Map: Barcelona Neighborhood Overview
Map: Barcelona’s Public Transportation
▲▲▲The Ramblas Ramble: From Plaça de Catalunya to the Waterfront
▲▲The Barri Gòtic: From Plaça de Catalunya to the Cathedral
Shopping Neighborhoods and Streets
After-Hours Hangout Neighborhoods
Business-Class Comfort near Plaça de Catalunya
Map: Barcelona’s Old City Hotels
Affordable Hotels with “Personality” on or near the Ramblas
Map: Hotels & Restaurants in Barcelona’s Eixample
Map: Barcelona’s Old City Restaurants
In El Born, near the Picasso Museum
Barcelona may be Spain’s second city, but it’s undoubtedly the first city of the proud and distinct region of Catalunya. Catalan flags wave side by side with the Spanish flag, and locals, while fluent in both languages, stubbornly insist on speaking Catalan first. This lively culture is on an unstoppable roll in Spain’s most cosmopolitan and European corner.
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, and throughout the chic, grid-planned new part of town called the Eixample. Its Old City is made for seeing on foot, full of winding lanes that emerge into secluded squares dotted with palm trees and ringed with cafés and boutiques. The waterfront bristles with life, overlooked by the park-like setting of Montjuïc. Everywhere you go, you’ll find the city’s architecture to be colorful, playful, and unique. Rows of symmetrical ironwork balconies are punctuated with fanciful details: bay windows, turrets, painted tiles, hanging lanterns, flower boxes, and carved reliefs.
Barcelona is full of history. You’ll see Roman ruins, a medieval cathedral, twisty Gothic lanes, and traces of Columbus and the sea trade. As the Age of Exploration steered trade from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, things got pretty quiet here (kept carefully under the thumb of Spanish rulers). But by the late 19th century, the city had boomed into an industrial powerhouse, and it was incubating a new artistic style—Modernism. 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 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. Meanwhile, world’s fairs in 1888 and 1929 helped spruce up the city, and in 1992, Barcelona hosted the Summer Olympics—an event that once again re-energized this dynamic city and left it with a wealth of attractive public areas and great sights.
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. Every hidden back lane provides shelter for an array of inviting shops. If you’re in the mood to surrender to a city’s charms, let it be in Barcelona.
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 one 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 (for a rundown of hours, see “At a Glance” on here). Some of Barcelona’s major sights can have long lines; it’s smart to make advance reservations (for tips, see here). If you’re here on a weekend, dance the sardana (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 cram 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 a quick lunch and doing a little shopping. |
| 14:00 | Tour the Picasso Museum. |
| 16:00 | Take 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 and the Block of Discord. Stroll back down toward Plaça de Catalunya. |
| 19:00 | If your energy is holding out, 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. |
To better sample the city’s ample charm, spread your visit over several days. 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). Do Montjuïc on whichever day you’re not exhausted (if any)—or, better yet, on a third day.
With extra time on any day, consider taking a hop-on, hop-off bus tour for a sightseeing overview (for instance, the Tourist Bus blue route links most Gaudí sights, and could work well on Day 2).
| 9:00 | Follow my “Barri Gòtic Walk” and tour the cathedral. |
| 11:00 | Head back to the Ramblas, then follow my “Ramblas Ramble” (touring Palau Güell if you’re a Gaudí fan) down to the harborfront. |
| 13:00 | Grab lunch in El Born or the Barri Gòtic. |
| 14:00 | Tour the Palace of Catalan Music in El Born (advance reservation required). |
| 15:00 | Explore El Born, and tour the Picasso Museum. |
| Evening | Take your pick of activities: Assemble a tapas dinner by hopping from bar to bar in El Born, and take “A Short, Sweet Walk” (here) for dessert. (Other good neighborhoods for tapas are the classy Eixample or touristy Barri Gòtic.) Or wait to dine at a restaurant when locals do, around 21:00. Take in a performance of Spanish guitar, flamenco, or jazz, or a concert in a fancy setting (such as La Pedrera or the Palace of Catalan Music). Zip up to Montjuïc for the sunset and a drink (on the Catalan Art Museum’s terrace), then head down to the illuminated Magic Fountains (Fri-Sat, plus Thu and Sun in summer). |
| 9:00 | Spend the morning in the Eixample, and tour La Pedrera and/or Casa Batlló. |
| 12:00 | Grab an early lunch in the Eixample, then take a taxi or bus to the Sagrada Família. |
| 14:00 | Taxi or bus to Park Güell (for more Gaudí), or take a bus to Montjuïc and the 1929 World Expo Fairgrounds (if you’re not going to Montjuïc on Day 3). |
| Evening | See options for Day 1, above. |
Tour Montjuïc from top to bottom, stopping at sights of interest. The top priorities for most visitors are the Catalan Art Museum, CaixaForum, and Fundació Joan Miró. If the weather is good, see Montjuïc in the morning and spend the afternoon on the beach in Barceloneta. Find your favorite chiringuito (beach bar) for dinner.
Several tempting day trips await nearby, including Montserrat, Sitges, and 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 at some point during their trip can start here first, take the train or fly to Madrid, and sightsee Madrid and Toledo, all before picking up their car—cleverly saving on several days’ worth of rental fees.
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 about 5 million 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 the sleek Metro system (or a few euros for taxis), all is manageable.
Here are more details per neighborhood:
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—one of Europe’s most entertaining streets—runs through the heart of the Old City from Plaça de Catalunya down to the harbor. The Old City is divided into thirds by the Ramblas and another major thoroughfare, Via Laietana. 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 simply “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 (and, in fact, some parts of it are quite seedy 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: North of the Old City, beyond the bustling hub of Plaça de Catalunya, is the elegant Eixample (eye-SHAM-plah) district, its grid plan softened by cut-off corners. Much of Barcelona’s Modernista architecture is found here—especially along the swanky artery Passeig de Gràcia, an area called the Quadrat d’Or (“Golden Quarter”). To the north is the Gràcia district and beyond that, 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, you’ll need 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 one is beneath the main square, Plaça de Catalunya (daily 8:30-20:30, entrance along southeast side of square, across from El Corte Inglés department store—look for red sign and take stairs down, tel. 932-853-832).
Several other convenient branches include a kiosk near the top of the Ramblas (daily 8:30-20:30, at #115, mobile 618-783-479); on Plaça de Sant Jaume, just south of the cathedral (Mon-Fri 8:30-20:00, Sat 9:00-19:00, Sun 9:00-14:00, in the Barcelona City Hall at Ciutat 2); near the cathedral, in the Catalan College of Architects building (daily 9:00-19:00); inside the base of the Columbus Monument at the harbor (daily 8:30-19:30); at the airport, in both terminals 1 and 2B (both open daily 8:30-20:30); and at Sants train station (daily 8:00-20:00).
You’ll also find smaller info kiosks in other 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 two on Plaça de Catalunya. In addition, throughout the summer, young red-jacketed touristinfo helpers appear in the most touristy parts of town; although they work for the hop-on, hop-off Tourist Bus, they are happy to answer questions.
At any TI, pick up the free city map (although the free El Corte Inglés map provided by most hotels is better), the small Metro map, the monthly Barcelona Planning.com guidebook (with basic tips on sightseeing, shopping, events, and restaurants), and the quarterly See Barcelona guide (with more in-depth practical information on museums and a neighborhood-by-neighborhood sightseeing rundown). The monthly Time Out BCN Guide offers a thorough but concise day-by-day list of events. And the monthly Barcelona Metropolitan magazine has timely and substantial coverage of local topics and events. All of these are free.
The TI is a handy place to buy tickets for the Tourist Bus (described later, under “Getting Around Barcelona”) or for the TI-run walking tours (described later, under “Tours in Barcelona”). All of the TIs (except the kiosks) provide a room-booking service. They also sell tickets to FC Barcelona soccer games.
Modernisme Route: Inside the Plaça de Catalunya TI is the privately run Ruta del Modernisme desk, which gives out a handy route map showing all 116 Modernista buildings and offers a sightseeing discount package (€12 for a great guidebook and 20-50-percent discounts to 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; www.rutadelmodernisme.com).
Regional Catalunya TI: The all-Catalunya TI can help with travel and sightseeing tips for the entire region, and even Madrid (Mon-Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun 10:00-14:00, on Plaça de Joan Carlos I, at the intersection of Passeig de Gràcia and Diagonal at Passeig de Gràcia 107, tel. 932-388-091, www.catalunya.com).
Sightseeing Passes: The Articket BCN ticket 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 for three months; sold at Plaça de Catalunya, Plaça de Sant Jaume, and Sants train station TIs and at participating museums; www.articketbcn.org). If you’re planning to go to three or more of the 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 the group entrance), and you’ll get your entrance ticket pronto.
On the other hand, I’d skip the Barcelona Card, which covers public transportation (buses, Metro, Montjuïc funicular, and golondrinas harbor tour) and includes free admission to mostly minor sights and small discounts on many major sights (€37/2 days, €47/3 days, €56/4 days, €62/5 days, sold at TIs and El Corte Inglés department stores, discounted if you buy online at www.barcelonaturisme.com).
