The original 1860 vision for Barcelona’s enlargement would have extended the boulevard called Diagonal right to the sea. Developers finally realized this goal nearly a century and a half later, with the opening of the Fòrum. Go here for a taste of today’s Barcelona: nothing Gothic, nothing quaint, just big and modern—a mall and a convention center. The Fòrum also tries to be an inspiration for environmental engineering. Waste is burned to produce heat. The giant solar panel creates perfectly clean and sustainable energy.
In 2004, Barcelona hosted the “Forum of the Cultures,” an attempt to create a world’s fair that recognized not states, but people. Roma (Gypsies), Basques, Māoris, Native Americans, and Catalans all assembled here in a global celebration of cultural diversity, multiculturalism, peace, and sustainability. The bash for this planet’s “nations without states” was a moderate success, with triennial follow-ups in Mexico in 2007; Chile in 2010; and Naples, Italy, in 2013 (next up: Amman, Jordan in 2016). Local government officials hoped the event—like the city’s many other “expos”—would goose development...and it did. Barcelona now has a modern part of town.
Getting There: You can get out to the Fòrum by bike, bus, or taxi via the long and impressive beach. Or the Metro zips you there in just a few minutes from the center (Fòrum Station).
(See “Modernista Sights” map, here.)
For many visitors, Modernista architecture is Barcelona’s main draw. And one name tops them all: Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926). Barcelona is an architectural scrapbook of Gaudí’s galloping gables and organic curves. A devoted Catalan and Catholic, he immersed himself in each project, often living on-site. At various times, he called Park Güell, La Pedrera, and the Sagrada Família home. For more on Gaudí and some of his contemporaries, see the sidebar above.
I’ve covered the main Gaudí attractions in the order you’d reach them from the harbor to the outskirts—starting along the Ramblas and in the Eixample before heading out to Sagrada Família and Park Güell (farther afield, but worth the trip). And for those who want to visit both of the outlying sights in one trip, I’ve included tips on how to connect them.
Note that two other (non-Gaudí) Modernista works are covered in other sections: Lluís Domènech i Montaner’s Palace of Catalan Music in El Born (see here), and Josep Puig i Cadafalch’s CaixaForum, at the base of Montjuïc (here). For information on even more Modernista sights, you can visit the Plaça de Catalunya TI, where you’ll find a special desk set aside just for Modernisme seekers (see here).
(See “Ramblas Ramble” map, here.)
Just as the Picasso Museum reveals a young genius on the verge of a breakthrough, this early Gaudí building (completed in 1890) shows the architect taking his first tentative steps toward what would become his trademark curvy style. Dark and masculine, with its castle-like rooms, Palau Güell (Catalans pronounce it “gway”) was custom-built to house the Güell clan and gives an insight into Gaudí’s artistic genius. The included 24-stop audioguide provides all the details. Despite the eye-catching roof (visible from the street if you crane your neck), I’d skip Palau Güell if you plan to see the more interesting La Pedrera (described later).
Cost and Hours: €12, includes audioguide, free first Sun of the month, open April-Sept Tue-Sun 10:00-20:00, Oct-March Tue-Sun 10:00-17:30, closed Mon year-round, last entry one hour before closing, a half-block off the Ramblas at Carrer Nou de la Rambla 3-5, Metro: Liceu or Drassanes, tel. 933-173-974, www.palauguell.cat.
Buying Tickets: As with any Gaudí sight, you may encounter lines. Since it’s not possible to reserve tickets in advance, you’ll have to buy them at the ticket window to the left of the entryway, then line up to the right. Each ticket has an entry time, so at busy times you may have to return later, even after buying your ticket.
(See “Barcelona’s Eixample” map, here.)
The Eixample (“Expansion”) was built when a bulging Barcelona burst out of its medieval walls in the mid-19th century. With wide sidewalks, hardy shade trees, chic shops, and plenty of Art Nouveau fun, this carefully planned “new town,” just north of the Old City, has a rigid grid plan cropped back at the corners to create space and lightness at each intersection. Conveniently, all of this new construction provided a generation of Modernista architects with a blank canvas for creating boldly experimental designs.
For the best Eixample example, ramble Rambla de Catalunya (unrelated to the more famous Ramblas) and pass along Passeig de Gràcia. While you could simply walk around and see what Modernista masterpieces you stumble upon, most visitors make a beeline to Gaudí’s La Pedrera (Metro: Diagonal) and the Block of Discord, where three Modernista greats jockey for your attention (Metro: Passeig de Gràcia). By the way, if you’re tempted to snap photos from the middle of the street, be careful—Gaudí died after being struck by a streetcar.
Three colorful Modernista facades compete for your attention along a single block: Casa Lleó Morera, Casa Amatller, and Casa Batlló (the only one you can get inside, pictured at right). All were built by well-known architects at the end of the 19th century. Because the mansions look as though they are trying to outdo each other in creative twists, locals nicknamed the noisy block the “Block of Discord.” You’ll find the houses on Passeig de Gràcia (at the Metro stop of the same name), between Carrer del Consell de Cent and Carrer d’Aragó—three blocks above Plaça de Catalunya and four blocks below La Pedrera.
Casa Lleó Morera (#35): This paella-like mix of styles is the work of the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, who also designed the Palace of Catalan Music (you’ll notice similarities). The lower floors have classical columns and a Greek-temple-like bay window. Farther up are Gothic balconies of rosettes and tracery, while the upper part has faux Moorish stucco work. The whole thing is ornamented with fantastic griffins, angels, and fish. Flanking the third-story windows are figures holding the exciting inventions of the day—the camera, lightbulb, and gramophone—designed to demonstrate just how modern the homeowners were in this age of Modern-isme. Unfortunately, the wonderful interior is closed to the public.
Casa Amatller (#41): Josep Puig i Cadafalch custom-designed this house for the Amatller family. The facade features a creative mix of three of Spain’s historical traditions: Moorish-style pentagram-and-vine designs; Gothic-style tracery, gargoyles, and bay windows; and the step-gable roof from Spain’s Habsburg connection to the Low Countries. Notice the many layers of the letter “A”: The house itself (with its gable) forms an A, as does the decorative frieze over the bay window on the right side of the facade. Within that frieze, you’ll see several more As sprouting from branches (amatller means “almond tree”). The reliefs above the smaller windows show off the hobbies of the Amatller clan: Find the cherubs holding the early box camera, the open book, and the amphora jug (which the family collected). Look through the second-floor bay window to see the corkscrew column. If you want, you can pop inside for a closer look at the elaborate entrance hall.
For another dimension of Modernisme, peek into the ground-floor windows of the Bagues Joieria jewelry shop and notice the slinky pieces by Spanish Art Nouveau jeweler Masriera.
Casa Batlló (#43): The most famous facade on the block, rated ▲, is the green-blue, ceramic-speckled Casa Batlló, designed by Antoni Gaudí, with an interior that’s open to the public. It has tibia-like pillars and skull-like balconies, inspired by the time-tested natural forms that Gaudí knew made the best structural supports. The tiled roof has a soft-ice-cream-cone turret topped with a cross. The humpback roofline suggests a cresting dragon’s back. It’s thought that Gaudí based the work on the popular legend of St. Jordi (George) slaying the dragon. But some see instead a Mardi Gras theme, with mask-like balconies, a colorful confetti-like facade, and the ridge of a harlequin’s hat up top. The inscrutable Gaudí preferred to leave his designs open to interpretation.
While the highlight is the roof, the interior of this Gaudí house is also interesting—and even more over-the-top than La Pedrera’s (described later). Paid for with textile industry money, the house features a funky mushroom-shaped fireplace nook on the main floor, a blue-and-white-ceramic-slathered atrium, and an attic (with more parabolic arches). There’s barely a straight line in the house. You can also get a close-up look at the dragon-inspired rooftop. Because preservation of the place is privately funded, the entrance fee is steep—but it includes a good (if long-winded) audioguide.
Cost and Hours: €20.35, daily 9:00-20:00, may close early for special events—closings posted in advance at entrance, tel. 932-160-306, www.casabatllo.cat. Purchase a ticket online to avoid lines—which are especially fierce in the morning. Your eticket isn’t a timed reservation (it’s good any time), but it will let you skip to the front of the queue.
One of Gaudí’s trademark works, this house—built between 1906 and 1912—is an icon of Modernisme. The wealthy industrialist Pere Milà i Camps commissioned it, and while some still call it “Casa Milà,” most take one look at its jagged, rocky facade and opt for the more colorful nickname, La Pedrera—“The Quarry.” While it’s fun to ogle from the outside, it’s also worth going inside, as it features the city’s purest Gaudí interior. And buying a ticket also gets you access to the delightful rooftop, with its forest of colorfully tiled chimneys (note that the roof may close when it rains).
Cost and Hours: €16.50, good audioguide-€4, daily March-Oct 9:00-20:00, Nov-Feb 9:00-18:30, last entry 30 minutes before closing, at the corner of Passeig de Gràcia and Provença (visitor entrance at Provença 261-265), Metro: Diagonal, info tel. 902-400-973, www.lapedrera.com.
Crowd-Beating Tips: As lines can be long (up to a 1.5-hour wait to get in), it’s best to reserve ahead at www.lapedrera.com (tickets come with an assigned entry time and let you skip the line). If you come without a ticket, the best time to arrive is right when it opens.
Free Entrance to Atrium: For a peek at the interior without paying for a ticket, find the door directly on the corner, which leads to the main atrium. Upstairs on the first floor are temporary exhibits (generally free, open daily 10:00-20:00, may be closed between exhibitions).
Nighttime Visits: The building hosts guided after-hour visits dubbed “The Secret Pedrera.” On this pricey visit, you’ll tour the building with the lights turned down low (€30; English tour offered daily March-Oct at 21:15, but check changeable schedule and offerings online).
Concerts: On summer weekends, La Pedrera has an evening rooftop concert series, “Summer Nights at La Pedrera,” featuring live jazz. In addition to the music, it gives you the chance to see the rooftop illuminated (€27, late June-early Sept Thu-Sat at 22:30, book advance tickets online or by phone, tel. 902-101-212, www.lapedrera.com).
Visiting the House: A visit to La Pedrera covers three sections: the apartment, the attic, and the rooftop. Enter and head upstairs to the apartment. If it’s near closing time, continue up to see the attic and rooftop first to make sure you have enough time to enjoy Gaudí’s works and the views.
The typical bourgeois apartment is decorated as it might have been when the building was first occupied by middle-class urbanites (a seven-minute video explains Barcelona society at the time). Notice Gaudí’s clever use of the atrium to maximize daylight in all of the apartments.
The attic houses a sprawling multimedia exhibit tracing the history of the architect’s career with models, photos, and videos of his work. It’s all displayed under distinctive parabola-shaped arches. While evocative of Gaudí’s style in themselves, the arches are formed this way partly to support the multilevel roof above. This area was also used for ventilation, helping to keep things cool in summer and warm in winter. Tenants had storage spaces and did their laundry up here.
From the attic, a stairway leads to the undulating, jaw-dropping rooftop, where 30 chimneys and ventilation towers play volleyball with the clouds.
Back at the ground level of La Pedrera, poke into the dreamily painted original entrance courtyard.
While the buildings listed earlier are the best Modernista facades in this area, fans of this era may want to seek out a few more examples:
Just around the corner from the Block of Discord, at Carrer d’Aragó 255, the Fundació Antoni Tàpies, dedicated to a 20th-century abstract artist from Barcelona, is housed in a Lluís Domènech i Montaner-designed building that sums up the Modernist credo. Constructed of modern brick, iron, and glass, it’s decorated with playful motifs and is spacious, functional, and full of light inside. The actual museum collection is worthwhile only for Tàpies fans (€7, Tue-Sun 10:00-19:00, closed Mon, www.fundaciotapies.org).
The Hotel Casa Fuster is another fine Modernista building by Lluís Domènech i Montaner (directly across the boulevard called Diagonal from the top of Passeig de Gràcia, at the far end of the small park, Passeig de Gràcia 132).
Nearby are two works by Josep Puig i Cadafalch (a few blocks east from the top of Passeig de Gràcia on Diagonal). Palau Baró de Quadras (at #373, on the right) today houses Casa Àsia. Another block and a half down is the distinctively turreted Casa Terrades—better known as Casa de les Punxes (“House of Spikes,” at #416, on the left).
Architect Antoni Gaudí’s most famous and awe-inspiring work is this unfinished, super-sized church. With its cake-in-the-rain facade and otherworldly spires, the church is not only an icon of Barcelona and its trademark Modernista style, but also a symbol of this period’s greatest practitioner. As an architect, Gaudí’s foundations were classics, nature, and religion. The church represents all three.
Gaudí labored on the Sagrada Família for 43 years, from 1883 until his death in 1926. Nearly a century after his death, people continue to toil to bring Gaudí’s designs to life. There’s something powerful about a community of committed people with a vision, working on a church that won’t be finished in their lifetime—as was standard in the Gothic age. The progress of this remarkable building is a testament to the generations of architects, sculptors, stonecutters, fund-raisers, and donors who’ve been caught up in the audacity of Gaudí’s astonishing vision. After paying the steep admission price (becoming a partner in this building project), you will actually feel good. If there’s any building on earth I’d like to see, it’s the Sagrada Família...finished.
Cost and Hours: Church-€13.50, tower elevators-€4.50 each, €17 combo-ticket also includes Gaudí House and Museum at Park Güell (see here), daily April-Sept 9:00-20:00, Oct-March 9:00-18:00, last entry 15 minutes before closing, Metro: Sagrada Família, exit toward Plaça de la Sagrada Família, tel. 932-073-031, www.sagradafamilia.cat.
Getting There: The Sagrada Família Metro stop puts you right on the doorstep: Exit toward Plaça de la Sagrada Família. The ticket windows and entrance for individuals (not groups) are on the west side of the church (at the Passion Facade). Inviting parks flank the building, facing the two completed facades.
Crowd-Beating Tips: The ticket windows and entrance for individuals are on the west side of the church, at the Passion Facade. Though the line can seem long (often curving around the block), it generally moves quickly; you can ask for an estimate from the guards at the front of the line. Still, waits can be up to 45 minutes at peak times (most crowded in the morning). To minimize your wait, arrive right at 9:00 (when it opens) or after 16:00. To skip the line, buy advance tickets, take a tour, or hire a private guide.
Advance Tickets: To avoid the ticket-buying line, reserve an entry time and buy tickets in advance (€1.30 booking fee). The easiest option is to book online at www.sagradafamilia.cat, which allows you to print tickets at home or collect them from any ServiCaixi ATM terminal in Barcelona. You can also purchase tickets—even for same-day entry—directly from ServiCaixa ATMs. These special ATMs are found at some La Caixa bank branches in the city—including on Plaça de Catalunya and just across the street from the church (to the left as you face the ticket windows—but this machine gets hard use and is often out of order). Start the ATM transaction by selecting “Event Tickets/Entradas Espectáculos” at the top of the screen. (The initial instructions may be in Spanish, but English-only users can figure it out.)
With prepurchased tickets, head straight for the “online ticket office” window, to the right of the main ticket line, and show your ticket to the guard.
