How to visit Barcelona? There is no one way to experience Barcelona. The city has a vibrant and eclectic history, culture and architecture that is impossible to encapsulate in a single visit.
If you only have a few days, some of the highlights include visiting the Gothic quarter, admiring the beaches and colorful Mediterranean coastal towns, sampling the famous Catalan food in taverns and restaurants, and wandering through the winding streets of the old city.
If you have more time, consider spending some days exploring the Raval neighbourhood, the Gaudi architecture-filled district of La Sagrada Familia and the wine-producing regions of El Priorat and Els Ports.
Whatever you do, don’t forget to discover these 100 incredibale tourist attractions
What is Barcelona Spain most known for ?
The Barcelona skyline in night mode
There is a beach here. And also medieval history, modernist architecture, the Olympic spirit and avant-garde culture. Barcino, Barcelona or Barna, it doesn’t matter what we call it, because what matters is not that, but what it hides inside.
And, precisely for this reason, we have listed 100 things about Condal City that you should know to start getting to know it or consolidate your romance. Barcelona in love.
Monjuïc Telecommunications Tower, the work of architect Santiago Calatrava, resembles in its structure a sportsman holding a torch or a bow about to shoot an arrow.
Montjuïc Communication Tower
The Telecommunications Tower of Monjuïc, work of the architect Santiago Calatrava, resembles in its structure a sportsman who holds a torch or a bow about to shoot an arrow, which corresponds perfectly to the reason for its construction. It was designed for the Barcelona Olympics. Although many claim to see in its shapes the tail of a whale plunging into the sea. It is clear, for the likes, telecommunication towers.
A Barcelona-style ‘Gherkin’ to say goodbye to the year
Critics were not long in coming when the Torre Agbar was completed. What was such a tower doing in Barcelona? Much for its architect, Jean Nouvel, who ensured that Gaudi’s architecture and the pinnacles of Montserrat were part of his spirit.
Thus, once assimilated as native, although many see sexual reminiscences in it, as has already happened in the London Gherkin, TV3, the main autonomous television in Catalonia, and thousands of Barcelonans and foreigners have chosen as a background to welcome the new year.
An Olympic swimming pool in the heights
The Montjuïc swimming pool, inaugurated in 1929 and then fitted out to host the jumping and water polo events at the 1992 Olympic Games, offers one of the most spectacular views of the city.
For the record, this is the location chosen by Australian singer Kylie Minogue to shoot the video for her single ‘Slow’. So you know, if you want to see Barcelona in full mietras are to soak this is your site, the soundtrack is optional.
The Venetian towers of the Spanish Steps
Built during the 1929 International Exhibition, the Gradi Plaça d’Espanya has two twin towers among its most emblematic monuments. These, popularly called Venetian Towers, were built by the architect Ramón Reventós, who, in fact, took as his model the Campanile of Saint Mark’s Basilica, in Venice.
The ‘Carassa’, medieval advertising
When in the Middle Ages the vast majority of the population could neither read nor write, entrepreneurs captured your potential audience with images, so the ‘Carassa’, in the homonymous street, was intended to illustrate with the charms of a woman to illiterate visitors to the area the proximity of a brothel.
Frank Gehry’s Steel Fish
The architect Frank Gehry has designed a macro-sculpture in gilded steel for the Olympic Port of Barcelona, whose curved lines resemble a fish, whose scales gleam in the sun. What is interesting about this work of art is that it is the first time that the architect has used a computer to fix his curvilinear and asymmetrical forms, a technique he has used ever since.
in his work and with which he gained worldwide fame thanks to his most famous creations. Conspiracy theories claim that this part of the harbor was commissioned by Masonic lodges in Condal City, who wanted the fish to rise in the Piscis area of the city, and that the lack of a tail and head symbolizes timelessness .
Santa Maria del Mar and its real and fictional stories
Among the many stories that surround the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, one of the most important churches in the city of Barcelona, there is one that took place in 1428, when an earthquake in the Pyrenees reached 8 degrees on the Richter scale, caused the rose window of the facade to collapse on parishioners on their way to Mass on Corpus Day, causing a large number of casualties.
It is also said that in one of its windows, if you pay attention, you can see Barca’s shield, which financially helped the rehabilitation of one of them. However, it was literature that gave the temple modern fame, thanks to Ildefonso Falcones’ bestseller ‘The Cathedral of the Sea’.
A submarine on dry land
There are many submarines popping up at different points in Barcelona’s urban geography. The pattern is simple, they are a tribute to the inventor of the submersible device, Narcis Monturiol, Barcelona native and universal engineering genius. In 1859 he launched his first project, the Ichtyum I, of which today there are several copies that delight children and not so small.
Like the one that stands in front of the Maritime Museum of Barcelona (in the image), although it is not the only one, since then they would come to Ictíneo II and Ictíneo III, with as many reproductions and monuments distributed in the city of Barcelona. The complete list of addresses is available here.
La Boqueria, the largest market in Catalonia
The Sant Josep market, popularly known as La Boqueria, is the place to go to taste pure Catalan cuisine. Among its records is that of being the largest market in Catalonia and the one that receives the most tourist visits. Our recommendation is to go through the Pinotxo, there will be a before and an after.