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 (for details on getting downtown from Sants Station, see here). AVE trains from Madrid go only to Sants Station and the Sagrera Station, far to the northeast. 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: Barcelona’s parking fees are outrageously expensive (the lot behind La Boqueria market charges upwards of €25/day). You won’t need a car in Barcelona, because the taxis and public transportation are so good.
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.
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—you can be sure you’ll lose if you play. Also beware of groups of women aggressively selling carnations, people offering to clean off a stain from your shirt, and people picking things up in front of you on escalators. 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.
Emergency Phone Numbers: General emergencies—112, police—092, ambulance—061 or 112.
Sight Reservations: Several of Barcelona’s top sights can have long lines of up to an hour or more. To avoid needless waiting, you can buy tickets in advance by going online (or in some cases, calling). This is especially smart for the Picasso Museum (see here), Sagrada Família (see here), Casa Batlló (see here), and La Pedrera (see here). An Articket BCN (described on here) allows you to skip the lines at the Picasso Museum, but it doesn’t cover any Gaudí sights. If you want to tour the Palace of Catalan Music, with its oh-wow Modernista interior, you’ll need to reserve it in advance (see here).
Festivals: Major festivals include Festival Grèc, a summer arts festival (June-July, http://grec.bcn.cat); Montjuïc de Nit, featuring one day of music, cinema, art, theater, and dance (mid-July, www.bcn.cat/cultura/montjuicnit); and the Festes de Gràcia, an eight-day street party (mid-Aug, www.festamajordegracia.cat).
Language Barrier: In posted information throughout the city (such as museum descriptions), English plays third fiddle. You’ll see Catalan first, Spanish (castellano) second, and English a distant third...or often not at all. Fortunately, many locals speak English.
Web Addresses: If a website doesn’t work, try replacing the “.com” or “.es” with “.cat”—the web suffix for Catalunya. Many businesses are switching to this.
Internet Access: The free city network, Barcelona WiFi, has hundreds of hotspots around town; just look for the blue diamond-shaped sign with a big “W” (for details, see www.bcn.cat/barcelonawifi). Navega Web has lots of computers and cheap Internet access (€2/hour); it’s conveniently located across from La Boqueria market, downstairs in the bright Centre Comercial New Park (daily 10:00-24:00, Ramblas 88-94, tel. 933-179-193).
Pharmacy: A 24-hour pharmacy is across from La Boqueria market at #98 on the Ramblas. Another is on the corner of Passeig de Gràcia and Provença, just opposite the entrance to La Pedrera.
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-€8/load, instructions in English, daily 8:00-22:00, Passatge d’Elisabets 3—see map on here, www.lavaxpres.com). Wash ’n Dry, just off the Ramblas, is in a seedier neighborhood just down the street past Palau Güell (self-service-€6.50/load, full service-€14.50/load, daily 9:00-23:00, Carrer Nou de la Rambla 19—see map on here, tel. 934-121-953).
Bike Rental: Biking is a joy in Citadel Park, the Eixample, and along the beach (suggested route described on here), but it’s stressful in the city center, where pedestrians and cars rule. There are bike-rental places popping up in just about every part of the city; I’ve listed just a few. The handy Un Cotxe Menys (“One Car Less”), 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 €150 or photo ID for deposit, Carrer de l’Esparteria 3—see map on here, tel. 932-682-105, www.bicicletabarcelona.com); they also lead bike tours (see “Tours in Barcelona,” later).
To rent a bike on the Barceloneta beach, consider Biciclot (€5/hour, €10/3 hours, €17/24 hours, daily in summer 10:00-20:00, shorter hours off-season, on the sand 300 yards from Olympic Village towers at Passeig Maritime 33, tel. 932-219-778, www.bikinginbarcelona.net). Another beach option is Barcelona Rent-A-Bike, about four blocks from the Barceloneta Metro (€6/2 hours, €10/4 hours, €15/24 hours, includes helmet, daily 10:00-20:00, Passeig de Joan de Borbó 35, tel. 932-212-790, www.barcelonarentabike.com); they also have a 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.
Updates to this Book: For any changes to this book’s coverage since it was published, see www.ricksteves.com/update.
(See “Barcelona’s Public Transportation” map, here.)
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 (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. The T10 Card is a great deal—€9.80 gives you 10 rides (cutting the per-ride cost more than in half). The card is shareable, even by companions traveling with you (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 rides to the airport and 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 passes are also available (€13.40/2 days, €19.20/3 days, €24.40/4 days, €29/5 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 lines, but 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, is also useful. Helpful stops include 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 and posted at entrances) 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. Then, follow signs for your line and direction. On board, most trains have handy lighted displays that indicate upcoming destinations. 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 take a local bus (also €2, covered by T10 Card, insert ticket in machine behind driver), although I’ve noted places where the bus makes sense. In particular, buses are useful for reaching Park Güell or the beach, and for connecting the sights on Montjuïc.
The handy hop-on, hop-off Tourist Bus (Bus Turístic) offers three multi-stop circuits in colorful double-decker buses that go topless in sunny weather. The two-hour blue route covers north Barcelona (most Gaudí sights); the two-hour red route covers south Barcelona (Barri Gòtic, Montjuïc); and the shorter, 40-minute green route covers the beaches and modern Fòrum complex (this route runs April-Oct only). All have headphone commentary (daily 9:00-20:00 in summer, 9:00-19:00 in winter, buses run every 5-25 minutes, most frequent in summer, www.barcelonabusturistic.cat). Ask for a brochure (includes city map) at the TI or at a pick-up point. One-day (€26) and two-day (€34) tickets, which you can buy on the bus or at the TI, offer 10 to 20 percent discounts on the city’s major sights and walking tours, which will likely save you about the equivalent of half the cost of the Tourist Bus. 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.barcelonacitytour.cat).
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. The light on top shows which tariff they’re charging; a green light on the roof indicates that a taxi is available. Cab rates are reasonable (€2.50 drop charge, €1/kilometer, these “Tarif 2” rates are in effect 8:00-20:00, pay higher “Tarif 1” rates off-hours, luggage-€1/piece, €2.10 surcharge to/from train station, €4.20 surcharge for airport or cruise port, other fees posted in window). Save time by hopping a cab (figure €10 from Ramblas to Sants Station).
The TI at Plaça de Sant Jaume offers great guided walks through the Barri Gòtic in English. You’ll learn the medieval story of the city as you walk from Plaça de Sant Jaume through the cathedral neighborhood (€15, daily at 9:30, 2 hours, groups limited to 35, buy your 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 Catalunya offers a Picasso walk, taking you through the streets of his youth and early career and finishing in the Picasso Museum (€21, includes museum admission; Tue, Thu, and Sat at 15:00; 2 hours including museum visit). There are also gourmet walks (€21, Fri and Sat at 10:00, 2 hours), Modernisme walks (€15, Fri and Sat June-Sept at 18:00, 2 hours), and a Maritime tour that includes a golondrinas boat trip on the harbor (€19, Fri and Sat at 10:00, 2 hours). Other themes include literary Barcelona, the Spanish Civil War, and movie locations (drop by the office for a full list). These tours depart from the TI at Plaça de Catalunya (except the Maritime tour, which begins at the Columbus Monument); it’s always smart to reserve in advance.
The Ruta del Modernisme desk inside the Plaça de Catalunya TI also does tours of specific Modernista buildings that are otherwise not open to the public (see here).
Several 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.
I like Runner Bean Tours, run by Gorka, Ann-Marie, and a handful of local guides. They offer 2.5-hour, English-only walks covering the Old City and Gaudí (both tours depart from Plaça Reial at 11:00 daily year-round, plus daily at 16:30 in April-Oct, www.runnerbeantours.com, mobile 636-108-776). They also do night tours, family walks, and more. Groups can range from just a couple of people up to 30.
Discover Walks does similar tours, with three different two-hour itineraries: Gaudí (daily at 10:30, meet in front of Casa Batlló); Ramblas and Barri Gòtic (daily at 15:00, meet in front of Liceu Opera House on the Ramblas); and Picasso’s Barcelona, covering the El Born neighborhood (daily at 17:00, meet at Plaça de l’Angel next to Jaume I Metro stop). This company distinguishes itself by using exclusively native-born guides—no expats (suggested tips: €5/person for a bad guide, €10 for a good one, €15 for a great one, www.discoverwalks.com, tel. 931-816-810).
The Barcelona Guide Bureau is a co-op with about 20 local guides who give personalized four-hour tours; Joana Wilhelm and Carles Picazo are excellent (€102/person for 2, €53/person for 4, per-person price continues to drop as group gets bigger, these prices include public-transportation costs, Via Laietana 54, tel. 932-682-422 or 933-107-778, www.bgb.es).
José Soler is a great and fun-to-be-with local guide who enjoys tailoring a walk through his hometown to your interests (€195/half-day per group, mobile 615-059-326, www.pepitotours.com, info@pepitotours.com). He can also take up to six people by car for a four-hour Barcelona Highlights tour (€395) and will meet you at the cruise port or airport.
Cristina Sanjuán of Live Barcelona is another good, professional guide who leads walking tours and can also arrange cruise excursions. It’s best to reserve by email (€155/2 hours, €20/each additional hour; €195 extra for a car for up to 2 people, €220 extra for up to 6, can combine with airport transfer; tel. 936-327-259, mobile 609-205-844, www.livebarcelona.com, info@livebarcelona.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 wait until you’re in Madrid or Sevilla for those).