Tours: The 50-minute English tours (€4.50) run May-Oct daily at 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, and 15:00; Nov-April Mon-Fri at 11:00, 13:00, and 15:00, Sat-Sun at 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, and 15:00. Or rent the good 1.5-hour audioguide (€4.50). Good English information is posted throughout.
Tower Elevators: Two different elevators (€4.50 each, pay at main ticket office, each ticket comes with an entry time) take you partway up the towers for a great view of the city and a gargoyle’seye perspective of the loopy church.
The easier option is the Passion Facade elevator, which takes you 215 feet up and down. If you want, you can climb higher, but expect the spiral stairs to be tight, hot, and congested.
The Nativity Facade elevator is more exciting and demanding. You’ll get the opportunity to cross the dizzying bridge between the towers, but you’ll need to take the stairs all the way down.
Construction Update: Since Gaudí’s death in 1926, construction has moved forward in fits and starts, though much progress was made in recent decades, thanks to Barcelona’s 1992 Olympics renaissance, the ensuing rediscovery of the genius of Gaudí, and advances in technology. In 2010, the main nave was finished enough to host a consecration Mass by the pope (as a Catholic church, it is used for services, though irregularly). As I stepped inside on my last visit, the brilliance of Gaudí’s vision for the interior was apparent.
The main challenges today: Ensure that construction can withstand the vibrations caused by the speedy AVE trains rumbling underfoot, construct the tallest church spire ever built, and find a way to buy out the people who own the condos in front of the planned Glory Facade so that Gaudí’s vision of a grand esplanade approaching the church can be realized. The goal, which seems overly optimistic but tantalizing nonetheless, is to finish the church by the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death, in 2026.
(See “Sagrada Família” map, here.)
Self-Guided Tour: Start at the ticket entrance (at the Passion Facade) on the western side of the church. The view is best from the park across the street. Before heading to the ticket booth, take in the...
Exterior: Stand and imagine how grand this church will be when completed. The four 330-foot spires topped with crosses are just a fraction of this mega-church. When finished, the church will have 18 spires. Four will stand at each of the three entrances. Rising above those will be four taller towers, dedicated to the four Evangelists. A tower dedicated to Mary will rise still higher—400 feet. And in the very center of the complex will stand the grand 560-foot Jesus tower, topped with a cross that will shine like a spiritual lighthouse, visible even from out at sea.
The Passion Facade that tourists enter today is only a side entrance to the church. The grand main entrance will be around to the right. That means that the nine-story apartment building will eventually have to be torn down to accommodate it. The three facades—Nativity, Passion, and Glory—will chronicle Christ’s life from birth to death to resurrection. Inside and out, a goal of the church is to bring the lessons of the Bible to the world. Despite his boldly modern architectural vision, Gaudí was fundamentally traditional and deeply religious. He designed the Sagrada Família to be a bastion of solid Christian values in the midst of what was a humble workers’ colony in a fast-changing city.
When Gaudí died, only one section (on the Nativity Facade) had been completed. The rest of the church has been inspired by Gaudí’s long-range vision, but designed and executed by others. This artistic freedom was amplified in 1936, when civil war shelling burned many of Gaudí’s blueprints. Supporters of the ongoing work insist that Gaudí, who enjoyed saying, “My client [God] is not in a hurry,” knew he wouldn’t live to complete the church and recognized that later architects and artists would rely on their own muses for inspiration. Detractors maintain that the church’s design is a uniquely, intensely personal one and that it’s folly (if not disrespectful) for anyone to try to guess what Gaudí would have intended. Studying the various plans and models in the museum below the church, it’s clear that Gaudí’s plan evolved dramatically the longer he worked. Is it appropriate to keep implementing a century-old vision that can no longer be modified by its creator? Discuss.
• Pass through the ticket entrance into the complex, approaching closer to the...
Passion Facade: Judge for yourself how well Gaudí’s original vision has been carried out by later artists. The Passion Facade’s four spires were designed by Gaudí and completed (quite faithfully) in 1976. But the lower part was only inspired by Gaudí’s designs. The stark sculptures were interpreted freely (and controversially) by Josep Maria Subirachs (b. 1927), who completed the work in 2005.
Subirachs tells the story of Christ’s torture and execution. The various scenes—Last Supper, betrayal, whipping, and so on—zigzag up from bottom to top, culminating in Christ’s crucifixion over the doorway. The style is severe and unadorned, quite different from Gaudí’s signature playfulness. But the bone-like archways are closely based on Gaudí’s original designs. And Gaudí had made it clear that this facade should be grim and terrifying.
The facade is full of symbolism. A stylized Alpha-and-Omega is over the door (which faces the setting sun). Jesus, hanging on the cross, has hair made of an open book, symbolizing the word of God. To the left of the door, there’s a grid of numbers, always adding up to 33—Jesus’ age at the time of his death. The distinct face of the man below and just left of Christ is a memorial to Gaudí. Now look high above: The two-ton figure suspended between the towers is the soul of Jesus, ascending to heaven.
• Enter the church. As you pass through the 
Atrium, look down at the fine porphyry floor (with scenes of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem), and look right to see one of the elevators up to the towers. For now, continue into the...
Interior: Typical of even the most traditional Catalan and Spanish churches, the floor plan is in the shape of a Latin cross, 300 feet long and 200 feet wide. Ultimately, the church will encompass 48,000 square feet, accommodating 8,000 worshippers. The nave’s roof is 150 feet high. The crisscross arches of the ceiling (the vaults) show off Gaudí’s distinctive engineering. The church’s roof and flooring were only completed in 2010—just in time for Pope Benedict XVI to arrive and consecrate the church.
Part of Gaudí’s religious vision was a love for nature. He said, “Nothing is invented; it’s written in nature.” Like the trunks of trees, these columns (56 in all) blossom with life, complete with branches, leaves, and knot-like capitals. The columns are a variety of colors—brown clay, gray granite, dark-gray basalt. The taller columns are 72 feet tall; the shorter ones are exactly half that.
The angled columns form many arches. You’ll see both parabolas (U-shaped) and hyperbolas (flatter, elliptical shapes). Gaudí’s starting point was the Gothic pointed arch used in medieval churches. But he tweaked it after meticulous study of which arches are best at bearing weight.
Little windows let light filter in like the canopy of a rainforest, giving both privacy and an intimate connection with God. The clear glass is temporary and will gradually be replaced by stained glass. As more and more stained glass is installed, splashes of color will breathe even more life into this amazing space. Gaudí envisioned an awe-inspiring canopy with a symphony of colored light to encourage a contemplative mood.
High up at the back half of the church, the U-shaped choir—suspended above the nave—can seat 1,000. The singers will eventually be backed by four organs (there’s one now).
Work your way up the grand nave, walking through this forest of massive columns. At the center of the church stand four red porphyry columns, each marked with an Evangelist’s symbol and name in Catalan: angel (Mateu), lion (Marc), bull (Luc), and eagle (Joan). These columns support a ceiling vault that’s 200 feet high—and eventually will also support the central steeple, the 560-foot Jesus tower with the shining cross. The steeple will be further supported by four underground pylons, each consisting of 8,000 tons of cement. It will be the tallest church steeple in the world, though still a few feet shorter than the city’s highest point at the summit of Montjuïc hill, as Gaudí believed that a creation of man should not attempt to eclipse the creation of God.
Stroll behind the altar through the ambulatory to reach a small chapel set aside for prayer and meditation. Look through windows down at the crypt (which holds the tomb of Gaudí). Peering down into that surprisingly traditional space, imagine how the church was started as a fairly conventional, 19th-century Neo-Gothic building until Gaudí was given the responsibility to finish it.
• Head to the far end of the church, to what will eventually be the main entrance. Just inside the door, find the bronze model of the eventual floor plan of the completed church. Facing the doors, look high up to see Subirachs’ statue of one of Barcelona’s patron saints, Jordi. Go through the doors to imagine what will someday be the...
Glory Facade: As you exit, study the fine bronze door, emblazoned with the Lord’s Prayer in Catalan, surrounded by “Give us this day our daily bread” in 50 languages. Once outside, you’ll be face-to-face with...drab, doomed apartment blocks. In the 1950s, the mayor of Barcelona, figuring this day would never really come, sold the land destined for the church project. Now the city must buy back these buildings in order to complete Gaudí’s vision: that of a grand esplanade leading to this main entry. Four towers will rise up. The facade’s sculpture will represent how the soul passes through death, faces the Last Judgment, avoids the pitfalls of hell, and finds its way to eternal glory with God. Gaudí purposely left the facade’s design open for later architects—stay tuned.
• Re-enter the church, backtrack up the nave, and exit through the right transept. Once outside, back up as far as you can to take in the...
Nativity Facade: This is the only part of the church essentially finished in Gaudí’s lifetime. The four spires decorated with his unmistakably nonlinear sculpture mark this facade as part of his original design. Mixing Gothic-style symbolism, images from nature, and Modernista asymmetry, the Nativity Facade is the best example of Gaudí’s original vision, and it established the template for future architects.
The theme of this facade, which faces the rising sun, is Christ’s birth. A statue above the doorway shows Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus in the manger, while curious cows peek in. It’s the Holy Family—or “Sagrada Família”—to whom this church is dedicated. Flanking the doorway are the three Magi and adoring shepherds. Other statues show Jesus as a young carpenter and angels playing musical instruments. Higher up on the facade, in the arched niche, Jesus crowns Mary triumphantly.
The facade is all about birth and new life, from the dovecovered Tree of Life on top to the turtles at the base of the columns flanking the entrance. At the bottom of the Tree of Life is a white pelican. Because it was believed that this noble bird would kill itself to feed its young, it was often used in the Middle Ages as a symbol for the self-sacrifice of Jesus. The chameleon gargoyles at the outer corners of the facade (just above door level) represent the changeability of life. It’s as playful as the Passion Facade is grim. Gaudí’s plans were for this facade to be painted. Cleverly, this attractive facade was built and finished first to bring in financial support for the project.
The four spires are dedicated to Apostles, and they repeatedly bear the word “Sanctus,” or holy. Their colorful ceramic caps symbolize the miters (formal hats) of bishops. The shorter spires (to the left) symbolize the Eucharist (communion), alternating between a chalice with grapes and a communion host with wheat.
To the left of the facade is one section of the cloister. Whereas most medieval churches have their cloisters attached to one side of the building, the Sagrada Família’s cloister will wrap around the church, more than 400 yards long.
• Notice the second elevator up to the towers. But for now, head down the ramp to the left of the facade, where you’ll find WCs and the entrance to the...
Museum: Housed in what will someday be the church’s crypt, the museum displays Gaudí’s original models and drawings, and chronicles the progress of construction over the last 130 years. Wander among the plaster models used for the church’s construction, including a model of the nave so big you walk beneath it. The models make clear the influence of nature. The columns seem light, with branches springing forth and capitals that look like palm trees. You’ll notice that the models don’t always match the finished product—these are ideas, not blueprints set in stone. The Passion Facade model (near the entrance) shows Gaudí’s original vision, with which Subirachs tinkered very freely (see here).
Turn up the main hallway. On the left you can peek into a busy workshop still used for making the same kind of plaster models Gaudí used to envision the final product in 3-D. Farther along, a small hallway on the right leads to some original Gaudí architectural sketches in a dimly lit room and a worthwhile 20-minute movie (generally shown in English at :50 past each hour).
From the end of this hall, you have another opportunity to look down into the crypt and at Gaudí’s tomb. Gaudí lived on the site for more than a decade and is buried in the Neo-Gothic 19th-century crypt. There’s a move afoot to make Gaudí a saint. Perhaps someday his tomb will be a place of pilgrimage.
Back in the main hallway, on the right is the intriguing “Hanging Model” for Gaudí’s unfinished Church of Colònia Güell (in a suburb of Barcelona), featuring a similar design to the Sagrada Família. The model illustrates how the architect used gravity to calculate the arches that support the church. Wires dangle like suspended chains, forming perfect hyperbolic arches. Attached to these are bags, representing the weight the arches must support. Flip these arches over, and they can bear the heavy weight of the roof. The mirror above the model shows how the right-side-up church is derived from this. Across the hall is a small exhibit commemorating Pope Benedict XVI’s 2010 consecration visit.
After passing some original sculptures from the Glory Facade (on the right) and continuing beneath a huge plaster model, turn right to find three different visions for this church. Notice how the arches evolved as Gaudí tinkered, from the original, pointy Neo-Gothic arches, to parabolic ones, to the hyperbolic ones he eventually settled on. Also in this hall are replicas of the pulpit and confessional that Gaudí, the micromanager, designed for his church. Before exiting at the far end of the hall, scan the photos (including one of the master himself) and timeline illustrating how construction work has progressed from Gaudí’s day to now.
• You’ll exit near where you started, at the Passion Facade.
School: The small building outside the Passion Facade was a school Gaudí erected for the children of the workers building the church. Today it includes more exhibits about the design and engineering of the church, along with a classroom and a replica of Gaudí’s desk as it was the day he died. Pause for a moment to pay homage to the man who made all this possible. Gaudí—a faithful Catholic whose medieval-style mysticism belied his Modernista architecture career—was certainly driven to greatness by his passion for God.
• Our tour is over. From here, you have several options.
Return to Central Barcelona: You can either hop on the Metro or take one of two handy buses (both stop on Carrer de Mallorca, directly in front of the Glory Facade). Bus #19 takes you back to the Old City in 15 minutes, stopping near the cathedral and in the El Born district. Bus #50 goes from the Sagrada Família to the heart of the Eixample (corner of Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes and Passeig de Gràcia), then continues on to Plaça Espanya and up Montjuïc (but only as far as the cable-car station/funicular; see “Getting to Montjuïc” on here).
Visit Park Güell: Gaudí’s colorful park (described next) sits nearly two (uphill) miles to the northwest. By far the easiest way to get there is to spring for a taxi (around €10-12). But if you prefer public transportation and don’t mind a little walking, here’s a scenic way to get there that also takes you past another, often overlooked Modernista masterpiece: With the Nativity Facade at your back, walk to the near-left corner of the park across the street. Then cross the street to reach the diagonal Avinguda de Gaudí (between the Repsol gas station and the KFC). Follow the funky lampposts four blocks gradually uphill (about 10 minutes) along Avinguda de Gaudí, a pleasantly shaded, café-lined pedestrian street. Soon you reach the striking Modernista-style Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, designed by top architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner (for more on him, see here). Cross the street and go up one block (left) on Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret to catch bus #92, which will take you to the side entrance of Park Güell.
Gaudí fans enjoy the artist’s magic in this colorful park, located on the outskirts of town. While it takes a bit of effort to get here, Park Güell (Catalans pronounce it “gway”) offers a unique look at Gaudí’s style in a natural rather than urban context. Designed as an upscale housing development for early-20th-century urbanites, the park’s Monumental Zone is home to some of Barcelona’s most famous symbols, including a whimsical staircase guarded by a dragon and a wavy bench with a view—all of it slathered with fragments of vivid tile. It also features a panoramic terrace supported by a forest of columns. Even without its Gaudí connection, Park Güell is simply a fine place to enjoy a break from a busy city, where green space is relatively rare.