The four columns of Augustus
Inside the building of the Center de Excursionista de Catalunya there are four columns from Roman times, initially connected to the mythological hero Hercules and a temple of worship to the Semitic, but later it was clarified that it was a temple in honor of Emperor Augustus, located at the highest point of the city and where the Roman Barcino, Mount Táber, was established, 16.9 meters above sea level.
The panoramic belvedere of the Collserola tower
Another communication tower erected for the 1992 Olympic Games was the Collserola tower, the work of Sir Norman Foster, whose location in the heart of Tibidabo makes it a unique panoramic observation point. Go up to level 10, where you will find its spectacular belvedere with views of the city and the Vallés Occidental region.
Holy Family Sudoku
On the facade of the Passion of the Holy Family, which represents the last years of Jesus, the most observant will find several magic cubes, one on the facade and the other on the doors (in the image). As sudokus, they always add up the same thing, 33, either by columns, rows, or diagonally, the age at which the New Testament says Christ died.
The magic fountain of Barcelona
The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, also designed for the 1929 International Exhibition by Carles Buïgas, is a favorite attraction for tourists and locals alike.
Music, colors and water games follow one another on Avenida Maria Cristina, being her, the magic fountain, the protagonist of the night. the fact is that its location, opposite the National Palace, current MNAC, helps in its spectacularity.
The giant dragon of the Spanish industrial park
In the park of Industrial Spain there is a huge structure representing a dragon, through which children slide like a toboggan will. It is clear that Barcelona have an idyll with the dragons, logically because it was one of them who killed Saint George, patron saint of Catalonia. And it is so proliferating that it is the city in the West with the greatest number of dragons scattered in its streets.
Gaudi’s tiles on Passeig de Gràcia
Notice where you walk on Passeig de Gràcia, as these hexagonal tiles that create a carpet effect are designed by Gaudi, who created them with plant motifs for the pavement of the Batlló house, although he eventually placed them in the Pedrera. Later it was recovered to decorate the sidewalks of the most modernist street in Barcelona.
The student of Sant Felip Neri
Right in the heart of the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona is what is considered by many the most charming square in the city, that of Sant Felip Neri. In the center stands an octagonal fountain with a small column in the center, which is said to have once held a sculpture of a student child.
With or without it, the beauty of the place is undeniable. Even despite the marks on the facade of the Church of Sant Felip Neri caused by the explosion of a bomb during the Civil War. Although it is true that they serve as a reminder of what human beings are capable of, good and bad.
The Horta Garden, a green labyrinth in Barcelona
Few people know that in Barcelona hides this labyrinth-shaped garden, one of the oldest in the city. Perfectly trimmed hedges that delight visitors to the garden of the Horta labyrinth, who lose themselves there not only by the succession of corridors, but rather by the succession of vegetal and sculptural beauties. For lovers of green.
The Raval cat
On the Ramblas del Raval, you will definitely come across a huge black rattle cat, the work of Colombian artist Fernando Botero. The minino, has already spent a few lives since the city of Barcelona acquired it in 1987, since it had a lot of locations to end up in the Raval, where, from what we see, has its residence.
The industrial triplets
Today, the three industrial towers of Paral-lel Avenue, which are part of the Three Chimneys Gardens and are integrated into the buildings of Red Eléctrica Española, only show their heads in the buildings of the Poble Sec district, but in 1912, when the three were up and running under the seal of La Canadienne, they were the queens of cotarro on the Barcelona skyline of the early 20th century. Find them when you return to Barna, as if Wally were there.
A Ferris wheel for Tibidabo Park
The big wheel in Parque del Tibidabo is another Barcelona classic. Three of them have toured since 1953 and a fourth will be installed as a replacement for the last, the Panoràmic (pictured) dismantled in 2011. The park made the decision after user requests and seeing that, just like other cities like London or New York have an icon, the Ferris wheel is another symbol of Barcelona.
Modernism at Hotel Spain
Another lesser-known work by architect Lluis Domènech i Montaner can be found inside Hotel España in the city center, where you can enjoy the curves and colors of Catalan Modernism.
The Gargoyle Zoo of Sainte Eulalie Cathedral
The gargoyles of the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia are famous for their fantastic shapes, among which stand out an elephant, a unicorn and those which, according to tradition, are witches who have been petrified in the form of Gothic pipes because they do not did not respect the passage of the body of Christ.
Height symmetry in Eixample
From the air, Barcelona’s Eixample is a perfect grid. Seven square kilometers that were designed under the most classic urbanism by Ildefonso Cerdá, classic on the map and modernist in height, for the beautiful facades that dot the entire city center. Take to the skies and contemplate this symmetrical perfection.
The Picasso Museum in Barcelona
The Picasso Museum in Barcelona, which includes several Gothic palaces located in Montcada Street, was founded in the city of Barcelona because the painter himself encouraged his friend and secretary Jaime Sabartés, promoter of the project, to found it in Barcelona and not in his hometown, Málaga. Thus, Barcelona was chosen to house a museum of the brilliant artist with collections donated by Sabartés and by Picasso himself.
