GO BARCELONA
BY KATRINE SALOMON
Barcelona is synonymous with stunning architecture, from Antoni Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia to Jean Nouvel’s Torre Agbar.
The Ramblas are extremely pleasant to walk along. The old neighborhoods will surprise you and Barcelona is an all-night-long party-city. Even though you find yourself in the capital of Catalonia, there is easy access to the surrounding nature, where you can relax away from the hectic urban life.
OH - NO GO
Swimming. Barceloneta is a nice place to hang out, but the sea is far from crystal clear.
GO AREAS
El Born
Charming neighborhood. The Picasso Museum and the best shopping in town, with little hip boutiques like pearls on a string in the narrow streets.
Barri Gòtic
The historic heart of Barcelona. Placa Sant Jaume is the place to celebrate the victories of local heroes from FC Barcelona. The Cathedral is breathtakingly beautiful.
El Raval
Very lively area with fancy little shops, good bars and nice squares where you can have coffee and relax away from the crowd on the Ramblas.
L’Eixample
Definitely the swanky part of Barcelona. The streets are wider, the shopping more expensive and it is home to The Sagrada Familia, Casa Battlo, Casa Mila and some excellent hotels.
Barceloneta
You can hang out in the lounge atmosphere with big cushions on the sand. Take in the Mediterranean and have sand between your toes, right in the middle of the city. Nice bars and pleasant walks in the Poblenou area, which was expanded towards the water front for the 1992 Olympic Games.
Gràcia and Tibidabo
Gracia is far less touristy than the rest of Barcelona. This old and authentic part of town is characteristic for Catalonia with its pretty and narrow streets where you can’t avoid bumping into the locals. Cozy little bars, restaurants and shops in the area around Placa de la Virreina and Placa del Sol.
From Tibidabo you get the ultimate view over Barcelona.
Montjuïc
Fundació Joan Miró, Pavello Mies van der Rohe and lots of other places to explore on the mountain. Absolutely worth a trip. I dare you to go by the Telefèric (cable cars).
GO SEE AND DO
Go Gaudi
Weird animals and strange organic shapes. A way of using the materials not seen before or since by anybody else. Antoni Gaudi’s experimental architecture was way ahead of its time.
Barcelona is synonymous with Gaudi and there is a good reason why his work is eternally popular with the tourists: It is stunning! There are lots of possibilities to check out Gaudi’s work in Barcelona – you just have to experience his fascinating universe.
Antoni Gaudi was born on June 25 1852, and died after having been run down by a tram in 1926. A deeply religious man, he despised Picasso and he was never properly appreciated in his lifetime
Casa Mila
On Passeig de Gracia in Exaimple you will find Casa Mila. (Which is also called La Pedrera). It was constructed in 1905 as an apartment building, but the tenants didn’t want to move in since they didn’t know where to put the furniture. The buildings are round - built entirely without corners. You can still have a look into one of the apartments, but the best part of your visit to Casa Mila is to go to the rooftop. Gaudi created a true landscape of shapes and figures up here. You have never seen anything like this – but you will be mesmerized. The line to Casa Mila is terribly long, but worth the wait. At the end of the day the line is shorter and the sun less sharp.
Casa Mila,
Passeig de Gracia, 92
Parc Güell
Parc Güell looks like how a grown-up might experience Alice in Wonderland. At the foot of the mountain, Gaudi has created a surreal, exotic fantasy landscape with artificial palm-trees made of clay, which form the shadowy arcades. A ceramics lizard and a snake’s head are the first things that greet you.
The main entrance is most often crowded with visitors. The park, which was rediscovered by the hippies in the 60’ies, is wonderfully psychedelic and very popular. But don’t be frightened by the masses. Once you get further into the park there is more space and a fantastic view over Barcelona. Take it in, resting on the world’s longest ceramic bench, shaped as a dragon. Don’t wear heels. The walk up to the park is steep and you have to count on walking 20 minutes from the metro.
Take the green line, L3, to the stop Lesseps, and follow the signs to the park.
The world’s most famous unfinished building: La Sagrada Familia.
On overwhelming building in organic shapes: Caverns and dripping towers. It looks like something that grew out of the earth. On the building you can see a Christmas tree and depictions of several stories from the Bible, like The Last Supper, The Crucifixion of Christ and The Resurrection. You have to walk all the way around the church and back again.