The region of Catalunya—with Barcelona as its capital—has its own language, history, and culture, and the people 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. Although rivalry between Barcelona and Madrid has calmed down in recent times, it rages any time the two cities’ main football clubs meet.
To see real Catalan culture, look for the sardana dance or an exhibition of castelleres (both described on here). The main symbol of Catalunya is the dragon, which was slain by St. Jordi (“George” in English)—the local 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 | Pronounced |
| 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 terms will come in handy:
| exit | sortida | sor-TEE-dah |
| square | plaça | PLAS-sah |
| street | carrer | kah-REHR |
| boulevard | passeig | PAH-sage |
| avenue | avinguda | ah-veen-GOO-dah |
Most place names in this chapter are listed in Catalan. Here’s how to pronounce the city’s major landmarks:
| Plaça de Catalunya | PLAS-sah duh kah-tah-LOON-yah |
| Eixample | eye-SHAM-plah |
| Passeig de Gràcia | PAH-sage duh grass-EE-ah |
| Catedral | KAH-tah-dral |
| Barri Gòtic | BAH-ree GOH-teek |
| El Born | “el born” |
| Montjuïc | mohn-jew-EEK |
The Barcelona Guide Bureau offers several sightseeing tours leaving from Plaça de Catalunya. Departure times can change. Tours 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 (€62, includes Sagrada Família and Casa Batllò admission, daily at 9:00, 3.5 hours). Other tours offered year-round include the Montjuïc tour (€33, includes Spanish Village admission, daily at 12:30, 2.5 hours); the All Barcelona Highlights tour (€59, includes Sagrada Família and Spanish Village admissions, daily at 10:00, also mid-April-Oct at 12:30, 5 hours); and the Montserrat tour (€47, Mon-Sat at 15:00, 4 hours), which offers a convenient way to get to this mountaintop monastery if you don’t want to deal with public transportation (see Near Barcelona chapter). During the high season, there are additional Gaudí-focused tours, Ramblas walks, shopping tours, and a Fundació Joan Miró tour. You can get detailed information and book tickets at a TI, on their website (10 percent discount for 7-day advance purchase), or simply by showing up at their departure point on Plaça de Catalunya in front of the Deutsche Bank (next to the Hard Rock Café—look for the guides holding orange umbrellas; tel. 933-152-261, www.barcelonaguidebureau.com).
Catalunya Tourist Bus also runs excursions to nearby destinations, including some that are difficult to reach by public transportation. Trips include Montserrat (€61, 8 hours, includes Gaudí’s unfinished Colònia Güell development) and Salvador Dalí sights in Figueres and Girona (€73, 11 hours). Both itineraries depart Tuesday through Sunday at 8:30 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).
For information on hop-on, hop-off bus tours, see “Getting Around Barcelona,” earlier.
Several companies run bike tours around Barcelona.
Un Cotxe Menys (“One Car Less”) organizes three-hour English-only bike tours daily at 11:00 year-round (April-mid-Sept also Fri-Mon at 16:30; also rents bikes—see “Helpful Hints,” earlier). Your guide leads you from sight to sight, mostly on bike paths and through parks, with a stop-and-go commentary (€22 includes bike rental and drink, no reservations needed, tours meet just outside TI on Plaça Sant Jaume in Barri Gòtic—or, 10 minutes later, at their bike shop in El Born near the Church of Santa Maria del Mar; Carrer de l’Esparteria 3—see map on here, tel. 932-682-105, www.bicicletabarcelona.com).
Barcelona CicloTour runs a similar itinerary (€22, departs from Hard Rock Café on Plaça de Catalunya daily at 11:00, 16:30 tour daily mid-April-Oct and Sat-Sun in Nov; 19:30 night tour departs Fri-Sun June-Sept and Fri-Sat in Oct; tel. 933-171-970, www.barcelonaciclotour.com).
Andy Steves (my son) runs Weekend Student Adventures, offering active and experiential three-day weekend tours from €199, designed for American students studying abroad (www.wsaeurope.com for details on tours of Barcelona and other great cities).
These walks through the atmospheric Old City introduce you to places you may want to explore further. They’re easy to follow, pass by some major sights, and provide background to this complex metropolis. The first begins at Barcelona’s main square and leads you down the city’s main drag: the Ramblas. The second walk guides you into the heart of the Barri Gòtic, the neighborhood around Barcelona’s cathedral.
(See “Ramblas Ramble” map, here.)
For more than a century, this walk down Barcelona’s main boulevard has drawn locals and visitors alike. While its former elegance has been tackified somewhat by tourist shops and fast-food joints, this still has the best people-watching in town. Walk the Ramblas at least once to get the lay of the land, then venture farther afield. It’s a one-hour, level stroll, with an easy return by Metro. The Ramblas is two different streets by day and by night; stroll it from top to bottom in the evening and again the next morning, grabbing breakfast on a stool in a market café.
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. On this pedestrian-only Champs-Elysées, you’ll raft the river of Barcelonese life, passing a grand opera house, elegant cafés, flower stands, retread prostitutes, brazen pickpockets, power-dressing con men, artists, street mimes, an outdoor pet market, great shopping, and people looking to charge more for a shoeshine than what you paid for the shoes.
• Start your ramble on Plaça de Catalunya, at the top of the Ramblas.
Plaça de Catalunya: Dotted with fountains, statues, and pigeons, and ringed by grand Art Deco buildings, this plaza is Barcelona’s center. The square’s stern, straight lines are a reaction to the curves of Modernisme (which predominates in the Eixample district, just to the north). Plaça de Catalunya is the hub for the Metro, bus, airport shuttle, and Tourist Bus. It’s where Barcelona congregates to watch soccer matches on the big screen, to demonstrate, to celebrate, and to enjoy outdoor concerts and festivals. It’s the center of the world for 10 million Catalan people.
Geographically, the 12-acre square links old Barcelona (the narrow streets to the south) with the new (the broad boulevards to the north). Four great thoroughfares radiate from here. The Ramblas is the popular pedestrian promenade. Passeig de Gràcia has fashionable shops and cafés (and noisy traffic). Rambla de Catalunya is equally fashionable but cozier and more pedestrian-friendly. Avinguda Portal de l’Angel (shopper-friendly and traffic-free) leads to the Barri Gòtic (note that my self-guided “Barri Gòtic Walk” begins from right here).
Historically, Plaça de Catalunya links the modern city with its past. In the 1850s, when Barcelona tore down its medieval walls to expand the city, this square on the edge of the walls was one of the first places to be developed.
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 venerable Café Zürich, just across the street from the monument, is a popular downtown rendezvous spot for locals. Homesick Americans might prefer the nearby Hard Rock Café.
• Cross the street and start heading down the Ramblas. To get oriented, pause 20 yards down, at the ornate lamppost with a fountain as its base (on the right, near #129).
Fountain of Canaletes: 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. Fans of the Barcelona soccer team rally here before a big match—some touch their hand to their lips, then “kiss” the fountain with their hand for good luck. It’s also a good spot to fill up your water bottle.
• Continue strolling.
All along the Ramblas are newsstands (open 24 hours). Among their souvenirs, you’ll see soccer paraphernalia, especially the scarlet-and-blue of FC Barcelona (known as “Barça”). The team is owned by its more than 170,000 “members”—fans who buy season tickets, which come with a share of ownership (the team’s healthy payroll guarantees that they’re always in contention). Their motto, “More than a club” (Mes que un club), suggests that Barça represents not only athletic prowess but Catalan cultural identity. This comes to a head during a match nicknamed “El Clásico,” in which they face their bitter rivals, Real Madrid (whom many Barça fans view as stand-ins for Castilian cultural chauvinism).
Walk 100 yards farther to #115 and the venerable Royal Academy of Science and Arts building (it’s now home to a performing-arts theater). Look up: The clock high on the facade marks official Barcelona time—synchronize. Notice the TI kiosk right on the Ramblas—a handy stop for any questions. The Carrefour supermarket just behind it has cheap groceries (at #113, Mon-Sat 10:00-22:00, closed Sun).
• You’re now standing at the...
Rambla of the Little Birds: Traditionally, kids brought their parents here to buy pets, especially on Sundays. But animal-rights groups lobbied to cut back on the stalls because so many families were making impulse buys with no serious interest in taking care of these cute little critters—and many ended up being flushed. Today, only a couple of traditional pet stalls survive—and there’s not a bird in sight. Now you’ll find tourists oohing and aahing over little bunnies, hamsters, goldfish, and turtles—easier for Barcelona’s apartment-dwellers to care for than dogs and cats.
• At #122 (the big, modern Citadines Hotel on the left, just behind a pet kiosk), take a 100-yard detour through a passageway marked Passatge de la Ramblas to a recently discovered...
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 100 yards or so to the next 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. Now cross the boulevard to the front of the big church.
Betlem Church: It’s 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 also 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.
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, which has specialized in baked and dairy delights since 1870. Step inside to see Viader family photos and early posters advertising Cacaolat—the local chocolate milk Barcelonans love. (For more sugary treats nearby, follow “A Short, Sweet Walk” on here.)