Cost and Hours: Park—free, Monumental Zone—€8, €7 in advance, ticket reserves entry at specific time and date, best to buy tickets in advance; daily 10:00-20:00, tel. 932-130-488, www.parkguell.cat; Gaudí House and Museum—€5.50, €17 combo-ticket also includes Sagrada Família, daily April-Sept 10:00-20:00 (until 18:00 Oct-March); La Casa del Guarda—€2, included in Barcelona History Museum ticket (see here), daily April-Sept 10:00-20:00 (until 18:00 Oct-March), tel. 933-190-222.
Getting There: To reach Park Güell—about 2.5 miles north of Plaça de Catalunya—it’s easiest to take a taxi from downtown (around €12). Otherwise, from Plaça de Catalunya public bus #24 goes to the park’s side entrance; the blue Tourist Bus stops two blocks below the park’s main entrance (at the intersection of Carrer Larrard and Travessera de Dalt). Or you can ride the Metro to Joanic, exit toward Carrer de l’Escorial, and find the bus stop in front of #20, where you can catch bus #116 to the park’s main entrance. For ideas on linking Sagrada Família to Park Güell, see opposite page.
Visiting the Park: This tour assumes you’re arriving at the front/main entrance and visiting the Monumental Zone. As you wander the park, imagine living here a century ago—if this gated community had succeeded and was filled with Barcelona’s wealthy.
Front Entrance: Entering the park, you walk by Gaudí’s wrought-iron gas lamps (1900-1914). His dad was a blacksmith, and he always enjoyed this medium. Two gate houses made of gingerbread flank the entrance. One houses a good bookshop; the other is home to the Gaudí-built La Casa del Guarda (dull exhibit, totally skippable). The Gaudí House and Museum, described later, is better.
Stairway and Columns: Climb the grand stairway, past the famous ceramic dragon fountain. At the top, dip into the “Hall of 100 Columns,” designed to house a produce market for the neighborhood’s 60 mansions. The fun columns—each different, made from concrete and rebar, topped with colorful ceramic, and studded with broken bottles and bric-a-brac—add to the market’s vitality.
As you continue up (on the left-hand staircase), look left, down the playful “pathway of columns” that supports a long arcade. Gaudí drew his inspiration from nature, and this arcade is like a surfer’s perfect tube.
Terrace: Once up top, sit on a colorful bench—designed to fit your body ergonomically—and enjoy one of Barcelona’s best views. Look for the Sagrada Família church in the distance. Gaudí was an engineer as well. He designed a water-catchment system by which rain hitting this plaza would flow into and through the columns from the market below, and power the park’s fountains.
When considering the failure of Park Güell as a community development, also consider that it was an idea a hundred years ahead of its time. Back then, high-society ladies didn’t want to live so far from the cultural action. Today, the surrounding neighborhoods are some of the wealthiest in town, and a gated community here would be a big hit.
Gaudí House and Museum: This pink house with a steeple, standing in the middle of the park (near the side entrance), was actually Gaudí’s home for 20 years, until his father died (though Gaudí did not design the actual house). His humble artifacts are mostly gone, but the house is now a museum with some quirky Gaudí furniture and a chance to wander through a model home used to sell the others. Though small, it offers a good taste of what could have been.
Montjuïc (mohn-jew-EEK, “Mount of the Jews”), overlooking Barcelona’s hazy port, has always been a show-off. Ages ago it was capped by an impressive castle. When the Spanish enforced their rule, they built the imposing fortress that you’ll see the shell of today. The hill has also played an integral role in the construction of Barcelona’s great structures—significant parts of the historic city, the cathedral, the Sagrada Família, and much more were all built with stones quarried from Montjuïc.
Montjuïc has also been prominent during the last century. In 1929, it hosted an international fair, from which many of today’s sights originated. And in 1992, the Summer Olympics directed the world’s attention to this pincushion of attractions once again. While Montjuïc lacks any single knockout, must-see sight, it is home to a variety of very good ones, and most visitors should find one or two attractions here to suit their interests. For the majority of travelers, the most worthwhile sights are the Fundació Joan Miró, Catalan Art Museum, and CaixaForum.
Sightseeing Strategies: I’ve listed these sights by altitude, from highest to lowest—from the hill-topping castle down to the 1929 World Expo Fairgrounds at the base of Montjuïc (described in the next section). If you’re visiting all of my listed sights, ride to the top by bus, funicular, or taxi, then visit them in this order so that most of your walking is downhill. However, if you want to visit only the Catalan Art Museum and/or CaixaForum, you can just take the Metro to Plaça d’Espanya and ride the escalators up (with some stair-climbing as well) to those sights.
Getting to Montjuïc: You have several choices. The simplest is to take a taxi directly to your destination (about €7-8 from downtown).
Buses can also take you up to Montjuïc. From Plaça de Catalunya, bus #55 rides as far as Montjuïc’s cable-car station/funicular. If you want to get higher (to the castle), ride the Metro or bus #9 or #50 from Plaça de Catalunya to Plaça d’Espanya, then make the easy transfer to bus #150 to ride all the way up the hill. Alternatively, the red Tourist Bus will get you to the Montjuïc sights.
Another option is by funicular (covered by Metro ticket, every 10 minutes, 7:30-22:00, from 9:00 on Sat-Sun). To reach it, take the Metro to the Paral-lel stop, then follow signs for Parc Montjuïc and the little funicular icon—you can enter the funicular without using another ticket. From the top of the funicular, turn left and walk gently downhill two minutes to the Miró museum, six minutes to the Olympic Stadium, or ten minutes to the Catalan Art Museum. If you’re heading all the way up to the castle, you can catch a bus or cable car from the top of the funicular (see castle listing, later).
For a scenic (if slow) approach to Montjuïc, you could ride the fun circa-1929 Aeri del Port cable car (telefèric) from the tip of the Barceloneta peninsula (across the harbor, near the beach) to the Miramar viewpoint park in Montjuïc. (Another station, right along the port near the Columbus Monument, is currently closed.) Since the cable car is expensive, loads excruciatingly slowly, and goes between two relatively remote parts of town, it’s really not an efficient connection. It’s only worthwhile for its sweeping views over town or if you’d like to, say, cap off your Montjuïc day with some beach time near Barceloneta. From the Barceloneta cable-car station, catch a public bus (#17, #39, or #64) to reach the Barceloneta Metro stop (€11 one-way, €16.50 round-trip, 3/hour, daily 11:00-19:00, until 20:00 June-Sept, closed in high wind, tel. 934-414-820, www.telefericodebarcelona.com).
Getting Around Montjuïc: Up top, it’s easy and fun to walk between the sights—especially downhill. You can also connect the sights using the red Tourist Bus or one of the public buses: Bus #150 does a loop around the hilltop and is the only bus that goes to the castle; on the way up, it stops at or passes near CaixaForum, the Spanish Village, the Catalan Art Museum, Olympic Stadium, Fundació Joan Miró, the lower castle cable-car station/top of the funicular, and finally, the castle. On the downhill run, it loops by Miramar, the cable-car station for Barceloneta. Bus #55 connects only the funicular/cable-car stations, Fundació Joan Miró, and the Catalan Art Museum.
The castle, while just an empty brick-and-concrete shell today, offers great city views from its ramparts...and some poignant history. It was built by the central Spanish government in the 18th century with a Vauban-type star fortress design to keep an eye on Barcelona and stifle citizen revolt. When the 20th-century dictator Franco was in power, the castle was the site of hundreds of political executions. Its military function gone, these days it serves as a park, jogging destination, and host to a popular summer open-air cinema.
Cost and Hours: Free, daily April-Sept 9:00-21:00, Oct-March 9:00-19:00.
Getting There: To spare yourself the hike up to the castle and to see some great views of the city, you can ride bus #150 to the base of the castle, catching it from Plaça d’Espanya, the top of the Montjuïc funicular, or various other points on Montjuïc. Or you can spring for the much pricier cable car (Telefèric de Montjuïc), which departs from near the upper station of the Montjuïc funicular (€7.30 one-way, €10.30 round-trip, daily June-Sept 10:00-21:00, March-May and Oct 10:00-19:00, Nov-Feb 10:00-18:00).
Showcasing the talents of yet another Catalan artist, this museum has the best collection anywhere of art by Joan Miró (ZHOO-ahn mee-ROH, 1893-1983). You’ll also see works by other Modern and contemporary artists. If you don’t like abstract art, you’ll leave here scratching your head. But those who love this place are not faking it...they understand the genius of Miró and the fun of abstract art.
Cost and Hours: €11, great audioguide-€4; July-Sept Tue-Sat 10:00-20:00 (until 19:00 Oct-June), Thu until 21:30, Sun 10:00-14:30; closed Mon year-round, 200 yards from top of funicular, Parc de Montjuïc, tel. 934-439-470, www.fundaciomiro-bcn.org. The museum has a cafeteria, a café, and a bookshop.
Visiting the Museum: The building itself, designed in 1975 by Josep Lluís Sert (a friend of Miró and a student of Le Corbusier), was purpose-built to show off the art of Miró and his contemporaries. Consider renting the wonderful audioguide, well worth the extra charge.
Barcelona-born Joan Miró divided his time between Paris and Catalunya (including Barcelona and his favorite village, Montroig del Camp). As you wander, ponder this: Miró believed that everything in the cosmos is linked—colors, sky, stars, love, time, music, dogs, men, women, dirt, and the void. He mixed simple symbols of these things creatively, as a poet uses words. It’s as liberating for the visual artist to be abstract as it is for the poet: Both can use metaphors rather than being confined to concrete explanations. Miró would listen to music and paint. It’s interactive, free interpretation. He said, “For me, simplicity is freedom.”
Here are some tips to help you enjoy and appreciate Miró’s art: First meditate on it, then read the title (for example, The Smile of a Tear), then meditate on it again. Repeat the process until you have an epiphany. There’s no correct answer—it’s pure poetry. Devotees of Miró say they fly with him and don’t even need drugs. Psychoanalysts liken Miró’s free-for-all canvases to Rorschach tests. Is that a cigar in that star’s mouth?
This museum rides the coattails of the stadium across the street (see next listing). You’ll twist down a timeline-ramp that traces the history of the Olympic Games, interspersed with random exhibits about various sports. Downstairs you’ll find exhibits designed to test your athleticism, a play-by-play rehash of the ’92 Barcelona Olympiad, a commemoration of Juan Antonio Samaranch (the influential Catalan president of the IOC for two decades), a sports media exhibit, and a schmaltzy movie collage. High-tech but hokey, the museum is worth the time and money only for those nostalgic for the ’92 Games.
Cost and Hours: €5.10, April-Sept Tue-Sat 10:00-20:00 (until 18:00 Oct-March), Sun 10:00-14:30, closed Mon year-round, Avinguda de l’Estadi 60, tel. 932-925-379, www.museuolimpicbcn.cat.
Aside from the memories of the medals, Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium, originally built for the 1929 World Expo, offers little to see today. But if the doors are open, you’re welcome to step inside. History panels along the railings overlooking the playing field tell the stadium’s dynamic story and show the place in happier times (filled with fans as Bon Jovi, the Rolling Stones, and Madonna pack the place). The stadium was restored for the 1992 Summer Olympics, which were particularly memorable for the USA’s basketball Dream Team, and as the first Games after the breakups of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union (whose athletes took the field as the “Unified Team”).
Nearby: Hovering over the stadium is the futuristic Montjuïc Communications Tower, designed by prominent Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and used to transmit Olympic highlights and lowlights around the world.
The big vision for this wonderful museum is to showcase Catalan art from the 10th century through about the mid-20th century. Often called “the Prado of Romanesque art” (and “MNAC” for short), it holds Europe’s best collection of Romanesque frescoes. It also offers a particularly good sweep of modern Catalan art—fitting, given Catalunya’s astonishing contribution to the Modern. Art aficionados are sure to find something in this diverse collection to tickle their fancy. It’s all housed in the grand Palau Nacional, an emblematic building of the 1929 International Exhibition, with magnificent views over Barcelona.
Cost and Hours: €12, includes temporary exhibits, ticket valid for two days within one month, free Sat from 15:00 and first Sun of month; audioguide-€3.10; open May-Sept Tue-Sat 10:00-20:00 (until 18:00 Oct-April), Sun 10:00-15:00, closed Mon, last entry 30 minutes before closing; in massive National Palace building above Magic Fountains, near Plaça d’Espanya—take escalators up; tel. 936-220-376, www.mnac.cat.
Visiting the Museum: As you enter, pick up a map. The left wing is Romanesque, and the right wing is Gothic, exquisite Renaissance, and Baroque. Upstairs is more Baroque, plus modern art, photography, coins, and more.
The MNAC’s rare, world-class collection of Romanesque (Romànic) art came mostly from remote Catalan village churches (most of the pieces were moved to the museum in the early 1920s to save them from scavenging art dealers). The Romanesque wing features a remarkable array of 11th- to 13th-century frescoes, painted wooden altar fronts, and ornate statuary. This classic Romanesque art—with flat 2-D scenes, each saint holding his symbol, and Jesus (easy to identify by the cross in his halo)—is impressively displayed on replicas of the original church ceilings and apses.
Across the way, in the Gothic wing, fresco murals give way to vivid 14th-century wood-panel paintings of Bible stories. A roomful of paintings (Room 26) by the Catalan master Jaume Huguet (1412-1492) deserves a look, particularly his Consecration of St. Agustí Vell.
For a break, glide under the huge dome, which once housed an ice-skating rink. This was the prime ceremony room and dance hall for the 1929 World Expo.
From the big ballroom, you can ride the glass elevator upstairs to the Renaissance and Baroque section, covering Spain’s Golden Age (Zurbarán, heavy religious scenes, Spanish royals with their endearing underbites) and Romanticism (dewy-eyed Catalan landscapes). Down on the ground floor are minor works by major—if not necessarily Catalan—names (Velázquez, El Greco, Tintoretto, Rubens, and so on).
Another museum highlight is the Modern section, which takes you on an enjoyable walk from the late 1800s to about 1950. It’s kind of a Catalan Musée d’Orsay, offering a big chronological clockwise circle covering Symbolism, Modernisme, fin de siècle fun, Art Deco, and more. Find the early 20th-century paintings by Catalan artists Santiago Rusiñol and Ramon Casas, both of whom had a profound impact on a young Picasso (and, through him, on all of modern art). Casas was also one of the financiers of Els Quatre Gats, the hangout of Modernista artists (see here); his fun Toulouse-Lautrec-esque works, including a whimsical self-portrait on a tandem bicycle, are crowd-pleasers. Crossing over to the “Modern 2” section, you’ll find furniture (pieces that complement the empty spaces you likely saw in Gaudí’s buildings—including a Gaudí wooden sofa), Impressionism, the shimmering landscapes of Joaquim Mir, and several distinctly Picasso portraits of women.
The museum also has a coin collection, seductive sofas scattered about, the chic and pricey Oleum restaurant (with vast city views), and a comfy outdoor terrace café (serving snacks and more city views).