The last years of his life, Gaudi lived in a shack on the construction site by La Sagrada Familia.
Since his death in 1926, more than a hundred architects have worked hard to complete his work. A giant undertaking that still causes disputes over how Gaudi himself would have wanted it and how it is possible to preserve his spirit.
The enormous cathedral is still under construction – the yellow cranes are fabulous! – and is expected to be finished in year 2026, which can hardly be done in time.
La Sagrada Familia,
401 Carrer de Mallorca
FC Barcelona Museum/Camp Nou
If you love soccer, this is a must-see!
The FC Barcelona Soccer Club Museum exhibits items from the club, dating back a hundred years. There are two types of admission fees. Buy the pricier one, which gives you a guided tour of the changing rooms, pressrooms, VIP lounge, and a chance to actually see the pitch at ground level.
You'll also get to sit on the players’ benches and feel what it's like to sit in the best seats of the stadium. The tour guides give the commentary in both English and Spanish and they can be a lot of fun. The tour is about 45 minutes long.
FC Barcelona Museu Aristides Maillol,
entrance number 7.
Parc del Laberint d’Horta
It’s a great walk in this big maze, made out of tall bushes and thujas. Little paths, fountains and places to sit and relax while you are - quite frankly – lost! Overlooking the maze are balconies from which people tell lost wanderers which way to choose. So you will definitely find your way back!
The park is on the slope of a hill in Collserola Mountains, in the elevated part of the city. Get there by the green subway line and get off at Mundet.
A fun way to get there is to rent a scooter – and go as a local.
Parc del Laberint d'Horta,
Passeig Castanyers 1.
The Chocolate Museum
Take a tour through the origins of chocolate, learn when it arrived in Europe and best of all: taste a wide selection of the goods.
Bring your hot chocolate outside in the yard. Sit down and admire the future pastry chefs from Escola de Pastisseria del gremi Barcelona. Their classes are behind the glass walls right in front of you ...
Museu de la Xocolata de Barcelona,
Comerc 36.
The Cathedral Garden
In Barri Gotic there is a beautiful little square, Placa de Garrige i Bachs. You can sit in the shade and admire the view of Catedral de Barcelona. Keep your eyes open, because all of a sudden the heavy gates will open and there is access to the garden of the cathedral and people will swarm in. Light one of the red candles and bring a little bread in your pocket to feed the thirteen geese that have their own house in the garden. They protect the cathedral against thieves and robbers. If you suffer from feather-phobia, I can assure you that they are securely fenced in.
There is a nice fountain in the garden, and inside the cathedral is breathtakingly beautiful.
Main entrance for Catedral de Barcelona, Placa de la Seu.
Don’t miss Mies
The Mies van der Rohe pavilion is squeezed in on Montjuïc.I had expected the place to be situated with an unobstructed view over the magnificent landscape. But it’s a little overshadowed by the otherwise very beautiful Palau Nacional. But don’t miss it. The pure lines, the long square surfaces of mat marble and shiny stone, which bring absolute peace to your eyes.
In the open salon there is a casual display of six samples of his most famous chair. These are in white leather – so you are not allowed to fling yourself down. They create a stylish foreground to a beautiful square blue marble ornamental lake in the background, which casts a hallucinating blue light over the salon.
Pavello Mies van der Rohe, Avda. Del Marquès de Comillas, 7
GO EAT
Breakfast has a low priority in Barcelona. Locals grab a cup of coffee and maybe a pastry on their way to work. Lunch is eaten between 12 and 4 P.M. and dinner between 8 and 12 P.M. Tapas is about as classic as Spanish cuisine gets and you have to try it!
La Boqueria
A famous food market in Barcelona is Santa Catarina Market with its wavy and colorful ceiling made of tiles. It’s good, but my personal favorite is La Boqueria, just off the Rambla in Raval.
It’s crowded and loud. With its iron roof and monstrous glass stalls, it is one of the of the world's most photographed food markets, selling everything from delicious freshly squeezed juices to fresh fish, chocolates in all shapes and nuts, spices and meat, meat and more meat. I suggest that you stop for lunch at Bar Pinotxo, where you should ask for grilled lobster. Yummy.
The market is closed on Sundays.
La Bouqueria, (Mercat de Sant Josep),
La Rambla 91.