The Parisian fountains of Barcelona
The Wallace Fountains were designed by British tycoon Richard Wallace to beautify the streets of Paris, while contributing to the city’s public health. These were commissioned by the sculptor Charles Lebourg, who designed them with the representation of the four stations in their caryatid-like structure, today a symbol of the City of Lights. In addition to those destined for the streets of Paris, 50 others were made, of which 12 were donated to the city of Barcelona, of which only two originals remain, one on the Ramblas, in front of the wax museum, and the other on Gran Via de las Cortes Catalanas, corner with Passeig de Gràcia. The rest that dot the town are new reissues of the originals, called Neowallace.
Shopping in Las Arenas bullring
The bullring of Las Arenas, in Plaça de Espanya, has been a shopping center since 2011. A conversion that has given Barcelona a new point of shopping and a spectacular view of Montjuïc.
The glass dome of the Música Catalana concert hall
It is the natural light that enters the huge inverted glass dome that illuminates the majestic modernist concert hall of the Palau de la Música Catalana. An architectural feat accomplished by one of the greatest exponents of Catalan modernism, Lluis Domènech i Montaner. The building has been declared by Unesco World Heritage.
The Sagrada Familia or Holy Family, is the most visited monument in Spain
The Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Familia overtook the Alhambra in Granada in 2011 in the ranking of the most visited monuments in Spain, becoming with 3.2 million visitors the most visited in the country. Who was going to tell Gaudi when he laid the first stone. Maybe you can ask him, because he’s buried in the temple.
The photovoltaic plate of the Place du Forum
During the celebration of the Forum of Cultures, among the new constructions that have risen, it is worth highlighting a large photovoltaic plate the size of a football field, located in a no less gigantic square, the Forum Square, of 16 hectares, making it the second largest square in the world, after Tiananmen Square. Today, the surroundings are the territory of skaters and skaters.
Gaudi’s forest
It is well known that Gaudi was inspired by nature to bring his architecture to life, so you need not be surprised if looking up inside the Sagrada Familia you feel as if you are under the peaks of a lush forest, That was the intention of the genius of modernism. Columns that look like trunks and the light that enters the stained glass windows like beams of light between the branches.
The Park Güell lizard
Confirmed, the most famous sculpture in Park Güell , made using the technique of trencadís, that is, the union of ceramic fragments, is definitely and categorically a lizard , whatever its appearance. dragon or salamander. This is what Gaudi wanted and we will have to see it.
The neo-gothic bridge of rue de l’évêque
Despite its appearance, the bridge which crosses the street of the bishop and connects the House of the canons and the Palau de la Generalitat, is of recent construction.
During the restoration of the building in the 1920s, neo-Gothic elements were added on the base of earlier structures, including the famous bridge, one of the most photographed points in Barcelona. It avoids looking at the skull under the bridge, it brings bad luck.
The modernist letterbox of the house of Ardiaque
If you were unable to avoid the influence of the Bishop’s Bridge Skull, don’t worry. Look for this modernist mailbox, the work of Domènech i Muntaner, located in the house of the Ardiaque, in Carrer de Santa Llúcia, where stroking the shell of the turtle will rid you of Pharisee evil.
The mailbox was placed here when the house was the seat of the bar, with the swallows as a symbol of the speed with which mail and legal documents should go, and the tortoise as a presentation of real time with which both are resolved .
Today, the mail would be saved, much faster than at the time.
The Burlesque Mill of Barcelona
Like the Moulin Rouge, El Molino was born in Barcelona. It was first called Pajarera Catalana, after the Petit Moulin Rouge, then El Molino. Its facade was renovated in 2010, giving it a much more modern profile, as for its interior, the best burlesque cabaret in the city takes place there every night. If you want a show, this is your place.
La Pedrera, the hangar of Barcelona
Gaudi’s Casa Mila, known as ‘La Pedrera’, had many detractors in its day, who compared it to an airship hangar or an Easter monkey. Precisely, the nickname of La Pedrera, career in Catalan, was another criticism of the time.
The anecdote that the French politician George Clemenceau arrived in Barcelona to give a speech and was so shocked by the vision of the building, that he left without giving a quick speech and without understanding how people could live like this.
A good example that time heals everything.
The hidden sculptures of the Cathedral of Saint Eulalia
The facade of the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia was not completed until the end of the 19th century.
When the works were then laid out, many citizens went there to verify the veracity of the legend that, although the cover was not built in the Middle Ages, Many sculptures intended to decorate it were carved and, according to tradition,
buried at the foot of the cathedral. Many were surprised to see that nothing was found there, which did not prevent the displacement of the sculptures in the popular imagination to another hidden place still unknown. Hope is the last thing we lose.
Plaza de Saint Justus and the oldest public fountain in Barcelona
In Plaça de Sant Just is the oldest public fountain in Barcelona. Built by the nobleman Joan Fiveller after finding a natural fountain during one of his hunts in the woods of Collserola. In the Gothic style and with three faces that produce water as the most significant elements, on one side of the fountain, looking upwards, appears a falcon trapping a partridge, in memory of Fiveller himself and his hunts .