With the World Expo in 1929, Montjuïc morphed into an extravagant center for fairs, museums, and festivals. Nearly everything you see here dates from 1929 (the exceptions are CaixaForum and the Las Arenas mall). The expo’s theme was to demonstrate how electricity was about more than lightbulbs: Electricity powered the funicular, the glorious expo fountains, the many pavilion displays, and even the flame atop the fountain marking the center of Plaça d’Espanya (and celebrating the electric company that sponsored the show). If Barcelona is known for growing through big events, this certainly is a good example.
Standing at Plaça d’Espanya (or, better yet, on the rooftop terrace of the bullring mall—described later), look through the double-brick-tower gate, down the grand esplanade, and imagine it alive with fountains and lined by proud national pavilions showing off all that was modern in 1929. Today the site is home to the Fira de Barcelona convention center. The Neo-Baroque fountain provides a brilliant centerpiece for Plaça d’Espanya.
Getting There: The fairgrounds sprawl at the base of Montjuïc, from the Catalan Art Museum’s doorstep to Plaça d’Espanya. The easiest option is to see these sights on your way down from Montjuïc. Otherwise, ride the Metro to Espanya, then use the series of stairs and escalators to climb up through the heart of the fairgrounds (eventually reaching the Catalan Art Museum).
Music, colored lights, and huge amounts of water make an artistic and coordinated splash in the evening at Plaça d’Espanya.
Cost and Hours: Free, 20-minute shows start on the half-hour; almost always May-Sept Thu-Sun 21:00-23:30, no shows Mon-Wed; Oct-April Fri-Sat 19:00-21:00, no shows Sun-Thu; these are first and last show times; from the Espanya Metro stop, walk toward the towering National Palace.
The CaixaForum Social and Cultural Center (sponsored by the leading Catalan bank) is housed in one of Barcelona’s most important Art Nouveau buildings. In 1911, Josep Puig i Cadafalch (a top architect often overshadowed by Gaudí) designed the Casaramona textile factory, which showed off Modernista design in an industrial rather than a residential context. It functioned as a factory for less than a decade, then later served a long stint as a police station under Franco. Beautifully refurbished in 2002, the facility reopened as a great center for bringing culture and art to the people of Barcelona for free.
Cost and Hours: Free, Mon-Fri 10:00-20:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-21:00, July-Aug open Wed until 23:00, Avinguda de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia 6-8, tel. 934-768-600, http://obrasocial.lacaixa.es—click on “Culture.”
Visiting the Center: From the lobby, signs point to Sala 2, 3, 4, and 5; each hosts different (and typically outstanding) temporary exhibitions. Ride the escalator to the first floor, which features a modest but interesting exhibit about the history and renovation of the building, including a model and photos. Then head into the appealing red-brick courtyard, from which you can access the various exhibition halls. (The sight features generally limited English descriptions.)
Take the stairs or elevator up to the Modernista Terrace, boasting a wavy floor, bristling with fanciful brick towers, and offering views over the complex and to Montjuïc. Enjoy the genius of Puig i Cadafalch’s Modernista design, which provided state-of-the-art working conditions—natural light, good ventilation, and even two trademark towers filled with water (which could be broken to put out any factory fire). The various buildings (designed to be separate from each other to reduce the risk of fire) were built on terraces to level out the Montjuïc slope. Notice that there’s no smokestack. This was one of the first electric-powered factories in town.
Architecture pilgrims flock to the pavilion that Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed for the German exhibits at the 1929 expo. Even though it was dismantled at the end of the fair, the building was heralded as a seminal example of modern architecture, and in the 1980s, the city of Barcelona reconstructed it on the original site. It’s small and stripped-down—a strictly functional “Modernist” (i.e., decidedly not Modernista) structure. Inside are examples of the Barcelona Chair, a tubular steel and leather-cushioned chair that’s an icon of 20th-century furniture design. This building—staring down the CaixaForum from across the street—is a reminder that even just a couple of decades later, architecture highbrows already considered the over-the-top flourishes of Modernisme passé and overdone, or even embarrassing; Gaudí, Puig i Cadafalch, and company would fall out of fashion until the late 20th century.
Cost and Hours: €5, daily 10:00-20:00, Avinguda de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia 7, tel. 934-234-016, www.miesbcn.com.
This five-acre model village (a long hike up from the main World Expo esplanade; best to take bus #150 up) was built as part of the expo to show off the cultural and architectural diversity in Spain. Replicating traditional architecture from all over the country, the village was mostly a shell to contain gift shops—and today it still serves the same purpose. Craftspeople do their clichéd thing (mostly in the morning), and friendly shopkeepers offer plenty of tasty samples of traditional and local edibles. I think it’s tacky and overpriced, but if you never expect to visit an authentic Spanish village (this place is popular with cruise groups), here’s a pale substitute.
Cost and Hours: €11, €3.50 audioguide explains all the buildings, daily 10:00-20:00 or later, closes earlier off-season, www.poble-espanyol.com.
What do you do with a big bullfighting arena that’s been sitting empty for decades? Make a mall. The grand Neo-Moorish Modernista plaça de toros functioned as an arena for bullfights from around 1900 to 1977, and then reopened in 2011 as a mall. It now hosts everything you’d expect in a modern shopping center: lots of brand-name shops, a food-circus basement, a 12-screen cinema complex, a rock-and-roll museum, and a roof terrace with stupendous views of Plaça d’Espanya and Montjuïc (reachable by external glass elevator for €1 or from inside for free).
The terrace, with some of the best free views in town, is ringed with eateries. From here you get a bird’s-eye perspective of the fairgrounds. In the opposite direction, the park at your feet (called Parc de Joan Miró) includes the giant Miró sculpture Woman and Bird (Dona i Ocell). This was one of three works (along with the mosaic on the Ramblas—see here) that the city commissioned Miró to create in order to welcome visitors. Miró’s sense of humor is evident—if the sculpture seems phallic, keep in mind that the Catalan word for “bird” is also slang for “penis.”
Cost and Hours: Free, daily 10:00-22:00, restaurants serve until 24:00 and later, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 373-385, Metro: Espanya, www.arenasdebarcelona.com.
At the top of Barcelona’s highest peak, you’re offered the city’s oldest amusement park (great for kids). “Tibidabo” comes from the Latin for “to thee I shall give,” the words the devil used when he was tempting Christ. It’s still an enticing offer: Besides the rollicking fun fair, Tibidabo is home to the Neo-Gothic Sacred Heart Church, and—if the weather and air quality are good—almost limitless views of the city and the Mediterranean.
Cost and Hours: €28.50, hours depend on season—generally Wed-Sun from 12:00 in July-Aug, weekends only off-season, tel. 932-117-942, www.tibidabo.cat.
Getting There: From the Plaça de Catalunya Metro station (under Café Zürich), take the L7 (brown) line to the Tibidabo stop (the blue Tourist Bus also goes to the Tibidabo stop). Then take Barcelona’s only remaining tram—Tramvía Blau—from Plaça John F. Kennedy to Plaça Dr. Andreu (€4 one-way, buy tickets on board, 2-4/hour). From there, take the funicular to the top (€7.70, €4.10 if you’re also paying park admission, tel. 906-427-017). A special “Tibibus” (#T2A) runs at 10:30 from Plaça de Catalunya to the park every day that it’s open (€2.95, board in front of Caja Madrid bank).
The home turf of FC Barcelona is a mecca for soccer fans. A tour takes you into the press room, by the box seats, through the trophy room, and past the warm-up bench, ending in a ground-level view of the field and, of course, a big shop to buy all of your official “Barça” gear. You’ll also get to tour a museum tracing the highlights of Barça history, with lots of interactive touch screens and the six championship cups that the team won in a single season (“the sextuple,” 2009-2010)—a feat, they say, that will never be repeated. For more on this team and its significance to Barcelona and Catalunya, see here.
Cost and Hours: €23 for Camp Nou Experience (includes tour and museum); mid-April-early Oct Mon-Sat 10:00-20:00 (until 18:30 rest of year), Sun 10:00-14:30; shorter hours on game days, Metro: Maria Cristina or Collblanc, tel. 902-189-900, www.fcbarcelona.cat.
Barcelona is a fantastic shopping destination, whether you prefer high-end fashion, department stores stocked with everyday European fashions, artisan shops with a centuries-long tradition, or funky little boutiques.
In this very artistic city, consider picking up prints, books, posters, decorative items, or other keepsakes featuring works by your favorite artist (Picasso, Dalí, Miró, Gaudí, etc.). Gift shops at major museums can be entered gratis (such as the Picasso Museum and at Gaudí’s La Pedrera) and are a bonanza for art and design lovers; model-ship builders will be fascinated by the offerings at the Maritime Museum shop.
Foodies might enjoy shopping for local food items—olive oil, wine, spices (such as saffron or sea salts), high-quality canned foods and preserves, dried beans, and so on. Remember, food items must be sealed to make it back through US customs (see here). Cooks can look for Euro-style gadgets at kitchen-supply stores.
In this design-oriented city, home decor shops are abundant and fun to browse, offering a variety of Euro housewares unavailable back home. For something more classic, look for glassware or other items with a dash of Modernista style.
Fashionistas can shop for espadrilles (espadenya in Catalan). These soft-canvas, rope-soled shoes originated as humble Catalan peasant footwear but have become trendy as a lightweight summer shoe. A few shops in Barcelona, such as La Manual Alpargatera (in the Barri Gòtic at 7 Carrer d’Avinyó), still make these the traditional way.
Sports fans love jerseys, scarves, and other gear associated with the wildly popular Barça soccer team.
Stay off of the wide, touristy Carrer de la Portaferrissa between the cathedral and the Ramblas. For a far more colorful route that leads past many fun-to-browse shops, try this: Facing the Roman towers and big BARCINO letters (on Plaça Nova, near the cathedral), turn 90 degrees to the right and head up Carrer de la Palla. At the fork, you can either detour left, down Carrer dels Banys Nous, or head right, continuing along Carrer de la Palla. That street pops you out into the delightful Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol, facing the Church of Santa Maria del Pi (a popular venue for guitar concerts—described later). Jog around the right side of the church, through the cute little Plaça del Pi, and head up Carrer Petritxol. You’ll wind up on Carrer de la Portaferrissa, one block from the Ramblas.
Other Barri Gòtic streets are loaded with fun shopping opportunities. On the other side of the Ramblas (two blocks below Plaça de Catalunya), stroll down skinny Carrer de Bonsuccés (it turns into Carrer d’Elisabets) and poke into the little boutiques along the way (such as the tiny, fashionable clothing store Passé Composé, at #12).
For department and chain stores, simply wander down Avinguda Portal de l’Angel, the street that connects Plaça de Catalunya with the cathedral, at the northern edge of the Barri Gòtic. In a few short blocks, you’ll find the big El Corte Inglés department store, Zara (clothing), and a branch of practically every Spanish chain store.
For a slightly edgier and less touristy shopping experience, head to the El Born neighborhood. The main spines of El Born—Carrer de la Princesa, the perpendicular Carrer de Montcada, and the diagonal Carrer de l’Argenteria—are largely disappointing for shoppers. But if you lose yourself in the smaller back lanes between those arteries, you’ll discover a world of artsy, funky little boutiques. Stroll along Carrer dels Flassaders (which runs behind the Picasso Museum), Carrer dels Banys Vells (between Montcada and l’Argenteria), and Carrer del Rec (just south of Passeig del Born)—and all of the little lanes crossing each of these streets.
This ritzy area is home to many of the city’s top-end shops. In general, you’ll find a lot of big international names along Passeig de Gràcia, the main boulevard that runs north from Plaça de Catalunya to the Gaudí sights—an area fittingly called the Golden Quarter (Quadrat d’Or). Appropriately enough, the “upper end” of Passeig de Gràcia has the fancier shops—Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Escada, Chanel, and so on—while the southern part of the street is relatively “low-end” (Zara, Mango). One block to the west, Rambla de Catalunya holds more local (but still expensive) options for fashion, home decor, jewelry, perfume, and so on. The streets that connect Rambla de Catalunya to Passeig de Gràcia also have some fine shops.
This neighborhood is also home to some fun kitchen stores: Try Gadgets & Cuina (Carrer d’Aragó 249) or Cooking (Carrer de Provença 246).
Like all of Spain, Barcelona is extremely lively after hours. People head out for dinner at 22:00, then bar-hop or simply wander the streets until well after midnight (matinada is the Catalan word for “the wee hours” or “dawn”). Some days, it seems more people are out and about at 2:00 in the morning (party time) than at 2:00 in the afternoon (siesta time). The most “local” thing you can do here after the sun sets is to explore neighborhood watering holes and find your favorite place for a cocktail. I’ve described several parts of town ideally suited to doing just that, along with options for evening sightseeing or catching a musical performance.
Information: The TI hands out a free, monthly, user-friendly Time Out BCN Guide (in English, with descriptions of each day’s main events and websites for getting tickets). The TI’s culture website (barcelonacultura.bcn.cat) is also helpful. The weekly Guía del Ocio, sold at newsstands for €1.20 (or free in some hotel lobbies), is a Spanish-language entertainment listing (with guidelines for English-speakers inside the back cover; also available online at www.guiadelocio.com).
Palau de la Virreina Cultura, an arts-and-culture information office, provides details on Barcelona cultural events—music, opera, and theater (daily 10:00-20:30, Ramblas 99—see map on here, tel. 933-161-000). A ticket desk is next door.
Getting Tickets: Most venues have links to booking engines on their websites. The majority of tickets for Barcelona events are booked through www.ticketmaster.es or www.telentrada.com. You can also get tickets through the box offices in the main El Corte Inglés department store or the giant FNAC electronics store (both on Plaça de Catalunya, extra booking fee), or at the ticket desk in Palau de la Virreina (listed above).
Most Barcelonans’ idea of “nightlife” is bar-hopping with a circle of friends while nibbling tapas and enjoying a variety of drinks. The streets are jammed with people. Here are some top areas.
Passeig del Born, a broad, park-like strip stretching from the Church of Santa Maria del Mar up to the old market hall, is lined with inviting bars and nightspots. The side streets also teem with options. Wander to find your favorite.
Right on Passeig del Born is Miramelindo, a local favorite—mellow yet convivial, with two floors of woody ambience and a minty aura from all those mojitos the bartenders are mashing up (Passeig del Born 15). Palau Dalmases, in the atmospheric courtyard of an old palace, slings cocktails when it’s not hosting flamenco shows. La Vinya del Senyor, one of my recommended eateries, is a fine place for a good glass of wine out on the square in front of the Church of Santa Maria del Mar.
This charmingly trendy square is buried deep in the Barri Gòtic just off the Ramblas. Once seedy, it now bustles with popular bars and restaurants offering inflated prices at inviting outdoor tables. While not a great place to eat (the only one worth seriously considering for a meal is the recommended Les Quinze Nits), this is a great place to sip a before- or after-dinner drink. Ocaña Bar, at #13, has a dilapidated-mod interior, a see-through industrial kitchen, and rickety-chic secondhand tables out on the square (€4-9 tapas, reasonable drinks, open nightly). Or there’s always the student option: Buy a cheap €1 beer from a convenience store (you’ll find several just off the square, including a few along Carrer dels Escudellers, just south of Plaça Reial), then grab a free spot on the square, either at one of the few fixed chairs, perched along the rim of the fountain, or simply leaning up against a palm tree.
