Travel to Barcelona, Spain.

Barcelona is located on the coast of North Eastern Spain. It is the capital and the largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the 2nd most populous municipality of Spain.

It is famous for the architectural works and buildings of Antonio Gaudi .

Barcelona is a very touristy city and nearly every where you go you will have to compete with lots of other people to see the attractions or to be served. 

It is a transport hub with one of the busiest European ports in Europe.  About 50 million people pass through the international airport each year.

There are fast train links with France and other European countries as well as to southern Spain.

It is easy to navigate and use the local trains to get around Barcelona as well.

La Ramba

The Rambla is a 1.2km tree-lined pedestrian area in downtown Barcelona.

It is lined with shops, kiosks, flowerstalls, restaurants, cafes and bars.  There are many street performers and artists that entertain all along the length of the street.

The famous St Joseph Markets (Mercat de Sant Josep de a Boqueria) is a large public market that you enter from La Rambla.  It is full of fresh produce stalls and is well know for the fresh juice stalls.  You can buy food to cook yourself, or you can find a bar to order the fresh produce and eat it while you are there.  It was constructed in 1840.

At the bottom end of La Rambla is the 60m high Christopher Columbus statue.  It’s quite impressive and celebrates Columbus’s return to Spain after discovering San Salvador.

Also just off La Rambla is Plaza Real.  It is a pretty little square lined with palm trees, old buildings and nightclubs.  It also has street lamps designed by Gaudi.  It is a great spot for a sangria and people watching.

The Gothic Quarter

This area is quite close to La Ramba as well.  In contrast to the wide street though, the Gothic Quarter is full of narrow, cobblestone, windy streets.

You will also see Roman ruins, an old synagogue and basilica. There is a lot to see in this area of Barcelona, so you definitely want to take the time to explore.

Probably not the best place to stay as it is quite lively and noisy at night.

Beaches of Barcelona 

Barcelona has approximately 4.5km of beaches for the locals and tourists to choose from.  The most central located and popular is Barceloneta Beach. It is an easy walk from the main area of Barcelona and there a many cafes along the way as well as markets to buy all the beach gear you need.

The Maritime Museum

This museum is right on the water at the port area of Barcelona.

It is dedicated to ship building between the 13th and 18th centuries.

The most impressive display is the full size 16th century galley ship that you can walk onto inside the museum.  It has a 3D video showing the harsh reality of life onboard.

There are cafes and a restaurant in the museum with great food and even  better views.

The museum is close to a big shopping centre that you can access across a long pedestrian bridge.

Hop On Hop Off Bus

There are three different routes to the hop on hop off bus in Barcelona.  It is a great way to get around and see all of the city as Barcelona is quite spread and not easy to walk every where.

There are 45 stops and 5 transfer points where you can swap from one route to another. It costs between 27 and 35 euro for a one or two day pass.

Picasso Museum

The Picasso Museum holds 4,251 of his works. They are housed in 5 adjoining medieval palaces on Montcada Street in the La Ribera neighbourhood in the old town.

Sagrada Familia

This is the most visited of all the tourist places in Barcelona.  It is the famous Antonio Gaudi designed cathedral.

You only have to look at the photos of this spectacular building to know that is something very unique. 

It has been under construction since the ground breaking in 1880’s.  It has the capacity to house 9,000 people.  It is 90m long and 60 metres wide.  There will be 18 spires when completed, but there are 10 now.  The spires are 170m tall.

The basilica is decorated in typical Gaudi style with the focus being on the stained glass windows throughout.

Park Guell

This park was built originally as part of a housing development to encourage people to buy land and build their houses there.  The estate wasn’t a success but the park has gone on to become one of the most popular and beautiful places to visit in Barcelona.

It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1924.

It is full of buildings with huge columns, little cottages with mosaic roofs as well as the well known serpent bench covered in mosaic tiles. 

The dragon water feature at the entrance is spectacular.

Casa Mila

This residential building has been dubbed the “The Stone Quarry” because of its rough appearance.

It was the last private residence built by Gaudi between 1906 -`1912.  It was plagued with controversy because it was built bigger and higher than the council allowed.  Eventually, the building as reclassified and is now a residential block of apartments with some commercial spaces on the ground floor.

It certainly stands out from the formal and regulation buildings all around it. Casa Mila is a short walk from the main square and La Ramba area.

Favourite Place for a Drink in Barcelona.

Lyle’s favourite place was at the restaurant in the Maritime museum with fabulous water views.

Leanne’s favourite place was the rooftop bar of their hotel, enjoying her first every mojito in Spain.

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