The neighbors of the Batlló house
In Casa Batlló , one of Gaudi’s masterpieces, in addition to visiting the spaces managed by the Batlló family, now a museum, you can meet some neighbors by the staircase, since some parts of the building are still private. As private as the parties that from time to time can be seen through its windows from Paseo de Gràcia.
Barna’s langoustine
Don’t panic if on Paseo Colón you see a giant shrimp above your head, it’s the representation of a langoustine, the creative daughter of Javier Mariscal, the same who gave birth to Cobi for the Olympic Games in Barcelona.
The thinking bull of the Rambla of Catalonia
Rodin’s The Thinker is not the only sculpture that strives to understand the meaning of life, Josep Granyer, very steeped in his career in cubism, surrealism and a constant fascination for the animal world, designed the Bull thinking, located in the Rabla de Catalunya since 1972.
Not so long ago it suffered an attempted robbery, but it is still there, focused. Nearby, the coquette Girafa, another sculpture by the author, also observes life passing by. It was said to look for them.
Kilometer Zero of the Modernist Route
The zero kilometer of the Modernist Route of Barcelona and Europe, eye for data, begins right at the Apple of Discord, at the gates of Casa Amatller , a few steps from Casa Batlló. We can say this of: we make our way, in this ‘modernist’ case, by walking.
A museum under the Barcelona History Museum
The Barcelona History Museum, housed in the Gothic Clariana Padellàs palace, was moved in 1931 to its current location in Plaça del Rei from Mercaders street. During the works, the remains of the Roman city were brought to light, an archaeological discovery that today can be admired when visiting the museum.
The figure of Catalan music, the music of all
The sculptural figure of the Palau de la Música Catalana is an allegory to popular Catalan song, with Saint George, who rises above the female personification of music, who appears surrounded by children, an old man, a sailor , peasants and members of high society, as a symbol that music belongs to everyone, regardless of their social status.
Gutters, territory of Barça
It is said that the custom of celebrating the victories of Football Club Barcelona at the Canaletas fountain originated in a nearby building where the editorial staff of the sports newspaper La Rambla was located, which used to write on a large board the last hour.
The results of the matches of the bluish team gathered under its windows many more people than usual, who stood there celebrating the victory of Barça. One thing leads to another, and today, without the slate of the newspaper, the Canaletas fountain is the place to be when Barcelona has something to celebrate.
Another tradition linked to this spring ensures that whoever drinks from its waters will be predestined to return to Barcelona. So there are a lot of people lining up to try their luck.
The Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau and its rebellion
The macro project designed by the architect Lluis Domènech i Montaner for the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau did not reach completion, although a large part of the buildings he contemplated were built, some by Domènech i Montaner himself and others by his son, Father Domènech i Roura.
Constituting a unique set, representing the best Catalan Modernism and declared since 1997 Heritage of Humanity by Unesco. And although a new building was inaugurated in 2009 to house the hospital, some of the original constructions are still in use. As a curiosity, it should be noted that the pavilions were dedicated to saints according to the type of patients they were going to house.
Likewise, the orientation of the entrance to the enclosure breaks with the grid of the Barcelona Eixample, some say it was because Domènech i Montaner was looking for better ventilation, but others say it was because the architect hated this perfectly geometric urban layout.
What is clear is that it is a must-see place in the city of Condal.
The Sphere by Frank Gehry
In the Olympic Port of Barcelona there is another sculpture by Frank Gehry. A sphere that seems suspended in the air about to fall from its pedestal. However, no Masonic symbol has yet been given to this sculpture. It simply represents the perfection of geometry and its fragile but sure order.
A mammoth on the loose in Ciutadella Park
A famous geologist and naturalist, Norbert Font, who introduced speleology to Spain, had the brilliant idea of placing ten sculptures of prehistoric animals that had populated Catalonia in the Parc de la Ciutadella.
The first of these, and ultimately the only one for Font’s death in 1910, was a mammoth, which in stone and bright colors represents a surprise to those seeing it for the first time. Today, it is the favorite of the little ones.
The Arab origin of the Ramblas
The Ramblas are perhaps the most famous avenue in Barcelona. The origin of its name comes from the Arabic word ‘Ramla’, which refers to a stretch of sand, because in the past, before the area was urbanized, through Las Ramblas the river d’en Malla passed, a stream that ended in the Plaza of the Duke of Medinaceli and which in its passage, Logically, it created a stretch of sand.
The Royal Gallery of John of Austria at the Maritime Museum
In the Maritime Museum of Barcelona, among other places, you can admire a reliable reproduction of the Royal Gallery of Juan of Austria, built in the Ciudad Condal in 1571, the largest ship of its time and the main ship of the battle. of Lepanto, for which the fourth centenary, in 1971, this reproduction was built.
The owl that presides over the confluence of the Diagonal and the Sant Joan promenade
This owl is to Barcelona what the sign of Schweppes is to Madrid (and to Santiago Segura). Born as a Ròtuls Roura advertisement in the early 70s, it survived the Urban Landscape Uses Ordinance in 2004 and, moreover, was restored in 2011 to shine again the same year. A symbol of Condal City.
