Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chair
, though you can buy postcards and books from the small shop and debate quite how
much you want a Mies propelling pencil or a “Less is More” T-shirt.
Poble Espanyol
Av. de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia 13 • Mon 9am-8pm, Tues-Thurs & Sun 9am-midnight, Fri 9am-3am, Sat
9am-4am, workshops daily 10am-6/8pm, depending on season • €11, under-4s free, family ticket €28.25, night
ticket€6.50,combinedticketwithMNAC€18• 935086300,
poble-espanyol.com
• Espanyaand800m
walk, or bus #150 or #13 from Av. de la Reina Maria Cristina
The
Poble Espanyol
, or Spanish Village, was an inspired concept for the International Ex-
hibitionof1929-acompletevillageconsistingofstreetsandsquareswithreconstructionsof
famous or characteristic buildings from all over Spain, such as the fairy-tale medieval walls
of Ávila through which you enter. “Get to know Spain in one hour” is what's promised and
it's nowhere near as cheesy as you might think. The echoing main square is lined with cafés,
while the surrounding streets and alleys contain around forty workshops, where you can see
engraving, weaving, pottery and other crafts. Inevitably, it's one huge shopping experience -
castanets to Lladró porcelain, religious icons to Barcelona soccer shirts - and prices are in-
flated, but children will love it (they can run free as there's no traffic) and there are plenty of
family activities.
Get to the village early to enjoy it in relatively crowd-free circumstances - once the tour
groups arrive, it becomes a bit of a scrum. You could always come instead at the other end
ofthe day,tovenues like
TablaodeCarmen
forflamenco showsor
LaTerrrazza
dance club,
when the village transforms into a vibrant centre of Barcelona nightlife.
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC)
Palau Nacional: Tues-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun & hols 10am-3pm • €12, ticket valid 48hr, annual pass €18, un-
der-16s & first Sun of the month free; special exhibitions: varied charges apply • 936 220 376,
mnac.cat
•
Espanya/Poble Sec, or bus #150 from Av. de la Reina Maria Cristina, or bus #55 from c/ de Lleida
The towering, domed
Palau Nacional
, set back on Montjuïc at the top of the long flight of
steps from the fountains, was the flagship building of Barcelona's 1929 International Exhibi-
tion.Usedfortheopeningceremony,thepalacewasduetobedemolishedoncetheexpowas
over, but gained a reprieve and ultimately became home to one of Spain's great museums -
the
MuseuNacionald'ArtdeCatalunya
(
MNAC
),showcasingathousandyearsofCatalan
art in stupendous surroundings.
The museum's scope is such that it can be difficult to know where to start, but if time
is limited it's recommended you concentrate on the medieval collection. It's split into two
main sections, one dedicated to
Romanesque
art and the other to
Gothic
- periods in
which Catalunya's artists were pre-eminent in Spain. MNAC also has impressive holdings of