• Continue down the boulevard, through the stretch called the...
Rambla of Flowers: This colorful block, lined with 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). On the left, at #100, Gimeno sells cigars. Step inside and appreciate the dying art of cigar boxes. Go ahead, do something forbidden in America but perfectly legal here...buy a Cuban (little singles for €1). Tobacco shops sell stamps and phone cards, plus bongs and marijuana gear—the Spanish approach to pot is very casual. While people can’t legally sell marijuana, they’re allowed to grow it for personal use and consume it.
• Continue to the Metro stop marked by the red M. At #91 (on the right) is the arcaded entrance to Barcelona’s great covered market, La Boqueria. If this main entry is choked with visitors (as it often is), you can skirt around the sides by entering one block in either direction (look for the round arches that mark passages into the market colonnade).
La Boqueria: This lively market hall is an explosion of chicken legs, bags of live snails, stiff fish, delicious oranges, odd odors, and sleeping dogs. The best day for a visit is Saturday, when the market is thriving. It’s closed on Sundays, and locals avoid it on Mondays, when it’s open but (they believe) vendors are selling items that aren’t necessarily fresh—especially seafood, since fishermen stay home on Sundays.
Since as far back as 1200, Barcelonans have bought their animal parts here. The market was originally located by 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 topped with a colorful arcade in 1850.
While tourists are drawn like moths to a flame to the area around the main entry (below the colorful stained-glass sign), locals know that the stalls up front pay the highest rent—and therefore have to inflate their prices and cater to out-of-towners. For example, the juices along the main drag just inside the entrance are tempting, but if you venture to the right a couple of alleys, the clientele gets more local and the prices drop dramatically.
Stop by the recommended 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 stools nearby are a fine perch for enjoying both your coffee and the people-watching.
The market and lanes nearby are busy with tempting little eateries (several are listed on here). Drop by a café for an espresso con leche or breakfast tortilla española (potato omelet). Once you get past the initial gauntlet, do some exploring. The small square on the north side of the market hosts a farmers’ market in the mornings. Wander around—as local architect Antoni Gaudí used to—and gain inspiration.
• Head back out to the street and continue down the Ramblas.
It’s clear that, as you walk the Ramblas, you’re skirting along the west boundary of the old Barri Gòtic neighborhood. As you walk, glance to the left through a modern archway for a glimpse of the medieval church tower of Santa Maria del Pi, a popular venue for guitar concerts (see “Nightlife in Barcelona” on here). This also marks Plaça del Pi and a great shopping street, Carrer Petritxol, which runs parallel to the Ramblas.
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).
• After another block, you reach the Liceu Metro station, marking the...
Heart of the Ramblas (Liceu): 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 homegrown abstract artist Joan Miró. The mosaic’s black arrow represents an anchor, a reminder of the city’s attachment to the 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 in Barcelona 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 umbrella mosaics 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. Jordi (George).
Hungry? Swing around the back of the umbrella shop to the recommended Taverna Basca Irati tapas bar (a block up Carrer del Cardenal Casanyes). This is one of many user-friendly, Basque-style tapas bars in town; instead of ordering, you can just grab or point to what looks good on the display platters, then pay per piece.
Back on the Ramblas, 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 around the right side, open Mon-Fri 13:30-20:00). 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 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 that crosses the Ramblas in another 30 yards (Carrer de Ferran) leads left to Plaça de Sant Jaume, the government center.
Head down the Ramblas another 50 yards (to #46), and turn left down an arcaded lane (Correr de Colom) to the square called...
Plaça Reial: 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 (10:00-14:00). Completing the picture are Gaudí’s first public works (the two colorful helmeted lampposts). While this used to be a seedy and dangerous part of town, recent gentrification efforts have given it new life, making it inviting and accessible. (The small streets stretching toward the water from the square remain a bit sketchier.) It’s a lively hangout by day or by night (for nightlife options, see here). Big spaces like this (as well as the site of La Boqueria market) often originated as monasteries. When these were dissolved in the 19th century, their fine colonnaded squares were incorporated into what were considered generally more useful public spaces.
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 #3-5). 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 nonrectangular style. Recently renovated, Palau Güell offers an informative look at a Gaudí interior (see listing on here). Pablo Picasso had a studio at #10 (though there’s nothing to see there today).
• Proceed along the Ramblas.
Raval Neighborhood (Barri Xines): 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.
At about this part of the Ramblas, you may see the first of the drag’s medley of surreal and goofy human statues. These performers—with creative and elaborate costumes—must audition and be registered by the city government; to avoid overcrowding, only 15 can work along the Ramblas at any one time. To enliven your Ramblas ramble, stroll with a pocket full of small change. As you wander along, drop coins into their cans (the money often kicks them into entertaining gear). Warning: Wherever people stop to gawk, pickpockets are at work.
You’re also likely to see some good old-fashioned shell games in this part of town. Stand back and observe these nervous no-necks at work. They swish around their little boxes, making sure to show you the pea. Their shills play and win. Then, in hopes of making easy money, fools lose big time.
Near the bottom of the Ramblas, take note of the Drassanes Metro stop, which can take you back to Plaça de Catalunya when this walk is over. The skyscraper to the right of the Ramblas is the Edificio Colón. When it was built in 1970, the 28-story structure was Barcelona’s first high-rise. Near the skyscraper is the Maritime Museum, housed in what were the city’s giant medieval shipyards (permanent collection closed until the fall of 2014; see listing on here).
Columbus Monument: The 200-foot column commemorates Christopher Columbus’ stop in Barcelona after his first trip to America (see listing on here).
Continue ahead to the waterfront. Barcelona is one of Europe’s top 10 ports, though this stretch of the harbor is a pleasant marina with sailboats.
Stand here and survey some of your sightseeing options: At your feet are the golondrinas harbor cruise boats (here). Across the harbor (though not really visible from here) is the spit of land called Barceloneta, home to some nice restaurants and sandy beaches (see here). To the right of the harbor rises the majestic, 570-foot bluff of Montjuïc, a park-like setting dotted with a number of sights and museums (see here).
The pedestrian bridge jutting into the harbor is a modern extension of the Ramblas called La Rambla del Mar (“Rambla of the Sea”). This popular wooden bridge—with waves like the sea—leads to Maremagnum, a shopping mall with a cinema, a huge aquarium, restaurants, and piles of people. Late at night, it’s a rollicking youth hangout.
• Your ramble is over. If it’s a nice day, consider strolling the promenade and looping back around on La Rambla del Mar. Or maybe explore El Born. Or, if you’re truly on vacation, walk through Barceloneta to the beach.
If you’d like to get to other points in town, your best bet is to backtrack to the Drassanes Metro stop. Alternatively, you can catch buses #14 or #59 from along the top of the promenade to Plaça de Catalunya.
(See “Barri Gòtic Walk” map, here.)
Barcelona’s Barri Gòtic, or 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, and where Barcelonans lived within a ring of protective walls until the 1850s, when the city expanded.
Today, this area—nicknamed simply “El Gòtic”—is Barcelona’s most historic neighborhood. Concentrate on the area around the cathedral (since the section near the port is somewhat dull and seedy). The Barri Gòtic is a tangled-yet-inviting grab bag of grand squares, schoolyards, Art Nouveau storefronts, musty junk shops, classy antique shops (on Carrer de la Palla), street musicians strumming Catalan folk songs, and balconies with domestic jungles behind wrought-iron bars. Go on a cultural scavenger hunt. Write a poem. Take artsy pictures. This self-guided walk gives you a structure, covering the major sights and offering a historical overview before you get lost.
• Start on Barcelona’s grand, main square, Plaça de Catalunya (described on here). From the southeast corner (near El Corte Inglés), head down the broad pedestrian boulevard called...
Avinguda Portal de l’Angel: For much of Barcelona’s history, this was one of the main boulevards leading into town. A medieval wall enclosed the city, and there was an entrance here—the “Gate of the Angel”—that gives the street its name. An angel statue atop the gate 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 wilds began.
Today’s street is pretty globalized and sanitized, full of international chain stores. Pause at Carrer de Santa Anna to admire the Art Nouveau awning at (another) El Corte Inglés store.
• A half-block detour to the right on Carrer de Santa Anna (at #32) leads to a pleasant, flower-fragrant courtyard with the...
Church of Santa Anna: This 12th-century gem was one of those extra muro churches, with its marker cross still standing outside. As part of a convent, the church has a fine cloister, an arcaded walkway around a leafy courtyard (viewable through the gate to the left of the church). Climb the modern stairs for views of the bell tower.
If the church is open, you’ll see a bare Romanesque interior and Greek-cross floor plan, topped with an octagonal wooden roof. The recumbent-knight tomb is of Miguel de Boera, renowned admiral of Charles V. The door at the far end of the nave leads to the cloister (€2 donation requested, church hours vary but usually daily 11:00-19:00).
• Backtrack to Avinguda Portal de l’Angel. At Carrer de Montsió (on the left), side-trip half a block to...
Els Quatre Gats (“The Four Cats”): This restaurant (at #3) is a historic monument, tourist attraction, nightspot, and one of my recommended eateries. 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 “a few crazy people”). While you can have a snack, meal, or drink here, if you just want to look around, ask, “Solo mirar, por favor?”