La Casa Figueras, the pastry shop with two owners
The Figueras pasta factory, born in 1820, was renovated at the beginning of the 20th century in the dominant style of the time, Catalan modernism. And so, with its facade made of tesserae and curves shines since on the Ramblas.
And although the owners of the Old Figueras House are no longer the Figueras family, but the Escribà pastry shop, the facade has remained with the original signs, because with good sense they believed that these were part of the history of Barcelona.
If you like sweets, look no further, here you will enjoy with all the senses.
The first Renaissance building in Catalonia
It is said that the Renaissance facade of the Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya which overlooks Plaça de Sant Jaume was the first building of this style built in Catalonia, leaving behind the Gothic and giving way to a new architectural and cultural horizon.
Sant Jordi, patron saint of Catalonia
On the Renaissance facade of the Palau de la Generalitat, which overlooks Plaça de Sant Jaume, there is a statue dedicated to the patron saint of Catalonia, San Jorge.
And it is precisely on the saint’s feast day, April 23, that the building opens to the public, and all of Catalonia is given over to the celebrations of Sant Jordi, which according to tradition are flowers and books that take over everything for a day.
In Barcelona, on two wheels
Barcelona’s extensive network of cycle paths and the ease of pedaling in a basically flat terrain, help to get out of the house on two wheels. Even more if a ** service like Bicing ** is so integrated in the city (it already reaches 190,000 subscribers).
And take note: the town of Condal is also one of the few Spanish towns to have a Bicycle Office.
The pavilion of Mies Van De Rohe, the twice built
The pavilion that Germany built for the 1929 International Exhibition in Barcelona became famous worldwide for its minimalist architecture. Mies Van De Rohe was behind the project.
Despite numerous requests to the German state for the building to remain after the exhibition ended, the country’s economic situation caused it to be dismantled and all parts returned to their origin.
The reputation was such in the years that followed that in 1954 the architect Oriol Bohigas planned his return to the same site. An arduous task which was rewarded by its reopening on June 2, 1986. And here is the story of the prodigal son.
The Belvedere of King Marti, the Tower of the Dead King
The Rei Marti viewpoint, in Plaça del Rei and part of the Major Royal Palace of Barcelona, residence of the Counts of Barcelona, was named after King Marti, the Human, although he died in 1410 and the tower was erected in 1555.
The explanation is simple, the belvedere is located in the same place as another tower, and yes, adjoining the king. It is said that this belvedere, which originally had a four-pitched roof, was considered in medieval times to be the tallest building in the world, come on, a whole Gothic skyscraper.
But it is also true that many people had not seen. A must-see monument if you are visiting Barcelona.
Saint James the Apostle in the square of Sant Jaume
In the square of Sant Jaume, on one of its sides, you will find in a niche the equestrian statue of the Apostle James the Great, Saint James the Apostle or Saint Jaume in Catalonia, patron saint of Spain.
Saint who gives his name to the square because, according to tradition, it was here that, in the Roman city of Barcino, the thistle and the decumanus converged at this point, where the disciple of Christ, on the way to Compostela, divulged the Word of God.
La Barceloneta famous urban beach in Barcelona
La Barceloneta can be considered the most famous urban beach in Spain and one of the liveliest in the world. Its name is given to it by the homonymous district which was erected on its back in the 18th century, but it was with the construction of the city’s first port in 1447 that the coastline took the shape it has today. .
It is strange to think that when sea bathing became fashionable in the 19th century, there were initially separate areas for each sex, being the baths of San Sebastian which began co-existence on the men’s beach and women, not without scandal, of course.
A sculpture garden on the roof of La Pedrera
The most beautiful and dreamlike chimneys, ventilation towers and doors in the world can be found on the roof of La Pedrera , which, in addition to an exceptional view of Passeig de Gràcia, forms a real sculptural garden in the middle of air.
Among the most characteristic elements of Casa Milà stand out the fireplaces, similar to warrior helmets. Go up and take out your own similarities, not forgetting to find with the arch that perfectly frames the Sagrada Familia on the horizon.
Why are taxis in Barcelona black and yellow?
If in Madrid one of the most common images is to find the Gran Via filled with white taxis, in Barcelona it is up to you to find the black and yellow Plaza de Catalunya.
These colors find their origin in a Highway Code approved by the town hall in 1924 where not only was it necessary to install the taximeter but also to paint a line under the window for easy identification (white, red, yellow or blue depending on the price ).
With the boom of the Universal Exhibition of 1929 the number of taxis in Barcelona multiplied and to avoid illegal cars, abusive rates and so on, the town hall decided to institutionalize the yellow color as the official taxis of the town.
The building with the oldest “sgraffiti” in the city
In Plaza del Pi, a sculpture of the Archangel Saint Michael, Barcelona patron of the guild of Tenders Revenedors, has guarded the facade of its headquarters since the 18th century, of which it is the building with the oldest sgraffito in the city.
