by Gaudí’s designs. The stark sculptures were interpreted freely (and controversially) by Josep Maria Subirachs (1927-2014), who completed the work in 2005.
Subirachs tells the story of Christ’s torture and execution. The various scenes—Last Supper, betrayal, whipping, and so on—zigzag up from bottom to top, culminating in Christ’s crucifixion over the doorway. The style is severe and unadorned, quite different from Gaudí’s signature playfulness. Large letters spell out “Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudæorum” (Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews). The bone-like archways are closely based on Gaudí’s original designs. And Gaudí had made it clear that this facade should be grim and terrifying.
• Now head into the small building outside the Passion Facade. This is the...
Gaudí erected this school for the children of the workers building the church. Today, it displays a classroom and a replica of Gaudí’s desk as it was the day he died.
• Back outside, head down the ramp, where you’ll find WCs and the entrance to the...
Housed in what will someday be the church’s crypt, the museum displays Gaudí’s original models and drawings, and chronicles the progress of construction over the past 130-plus years.
Upon entering, you’ll see photos (including one of the master himself) and a timeline illustrating how construction work has progressed from Gaudí’s day to now. Also on display are a variety of sketches from his previous projects—the inspiration that Gaudí drew from to create the Sagrada Família. At the end of the entry hall, salvaged model pieces have been reconstructed at their original scale to show how Gaudí worked.
Turning into the main hall, find four different visions for this church. The arches evolved as Gaudí tinkered—from the original, pointy Neo-Gothic arches, to parabolic ones, to the hyperbolic style he eventually settled on. As you wander, notice how the plaster models, used for the church’s construction, don’t always match the finished product—these are ideas, not blueprints set in stone.
Continuing along the main hall, on the right is a small exhibit commemorating Pope Benedict XVI’s 2010 visit to consecrate the church. Farther along, a large-scale model of the Glory Facade gives you the chance to compare how modern architects have interpreted original sketches. Will those puffy clouds be in place by 2026?
Beyond this, on the left, is an exhibition about the inspiration of nature and a worthwhile 20-minute movie (continuously shown in Catalan with subtitles). From the end of this exhibit, you have another opportunity to look down into the crypt and at Gaudí’s tomb (which you previously viewed from the ambulatory). Gaudí lived on the site for more than a decade and is buried in the Neo-Gothic 19th-century crypt. There’s a move afoot to make Gaudí a saint. Gaudí prayer cards provide words of devotion to his beatification. Perhaps someday his tomb will be a place of pilgrimage.
Back in the main hall, peer into the model workshop where artists play with the latest technology (such as 3-D printing) to test ideas. An intriguing “Hanging Model” for Gaudí’s unfinished Church of Colònia Güell (in a suburb of Barcelona), featuring a similar design to the Sagrada Família, can be found here as well.
The final part of the museum focuses on the work of Subirachs and the Passion Facade, including sketches and a model showing Gaudí’s original vision (with which Subirachs tinkered very freely).
• Our tour is over. From here, you have several options.
Return to Central Barcelona: You can either hop on the Metro or take one of two handy buses (both stop on Carrer de Mallorca, directly in front of the Glory Facade). Bus #19 takes you back to the Old City in 15 minutes, stopping near the cathedral and in the El Born district. Bus #50 goes to the heart of the Eixample (corner of Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes and Passeig de Gràcia), then continues on to Plaça Espanya where you can hop off for the Montjuïc sites (see “Getting to Montjuïc” on here).
Visit Park Güell: The park (described next) sits nearly two (uphill) miles to the northwest. By far the easiest way to get there is to spring for a taxi (around €12).
But if you prefer public transportation and don’t mind a little more walking, here’s a scenic way to get there that also takes you past another, often-overlooked Modernista masterpiece: the striking Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner (which you can visit on your own or with a guided tour; tel. 935-537-801, www.santpaubarcelona.org). With the Nativity Facade at your back, walk to the near-left corner of the park across the street. Then cross the street to reach the diagonal Avinguda de Gaudí (between the Repsol gas station and the KFC). Follow the funky lampposts four blocks gradually uphill (about 10 minutes) along Avinguda de Gaudí, a pleasantly shaded, café-lined pedestrian street, to reach the hospital. From there, facing the main entrance, go right to catch bus #92 on Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret, which will take you to the side entrance of Park Güell.