• Return to Avinguda Portal de l’Angel and continue down the street until you run into a building at a fork in the road, with a...
Fountain: The fountain’s blue-and-yellow tilework 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, one in nine Barcelonans got their water from fountains like this. It’s still used today.
• Take the left fork, passing by the Reial Cercle Artistic Museum (temporary exhibits). Enter the large square called...
Plaça Nova: Two bold Roman towers flank the main street. 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. At the base, find the modern bronze letters spelling 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 an area of 30 acres—population 4,000.
One of the towers has a section of Roman aqueduct (a modern reconstruction). These bridges of stone carried fresh water from the distant hillsides into the walled city. Here the water supply split into two channels, one to feed Roman industry, the other for the general populace. The Roman aqueducts would be the best water system Barcelona would have until the 20th century.
Opposite the towers is the modern Catalan College of Architects building (TI inside) with a frieze designed by Picasso (1960). In Picasso’s distinctive, simplified style, it shows branch-waving kings and children celebrating a local festival. Picasso spent his formative years (1895-1904, ages 14-23) in the Barri Gòtic. He had a studio a block east of here (where the big Caixa Catalunya building stands today). He drank with fellow bohemians at Els Quatre Gats (which we just passed) and frequented brothels a few blocks south of here on Carrer d’Avinyo (“Avignon”), which inspired his seminal Cubist painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. Picasso’s Barri Gòtic was a hotbed of trendsetting art, propelling Picasso forward just before he moved to Paris and remade modern art.
• Now head to the left and take in the mighty facade of the...
Cathedral of Barcelona (Catedral de Barcelona): This location has been the center of Christian worship since the fourth century, and this particular building dates (mainly) from the 14th century. The facade is a virtual catalog of Gothic motifs: a pointed arch over the entrance, robed statues, tracery in windows, gargoyles, and bell towers with winged angels. The style is French Flamboyant (meaning “flame-like”), and the roofline sports the prickly spires meant to give the impressions of a church flickering with spiritual fires. The facade is typically Gothic...but not medieval. It’s a Neo-Gothic work from the 19th century. The area in front of the cathedral is where they dance the sardana (see here). Standing in front of the Barcelona cathedral, if you look left, you can see the colorful swooping roof of the Santa Caterina Market (described on here).
The cathedral’s interior—with its vast size, peaceful cloister, and many ornate chapels—is worth a visit. For specifics, see the listing on here.
• The Frederic Marès Museum (see here for details) is just to the left of the cathedral. But for now, return to the Roman towers. Pass between the towers up Carrer del Bisbe, and take an immediate left, up the ramp to the entrance of the...
Casa de l’Ardiaca (Archivo): It’s free to enter this mansion, which was once the archdeacon’s house and today 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 Modernist architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. Enter through 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 lobby of the city archives, where there are often free temporary exhibits. At the left end of the lobby, step through the archway and look down into the stairwell—this is the back side of the ancient Roman wall. Back in the courtyard, head up to the balcony for closer views of the cathedral steeple and gargoyles.
• Return to Carrer del Bisbe and turn left. After a few steps you reach a small square with a bronze statue ensemble.
Martyrs Statue: Five Barcelona patriots calmly receive their last rites before being garroted (strangled) for resisting Napoleon’s 1809 invasion of Spain. They’d been outraged by French atrocities in Madrid (depicted in Goya’s Third of May painting in the Prado Museum—see here). The plaque marking their mortal remains says these martyrs to independence gave their lives “por Dios, por la Patria, y por el Rey”—for God, country, and king.
The plaza offers interesting views of the cathedral’s towers. The doorway here is the (not-always-open) “back door” entrance to the cathedral (at the cloister), letting you avoid the long lines at the cathedral’s main entrance.
• Exit the square down tiny Carrer de Montjuïc del Bisbe. This leads to the cute...
Plaça Sant Felip Neri: This shady square serves as the playground of an elementary school and is often bursting with youthful energy. The Church of Sant Felip Neri, which Gaudí attended, is still pocked with bomb damage from the 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).
The buildings here were paid for by the guilds that powered the local economy. On the corner where you entered the square is the former home of the shoemakers’ guild; today it’s the fun little Shoe Museum (described on here).
• Exit the square down Carrer de Sant Felip Neri. At the T-intersection, you have a choice:
You can turn left, returning to the square with the Martyrs Statue, then turn right, walking along Carrer del Bisbe to the bridge (described later).
Or if you’re curious about the Jewish chapter of Barcelona’s story, turn right at the T-intersection 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...
Jewish Quarter (El Call): 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. At its peak, some 4,000 Jews were crammed into just a few alleys.
Walk down Carrer de Sant Domènec del Call. You’ll pass (on the right) the Zoen leather workshop and showroom (at #15), where everything is made on the spot, followed by a charming square. At the next lane (Carrer de Marlet), turn right. On the right-hand side is the low-profile entrance to what (most likely) was Barcelona’s main synagogue during the Middle Ages (€2.50 requested donation). 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-collector 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 forcibly been converted to Christianity).
• From the synagogue, start back the way you came but 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...
Carrer del Bisbe Bridge: This Bridge-of-Sighs-like structure connects the Catalan government building on the right with the Catalan president’s residence (ceremonial, not actual). Though the bridge looks medieval, it was constructed in the 1920s by Joan Rubió, who also did the carved ornamentation on the buildings.
It’s a photographer’s dream. Check out the jutting angels on the bridge, the basket-carrying maidens on the president’s house, the gargoyle-like faces on the government building. Zoom in even closer. Find monsters, skulls, goddesses, old men with beards, climbing vines, and coats of arms—a Gothic museum in stone.
• Continue along Carrer del Bisbe to...
Plaça de Sant Jaume (jow-mah): This stately central square of the Barri Gòtic, once the Roman forum, has been the seat of city government for 2,000 years. Today the two top governmental buildings in Catalunya face each other.
For more than six centuries, Palau de la Generalitat has housed the autonomous government of Catalunya. It always flies the Catalan flag (red and yellow stripes) next to the obligatory Spanish one. Above the doorway is Catalunya’s patron saint—St. Jordi (George), 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, from a single aggrieved citizen with a megaphone to riotous thousands.
The Barcelona City Hall (Casa de la Ciutat) sports a statue of the king “Jaume el Conqueridor”—not to be confused with Sant Jaume, the plaza’s namesake (free, open Sun 10:00-13:30). King Jaume I (1208-1276, also called “the Just”) 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).
Locals treasure the independence these two government buildings represent. In the 20th century, Barcelona opposed the dictator Francisco Franco (who ruled from 1939 to 1975), and Franco retaliated. He abolished the regional government and (effectively) outlawed the Catalan language and customs. Two years after Franco’s death, joyous citizens packed this square to celebrate the return of self-rule.
Look left and right down the main streets branching off the square. Carrer de Ferran (which leads to the Ramblas) is classic Barcelona—lined with ironwork streetlamps and balconies draped with plants.
In ancient Roman days, Plaça de Sant Jaume was the town’s forum, or central square, located at the intersection of the two main streets—the decumanus (Carrer del Bisbe) and the cardus (Carrer de la Llibreteria). The forum’s biggest building was a massive temple of Augustus, which we’ll see next.
• Facing the Generalitat, exit the square to the right, heading uphill on tiny Carrer del Paradís. Follow this street as it turns right. When it swings left, pause at #10, the entrance to the...
Roman Temple of Augustus (Temple Roma d’August): You’re standing at the summit of Mont Tàber. A plaque on the wall says it all: “Mont Tàber, 16.9 meters”—elevation 55 feet. The Barri Gòtic’s highest spot is also marked with a millstone inlaid in the pavement at the doorstep of #10. It was here, atop this lofty summit, that the ancient Romans founded the town of Barcino around 15 B.C. They built a castrum (fort) on the hilltop, protecting the harbor.
Step inside for a peek at the imposing Roman temple. These four huge columns, 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, 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 the Fòrum (free, good English info, Mon 10:00-14:00, Tue-Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun 10:00-20:00).
• Continue down Carrer del Paridís one block. When you bump into the back end of the cathedral, take a right, and go downhill a block (down Baixada de Santa Clara) until you emerge into a square called...
Plaça del Rei: The buildings that enclose this square once housed Spain’s kings and queens. The central section (topped by a four-story addition) was the core of the Royal Palace. It has a vast hall on the ground floor that served as the throne room and reception room. From the 13th to the 15th century, the Royal Palace housed Catalunya’s counts as well as resident Spanish kings. In 1493, a triumphant Christopher Columbus, accompanied by six New World natives (whom he called “Indians”) and several puregold statues, entered the Royal Palace. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel rose to welcome him home and honored him with the title “Admiral of the Oceans.”
To the right is the palace’s church, the Chapel of St. Agatha. It sits atop the foundations of the Roman wall.