Made in the baroque using this technique, which uses the sand of the beach to decorate, as if it were a print, they decorate one of the most beautiful buildings in the city.
Which side is America on?
The monument erected at the end of the Ramblas to the discovery of America, Christopher Columbus, is one of the most famous icons of the county town, although it is not without controversy, since since the statue of the Admiral was erected in 1888 on top of the column with his finger up, everyone wanted to explain the direction of it.
Some claim it is an allegory to the discovery of the New World, as it points to the sea as the means by which one arrived in America, although the continent is geographically on the other side, others claim that it points to Genoa, homeland of Columbus.
We have not chosen any of them and we leave the choice to you. Perhaps it helps to climb to the lookout just below the discoverer and see it up close, passing,
The streets of MACBA
When American architect Richard Meier moved to Raval to build a new museum there to house contemporary art, he said his goal would be to integrate the city within it. In an attempt to extend the public space into the building.
Thus, the ramps of the MACBA, perhaps the most representative and photogenic element of the main building, are, according to Meier, “part of the plaza dels Àngels as of the MACBA”. So walking around the museum has been said.
The Arc de Triomphe in Barcelona, a real civil monument
The Arc de Triomf de la Ciudad Condal, unlike other arches with a marked military character, was created to commemorate a civil stage, serving as a monumental entrance to the Barcelona Universal Exhibition of 1888.
This is why, in its neo-Mudejar structure in exposed brickwork, the allegorical reliefs of industry, commerce, agriculture, science and the arts stand out, dominating over them the central relief that personifies Barcelona as a woman who welcomes to open arms to all the nations of the world.
At present, it has sometimes served as a goal in various sporting events, the most important being the Barcelona Marathon
The unfinished Park Güell
Conceived as a garden city, Gaudi never saw Park Güell, which planned with Count Güell the construction of a large number of luxury dwellings surrounded by a vast garden for the Barcelona upper class.
But she refused, and the park remained at the beginning, with only two houses. In one of them, now the Gaudi Museum, the architect himself lived between 1906 and 1925.
Although the project was not finished, Park Güell, with its entrance, its pavilions, the shaped grid of dragon and the staircase with the fountain, is today one of the most famous prints of Barcelona. A must visit place during your visit to Barcelona.
The Estrella Herida of La Barceloneta
The cubic structure that rises on La Barceloneta beach is the work of contemporary artist Rebecca Horn, installed for the 1992 Olympics and named Estrella Herida.
Made of iron and glass, a light shoots from the four discolored cubes and a certain murmur can be heard representing the death of the star during its collision with the earth.
The columns of pipes of Park Güell
Beneath the Hypostyle Hall of Park Güell there is a cistern that feeds with water channeled through pipes located inside some columns, which connect directly to the square located above, that of the undulating benches of broken tiles.
Thus rainwater was collected and channeled to supply certain points in the park, such as the source of the lizard.
The walls of Barcino
The 9 meter high Roman walls of Barcelona that can be seen today were the second built in Barcino, after the first were blasted by a Balearic attack in the 2nd century AD.
different points of the Gothic quarter, its remains are clearly located which relate to later buildings, with the Portal of the Bisbe, or of the Bishop, in Plaça Nova, as the most famous point of these for being the only portal, of the four that had the wall, which has been preserved.
Eterno Liceo
The Grand Théâtre du Lycée has experienced two fires and an anarchist attack throughout its history, which has not taken away an ounce of magnificence and has made it indestructible.
The first fire completely destroyed the hall and the stage on April 14, 1861, the second not so long ago, on January 31, 1994, was followed throughout the country by the media.
As for the anarchist attack, armed by Santiago Salvador in 1893, it was a turning point in the history of the theater, with 20 deaths and the awakening of society to a new reality.
The copy of La Piedad of the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia
The tympanum of the door of the Pietà of the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia was carved in wood by the German artist Michael Lochner, initiator of Germanic Gothic in Barcelona.
But it is a copy that we can see today, because the original work was transferred to the Cathedral Museum after an attempted theft a few years ago.
The promenade of Juan de Borbón and the island of Maians
What is known today as Paseo de Juan de Borbón, in Roman times was pure sea, was the commitment of the citizens of Barcino first and later that of King Juan II of Aragon, with the construction from the first port of the city, those who made the coastline of Barcelona gain ground to the sea.
Very close to where this walk takes place, there was a small island of fine sand called Maians Island, which the Catalan journalist Quim Monzó saved her from oblivion in one of her stories. Today, no doubt, a mythical island.
The Chinese dragon of the Ramblas
This Art Deco and Chinese-style dragon holding a lamppost is located on Las Ramblas in the so-called House of Umbrellas, and was designed as an advertisement for an old umbrella shop, from which one is also below
The oldest house in Barcelona
At number six in Sant Domènec del Call street is the oldest house in Barcelona, already inhabited in the 12th century. Many have seen its walls, now tilted by the 1428 earthquake, even its use as a brothel during the post-war period. A must have if you are visiting Barcelona.
Barcelona Exhibition Center
The National Palace, built for the 1929 International Exhibition in the neo-Renaissance style in Montjuïc, has housed the National Art Museum of Catalonia since 1934, perhaps the most important in the world in Romanesque art.