Wandering the streets near the square leads to other nightlife options. Carrer de Escudellers is a significantly rougher scene, with a few trendy options mixed in with several sketchy dives. Much closer to the harbor, Carrer de la Mercè, described on here under “Eating in Barcelona,” is a mix of salty sailors’ pubs and more youthful bars. The next street up, Carrer Ample, has a similar scene.
A broad beach stretches for miles from the former fishermen’s quarter at Barceloneta to the Fòrum. Every 100 yards or so is a chiringuito—a shack selling drinks and light snacks. Originally these sold seafood, but now they keep locals and tourists well-lubricated. It’s a very fun, lively scene on a balmy summer evening and a nice way to escape the claustrophobic confines of the city to enjoy some sea air and the day’s final sun rays.
Barceloneta itself has a broad promenade facing the harbor, lined with interchangeable seafood restaurants. But the best beach experience is beyond the tip of Barceloneta. From here, a double-decker boardwalk runs the length of the beach, with a cool walkway up above and a series of fine seafood restaurants with romantic candlelit beachfront seating tucked down below.
A bit farther flung, and more local-feeling because of it, the Gràcia neighborhood sits between the Eixample and Park Güell. Known for its design schools and international art house cinema, the Cines Verdi (www.cines-verdi.com/barcelona), it’s the unpretentious but intellectual corner of town. Though it lacks the twisty-Gothiclanes ambience of the Old City, Gràcia feels more like a small town (which it was, before it was swallowed up by an expanding Barcelona). It’s popular with students (both local and international) and can be a bit rowdy. For the highest concentration of fun, check out Carrer de Verdi, Plaça de la Virreina, Carrer de Torrijos, and Plaça del Sol. The district is even more vibrant in August, when it hosts the Festes de Gràcia, with street music everywhere.
Barcelona’s upscale uptown isn’t quite as lively or funky as some other neighborhoods, but a few streets have some fine watering holes. Walk along the inviting, park-like Rambla de Catalunya, or a couple of blocks over, along Carrer d’Enric Granados and Carrer d’Aribau (near the epicenter of the Eixample’s gay community).
Several seriously classy venues host high-end performances. The Palace of Catalan Music (Palau de la Música Catalana), with one of the finest Modernista interiors in town (see listing on here), offers a full slate of performances, ranging from symphonic to Catalan folk songs to chamber music to flamenco (€22-49 tickets, box office open daily 9:30-21:00, Carrer Palau de la Música 4-6, Metro: Urquinaona, box office tel. 902-442-882, www.palaumusica.cat).
The Liceu Opera House (Gran Teatre del Liceu), right on the heart of the Ramblas, is a pre-Modernista, sumptuous venue for opera, dance, children’s theater, and concerts (tickets from €12, La Rambla 51-59, box office just around the corner at Carrer Sant Pau 1, Metro: Liceu, box office tel. 934-859-913, www.liceubarcelona.cat).
Some of Barcelona’s top sights—including La Pedrera, CaixaForum, and Fundació Joan Miró (all described earlier)—also host good-quality concerts; for details, check their websites.
Two famously Spanish types of music—flamenco and Spanish guitar—have little to do with Barcelona or Catalunya, but are performed to keep visitors happy. If you’re headed for other parts of Spain where these musical forms are more typical (such as Andalucía for flamenco), you may as well wait until you can experience the real deal. But if this is your best chance to see these types of performances, here are some options.
Flamenco: Tarantos, on Plaça Reial in the heart of the Barri Gòtic, puts on cheap, brief (30 minutes), riveting flamenco performances several times nightly. While flamenco is foreign to Catalunya (locals say that it’s like going to see country music in Boston), this is a fun and easy way to enjoy it. Performances are in a touristy little bar/theater with about 50 seats and reliably good-quality performers (€8, nightly at 20:30, 21:30, and 22:30; Plaça Reial 17, tel. 933-191-789, www.masimas.com/en/tarantos). It’s right on Plaça Reial, so it’s easy to drop by and get tickets.
Other options include the pricey Tablao Cordobés on the Ramblas (€42 includes a drink, €77 includes mediocre buffet dinner and better seats, 2-3 performances/day, La Rambla 35, tel. 933-175-711, www.tablaocordobes.com) and Palau Dalmases in the heart of the El Born district (€20 includes a drink, daily at 19:30 and 21:30, in atmospheric old palace courtyard, Carrer de Montcada 20, tel. 933-100-673, www.palaudalmases.com).
For flamenco in a concert-hall setting, try one of the Palace of Catalan Music’s regular performances (see listing earlier, under “Serious Concerts”).
Spanish Guitar: “Masters of Guitar” concerts are offered nearly nightly at 21:00 in the Barri Gòtic’s Church of Santa Maria del Pi (€21 at the door, €3 less if you buy at least 3 hours ahead—look for ticket-sellers in front of church and scattered around town, Plaça del Pi 7; sometimes in Sant Jaume Church instead, Carrer de Ferran 28; tel. 647-514-513, www.maestrosdelaguitarra.com). The same company also does occasional concerts in the Palace of Catalan Music (€28-32).
Book ahead. Barcelona is Spain’s most expensive city. Still, it has reasonably priced rooms. Cheap places are more crowded in summer; fancier business-class hotels fill up in winter and offer discounts on weekends and in summer. When considering relative hotel values, in summer and on weekends you can often get modern comfort in business-class hotels for about the same price (€100) as you’ll pay for ramshackle charm (and only a few minutes’ walk from the Old City action). Most TI branches (including those at Plaça de Catalunya, Plaça de Sant Jaume, and the airport) offer a room-finding service, though it’s cheaper to go direct.
While many of my recommendations are on pedestrian streets, night noise can be a problem (especially in cheap places, which have single-pane windows). For a quiet night, ask for “tranquilo” rather than “con vista.”
These hotels have sliding-glass doors leading to shiny reception areas, air-conditioning, and modern bedrooms. Most are on big streets within two blocks of Barcelona’s exuberant central square, where the Old City meets the Eixample. As business-class hotels, they have hard-to-pin-down prices that fluctuate with demand. I’ve listed the average rate you’ll pay. But in summer and on weekends, supply often far exceeds the demand, and many of these places cut prices to around €100—always check websites for a deal. Most of these are located between two Metro stops: Catalunya and Universitat; if arriving by Aerobus, note that the bus also stops at both places. The last three hotels listed here face a busy street; request a quieter room in back.
$$$ Hotel Catalonia Plaça Catalunya has four stars, an elegant old entryway with a modern reception area, splashy public spaces, slick marble and hardwood floors, 140 comfortable but simple rooms, and a garden courtyard with a pool a world away from the big-city noise. It’s a bit pricey for the quality of the rooms—you’re paying for the posh lobby (Db-€200 but can swing much higher or lower with demand, extra bed-€38, breakfast-€19, air-con, elevator, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, a half-block off Plaça de Catalunya at Carrer de Bergara 11, Metro: Catalunya, tel. 933-015-151, www.hoteles-catalonia.com, catalunya@hoteles-catalonia.es).
$$ Hotel Denit is a small, stylish, 36-room hotel on a pedestrian street two blocks off Plaça de Catalunya. It’s chic, minimalist, and fun: Guidebook tips decorate the halls, and the rooms are sized like T-shirts (“small” Sb-€79-109, “medium” Db-€99-119, “large” Db-€119-144, “XL” Db-€149-164, includes breakfast, air-con, elevator, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, Carrer d’Estruc 24-26, Metro: Catalunya, tel. 935-454-000, www.denit.com, info@denit.com).
$$ Hotel Reding, on a quiet street a 10-minute walk west of the Ramblas and Plaça de Catalunya action, is a slick and sleek place renting 44 mod rooms at a reasonable price (Db-€125—this rate includes breakfast with this book in 2014 but only if you book directly with the hotel—otherwise pay €14 for breakfast, prices go up during trade fairs, extra bed-€38, air-con, elevator, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, Carrer de Gravina 5-7, Metro: Universitat, tel. 934-121-097, www.hotelreding.com, recepcion@hotelreding.com).
$$ Hotel Inglaterra is owned by the same people as Hotel Denit (listed above) but on the other side of Plaça de Catalunya. It has 60 rooms, a more traditional style, a rooftop terrace, and swimming pool (Sb-€119, Db-€125, €30 more for bigger “deluxe” rooms, breakfast included if you book through their website—otherwise it’s €15, air-con, elevator, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, Carrer de Pelai 14, Metro: Universitat, tel. 935-051-100, www.hotel-inglaterra.com, reservas@hotel-inglaterra.com).
$$ Hotel Lleó (YEH-oh) is well-run, with 92 big, bright, and comfortable rooms; a great breakfast room; and a generous lounge (Db-€140-170 but flexes way up with demand, can be cheaper in summer, extra bed-about €30, breakfast-€13, air-con, elevator, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, small rooftop pool, Carrer de Pelai 22, midway between Metros: Universitat and Catalunya, tel. 933-181-312, www.hotel-lleo.com, info@hotel-lleo.com).
$$ Hotel Atlantis is solid, with 50 big, nondescript, modern rooms and fair prices for the location (Sb-€92, Db-€120, Tb-€138, check for deals on website, air-con, elevator, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, Carrer de Pelai 20, midway between Metros: Universitat and Catalunya, tel. 933-189-012, www.hotelatlantis-bcn.com, inf@hotelatlantis-bcn.com).
These places are generally family-run, with ad-lib furnishings, more character, and lower prices.
$$ Hotel Continental Barcelona, in a building overlooking the top of the Ramblas, offers classic, tiny view-balcony opportunities if you don’t mind the noise. Its 39 comfortable but faded rooms come with clashing carpets and wallpaper, and perhaps one too many clever ideas. Choose between your own little Ramblas-view balcony (where you can eat your breakfast) or a quieter back room. J. M.’s (José María’s) free breakfast and all-day snack-and-drink bar are a plus (Sb-€98, Db-€108, twin Db-€118, Db with Ramblas balcony-€128, extra bed-€40/adult or €20/child, 5 percent discount off these rates with this book in 2014 when you book directly with the hotel, includes breakfast, air-con, elevator, quiet terrace, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, Ramblas 138, Metro: Catalunya, tel. 933-012-570, www.hotelcontinental.com, barcelona@hotelcontinental.com).
$$ Hostería Grau is homey, family-run, and newly renovated in an eco-conscious style. Its 24 cheery rooms are a few blocks off the Ramblas in the colorful university district—but double-glazed windows keep it quiet (Db-€110-115, “superior” Db-€120-130, Tb-€135-145, Qb-€160-180, prices can jump during fairs and big events, 5 percent discount off these rates when you book directly with the hotel, breakfast extra, strict cancellation policy, air-con, elevator, some rooms with terrace, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, 200 yards up Carrer dels Tallers from the Ramblas at Ramelleres 27, Metro: Catalunya, tel. 933-018-135, www.hostalgrau.com, reservas@hostalgrau.com, Monica).
$ Hostal el Jardí offers 40 clean, remodeled rooms on a breezy square in the Barri Gòtic. Many of the tight, plain, comfy rooms come with petite balconies (for an extra charge) and enjoy an almost Parisian ambience. It’s a good deal only if you value the quaint-square-with-Barri-Gòtic ambience—you’re definitely paying for the location. Book well in advance, as this family-run place has an avid following (small basic interior Db-€75, nicer interior Db-€90, outer Db with balcony or twin with window-€95, large outer Db with balcony or square-view terrace-€110, no charge for extra bed, breakfast-€6, air-con, elevator, some stairs, free Wi-Fi, halfway between Ramblas and cathedral at Plaça Sant Josep Oriol 1, Metro: Liceu, tel. 933-015-900, www.eljardi-barcelona.com, reservations@eljardi-barcelona.com).
$ Hostal Operaramblas, with 68 plain rooms 20 yards off the Ramblas, is clean, institutional, modern, and a great value. The street can feel a bit seedy at night, but it’s safe, and the hotel is very secure (Sb-€46, Db-€66, book through website and use code “operaramblas” for 10 percent discount, no breakfast but coffee and snack machines in lobby, air-con only in summer, elevator, pay guest computer, free Wi-Fi, Carrer de Sant Pau 20, Metro: Liceu, tel. 933-188-201, www.operaramblas.com, info@operaramblas.com).
These accommodations are buried in Barcelona’s Old City, mostly in the Barri Gòtic. The Catalunya, Liceu, and Jaume I Metro stops flank this tight tangle of lanes; I’ve noted which stop(s) are best for each.
$$$ Hotel Neri is posh, pretentious, and sophisticated, with 22 rooms spliced into the ancient stones of the Barri Gòtic, overlooking an overlooked square (Plaça Sant Felip Neri) a block from the cathedral. It has big flat-screen TVs, pricey modern art on the bedroom walls, dressed-up people in its gourmet restaurant, and stuffy service (Db-€260-300, suites-€320-400, generally cheaper on weekdays, breakfast-€22, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi, rooftop tanning deck, Carrer de Sant Sever 5, Metro: Liceu or Jaume I, tel. 933-040-655, www.hotelneri.com, info@hotelneri.com).
$$$ Hotel Nouvel, in an elegant, Victorian-style building on a handy pedestrian street, is less business-oriented and offers more character than the others listed here. It boasts royal lounges and 78 comfy rooms (Sb-€132, Db-€205, online deals can be much much cheaper, extra bed-€35, includes breakfast, €20 deposit for TV remote, air-con, elevator, guest computer, pay Wi-Fi, Carrer de Santa Anna 20, Metro: Catalunya, tel. 933-018-274, www.hotelnouvel.com, info@hotelnouvel.com).
$$$ NH Hotel Barcelona Centro, with 156 rooms and tasteful chain-hotel predictability, is professional yet friendly, buried in the Barri Gòtic just three blocks off the Ramblas (Db-€160, but rates fluctuate with demand, bigger “superior” rooms on a corner with windows on 2 sides-€25 extra, breakfast-€16, air-con, elevator, pay guest computer, free Wi-Fi, Carrer del Duc 15, Metro: Catalunya or Liceu, tel. 932-703-410, www.nh-hotels.com, barcelonacentro@nh-hotels.com).
$$ Hotel Banys Orientals, a modern, boutique-type place, has a people-to-people ethic and refreshingly straight prices. Its 43 restful rooms are located in the El Born district on a pedestrianized street between the cathedral and Church of Santa Maria del Mar (Sb-€87, Db-€105, breakfast-€10, air-con, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, Carrer de l’Argenteria 37, 50 yards from Metro: Jaume I, tel. 932-688-460, www.hotelbanysorientals.com, reservas@hotelbanysorientals.com). They also run the adjacent, recommended El Senyor Parellada restaurant.
$$ Hotel Racó del Pi, part of the H10 hotel chain, is a quality, professional place with generous public spaces and 37 modern, bright, quiet rooms. It’s located on a wonderful pedestrian street immersed in the Barri Gòtic (Db-often around €130-145, can be as low as €100, cheaper if you book “nonrefundable” room online, breakfast-€10, air-con, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, around the corner from Plaça del Pi at Carrer del Pi 7, 3-minute walk from Metro: Liceu, tel. 933-426-190, www.h10hotels.com, h10.raco.delpi@h10.es).
$$ Hotel Regencia Colón, in a handy location one block in front of the cathedral, offers 50 slightly older but solid, classy, and well-priced rooms (Db-€120-140 but can go higher or lower with demand—check the website for the best rates, extra bed-€37, breakfast-€13, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi, Carrer dels Sagristans 13-17, Metro: Jaume I, tel. 933-189-858, www.hotelregenciacolon.com, info@hotelregenciacolon.com).