To the left is the Viceroy’s Palace (for the ruler’s right-hand man), which also served as the archives of the Kingdom of Aragon. After Catalunya became part of Spain in the 15th century, the Royal Palace became a small regional residence, and the Viceroy’s Palace became the headquarters of the local Inquisition. Today the Viceroy’s Palace is once again home to the archives. Step inside to see an impressive Renaissance courtyard, a staircase with coffered wood ceilings, and a temporary exhibit space. Among the archive’s treasures (though it’s rarely on display) is the 1491 Santa Fe Capitulations, a contract between Columbus and the monarchs about his upcoming voyage.
Ironically, Columbus and the Kingdom of Aragon played a role in Barcelona’s decline as an independent kingdom. When Ferdinand of Aragon married Isabel of Castile, Catalunya got swallowed up in greater Spain. Columbus’ discovery of new trade routes made Barcelona’s port less important, and soon the royals moved elsewhere.
The Barcelona History Museum’s entrance is just around the corner from Plaça del Rei (see listing on here). It gives visitors the only peek they’ll get of the palace interior (and there’s disappointingly little to see), but more important, provides a fine way to retrace all the history we’ve seen on this walk—from modern to medieval to the Roman foundations of Barcino.
• 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). Or simply wander and enjoy Barcelona at its Gothic best.
In the Barri Gòtic, near the Cathedral
▲Barcelona History Museum (Museu d’Història de Barcelona: Plaça del Rei)
Frederic Marès Museum (Museu Frederic Marès)
Shoe Museum (Museu del Calçat)
▲▲▲Picasso Museum (Museu Picasso)
Map: Picasso Museum--First Floor
▲▲Palace of Catalan Music (Palau de la Música Catalana)
▲Church of Santa Maria del Mar
Chocolate Museum (Museu de la Xocolata)
On the Harborfront, at the Bottom of the Ramblas
▲Maritime Museum (Museu Marítim)
▲Columbus Monument (Monument a Colóm)
Near the Waterfront, East of the Old City and Harbor
Citadel Park (Parc de la Ciutadella)
▲Barcelona’s Beach, from Barceloneta to the Fòrum
In the Old City, Just off the Ramblas
More Modernista Sights in the Eixample
▲▲▲Sagrada Família (Holy Family Church)
Olympic and Sports Museum (Museu Olímpic i de l’Esport)
Olympic Stadium (Estadi Olímpic)
▲▲Catalan Art Museum (Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya)
▲Magic Fountains (Font Màgica)
Mies van der Rohe Pavilion (Pabellón Mies van der Rohe)
Spanish Village (Poble Espanyol)
(See “Barcelona’s Old City” map, here.)
For an interesting route from Plaça de Catalunya to the cathedral neighborhood, see my self-guided walk of the Barri Gòtic (described earlier). And if you’re in town on a weekend, don’t miss the sardana dances (see sidebar).
Although Barcelona’s most important church doesn’t rank among Europe’s finest cathedrals (frankly, it barely cracks the top 20), it’s important, easy to visit, and—at certain times of the day—free.
Cost and Hours: Generally open to visitors Mon-Fri 8:00-19:30, Sat-Sun 8:00-20:00. Free to enter Mon-Sat before 12:45, Sun before 13:45, and daily after 17:15, but you must pay to enter the cathedral’s three minor sights (museum-€2, terrace-€3, choir-€2.50). The church is officially “closed” for a few hours each afternoon (Mon-Sat 13:00-17:00, Sun 14:00-17:00), but you can still get in by paying for the interior sights. These sights have shorter hours than the church itself: museum daily 10:00-19:00; terrace Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, closed Sun; choir Mon-Sat 9:00-19:00, closes in the afternoon on Sun. Tel. 933-151-554, www.catedralbcn.org.
Dress Code: The dress code is strictly enforced—no tank tops, shorts, or skirts above the knee.
Getting There: The huge, can’t-miss-it cathedral is in the center of the Barri Gòtic, on Plaça de la Seu, Metro: Jaume I.
Getting In: The main, front door is open most of the time. While it can be crowded, the line generally moves fast. Sometimes you can also enter directly into the cloister around back (through door facing the Martyrs Statue on the small square along Carrer del Bisbe).
WCs: A tiny, semi-private WC is in the center of the cloister.
Visiting the Church: 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 built in the 14th century (1298-1450), during the medieval glory days of the Catalan nation. The facade was humble, so in the 19th century the proud local bourgeoisie redid it in a more ornate, Neo-Gothic style. Construction was capped in 1913 with the central spire, 230 feet tall.
Inside, the nave is ringed with 28 side chapels, financed by local guilds eager to display their wealth—if not to ingratiate themselves to God. Besides being worship spaces, these serve as interior buttresses supporting the roof (which is why the exterior walls are smooth, without the normal Gothic buttresses outside). Barcelona—the city of 32 official public holidays—honors many of the homegrown saints found in these chapels.
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 archbishop’s chair, or cathedra. As a cathedral, this church is the archbishop’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.
The steps beneath the altar lead to the crypt, featuring the marble-and-alabaster sarcophagus (1327-1339) with the remains of St. Eulàlia. The cathedral is dedicated to this saint.
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 (worth ▲). 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. Participants gather in circles after putting their things in the center—symbolic of community and sharing (and the ever-present risk of theft). All are welcome, even tourists cursed with two left feet. The dances are held in the square in front of the cathedral every Sunday at 12:00 and usually also on Saturdays at 18:00 (none in Aug); the event lasts between one and two hours.
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 Festes de Gràcia in August and the Mercè festival in 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. Besides festivals, you may also see people forming these towers in front of the cathedral on summer Saturdays around 19:00 (confirm locally before showing up).
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.
Exit out the right transept and into the circa-1450 cloister—the arcaded walkway surrounding a lush courtyard. Ahhhh. It’s a tropical atmosphere of palm, orange, and magnolia trees; a fish pond; trickling fountains; and squawking geese. The nearby fountain has a tiny statue of St. Jordi slaying the dragon. During the Corpus Christi festival (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 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 the far end of the cloister, 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).
At this main branch of the city history museum (MUHBA for short), you can walk through the history of Barcelona, with a focus on the city’s Roman roots.
Cost and Hours: €7; ticket includes English audioguide and other MUHBA branches, including La Casa del Guarda in Park Güell; 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 10:00-20:00, closed Mon; last entry 30 minutes before closing, Plaça del Rei, enter on Vageur street, 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. While posted information is only in Catalan and Spanish, you’ll find abundant English handouts, and the included English audioguide provides informative, if dry, descriptions of the exhibits.
Start by watching the nine-minute introductory video in the small theater (at the end of the first floor); it plays alternately in Catalan, Spanish, and English, but it’s worth viewing in any language. Then take an elevator down 65 feet (and 2,000 years—see the date spin back while 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 you 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 winemaking facilities.
Next, you’ll wander through bits of a seventh-century early Christian church and an exhibit in the 11th-century count’s palace that shows you Barcelona through its glory days in the Middle Ages.
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 also enter Tinell Hall (part of the Royal Palace), with its long, graceful, rounded vaults. Nearby, step into the 14th-century Chapel of St. Agatha, if it’s hosting a temporary exhibit.
This museum, with the eclectic collection of local sculptor and packrat Frederic Marès (1893-1991), sprawls around a peaceful courtyard through several old Barri Gòtic buildings. The biggest part of the collection, on the ground and first floors, consists of sculpture—from ancient works to beautiful, evocative Gothic pieces to items from the early 20th century. Even more interesting is the extensive “Collector’s Cabinet,” consisting of items Marès found representative of everyday life in the 19th century. Lovingly displayed on the second and third floors, the collection contains rooms upon rooms of scissors, keys, irons, fans, nutcrackers, stamps, pipes, snuff boxes, opera glasses, pocket watches, bicycles, toy soldiers, dolls, and other bric-a-brac. And in Marès’ study are several sculptures by the artist himself. 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 Sun from 15:00, 1.5-hour audioguide-€1; open Tue-Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun 11:00-20:00, closed Mon; Plaça de Sant Iu 5-6, Metro: Jaume I, tel. 932-563-500, www.museumares.bcn.cat.
Shoe lovers enjoy this small museum of footwear in glass display cases, watched over by an earnest attendant. You’ll see shoes from the 1700s to today: fancy ladies’ boots, Tibetan moccasins, big clown shoes, expeditionary boots that have been to Mount Everest, and shoes of minor celebrities such as the president of Catalunya. The huge shoes at the entry are designed to fit the foot of the Columbus Monument at the bottom of the Ramblas.
Cost and Hours: €2.50, Tue-Sun 11:00-14:00, closed Mon, on Plaça Sant Felip Neri, Metro: Jaume I, see here for directions, tel. 933-014-533.
(See “Barcelona’s Old City” map, here.)
The Old City’s El Born neighborhood (also known as “La Ribera”) is home to several great sights, including the Picasso Museum. But even without those, the neighborhood is a joy to explore. El Born’s narrow lanes are crammed with artsy boutiques, inviting cafés and restaurants, funky one-off shops, rollicking nightlife, and a higher ratio of locals to tourists than most other city-center zones.
Getting There: It’s just across Via Laietana from the Barri Gòtic’s Plaça de l’Angel (Metro: Jaume I). Carrer de l’Argenteria (“Silversmiths Street”) runs diagonally from Plaça de l’Angel straight down to the Church of Santa Maria del Mar. The Palace of Catalan Music is to the north, and the Picasso Museum is roughly in the center.