It was in its central hall that Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenia inaugurated Expo Barcelona, and you can now walk between the works.
The sparks of the correfocs
The Correfocs sparkle during the La Mercè festivities. They are, without a doubt, another unmissable element alongside the Castells, Sardanes and Giants in the celebrations of the patron saint of Barcelona.
These disguised little demons run around Via Laeiteana and its surroundings, with firecrackers, and fire-spitting dragons, enchanting young and not so young.
The princess gargoyle of the medallion of Saint-Georges
On the street of the bishop, gives the Gothic facade of the Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya, where stands out a frieze, made by the sculptor Father Johan, with a medallion representing Saint George patron of Catalonia, killing the dragon.
Among the gargoyles, just under the medallion, we will find a representation of the princess, who, according to the story, saves the saint from the jaws of the monster.
A factory called CaixaForum Barcelona
CaixaForum Barcelona occupies the former Casaramona factory, an impeccable modernist building in exposed brickwork, the work of architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch.
It was one of the most modern factories of its time, with large windows and high ceilings for light and good ventilation. In addition to having a power supply, thus avoiding the pollutant of coal, and having two water tanks in the form of towers to avoid any type of mishap.
Today, this breadth gives the institution a large exhibition space, which benefits to imagine the most interesting cultural appointments of the Ciudad Condal.
The castle of the three dragons, a literary baptism
The name given to the pavilion built in the Parc de la Ciutadella by the architect Lluis Domènech i Montaner on the occasion of the Barcelona Universal Exhibition of 1888, and which served as a café-restaurant, is due to the novel by Serafí Pitarra, The castle of the three dragons. An emblematic and essential link for the visit to Barcelona.
Where is Hermes, then? An itinerary will help you discover that the winged messenger lives in Barcelona
What does the city of Barcelona have with the messenger of the gods? Lots of history and carvings. Hermes can be found inside the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, at the Bona Sort Hostel in Calle Carders, at the Post Office… and we encourage you to discover the countless figures of this messenger in the city of Barcelona.
And why this obsession with Hermès? Because in addition to being the eternal messenger, he is also the patron saint of merchants, so between the 19th and 20th centuries he sculpted his figure in public and banking buildings (and in others, almost like a superstitious means of attracting luck and money to one’s business).
Gaudi’s cave under the Casaca Monumental de la Ciutadella
Josep Fontserè, in charge of urbanizing the Parc de la Ciutadella, had a young Gaudi for the Monumental Waterfall, who designed the hydraulic system and designed a grotto under the monumental fountain.
This one, which today is famous for its large number of sculptures, is crowned with a Cuádriga which has been covered with a golden patina.
Gaudi’s lampposts on the Place Royale
The six-arm streetlights that illuminate the Place Royale at night were designed by Antoni Gaudi in 1878 on commission from the town hall.
The Casa de les Punxes, a castillo in miniature
Casa Terrades is known as Casa de les Punxes, by the needles that crown its six conical towers.
Work of the modernist architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, this building of the Diagonal recalls in its forms the Gothic constructions of the Netherlands, being evident in its side facades, apparently finished with narrow blocks of triangular pediments.
As it is a private property, ordinary mortals can only admire its exterior, leaving the interior to its happy tenants.
The Festivities of La Mercè and its Giants
The Fiestas de la Mercè date back to 1871, when Barcelona City Council drew up a program to celebrate the feast of the Virgin of La Mercè.
Since then, every September 24, the city of Condal gives itself body and soul to its patroness. It was in 1902 that its most significant symbols were introduced, such as the first meeting of the Giants of Catalonia, a fan phenomenon today.
The Place du Pi pine tree
It is said that the origin of Pi Square is the discovery by a sailor of an image of the Virgin on top of a pine tree, pi in Catalan, which was located inside a new temple, which today would be the Church of the Pi, and the pine was taken care of for its significance, obtaining great freshness in the following centuries.
With the Napoleonic invasions, one of the soldiers crossed the trunk with his bayonet killing the pine, which was replaced by another and later by another still today, as a symbol of the resistance of traditions. For the record, on this square, the Honey Market takes place every month, famous for the cheeses and artisan pastries that bring Catalan producers to the city.
The Gare de France in Barcelona
The Gare de France was the first large monumental station in Barcelona, built to increase the capacity of the existing station, does not skimp on luxury in its decoration.
In a great technical effort, the station was to be the gateway for visitors to the 1929 International Exhibition, but King Alfonso XIII inaugurated it two weeks after the start of the festivities for the macro event. It is not known if the money was returned to anyone because of the delay.
The Portal de l’Angel washhouses
The fountain of Santa Anna, which appears in the middle of the Portal de l’Àngel, shopping street where there is and place where tradition dictates, an angel appeared in San Vicente Ferrer, are the old washhouses of the city and the one of the few running water points in Barcelona in medieval times.
The tiles and vases were included by the artist Josep Aragay at the beginning of the 20th century to mimic it with the artistic current of the moment: Modernism.
