Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
What to see
Despite being one of the largest cities on the Mediterranean (population 1.6 million, with a
further 3.4 million in its metropolitan area), Barcelona is a pretty easy place to find your way
around.Ineffect, it'saseries ofself-contained quarters orneighbourhoods (knownas
barris
)
stretching out from the harbour, flanked by parks, hills and woodland. Much of what there is
to see in the city centre - Gothic cathedral, Picasso museum, markets, Gaudí buildings and
art galleries - can be reached on foot, while a fast, cheap, integrated public transport system
takes you directly to the peripheral attractions and suburbs.
This guide starts, as nearly everyone does, with the
Ramblas
, a kilometre-long, tree-lined
avenue of pavement cafés, performance artists and kiosks that splits the old town in two.
On the eastern side of the Ramblas is the
Barri Gòtic
(Gothic Quarter), the medieval nuc-
leus of the city - a labyrinth of twisting streets and historic buildings, including La Seu (the
cathedral) and the palaces and museums around Plaça del Rei. Further east lies
Sant Pere
,
set around its terrific market, which adjoins the fashionable boutique-and-bar quarter of
La
Ribera
to the south, home to the Picasso museum. Over on the western side of the Ramblas
is the edgier,artier neighbourhood of
ElRaval
,containing boththe flagship museum ofcon-
temporary art (MACBA) and the pick of the city's coolest bars and restaurants.
At the bottom of the Ramblas is the waterfront, whose spruced-up harbour area is known
as
Port Vell
(Old Port). Walking east from here takes you past the aquarium and marina,
throughtheoldfishingandrestaurantquarterof
Barceloneta
,pastthe
ParcdelaCiutadella
and out along the promenade to the cafés and restaurants of the
Port Olímpic
. This whole
area is where Barcelona is most like a resort, with city beaches all along the waterfront from
Barceloneta as far as the conference and leisure zone of Parc del Fòrum at
Diagonal Mar
.
Art-andgarden-lovers,meanwhile,aimforthefortress-toppedhillof
Montjuïc
tothesouth-
west, where Catalunya's national art gallery (MNAC), the Miró museum, botanic garden and
main Olympic stadium are sited, among a host of other cultural attractions.
AtthetopoftheRamblas,PlaçadeCatalunyamarksthestartofthegriddednineteenth-cen-
turyextensionofthecity,knownasthe
Eixample
,asymbolofthethrustingexpansionismof
Barcelona'searlyindustrialage.ThisiswheresomeofEurope'smostextraordinaryarchitec-
ture-includingGaudí's
SagradaFamília
-islocated.BeyondtheEixampleliethenorthern
suburbs, notably
Gràcia
, with its small squares and lively bars, and the nearby
Parc Güell
,
whileyou'llalsocomeoutthiswaytoseethefamous
CampNou
FCBarcelonastadium.It's
worth making for the hills, too, where you can join the crowds at Barcelona's famous
Tibid-
abo
amusement park - or escape them with a walk through the woods in the peaceful
Parc
de Collserola
.
The good public transport links also make it easy to head further out of the city. The
mountain-top monastery of
Montserrat
makes the most obvious day-trip, not least for the