Pablo Picasso may have made his career in Paris, but the years he spent in Barcelona—from ages 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, from art-school prodigy to the gloomy hues of his Blue Period to the revitalized cheer of his Rose Period. You’ll also see works from his twilight years, including dozens of wild improvisations inspired by Diego Velázquez’s seminal Las Meninas, as well as a roomful of works that reflect the childlike exuberance of an old man playing like a young kid on the French Riviera. It’s undoubtedly the top collection of Picassos here in his native country and the best anywhere of his early years.
Cost and Hours: €14, free all day first Sun of month and other Sun from 15:00; open Tue-Sun 10:00-20:00, closed Mon, last entry 20 minutes before closing, Carrer de Montcada 15-23, ticket office at #21, Metro: Jaume I, tel. 932-563-000, www.museupicasso.bcn.cat.
Crowd-Beating Tips: There’s almost always a line, sometimes with waits of more than an hour. The busiest times are mornings before 13:00, all day Tuesday, and during the free entry times on Sundays (see above). If you have an Articket BCN (see here), skip the line by going to the “Meeting Point” entrance (30 yards to the right of the main entrance). You can also skip the line by buying your ticket online at www.museupicasso.bcn.cat (no additional booking fee). Stuck in line without a ticket? Figure that about 25 people are admitted every 10 minutes.
Getting There: 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.
Audioguide: The 1.5-hour audioguide costs €3 and offers ample detail about the collection.
Services: The ground floor, which is free to enter, has a required bag check, as well as a handy array of other services (bookshop, WC, and cafeteria).
Cuisine Art: The museum itself has a good café (€8 sandwiches and salads). Outside the museum, right along Carrer de Montcada in either direction, are two great recommended tapas bars (both closed Mon): With your back to the museum, a few steps to the left is El Xampanyet, while to the right (across Carrer de la Princesa and up a block) is Bar del Pla. For more restaurants near the Picasso Museum, see here.
(See “Picasso Museum—First Floor” map, here.)
Self-Guided Tour: The Picasso Museum’s collection of paintings is presented more or less chronologically (though specific pieces may be out for restoration or on tour, and the rooms are sometimes rearranged). But with the help of thoughtful English descriptions for each stage (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.
• Begin in Rooms 1 and 2.
Boy Wonder: Pablo’s earliest art (in the first room) is realistic and earnest. His work quickly advances from childish pencil drawings (such as Hercules, 1890), through a series of technically skilled art-school works (copies of plaster feet and arms), to oil paintings of impressive technique. 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 Room 2, you’ll find more paintings relating to Pablo’s...
Developing Talent (Adolescence): During a summer trip to Málaga, 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. Notice Lola’s exquisitely painted veil. This piece was heavily influenced by the academic style of local painters.
Picasso’s relatives star in a number of portraits from this time. If it’s on view, find the portrait of his mother (this and other family portraits may be out on loan to the Picasso Museum in Málaga). The teenage Pablo is working on the fine details and gradients of white in her blouse and the expression in her cameo-like face. Notice the signature. Spaniards keep both parents’ surnames, with the father’s first, followed by the mother’s: Pablo Ruiz Picasso.
• Continue into Room 3.
Early Success: Science and Charity, which won second prize at a fine-arts exhibition, got Picasso the chance to study in Madrid. Now Picasso conveys real feeling. 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.
Picasso travels to Madrid for further study. 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 coming up later, in Room 4.) Having absorbed the wisdom of the ages, in 1898 Pablo visits Horta de San Juan, a rural Catalan village, and finds his artistic independence. (See the small landscapes and scenes of village life he did there.) Poor and without a love in his life, he returns to Barcelona.
• Head to Room 4.
Barcelona Freedom (1900): Art Nouveau is all the rage in Barcelona. Upsetting his dad, Pablo 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 (it’s sometimes on view here in Room 4). 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 works to establish this museum). Still a teenager, Pablo puts on his first one-man show at Els Quatre Gats in 1900.
Notice young Picasso’s nearly perfect copy of a portrait of Philip IV by an earlier Spanish master, Diego Velázquez. Near the end of the museum, we’ll see a much older Picasso—now confident with his boldly idiosyncratic style—riffing on another Velázquez painting.
• The next few pieces are displayed in Rooms 5, 6, and 7.
Paris (1900-1901): In 1900 Picasso makes his first trip to Paris, a city bursting with life, light, and love. Dropping the paternal surname Ruiz, Pablo establishes his commercial brand name: “Picasso.” Here the explorer Picasso goes bohemian and befriends poets, prostitutes, and artists. 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 Wait (Margot), the subject—with her bold outline and strong gaze—pops out from the vivid, mosaic-like background.
• Turn right into the hall, then—farther along—right again, to find Rooms 8 and 9.
Blue Period (1901-1904): Picasso continues traveling to Paris. But the bleak weather, the suicide of his best friend, and his own poverty lead Picasso to abandon jewel-bright color for his Blue Period. He cranks out stacks of blue art just to stay housed and fed. With blue backgrounds (the coldest color) and depressing subjects, this period was revolutionary in art history. Now the artist is painting not what he sees, but what he feels. Just off of Room 8, look for the touching portrait of a mother and child, Motherhood (this very fragile pastel 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 (in the main part of Room 8). The painting is still blue, but here we see proto-Cubism...five years before the first real Cubist painting.
• Just off of Room 8, we get a hint of Picasso’s...
Rose Period (1904-1907): 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. For a fine example, see the portrait of a woman wearing a classic Spanish mantilla (Portrait of Bernadetta Bianco). Its soft pink and reddish tones are the colors of flesh and sensuality.
• Move into Rooms 9-11.
Barcelona (1917): Picasso spent six months back in Barcelona in 1917 (his girlfriend, a Russian dancer with the Ballets Russes, 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; more on this below), but he also continues to play with other styles. In Woman with Mantilla (Room 9), 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).
Pablo’s role in the invention of the revolutionary Cubist style is well known—at least I hope so, since this museum has no true Cubist paintings. A Cubist work gives not only the basics of a subject—it shows every aspect of it simultaneously. 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 focuses on Picasso’s early years. As a result, it has very little from the most famous and prolific “middle” part of his career—basically, from Picasso’s invention of Cubism to his sunset years on the French Riviera. Skip ahead more than 30 years and into Rooms 12-14 (at the end of the main hallway on the right).
Picasso and Velázquez (1957): This series of rooms relates to what many consider the greatest painting by anyone, ever: Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas (the original is displayed in Madrid’s Prado Museum). Heralded as the first completely realistic painting, Las Meninas became an obsession for Picasso centuries later.
Picasso, who had great respect for Velázquez, painted more than 50 interpretations of this piece. These two Spanish geniuses were artistic equals. Picasso seems to enjoy a relationship with Velázquez. Like artistic soul mates, they spar and tease. He deconstructs Velázquez and then injects light, color, and perspective to horse around with the earlier masterpiece. In the big black-and-white canvas, the king and queen (reflected in the mirror in the back of the room) are hardly seen, while the self-portrait of 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. Browse the various studies, a playground of color and perspective. See the fun Picasso had playing paddleball with Velázquez’s tour de force—filtering Velázquez’s realism through the kaleidoscope of Cubism.
• Head back down the hall and turn right, through the ceramics area (Room 16), to find a flock of carefree white birds in Room 15.
The French Riviera: The Spaniard spends the last 36 years of his life living simply in the south of France. Picasso said many times that “Paintings are like windows open to the world.” We see his sunny Riviera world: With simple black outlines and Crayola colors, Picasso paints sun-splashed nature, peaceful doves, and the joys of the beach. He dabbles in the timeless art of ceramics, shaping bowls and vases into fun animals decorated with simple, playful designs. He’s enjoying life. Portraits of his second (and much younger) wife, Jacqueline Roque, hang at each end of Room 15.
Picasso died with brush in hand, still growing. Sadly, since Picasso vowed never to set foot in a fascist, Franco-ruled Spain, the artist 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 and finished in 1908, features an unexceptional exterior but boasts my favorite Modernista interior in town (by Lluís Domènech i Montaner). Its inviting arches lead you into the 2,138-seat hall (accessible only with a tour). 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 over-focus on Gaudí as “Mr. Modernisme.”
Cost and Hours: €17, 50-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 4-6, Metro: Urquinaona, tel. 902-442-882, www.palaumusica.cat.
Advance Reservations Required: You must buy your ticket in advance to get a spot on an English guided tour (tickets available up to 4 months in advance—ideally buy yours at least 2 days before, though they’re sometimes available the same day or day before—especially Oct-March). You can buy the ticket in person at the concert hall box office (less than a 10-minute walk from the cathedral or Picasso Museum, open daily 9:30-15:30); by phone with your credit card (no extra charge, tel. 902-475-485); or online at the concert hall website (€1 fee, www.palaumusica.cat).
Concerts: The other way to see the hall is by attending a concert (300 per year, €22-49 tickets, see website for details, box office tel. 902-442-882).
This eye-catching market hall was built on the ruins of an old 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 far corner 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.
Cost and Hours: Free, Mon 7:30-14:00, Tue-Wed and Sat 7:30-15:30, Thu-Fri 7:30-20:30, 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.
