Barcelona City Guide
Barcelona is a stunning city with excellent beaches, an old Gothic quarter, Gaudí's gardens, Cathedral and architecture, world famous museums and a modern cosmopolitan atmosphere. Barcelona is capital of the Catalonia region.
London to Barcelona takes just over 15 hours by train.
What to do and see in and around Barcelona
Gaudí's Barcelona
Gaudí came to Barcelona in 1870 to study architecture, and his extravagant and unique buildings can be seen all over the city. Visit famous Sagrada Familia Cathedral for panoramic views over the city, and Gaudí's tomb in the crypt, or relax in Parc Güell (Gaudí's garden city) and visit the house Gaudí built for himself - now the Casa-Museu Gaudí. Casa Milá apartment block was finished in 1910, and is still occupied, although you can look around the Pis de la Pedrera, and visit the Gaudí museum in the attic of the building.
Las Ramblas
Las Ramblas is the most famous street in Barcelona, it is a pedestrian only street which runs from the Gothic Quarter to Barcelona's beach front. Wander along the Las Ramblas to experience all things Barcelona, shops, designer boutiques, cafés, restaurants, markets, and street entertainment.
Picasso Museum
Picasso spent some of his early years in Barcelona, and in 1970 gave over 2,500 of his paintings, engravings, and drawings to the museum. The highlights of the collection include First Communion, Science and Charity and the Maid of Honour. The collection also includes some sculptures from the latter years of Picasso's life.
Catalonian National Museum of Art
The Museum is in the Montjuïc Park, and contains Catalan works of art from the 11th to the 18th century. The eclectic collection includes paintings, sculpture, ceramics, coins, frescoes and murals. The highlights of the collection are the Catalan Romanesque art from the 11th to the 13th century, including murals, sculpture and enamels, and the Gothic sculptures and altarpieces.
Fundació Joan Miró
The surrealist artist Joan Miro was born in Barcelona in 1893, and the Fundació Joan Miró contains probably the largest collection of the artists works. The museum contains over 10,000 of Miro's paintings, sculptures, tapestries and drawings. The museum is in the Montjuïc Park, the building was designed by Miró's friend architect Josep Lluís Sert.
Gothic Quarter
The Gothic Quarter of Barcelona is the oldest area of the city and dates back to medieval times. Wander around the tiny winding streets lined with Gaudí's street lights, or shop in the tiny antique shops. At the heart of the Gothic Quarter is the 13th century Santa Creu Cathedral. Visit the Barcelona City Museum to see the Roman remains and mosaics under the city streets.
Museum of Contemporary Art
The current museum was opened in 1995, and is housed in a building designed by architect Richard Meier. The Museum contains a collection of modern art, sculpture and paintings from the last 40 years, including works by Paul Klee, and Miró.
Port Vell
In 1992 Barcelona hosted the Olympics, and took the opportunity to rejuvenate the city, and particularly the port area. Barcelona was a major Mediterranean port from the 13th to the 16th century, and the modern Port Vell offers a shopping centre, cosmopolitan restaurants, and a pedestrian walkway along the seafront.
Ciutadella Park
The Ciutadella Park is on the site of the old Citadel fortress which was destroyed in the 19th century. The Park is now a good place to relax, admire Gaudí's statuesque fountain, or visit Barcelona Zoo or one of the Natural History Museums. In the centre of the park is a large lake where visitors can hire boats to row around the lake.
Barcelona Aquarium
Barcelona's Aquarium is the biggest aquarium in Europe, containing over 10,000 fish. Walk through the centre of the shark tank down the 80 metre long glass tunnel, and explore the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. The aquarium is in the Port Vell area of Barcelona.
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