$ Hotel Cortés has 44 rooms on a traffic-free shopping street just off Avinguda Portal de l’Angel (between Plaça de Catalunya and the cathedral). It’s a bit sterile and scruffy, but well-priced and wonderfully located. Back rooms overlook an old extra muro cloister, while front rooms face the busy pedestrian drag (Sb-€70, Db-€100, includes breakfast, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi, Carrer de Santa Anna 25, Metro: Catalunya, tel. 933-179-112, www.hotelcortes.com, reservas@hotelcortes.com).
$ Hostal Campi is big, subdued, and ramshackle, but offers simple class. This easygoing old-school spot rents 24 rooms a few doors off the top of the Ramblas (S-€35, D-€60, Ds-€62, Db-€69, T-€78, Tb-€92, no breakfast, lots of stairs with no elevator, guest computer, free Wi-Fi in sitting room and some rooms, Carrer de la Canuda 4, Metro: Catalunya, tel. 933-013-545, www.hostalcampi.com, reservas@hostalcampi.com, Margarita and Nando).
For an uptown, boulevard-like neighborhood, sleep in the Eixample, a 10-minute walk from the Ramblas action (see map on here). Most of these places use the Passeig de Gràcia or Catalunya Metro stops. Because these stations are so huge—especially Passeig de Gràcia, which sprawls underground for a few blocks—study the maps posted in the station to establish which exit you want before surfacing.
$$ Hotel Granvía, filling a palatial 1870s mansion, offers a large, peaceful sun patio and 58 spacious rooms (Sb-€75-185, Db-€90-150, superior Db-€105-225, family room-€120-245, mention Rick Steves to get best available rate, breakfast-€14, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 642, Metro: Passeig de Gràcia, tel. 933-181-900, www.hotelgranvia.com, hgranvia@nnhotels.com).
$$ Hotel Continental Palacete, with 19 small rooms, fills a 100-year-old chandeliered mansion. With flowery wallpaper and ornately gilded stucco, it’s gaudy in the city of Gaudí, but it’s also friendly, quiet, and well-located. Guests have unlimited access to the outdoor terrace and the “cruise-inspired” fruit, veggie, and drink buffet (Sb-€108, Db-€145, €35-45 more for bigger and brighter view rooms, 5 percent discount with this book in 2014 when you book directly with the hotel, extra bed-€55/adult or €40/child, includes breakfast, air-con, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, 2 blocks north of Plaça de Catalunya at corner of Rambla de Catalunya and Carrer de la Diputació, 30 Rambla de Catalunya, Metro: Passeig de Gràcia, tel. 934-457-657, www.hotelcontinental.com, palacete@hotelcontinental.com).
$ Hostal Oliva, run with care by Oliva herself, is a spartan, old-school place with 15 basic, bright, high-ceilinged rooms and no breakfast or public spaces. It’s on the fourth floor of a classic old Eixample building in a perfect location, just a couple of blocks above Plaça de Catalunya (S-€41, D-€71, Db-€91, elevator, free Wi-Fi, corner of Passeig de Gràcia and Carrer de la Diputació, Passeig de Gràcia 32, Metro: Passeig de Gràcia, tel. 934-880-162, www.hostaloliva.com, hostaloliva@lasguias.com).
$ BCN Fashion House B&B is a meditative place with 10 rooms, a peaceful lounge, and a leafy backyard terrace on the first floor of a nondescript old building (S-€36-56, D-€56-83, bigger “veranda” D-€73-93, Db-€90-125, 2-night minimum stay, breakfast-€6, Wi-Fi, between Carrer d’Ausiàs Marc and Ronda de Sant Pere at Carrer del Bruc 13, just steps from Metro: Urquinaona, mobile 637-904-044, www.bcnfashionhouse.com, info@bcnfashionhouse.com).
Equity Point Hostels: Barcelona has a terrific chain of well-run and centrally located hostels (tel. 932-312-045, www.equity-point.com), providing €25-32 dorm beds (prices lower off-season) in 4-to 14-bed coed rooms with €2 sheets and towels, guest computers, free Wi-Fi, included breakfast, lockers (B.Y.O. lock, or buy one there), and plenty of opportunities to meet other backpackers. They’re open 24 hours but aren’t party hostels, so they enforce quiet after 23:00. There are three locations to choose from: the Eixample, Barri Gòtic, or near the beach. $ Centric Point Hostel is a huge place renting 400 cheap beds at what must be the best address in Barcelona (bar, kitchen, Passeig de Gràcia 33—see map on here, Metro: Passeig de Gràcia, tel. 932-151-796, www.centricpointhostel.com). $ Gothic Point Hostel rents 130 beds a block from the Picasso Museum (roof terrace, Carrer Vigatans 5—see map on here, Metro: Jaume I, reception tel. 932-687-808, www.gothicpoint.com). $ Sea Point Hostel has 70 beds on the beach nearby (Plaça del Mar 4—see map on here, Metro: Barceloneta, reception tel. 932-247-075, www.seapointhostel.com).
$ Somnio Hostel, an innovative smaller place run by a pair of American expats, has 26 beds in 10 rooms. Choose between dorms and private rooms (bunk in 6-bed dorm-€30, S-€50, D-€87, Db-€95; prices include sheets, towels, and lockers; air-con, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, Carrer de la Diputació 251, second floor, Metro: Passeig de Gràcia, tel. 932-725-308, www.somniohostels.com, info@somniohostels.com). They have a second location that’s five blocks farther out.
$$ Cross-Pollinate is a reputable online booking agency representing B&Bs and apartments in a handful of European cities, including Barcelona. Choose a place online and submit a reservation; if the place is available, you’ll be charged a small deposit and emailed the location and check-in details. Policies vary from owner to owner, but in most cases you’ll pay the balance on arrival in cash. Barcelona listings range from a B&B double room near Sagrada Família for €70 per night to a three-bedroom Eixample apartment sleeping eight for €295 per night. Minimum stays vary from one to three nights (US tel. 800-270-1190, www.cross-pollinate.com, info@cross-pollinate.com).
$$ Tournights Barcelona, run by American Frederick, rents 55 renovated apartments with kitchens. Most are near the beach in the lively Barceloneta neighborhood; others are in the Barri Gòtic or Eixample (2 people-€105 April-Oct, €85 Nov-March; prices vary with size—see photos and videos on website, €50 cleaning fee, 3-night minimum stay, discount for 7-night stay, 20 percent deposit required to reserve online, pay balance in cash when you arrive, no breakfast, arrange meeting to check in when you reserve, mobile 620-585-594, www.tournights.com, info@tournights.com).
Barcelona, the capital of Catalan cuisine—starring seafood—offers a tremendous variety of colorful eateries, ranging from basic and filling to chic and trendy. Most of my listings are lively spots with a busy tapas scene at the bar, along with restaurant tables for raciones. A regional specialty is pa amb tomàquet (pah ahm too-MAH-kaht), toasted bread rubbed with a mix of crushed tomato and olive oil.
I’ve listed mostly practical, characteristic, colorful, and affordable restaurants. My recommendations are grouped by neighborhood—along the Ramblas, in the Barri Gòtic, in El Born (best for foodies), in the Eixample, and in Barceloneta. I also include some budget options scattered throughout the city and a suggested route for finding Catalan sweets. Note that many restaurants close in August (or July), when the owners take a vacation.
Restaurants generally serve lunch from 13:00 to 16:00 and dinner from 20:00 or even later (Spaniards don’t start dinner until about 22:00). It’s deadly to your Barcelona experience to eat too early—if a place feels touristy, come back later and it may be a thriving local favorite.
Throughout the city, you’ll see signs both for Spanish tapas and Catalan tapes (same pronunciation and meaning). Note: Unlike in many Spanish cities, most Barcelona tapas bars do not provide a free, small tapa with the purchase of a drink; if you want food, order it separately. For more on tapas, see here.
Catalans seem to have an affinity for Basque culture, so you’ll find a lot of Basque-style tapas places here (look for basca or euskal taberna; euskal means “Basque”). Enticing buffets of bitesize tapas invite you to simply take what you want. These places are particularly user-friendly, since you don’t have to look at a menu or wait to be served—just grab what looks good, order a drink, and save your toothpicks (they’ll count them up at the end to tally your bill). I’ve listed several such places (including Taverna Basca Irati, Xaloc, and Sagardi Euskal Taberna), though Barcelona has many other similar options.
Within a few steps of the Ramblas, you’ll find handy lunch places, an inviting market hall, and some good vegetarian options. For locations, see the map on here.
(See “Barcelona’s Old City Restaurants” map, here.)
Although these places are enjoyable for a lunch break during your Ramblas sightseeing, many are also open for dinner.
Taverna Basca Irati serves 40 kinds of hot and cold Basque pintxos for €1.95 each. These are small open-faced sandwiches—like sushi on bread. Muscle in through the hungry local crowd, get an empty plate from the waiter, and then help yourself. Every few minutes, waiters circulate with platters of new, still-warm munchies. Grab one as they pass by...it’s addictive (you’ll be charged by the number of toothpicks left on your plate when you’re done). Wash it down with €3-4 glasses of Rioja (full-bodied red wine), Txakolí (sprightly Basque white wine) or sidra (apple wine) poured from on high to add oxygen and bring out the flavor (daily 11:00-24:00, a block off the Ramblas, behind arcade at Carrer del Cardenal Casanyes 17, Metro: Liceu, tel. 933-023-084).
Sandwiches: Bright, clean, and inexpensive sandwich shops proudly hold the cultural line against the fast-food invasion that has hamburgerized the rest of Europe. Catalan sandwiches are made to order with crunchy French bread. Rather than butter, locals prefer tomàquet (a spread of crushed tomatoes). You’ll see two big local chains (Bocatta and Pans & Company) everywhere, but these serve mass-produced McBaguettes ordered from a multilingual menu. I’ve had better luck with hole-in-the-wall sandwich shops—virtually as numerous as the chains—where you can see exactly what you’re getting.
International Options: Try Mucci’s Pizza for good, fresh €2 pizza slices and empanadas (two locations just off the Ramblas, at Bonsuccés 10 and Tallers 75, www.muccis.com). Wok to Walk makes tasty food on the run, serving up noodles and rice in takeaway containers with your choice of meat and/or veggies and finished with a savory sauce (€6-9, 3 locations—by the main door of the Boqueria Market, two steps from the Liceu Opera House, and near Plaça de Sant Jaume, www.woktowalk.com). Kebab places are another good, super-cheap standby; you’ll see them all over town, offering a quick and tasty meal for about €3-4.
Restaurant Elisabets is a rough little neighborhood eatery packed with antique radios. It’s popular with locals for its €12 “home-cooked” three-course lunch special; even cheaper menú rapid options are also available (13:00-16:00 only). Stop by for lunch, survey what those around you are enjoying, and order what looks best. Apparently, locals put up with the service for the tasty food (Mon-Sat 7:30-23:00, closed Sun and Aug, €3 tapas all day, 2 blocks west of Ramblas on far corner of Plaça del Bonsuccés at Carrer d’Elisabets 2, Metro: Catalunya, tel. 933-175-826, run by Pilar).
Café Granja Viader is a quaint time capsule, family-run since 1870. They boast about being the first dairy business to bottle and distribute milk in Spain. This feminine-feeling place—specializing in baked and dairy treats, toasted sandwiches, and light meals—is ideal for a traditional breakfast. Or indulge your sweet tooth: Try a glass of orxata (or horchata—chufa-nut milk, summer only), llet mallorquina (Majorca-style milk with cinnamon, lemon, and sugar), crema catalana (crème brûlée, their specialty), or suis (“Swiss”—hot chocolate with a snowcap of whipped cream). Mel y mató is fresh cheese with honey...very Catalan (Mon-Sat 9:00-13:15 & 17:00-21:15, closed Sun, a block off the Ramblas behind Betlem Church at Xuclà 4, Metro: Liceu, tel. 933-183-486).
Cafeteria: For a quick, affordable lunch with a view, the ninth-floor cafeteria at El Corte Inglés can’t be beat (€10 salads and sandwiches, also café with €1.50 coffee and sit-down restaurant with €20 fixed-price meals, Mon-Sat 10:00-22:00, closed Sun, Plaça de Catalunya, Metro: Catalunya, tel. 933-063-800).
Picnics: Shoestring tourists buy groceries at El Corte Inglés (described above, supermarket in basement), Carrefour (Mon-Sat 10:00-22:00, closed Sun, Ramblas 113, Metro: Liceu), and La Boqueria market (closed Sun, described next).
(See “Barcelona’s Old City Restaurants” map, here.)
Try eating at La Boqueria market at least once (#91 on the Ramblas). Like all farmers’ markets in Europe, this place is ringed by colorful, good-value eateries. Lots of stalls sell fun takeaway food—especially fruit salads and fresh-squeezed juices—ideal for picnickers. There are several good bars around the market busy with shoppers munching at the counter (breakfast, tapas all day, coffee). The market, and most of the eateries listed here (unless noted), are open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 until 20:00 (though things get very quiet after about 16:00) and are closed on Sunday (nearest Metro: Liceu). For a more complete description of the market itself, see here of my “Ramblas Ramble.”
Pinotxo Bar is just to the right as you enter the market. It’s a great spot for coffee, breakfast (spinach tortillas, or whatever’s cooking with toast), or tapas. Fun-loving Juan and his family are La Boqueria fixtures. Grab a stool across the way to sip your drink with people-watching views. Be careful—this place can get expensive.
Kiosko Universal is popular for its great prices on wonderful fish dishes. As you enter the market from the Ramblas, it’s all the way to the left. If you see people waiting, ask who’s last in line (“¿El último?”). You’ll eat immersed in the spirit of the market (€7-14 dishes of the day with different fresh-fish options, €7 mixed veggies, €10 mushroom stir-fries, always packed but better before 12:30, tel. 933-178-286).
Restaurant la Gardunya, at the back of the market, offers tasty meat and seafood meals made with fresh ingredients bought directly from the market (€13.50 fixed-price lunch includes wine and bread, €16.50 three-course dinner specials include wine, €10-20 à la carte dishes, kitchen serves Mon-Sat 13:00-16:00 & 20:00-24:00 but open from 7:00, closed Sun, mod seating indoors or outside watching the market action, Carrer Jerusalem 18, tel. 933-024-323).
(See “Barcelona’s Old City Restaurants” map, here.)
Biocenter, a Catalan soup-and-salad restaurant busy with local vegetarians, takes its cooking very seriously and feels a bit more like a real restaurant than most (€8-10 weekday lunch specials include soup or salad and plate of the day, €15 dinner specials, otherwise €7-9 salads and €11-13 main dishes, Mon-Sat 13:00-23:00, Sun 13:00-16:00, 2 blocks off the Ramblas at Carrer del Pintor Fortuny 25, Metro: Liceu, tel. 933-014-583).