Cost and Hours: Free except from 13:30-16:30, when it costs €3; open daily 8:00-13:30 & 17:00-19:30; €5 guided rooftop tours in summer, English tours on the hour Mon-Fri 13:00-19:00, Sat-Sun at 11:00 and 12:00; Plaça Santa Maria, Metro: Jaume I, tel. 933-435-633, www.stamariadelmar.org.
Visiting the Church: Before entering, look at the figures on the front door. These represent the bastaixos who hauled the stone used to build the church all the way from Montjuïc quarries.
Step inside, to the largely unadorned Gothic space. It used to be more highly decorated with Baroque frills. But during the civil war (1936-1939), the Catholic Church sided with the conservative forces of Franco against the people. In retaliation, the working class took their anger out on this church, burning all of its wood furnishings and decor (carbon still blackens the ceiling).
Today the church remains stripped down—naked in all its Gothic glory. This is where shipwrights and merchants came to worship. The tree-like columns inspired Gaudí (their influence on the columns inside his Sagrada Família church is obvious). Sixteenth-century sailors left models of their ships at the foot of the altar for Mary’s protection. Even today a classic old Catalan ship remains at Mary’s feet. As within Barcelona’s cathedral, here you can see the characteristic Catalan Gothic buttresses flying inward, defining the chapels that ring the nave. Brilliant stained glass—most notably the rose window over the main entry—floods the interior with soft light.
Nearby: 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.
This long boulevard is the neighborhood center. Formerly a jousting square (as its Roman circus-esque shape indicates), it got its name, “El Born,” from an old Catalan word for “tournament” (the name was eventually given to the entire neighborhood). These days, Passeig del Born is a popular springboard for exploring tapas bars, fun restaurants, and nightspots in the narrow streets all around. Wandering around here at night, you’ll find piles of inviting and intriguing little restaurants (I’ve listed my favorites on here). At the far end of Passeig del Born is the vast-but-vacant, steel-frame, 19th-century El Born Market, which served as the city’s main produce market hall until 1971, when it was relocated to the suburbs. Plans are under way to convert the market hall into a cultural center and museum.
You’ll also find great shopping near this strip—be sure to venture up Carrer dels Flassaders (funky shops, to the left as you face the old market hall) and down Carrer del Rec (fashionable boutiques, to the right as you face the market). For more tips, see “Shopping in Barcelona,” later.
This museum, only a couple of blocks from the Picasso Museum (and near Citadel Park—see listing, later), is fun for chocolate lovers. Operated by the local confectioners’ guild, it tells the story of chocolate from Aztecs to Europeans via the port of Barcelona, where it was first unloaded and processed. But the history lesson is just an excuse to show off a series of remarkably ornate candy sculptures. These works of edible art—which change every year but often include such Spanish themes as Don Quixote or bullfighting—begin as store-window displays for Easter or Christmas. Once the holiday passes, the confectioners bring the sculptures here to be enjoyed.
Cost and Hours: €4.30, Mon-Sat 10:00-19:00 (until 20:00 mid-June-mid-Sept), Sun 10:00-15:00, Carrer del Comerç 36, Metro: Jaume I, tel. 932-687-878, www.museuxocolata.cat.
(See “Barcelona’s Old City” map, here.)
Barcelona’s medieval shipyard, the best preserved in the entire Mediterranean, is home to an excellent museum. Its permanent collection is closed for renovation (until the fall of 2014), but the museum is hosting a series of worthwhile temporary exhibits during the revamp.
The building’s cavernous halls evoke the 14th-century days when Catalunya was a naval and shipbuilding power, cranking out 30 huge galleys a winter. As in the US today, military and commercial ventures mixed and 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, an impressively huge and richly decorated royal galley remains on display.
Cost and Hours: Museum price depends on exhibits but usually €5, daily 10:00-20:00, last entry 30 minutes before closing, nice café with seating inside or out on the museum courtyard (free to enter), Avinguda de la Drassanes, Metro: Drassanes, tel. 933-429-920, www.mmb.cat.
Nearby: Your ticket also includes entrance to the Santa Eulàlia, an early 20th-century schooner docked just a short walk from the Columbus Monument (€1 for entry without museum visit, April-Oct Tue-Fri and Sun 10:00-20:30, Sat 14:00-20:30, closes at 17:30 in Nov-March, closed Mon year-round). On Saturday mornings, the schooner sets sail around the harbor for three hours—reserve well in advance; spots book up weeks in advance (Sat 10:00-13:00, adult-€12, children 6-14-€6, family rates available, tel. 933-429-920, reserves.mmaritim@diba.cat).
Located where the Ramblas hits the harbor, this 200-foot-tall monument was built for the 1888 world’s fair and commemorates Columbus’ visit to Barcelona following his first trip to America. A tight four-person elevator takes you to a glassed-in observation area at the top for congested but sweeping views—but the elevator is often closed; ask at any TI before making a special trip here to ride it. There is a small and usually uncrowded TI inside the base of the monument.
Cost and Hours: Monument—free and always open; elevator ride-€4, daily May-Oct 8:30-20:30, Nov-April 8:00-20:00.
At the harbor near the Columbus Monument, tourist boats called golondrinas offer two different unguided trips. As Barcelona’s skyline isn’t all that striking from the water, these trips are pretty pointless unless you’d just like to go for a boat ride. The shorter version goes around the harbor in 35 minutes (€7, daily on the hour 11:30-19:00, every 30 minutes mid-June-mid-Sept, may not run Nov-April, tel. 934-423-106, www.lasgolondrinas.com). The longer 1.5-hour trip goes up the coast to the Fòrum complex and back (€14.80, can disembark at Fòrum in summer only, about 7/day, daily 11:30-19:30, shorter hours off-season).
(See “Modernista Sights” map, here.)
In 1888, Barcelona’s biggest, greenest park, originally the site of a much-hated military citadel, was transformed for a Universal Exhibition (world’s fair). The stately Triumphal Arch at the top of the park, celebrating the removal of the citadel, was built as the main entrance. Inside you’ll find wide pathways, plenty of trees and grass, a zoo, and museums of geology and zoology. Barcelona, one of Europe’s most densely populated cities, suffers from a lack of real green space. This park is a haven and is especially enjoyable on weekends, when it teems with happy families. Enjoy the ornamental fountain that the young Antoni Gaudí helped design, and consider a jaunt in a rental rowboat on the lake in the center of the park. Check out the tropical Umbracle greenhouse and the Hivernacle winter garden, which has a pleasant café-bar (Mon-Sat 10:00-14:00 & 17:00-20:30, Sun 10:30-14:00, shorter hours off-season.
Cost and Hours: Park—free, daily 10:00 until dusk, north of França train station, Metro: Arc de Triomf, Barceloneta, or Ciutadella-Vila Olímpica.
Barcelona has created a summer tourist beach trade by building a huge stretch of beaches east from the town center. Before the 1992 Olympics, this area was an industrial wasteland nicknamed the “Catalan Manchester.” Not anymore. The industrial zone was demolished and dumped into the sea, while sand was dredged out of the seabed to make the pristine beaches locals enjoy today. The scene is great for sunbathing and for an evening paseo before dinner. It’s like a resort island—complete with lounge chairs, volleyball, showers, WCs, bike paths, and inviting beach bars called chiringuitos. Looking out to sea from the beach, you can’t miss the W Hotel, shaped like a windblown sail, dominating a small peninsula—controversial among locals for displacing a popular nude beach.
Getting There: The Barceloneta Metro stop will leave you blocks from the sand. To get to the beaches without a hike, take the bus. From the Ramblas, bus #59 will get you as far as Barceloneta Park. To reach the more-distant beaches, catch bus #41 in Plaça de Catalunya, which skirts Citadel Park before heading toward the water.
Biking the Beach: For a break from the city, rent a bike (in El Born, Citadel Park, or Barceloneta—for details, see here) and take the following little ride: Explore Citadel Park, filled with families enjoying a day out (described earlier). Then roll through Barceloneta. This artificial peninsula was once the home of working-class sailors and shippers. From the Barceloneta beach, head north to the Olympic Village, where the former apartments for 13,000 visiting athletes now house permanent residents. The village’s symbol, Frank Gehry’s striking “fish,” shines brightly in the sun. A bustling night scene keeps this stretch of harborfront busy until the wee hours. From here you’ll come to a series of man-made crescent-shaped beaches, each with trendy bars and cafés. If you’re careless or curious (down by Platja de la Mar Bella), you might find yourself pedaling past people working on an all-over tan. In the distance is the huge solar panel marking the site of the Fòrum shopping and convention center.
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 the 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 before sprinkling 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 iron-ic to think that Modernisme was a response to 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.
But Modernisme was not just an architectural style. It was also a way of life and the language of power for the new rich in the 1880s. If you were a wealthy Catalan textile magnate, it was the ultimate status symbol to live the Modernista lifestyle. It’s no accident that Modernista mansions come with big bay windows and outlandish decoration: The people who paid for them wanted both to be seen—and to be recognized for their forward-thinking embrace of the new art.
Underpinning Modernisme was the Catalan cultural revival movement, called the Renaixença. As Europe was waking up to the modern age, downtrodden peoples across Europe—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.