Los Castells, Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Also in 1902, during the Fiestas de la Mercè, the first contest of Castells was called, which today fills the Plaça de San Jaume with color during the celebrations of the patroness of the city.
Its singularity and its beauty are such, as well as a tradition that has its roots in the 15th century, that in 2010 Unesco proclaimed Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The copy of Sorrow in the Parc de la Ciutadella
As if it were the statue of Michelangelo’s David, El Desconsuelo, by Josep Llimona, considered one of the masterpieces of Catalan modernism, rests in the National Art Museum of Catalonia.
It is a copy that you can find in its original location in the Plaza de Armas, in front of the Parliament of Catalonia, inside the Parc de la Ciutadella.
A woman with a bird in Joan Miró Park
One of the first and busiest public competitions that took place in Barcelona was the one that gave architects to this park, Parc Joan Miró, then an arid land that four young Catalans reconverted into a small green lung at the western limit of the Eixample.
But if something stands out in him, it is the sculpture ‘Woman and Bird’ by the great Joan Miró.
The Lady with the Umbrella and her Mini Revolution
The Lady of the Umbrella is another symbol of Barcelona, in a corner next to the Zoo, in the Parc de la Ciutadella. The statue was erected on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of 1888, and what is curious is that it was a sculpture representing a contemporary woman,
dressed in a prank and a parasol, while t was customary to create feminine images in a classic style. Maybe the women’s revolution started with her?
The Plaza Real is not cubic but trapezoidal
Barcelona’s Plaza Real, although it appears to be quadrangular, is in fact trapezoidal. Its architect, Daniel Molina, achieved the visual effect by increasing the distance between the pillars to a minimum in certain parts of the square. The towers of geometry.
The two cable cars of Barcelona
Barcelona has two cable cars, the Ferry Aereo del Puerto or cable car of the Port, inaugurated for the International Exhibition of 1929, which connects the mountain of Montjuic with the Port and La Barceloneta, thanks to two gigantic towers and the most modern Montjuic cable car, with stunning views of the entire city and a stop at a spectacular lookout point included.
Plaza de Catalunya, the heart of Barcelona forever
Plaza de Catalunya, which today could be considered the urban heart of the city of Barcelona, was originally a simple wasteland outside the walls where a bustling market was located.
Even Ildefonso Cerdà did not see this land, once the walls of the antuguas were demolished, as a square, because for him, the new nerve center of Barcelona was to be the new square of the Glorias Catalanes, where the main arteries of the city converged: the Diagonal Avenue, Meridiana Avenue and Gran Via de las Cortes Catalanas.
Years later, the remoteness of this square led citizens to articulate on the ground that today occupies Plaza de Catalunya all kinds of stalls, cafes and theaters, which led the town hall to seek a new plan for build a place there.
It is therefore the citizens of Barcelona who have always chosen this place as the center of their city. If Mahomet does not go to the mountain…
The Perfect Circle by Joan Miró
On the Ramblas, at the height of the Gran Teatro del Liceo, if you look carefully where you are walking, you will find a mosaic by the same Joan Miró, a surrealist circle in the colors most characteristic of the artist’s work, installed there in 1976 as a universal symbol of totality and perfection.
The sundial of the zodiac of the Place du Soleil
In full place of the Sun rose a sundial, known under the name of Astrolabi, which by its great ornamentation, in which the twelve signs of the zodiac are represented in situ, has always passed unnoticed.
But we encourage you to approach this curiosity, and try to find out what time conforms to the shadow that marks the king star in it, in a small tribute to its sculptor Joaquim Camps
The Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes, whim of a queen
The Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes was attached to the city of Barcelona by royal decree in 1326, by order of Queen Elisenda de Moncada, wife of Jaume II, both promoters of the monastery.
She herself built an annex palace when she was widowed and lived there until her death, leaving the order to demolish her house when she died.
As a curiosity, the queen’s tomb has two faces, one facing the church and where Elisenda appears dressed as a queen, and the other facing the cloister where she appears as a widow. Two sides of the same coin. A must visit place if you are visiting Barcelona.
Montjuïc Castle, a former watchtower
Montjuïc Castle, closely linked to the history of Barcelona, has its origins in an old watchtower, located at the top of the mountain to warn of the arrival of boats.
The sardana of Montjuïc
In honor of the sardana, which was also incorporated into the Fiestas de la Mercè in 1902 to spread the Empordano dance, a monument was erected in 1965 on the mountain of Montjuïc, the work of the sculptor Josep Cañas i Cañas.
The Phoenix of Barcelona
The Union Building and the Phoenix, as in its Madrid headquarters, placed in its dome a sculpture of Ganymede carried by a Phoenix, although in Greek mythology the story is with an eagle, symbol of Zeus.
Tibidabo, Barcelona viewpoint
If you go on a visit to Barcelona, you should know that from Mount Tibidabo you can see Barcelona in all its glory. The thickness of the forests of the Collserola Natural Park occupies a small ring on the nocturnal horizon, which wraps the light in the geometric map of the town of Condal.
Try dining or having a drink at Hotel La Florida. There is no better way to say goodbye or to greet this marvel called Barcelona.