Juicy Jones is a tutti-frutti vegan/vegetarian eatery with colorful graffiti decor, a hip veggie menu (served downstairs), groovy laid-back staff, and a stunning array of fresh-squeezed juices served at the bar. Pop in for a quick €2.50 “juice of the day.” For lunch you can get the Indian-inspired €6 thali plate, the €6.25 plate of the day, or an €8.50 meal including one of the two plates plus soup or salad and dessert (daily 9:00-23:30, also tapas and salads, Carrer del Cardenal Casanyes 7, Metro: Liceu, tel. 933-024-330). There’s another location on the other side of the Ramblas (Carrer Hospital 74).
These eateries populate Barcelona’s atmospheric Gothic Quarter, near the cathedral. Choose between a sit-down meal at a restaurant or a string of tapas bars. For locations, see the map on here.
(See “Barcelona’s Old City Restaurants” map, here.)
Café de l’Academia is a delightful place on a pretty square tucked away in the heart of the Barri Gòtic—but patronized mainly by the neighbors. They serve refined cuisine with Catalan roots using what’s fresh from the market. The candlelit, air-conditioned interior is rustic yet elegant, with soft jazz, flowers, and modern art. And if you want to eat outdoors on a convivial, mellow square... this is the place. Reservations can be smart (€10-13 first courses, €12-16 second courses, fixed-price lunch for €10 at the bar or €14 at a table, Mon-Fri 13:30-16:00 & 20:30-23:30, closed Sat-Sun, near the City Hall square, off Carrer de Jaume I up Carrer de la Dagueria at Carrer dels Lledó 1, Metro: Jaume I, tel. 933-198-253).
Els Quatre Gats (“The Four Cats”) was once the haunt of the Modernista greats—including a teenaged Picasso, who first publicly displayed his art here, and architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, who designed the building. Inspired by Paris’ famous Le Chat Noir café/cabaret, Els Quatre Gats celebrated all that was modern at the turn of the 20th century (for more on the illustrious history of the place, see here in the “Barri Gòtic Walk”). You can snack or drink at the bar, or go into the back for a sit-down meal. While touristy (less so later), the food and service are good, and the prices aren’t as high as you might guess (€17 three-course lunch special Mon-Fri 13:00-16:00, €12-22 plates, daily 10:00-24:00, just steps off Avinguda Portal de l’Angel at Carrer de Montsió 3, Metro: Catalunya, tel. 933-024-140).
Xaloc is the place in the old center for nicely presented gourmet tapas. It’s a classy, woody, modern dining room with a fun energy, good service, and reasonable prices. The walls are covered with Ibérica hamhocks and wine bottles. They focus on homestyle Catalan classics and serve only one quality of ham—and it’s tops. A gazpacho, plank of ham, pa amb tomàquet, and nice glass of wine make a terrific light meal (€2-6 tapas, €5-12 main dishes, open daily 11:00-23:00, kitchen serves 13:00-17:00 & 19:00-23:00, a block toward the cathedral from Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol at Carrer de la Palla 13, Metro: Catalunya, tel. 933-011-990).
Bar del Pi is a simple, hardworking bar serving good salads, sandwiches, and tapas. It has just a handful of tables on the most inviting little square in the Barri Gòtic (Tue-Sun 9:00-23:00, closed Mon, on Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol 1, Metro: Liceu, tel. 933-022-123).
Restaurant Agut, around since 1924, features a comfortable, wood-paneled dining room that’s modern and sophisticated, but still retains a slight bohemian air. The pictures lining the walls are by Catalan artists who are said to have exchanged their canvases for a meal. The menu includes very tasty traditional Catalan food, with some seasonal specialties (€13 three-course weekday lunch special, €10-14 starters, €13-25 main dishes, Tue-Sat 13:30-16:00 & 21:00-23:30, Sun 13:30-16:00 only, closed Mon, just up from Carrer de la Mercè and the harbor at Carrer d’En Gignàs 16, Metro: Jaume I, tel. 933-151-709).
Andilana Restaurants: A local chain called Andilana has several bright, modern eateries that are wildly popular for their artfully presented Spanish and Mediterranean cuisine, crisp ambience, and unbeatable prices (www.grupandilana.com). Because of their three-course €10 lunches and €16-21 dinners (both with wine), all are crowded with locals and in-the-know tourists (à la carte: €7-9 starters, €8-11 main dishes; the first three are near Metro: Liceu). Warning: These places are notoriously busy—arrive 30 minutes before opening, or be prepared to wait. Les Quinze Nits has great seating right on atmospheric Plaça Reial (daily 12:30-23:30, at #6—you’ll see the line, tel. 933-173-075). Two others are within a block: La Crema Canela, a few steps above Plaça Reial, feels cozier than the others and is the only one that takes reservations (Mon-Thu 13:00-23:00, Fri-Sun until 23:30, Passage de Madoz 6, tel. 933-182-744). La Fonda is a block below Plaça Reial (daily 13:00-23:30, Carrer dels Escudellers 10, tel. 933-017-515). Another location, La Dolça Herminia, is near the Palace of Catalan Music in El Born (daily 13:00-15:45 & 20:30-23:30, 2 blocks toward Ramblas from Palace of Catalan Music at Carrer de les Magdalenes 27, Metro: Jaume I, tel. 933-170-676); another restaurant in the chain, La Rita, is described later, under “Restaurants in the Eixample.”
(See “Barcelona’s Old City Restaurants” map, here.)
This area lets you experience a rare, unvarnished bit of old Barcelona with great tascas—colorful local tapas bars. Get small plates (for maximum sampling) by asking for “tapas,” not the bigger “raciones.” Glasses of vino tinto go for about €1. And though trendy uptown restaurants are safer, better-lit, and come with English menus and less grease, these places will stain your journal. The neighborhood’s dark, the regulars are rough-edged, and you’ll get a glimpse of a crusty Barcelona from before the affluence hit. Nowadays many new, mod restaurants are popping up in the city, but don’t be seduced—you came here for something different. Try pimientos de Padrón—Russian roulette with little green peppers that are lightly fried in oil and salted...only a few are jalapeño-spicy. At the cider bars, it’s traditional to order queso de cabrales (a very moldy blue cheese) and spicy chorizo (sausage), ideally prepared al diablo (“devil-style”)—soaked in wine, then flambéed at your table. Several places serve leche de pantera (panther milk)—liquor mixed with milk.
From the bottom of the Ramblas (near the Columbus Monument, Metro: Drassanes), hike east along Carrer de Josep Anselm Clavé. When you reach Plaça de la Mercè, follow the small street (Carrer de la Mercè) that runs along the right side of the square’s church. For a montage of edible memories, wander the next three or four blocks and consider these spots, stopping wherever looks most inviting. Most of these places close down around 23:00. If you want more refined bar-hopping possibilities, skip over to Carrer Ample and Carrer d’En Gignàs, the streets parallel to Carrer de la Mercè inland.
Bar Celta (marked la pulpería, at #16) has a bit less character than the others, but eases you into the scene with fried fish, octopus, and patatas bravas, all with Galician Ribeiro wine. Farther down at the corner (#28), La Plata keeps things wonderfully simple, serving extremely cheap plates of sardines (€2.50), little salads, and small glasses of keg wine (less than €1). Tasca el Corral (#17) serves mountain favorites from northern Spain by the half-ración (see their list), such as queso de cabrales and chorizo al diablo with sidra (hard cider sold by the bottle-€6). Sidrería Tasca La Socarrena (#21) offers hard cider from Asturias in €6.50 bottles with queso de cabrales and chorizo. At the end of Carrer de la Mercè, Cerveceria Vendimia slings tasty clams and mussels (hearty raciones for €4-6 a plate—they don’t do smaller portions, so order sparingly). Sit at the bar and point to what looks good. Their pulpo (octopus) is more expensive and is the house specialty.
El Born (a.k.a. La Ribera), the hottest neighborhood in town, sparkles with eclectic and trendy as well as subdued and classy little restaurants hidden in the small lanes surrounding the Church of Santa Maria del Mar. While I’ve listed a few well-established tapas bars that are great for light meals, to really dine, simply wander around for 15 minutes and pick the place that tickles your gastronomic fancy. I think those who say they know what’s best in this area are kidding themselves—it’s changing too fast, and the choices are too personal. One thing’s for sure: There are a lot of talented and hardworking restaurateurs with plenty to offer. Consider starting off your evening with a glass of fine wine at one of the enotecas on the square facing the Church of Santa Maria del Mar (such as La Vinya del Senyor). Sit back and admire the pure Catalan Gothic architecture. Most of my listings are either on Carrer de l’Argenteria (stretching from the church to the cathedral area) or on or near Carrer de Montcada (near the Picasso Museum). Many restaurants and shops in this area are, like the Picasso Museum, closed on Mondays. For locations, see the map on here.
Bar del Pla is a local favorite—near the Picasso Museum but far enough away from the tourist crowds. This classic diner/bar, overlooking a tiny crossroads next to Barcelona’s oldest church, serves traditional Catalan dishes, raciones, and tapas. Prices are the same at the bar or at a table, but eating at the bar puts you in the middle of a great scene (€4-11 tapas, Tue-Sun 12:00-24:00, closed Mon; with your back to the Picasso Museum, head right 2 blocks, past Carrer de la Princesa, to Carrer de Montcada 2; Metro: Jaume I, tel. 932-683-003).
La Vinya del Senyor is recommendable for its location—with wonderful tables on the square facing the Church of Santa Maria del Mar in the middle of a charming and lively pedestrian zone. Their wine list is extensive—7 cl gives you a few sips, while 14 cl is a standard serving. They also have good cheeses, hams, and tapas (Tue-Sun 12:00-24:00, closed Mon, Plaça de Santa Maria 5, Metro: Jaume I or Barceloneta, tel. 933-103-379).
El Senyor Parellada, filling a former cloister, is an elegant restaurant with a smart, tourist-friendly waitstaff. It serves a fun menu of Mediterranean and Catalan cuisine with a modern twist, all in a classy chandeliers-and-white-tablecloths setting (€10-18 plates, open daily 13:00-15:45 & 20:30-23:30, Carrer de l’Argenteria 37, 100 yards from Metro: Jaume I, tel. 933-105-094).
Sagardi Euskal Taberna offers a wonderful array of Basque goodies—tempting pintxos and montaditos (miniature sandwiches) at €1.95 each—along its huge bar. Ask for a plate and graze (just take whatever looks good). You can sit on the square with your plunder for 20 percent extra. Wash it down with Txakolí, a Basque white wine poured from the spout of a huge wooden barrel into a glass as you watch. When you’re done, they’ll count your toothpicks to tally your bill (daily 12:00-24:00, Carrer de l’Argenteria 62-64, Metro: Jaume I, tel. 933-199-993).
Sagardi, hiding behind its thriving tapas bar (described above), is a mod, rustic, and minimalist woody restaurant committed to serving Basque T-bone steaks and grilled specialties with only the best ingredients. A big open kitchen with sizzling grills contributes to the ambience. Reservations are smart (€12-24 first courses, €20-28 second courses, plan on €50 for dinner, daily 13:00-16:00 & 20:00-24:00, Carrer de l’Argenteria 62, Metro: Jaume I, tel. 933-199-993, www.sagardi.com).
Taller de Tapas (“Tapas Workshop”) is an upscale, trendier tapas bar and restaurant that dishes up well-presented, sophisticated morsels and light meals in a medieval-stone-yet-mod setting. Pay 15 percent more to sit on the square. Elegant, but a bit stuffy, it’s favored by local office workers who aren’t into the Old World Gothic stuff. Four plates will fill a hungry diner for about €20 (daily 8:30-24:00, Carrer de l’Argenteria 51, Metro: Jaume I, tel. 932-688-559, www.tallerdetapas.com).
El Xampanyet (“The Little Champagne Bar”), a colorful family-run bar with a fun-loving staff (Juan Carlos, his mom, and the man who may be his father), specializes in tapas and anchovies. Don’t be put off by the seafood from a tin: Catalans like it this way. A sortido (assorted plate) of carne (meat) or pescado (fish) with pa amb tomàquet makes for a fun meal. It’s filled with tourists during the sightseeing day, but this is a local favorite after dark. The scene is great but—especially during busy times—it’s tough without Spanish skills. When I asked about the price, Juan Carlos said, “Who cares? The ATM is just across the street.” Plan on spending €25 for a meal with wine (same price at bar or table, Tue-Sat 12:00-15:30 & 19:00-23:00, Sun 12:00-16:00 only, closed Mon, a half-block beyond the Picasso Museum at Carrer de Montcada 22, Metro: Jaume I, tel. 933-197-003).
The people-packed boulevards of the Eixample (Passeig de Gràcia and Rambla de Catalunya) are lined with appetizing eateries featuring breezy outdoor seating. Choose between a real restaurant or an upscale tapas bar. For locations, see the map on here.
La Rita is a fresh and dressy little restaurant serving Catalan cuisine near the Block of Discord. Their lunches (three courses with wine for €10, daily 13:00-15:45) and dinners (€10 plates, €21 fixed-price dinners, daily 20:30-23:30) are a great value. Like most of its sister Andilana restaurants—described on here—it takes no reservations and its prices attract a loyal following, so arrive just before the doors open...or wait (near corner of Carrer de Pau Claris and Carrer d’Aragó at d’Aragó 279, a block from Metro: Passeig de Gràcia, tel. 934-872-376).
La Bodegueta is an atmospheric below-street-level bodega serving hearty wines, homemade vermouth, anchoas (anchovies), tapas, and flautas—sandwiches made with flute-thin baguettes. On a nice day, it’s great to eat outside, sitting in the median of the boulevard under shady trees. Its daily €12 lunch special of three courses with wine is served 13:00-16:00. A long block from Gaudí’s La Pedrera, this makes a fine sightseeing break (Mon-Sat 7:00-24:00, Sun 18:30-24:00, at intersection with Carrer de Provença, Rambla de Catalunya 100, Metro: Provença, tel. 932-154-894).
Restaurante la Palmera serves a mix of Catalan, Mediterranean, and French cuisine in an elegant room with bottle-lined walls. This untouristy place offers great food, service, and value—for me, a very special meal in Barcelona. They have three zones: the classic main room, a more forgettable adjacent room, and a few outdoor tables. I like the classic room. Reservations are smart (€12-16 plates, creative €20 six-plate degustation lunch—also available during dinner Mon-Thu, open Mon-Sat 13:00-15:45 & 20:30-23:15, closed Sun, Carrer d’Enric Granados 57, at the corner with Carrer Mallorca, Metro: Provença, tel. 934-532-338, www.lapalmera.cat).
La Flauta fills two floors with enthusiastic eaters (I prefer the ground floor). It’s fresh and modern, with a fun, no-stress menu featuring €5 small plates, creative €5 flauta sandwiches, and a €12.50 three-course lunch deal including a drink. Consider the list of tapas del día. Good €2.60 wines by the glass are listed on the blackboard. This is a place to order high on the menu for a satisfying, moderately priced meal (Mon-Sat 7:00-24:00, closed Sun, upbeat and helpful staff recommends the fried vegetables, no reservations, just off Carrer de la Diputació at Carrer d’Aribau 23, Metro: Universitat, tel. 933-237-038).
Cinc Sentits (“Five Senses”), with only about 30 seats, is my gourmet recommendation. At this chic, minimalist, but slightly snooty place, all the attention goes to the fine service and beautifully presented dishes. The €59 essència menú and the €79 sensacions menú are unforgettable extravaganzas. Expect menús only—no à la carte. It’s run by Catalans who lived in Canada (so there’s absolutely no language barrier) and serve avant-garde cuisine inspired by Catalan traditions and ingredients. Reservations are essential (Tue-Sat 13:30-15:00 & 20:30-22:00, closed Sun-Mon, near Carrer d’Aragó at Carrer d’Aribau 58, between Metros: Universitat and Provença, tel. 933-239-490, www.cincsentits.com, maître d’ Amelia).
(See “Hotels & Restaurants in Barcelona’s Eixample” map, here.)
Many trendy and touristic tapas bars in the Eixample offer a cheery welcome and slam out the appetizers. These four are particularly handy to Plaça de Catalunya and the Passeig de Gràcia artery (for all of them, the closest Metro stops are Catalunya and Passeig de Gràcia).
Tapas 24 makes eating fun. This local favorite, with a few street tables, fills a spot a few steps below street level with happy energy, funky decor (white counters and mirrors), and absolutely excellent tapas. The menu has all the typical standbys and quirky inventions (such as the McFoie burger), plus daily specials. Service is friendly, and the owner, Carles Abellan, is one of Barcelona’s hot chefs. This is a chance to eat his food at reasonable prices, which are the same whether you dine at the bar, a table, or outside. Figure about €45 for lunch for two with wine (€4-12 tapas, €12-15 plates, Mon-Sat 9:00-24:00, closed Sun, just off Passeig de Gràcia at Carrer de la Diputació 269, tel. 934-880-977).
La Bodegueta Provença is a lively tapas bar/café with a multigenerational clientele and a pleasant buzz. Sit at a stool at the marble counter or grab a table, indoors or out. If you and your partner are hungry, order the half-kilo grilled steak piled high with Padrón peppers—wow! (€5-8.50 tapas, Mon-Sat 7:00-24:00, Sun 13:00-24:00, Carrer de Provença 233, tel. 932-151-725).
Ciutat Comtal Cerveceria brags that it serves the best montaditos (€2-4 little open-faced sandwiches) and beers in Barcelona. It’s an Eixample favorite, with an elegant bar and tables plus good seating out on the Rambla de Catalunya for all that people-watching action. It’s packed 21:00-23:00, when you’ll likely need to put your name on a list and wait. While it has no restaurant-type menu, the list of tapas and montaditos is easy, fun, and comes with a great variety (including daily specials). This place is a cut above your normal tapas bar, but with reasonable prices (most tapas around €4-10, daily 8:00-24:00, facing the intersection of Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes and Rambla de Catalunya at Rambla de Catalunya 18, tel. 933-181-997).
La Tramoia, at the opposite corner from Ciutat Comtal Cerveceria, serves piles of €1.75 montaditos and tapas at its ground-floor bar and at nice tables inside and out. If Ciutat Comtal Cerveceria is jammed, you’re more likely to find a seat here. The brasserie-style restaurant upstairs bustles with happy local eaters enjoying grilled meats (€9-20 plates), but I’d stay downstairs for the €4-9 tapas (daily 12:00-24:00 for tapas, 13:00-16:00 & 17:30-24:00 for meals, also facing the intersection of Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes and Rambla de Catalunya at Rambla de Catalunya 15, tel. 934-123-634).
The nearest Metro stop to this former sailors’ quarter is Barceloneta. For locations, see the map on here.
Along the Waterfront: Barceloneta’s harborfront (Passeig de Joan de Borbó), facing the city, is lined with multiple, interchangeable seafood restaurants and cafés. Locals love to come here for celebrity-spotting. One of many eateries along here is La Mar Salada, a traditional seafood restaurant with a slight modern twist. Their à la carte menu includes seafood-and-rice dishes, fresh fish, and homemade desserts. A nice meal will run you about €35-40 per person (€16 fixed-price weekday meal, Mon and Wed-Fri 13:00-16:00 & 20:00-23:00, Sat-Sun 13:00-23:00, closed Tue, indoor and outdoor seating, Passeig de Joan de Borbó 59, tel. 932-212-127).
In the Heart of Barceloneta: Can Solé, serving seafood since 1903, is a splurge. Hiding on a nondescript urban lane, this venerable restaurant draws a celebrity crowd, judging by the autographed pictures of the famous and not-so-famous that line the walls. But the place is homey, with sky-blue walls and café curtains, and the charming owner couldn’t be more gracious (Tue-Sat 13:30-16:00 & 20:30-23:00, Sun 13:30-16:00 only, closed Mon, Carrer de Sant Carles 4, one block off the harborfront promenade, tel. 932-215-012, www.restaurantcansole.com).
Bakery: Baluard, one of Barcelona’s most highly regarded artisan bakeries, faces one side of the big market hall in the center of Barceloneta. Line up with the locals to get a loaf of heavenly bread, a pastry, or a slice of pizza (Mon-Sat 8:00-21:00, closed Sun, Carrer del Baluard 38, tel. 932-211-208).
Barcelona’s main train station is vast and sprawling, but manageable. In the large lobby area under the upper tracks, you’ll find a TI, ATMs, a world of handy shops and eateries, car-rental kiosks, and, in the side concourse, a classy, quiet Sala Club lounge for travelers with first-class reservations (TV, free drinks, study tables, and coffee bar). Sants is the only Barcelona station with luggage storage (small bag-€3.60/day, big bag-€5.20/day, requires security check, daily 5:30-23:00, follow signs to consigna, at far end of hallway from tracks 13-14).
In the vast main hall is a very long wall of ticket windows. Figure out which one you need before you wait in line (all are labeled in English). Generally, windows 1-7 (on the left) are for local commuter and media distancia trains, such as to Sitges; windows 8-21 handle advance tickets for long-distance (larga distancia) trains beyond Catalunya; the information windows are 22-26—go here first if you’re not sure which window you want; and windows 27-31 sell tickets for long-distance trains leaving today. The information booths by windows 1 and 21 can help you find the right line and can provide some train schedules. Scattered nearby are two types of train-ticket vending machines: The red-and-gray machines sell tickets for local and media distancia trains within Catalunya; the purple machines are for national RENFE trains, but these don’t sell tickets—you can only use them to print out prereserved tickets (if you have a confirmation code).
Getting Downtown: To reach the center of Barcelona, take a train or the Metro. To ride the subway, follow signs for the Metro (red M), and hop on the L3 (green) or L5 (blue) line, both of which link to a number of useful points in town. To zip downtown even faster (just five minutes), you can take any Rodalies de Catalunya suburban train from track 8 (R1, R3, or R4) to Plaça de Catalunya (departs at least every 10 minutes). Purchase tickets for the trains or Metro at touch-screen machines near the tracks (where you can also buy the cost-saving T10 Card, explained on here).
Unless otherwise noted, these trains all depart from Sants Station; however, remember that some trains also stop at other stations more convenient to the downtown tourist zone: França Station, Passeig de Gràcia, or Plaça de Catalunya. Figure out if your train stops at these stations (and board there) to save yourself the trip to Sants.
If departing from the downtown Passeig de Gràcia Station, where three Metro lines converge with the rail line, you might find the underground tunnels confusing. You can’t access the RENFE station directly from some of the entrances. Use the northern entrances to this station (rather than the southern “Consell de Cent” entrance, which is closest to Plaça de Catalunya). Train info: tel. 902-320-320, www.renfe.com.
From Barcelona by Train to Madrid: The AVE train has shaved hours off the journey to Madrid, making it faster than flying (when you consider that you’re zipping from downtown to downtown). The train departs at least hourly (nonstop service 2.5 hours; with a few stops, 3 hours). Regular reserved AVE tickets can be prepurchased (often with a discount) at www.renfe.com and picked up at the station. If you have a railpass, you’ll pay only a reservation fee of €23 for first class, which includes a meal (€10 second class, buy at any train station in Spain). Passholders can’t reserve online through RENFE but can make the reservation at www.raileurope.com for delivery before leaving the US ($17 in second class, $40 in first class). There’s also a slow overnight train to Madrid’s Chamartín station (9 hours).
From Barcelona by Train to: Sitges (departs from both Passeig de Gràcia and Sants, 4/hour, 40 minutes), Montserrat (departs from Plaça d’Espanya—not from Sants, hourly, 1 hour, includes cable car or rack train to monastery—see details on here), Figueres (hourly, 2-2.25 hours), Sevilla (11/day, 5.5-6 hours; also 1 night train, 13 hours), Granada (1/day, 9.5 hours via AVE and Altaria, transfer in Madrid; also 1 night train daily, 10.5 hours), Salamanca (8/day, 6-7.5 hours, change in Madrid from Atocha Station to Chamartín Station via Metro or cercanías train; also 1/day with a change in Valladolid, 8.5 hours), San Sebastián (2/day, 6 hours), Málaga (2/day direct on AVE, 5.75 hours; more with transfer), Lisbon (no direct trains, head to Madrid and then catch night train to Lisbon, 17 hours—or fly).
From Barcelona by Train to France: Direct high-speed trains should connect Barcelona to Paris, Lyon, and Toulouse by the end of 2013 (likely connection to Paris, 2/day, 6 hours, more connections possible with multiple changes). If the project is delayed, you may need to transfer at the Figueres-Vilafant station. For slower but more frequent connections to France, you can also change in Cerbère (2/day from Barcelona, 2-4 hours). Connections include Nice (2/day, 10 hours, change in Figueres-Vilafant and Valence; slower and cheaper connections possible with multiple changes including Cerbère), Avignon (2/day, 5.75 hours, change in Figueres-Vilafant and Nîmes), Paris (1 night train, 13.5 hours, change in Cerbère, may not run Fri-Sun in off-season).
Most buses depart from the Nord bus station at Metro: Arc de Triomf, but confirm when researching schedules (www.barcelonanord.com). Destinations served by Alsa buses (tel. 902-422-242, www.alsa.es) include Madrid (nearly hourly, 8 hours) and Salamanca (2/day, 11 hours). Sarfa buses (tel. 902-302-025, www.sarfa.com) serve many coastal resorts, including Cadaqués (2-3/day, 3 hours). The Mon-Bus rides from downtown Barcelona and the airport to Sitges (4/day, 55 minutes from Barcelona, 45 minutes from airport, www.monbus.cat). One bus departs daily for the Montserrat monastery, leaving from Carrer de Viriat near Sants train station (see here).
Barcelona’s primary airport is eight miles southwest of town. It has two large terminals: 1 and 2. Air France, Air Europa, American, British Airways, Delta, Iberia, Lufthansa, United, US Airways, Vueling, and others use the newer terminal 1. EasyJet and minor airlines use terminal 2 (which is divided into sections A, B, and C). The terminals are linked by shuttle buses.
Terminal 1 and the bigger sections of terminal 2 (A and B) each have a post office, a pharmacy, a left-luggage office, plenty of good cafeterias in the gate areas, and ATMs (use the bank-affiliated ATMs in the arrivals hall). TIs are located in terminals 1 and 2B (airport code: BCN, info tel. 913-211-000, www.aena-aeropuertos.es).
Getting Downtown: To reach central Barcelona cheaply and quickly, take either the bus or train (about 30 minutes on either). The Aerobus (#A1 and #A2, corresponding with terminals 1 and 2) stops immediately outside the arrivals lobby of both terminals (and in each section of terminal 2). In about 30 minutes, it takes you to downtown, where it makes several stops, including Plaça d’Espanya and Plaça de Catalunya—near many of my recommended hotels (departs every 5 minutes, from airport 6:00-1:00 in the morning, from downtown 5:30-24:15, €5.90 one-way, €10.30 round-trip, buy ticket from machine or from driver, tel. 934-156-020, www.aerobusbcn.com).
The RENFE train (on the “R2 Sud” Rodalies line) leaves from terminal 2 and involves more walking. Head down the long orange-roofed overpass between sections A and B to reach the station (2/hour at about :08 and :38 past the hour, 20 minutes to Sants Station, 25 minutes to Passeig de Gràcia Station—near Plaça de Catalunya and many recommended hotels, 30 minutes to França Station; €3.80 or covered by T10 Card—described on here—which you can purchase at automated machines at the airport train station). Long-term plans call for the RENFE train and eventually the AVE to be extended to terminal 1, and for the Metro’s L9 (orange) line to be extended to both terminals 1 and 2. Stay tuned.
A taxi between the airport and downtown costs about €36—about €30 on the meter plus a €4.20 airport supplement and fee of €1 per bag. For good service, add a 10 percent tip.
Some budget airlines, including Ryanair, use this airport, located 60 miles north of Barcelona near Girona (airport code: GRO, tel. 972-186-600, www.aena-aeropuertos.es). Ryanair runs a bus, operated by Sagalés, to the Barcelona Nord bus station (€16, departs airport about 20-25 minutes after each arriving flight, 1.25 hours, tel. 902-361-550, www.sagales.com). You can also take a Sagalés bus (hourly, 25 minutes, €2.50) or a taxi (€25) to the town of Girona, then catch a train to Barcelona (at least hourly, 1.25 hours, €15-20). A taxi between the Girona airport and Barcelona costs at least €120.
Cruise ships arrive in Barcelona at three different ports (all just southwest of the Old City, beneath Montjuïc). If your trip includes cruising beyond Barcelona, consider my guidebook, Rick Steves’ Mediterranean Cruise Ports.
Most American cruise lines put in at Moll Adossat/Muelle Adosado, a long two miles from the bottom of the Ramblas. This port has four modern, airport-like terminals (lettered A through D); most have a café, shops, and TI kiosk; some have Internet access and other services. Two other terminals are far less commonly used: the World Trade Center, just off the southern end of the Ramblas, and Moll de la Costa, tucked just beneath Montjuïc (ride the free, private shuttle bus to World Trade Center; from there, it’s a short walk or taxi ride to the Columbus Monument).
Getting Downtown: From any of the cruise terminals, it’s easy to reach the Ramblas. Taxis meet each arriving ship and are waiting as you exit any of the terminal buildings. The short trip into town (i.e., to the bottom of the Ramblas) runs about €15 (the €4.20 cruise-port surcharge is legit). During high season, a ride into town can take longer and cost €10 more. For a one-way journey to other parts of town, expect to pay these fares: to the Picasso Museum or Plaça de Catalunya—€15; to the Sagrada Família—€20; and to the airport—€35-40.
You can also take a shuttle bus from Moll Adossat/Muelle Adosado to the Columbus Monument (at the bottom of the Ramblas), then walk or hop on public transportation to various sights. The #T3 shuttle bus (also called Portbús) departs from the parking lot in front of the terminal—follow Public Bus signs (€3.50 round-trip, €2.50 one-way, buses leave every 20-30 minutes, timed to cruise ship arrival, tel. 932-986-000). Pay careful attention to where they drop you off; you’ll catch the return bus here later (across the street, heading back toward the port, look for blue-and-white sign).