Taller de Tapas
In El Born, go to Taller de Tapas. Sit at the long wooden counter and look out in the kitchen for inspiration on what to pick from the menu. It is an inexpensive place.
Taller de Tapas,
l’Argenteria 51
La Campana
Also in El Born you will find a very pretty ice cream parlor where everything is home made. Besides all the ice-cream flavors, you can choose between the beautiful boxes of ”dolcos” to bring home.
La Campana,
Carrer de la Princesa 36
Origen
Origen is a lovely little place to eat in El Born. The restaurant is extremely cozy with its small wooden tables and candles. The food is healthy and well prepared. This restaurant is much nicer and comfortable than its sister restaurant around the corner. Pick the right one!
Origen, Vidreria 6-8.
In Gracia, many locals hang out on Placa de la Virreina. At Virreina Bar they obviously recommend Cava – the Spanish Champagne. Try a few of them. The bartenders’ favorite one is Penedes. If you pick a Cava from that domain, you are in for a treat.
l’Arrosseria Xâtiva
On your way to Placa de la Virreina, you can stop at l’Arrosseria Xâtiva. The entire place is wooden and in shades of brown. The only thing that isn’t brown are the long lamps in cream-colored fabric that hang from the ceiling. In the daytime it’s a good place for a cup of coffee among mostly older local residents. At night it becomes more crowded and the atmosphere more hectic.
l’Arrosseria Xâtiva,
C. Torrent dén Vidalet 26.
Restaurant Agua in Barceloneta.
Wonderful view. Delicious foie gras carpaccio, potatoes with hot sauce and gourmet seafood. Book a table in advance, although I got there early at 8 P.M. without a reservation – and a fantastic hostess got me a table outside with a sea view. It is very soothing to sit under the big blue and green sunshades, listening to the waves as night falls.
Agua,
Passeig de Maritim 30.
Inopia
The pastry chef at famous restaurant El Bulli, Albert Adrià, has opened a friendly tapas bar in the Exaimple area. The founder of El Bulli, Ferran Adrià, often finds time to visit this place that belongs to his younger brother. It is a true "bar de barrio"—for the people of the neighborhood. It has a really nice atmosphere and good food! Closed Sundays and Mondays.
Inopia,
Carrer de Tamarit 104
Close to Casa Mila, in a small street off Passeig de Gracia are two good restaurants:
El Japonés
The tables are in high demand, but if you haven’t booked in advance, you can put your name down and wait outside with the rest of the Barcelona crowd. You can also sit at the bar in Restaurant Tragaluz, which is across the street. They will come and get you when your table is ready.
Once you are seated, you will get a long paper menu and a pencil – so you check whatever you want to order. It’s a challenge to limit yourself! The food is Japanese. Sushi, noodles, tempura and other dainties.
It is not a place for a quiet, romantic evening, since the pace is furious and the talk is lively throughout the room.
El Japonés,
Passatge de la Concepsió 2
Tragaluz
Tragaluz is one of the more expensive restaurants, and it’s usually necessary to book your table in advance. The restaurant is in several levels with the bar on the bottom. I suggest you take a glass of Cava there and have a look at the extensive cocktail menu. On the top floor, under the roof, you watch the evening sky and the green terrace through panorama windows. The chef describes the cuisine food as Mediterranean avant-garde cuisine and prides himself in using only the very best products you can get. The food is exquisite – and quite pricey.
Tragaluz,
Passatge de la Concepsió 5
GO SHOP
Visit El Born for shops from new designers, and the Diagonal and
Passeig de Gràcia for high-end designer stores. The Eixample is good
for offbeat fashion and excellent delicatessen, while Spanish wardrobe
staples such as Mango, Zara and Adolfo Dominguez have stores all over
town.
Santa Eulalia
In between the international brands on Passeig de Gracia, is the Spanish store Santa Eulalia in two levels. Wonderful
dresses by their own brand and a fine selection of the best items from
designers like Chloé, Balenciaga and Manolo Blahnik.
Santa Eulalia,
Passeig de Gracia, 93
Bulevard Rosa
On Bulevard Rosa several small shops are located, selling paper goods, children’s clothes and good designer bargains.
Bulevard Rosa,
Passeig de Gracia, 55.
Vincon
Vincon
is an up-style Spanish interior design shop. They have a good selection
of wine glasses, designer cutlery, an impressive children’s department
with lamps casting images on the walls, shoulder bags for men, giant
cushions in red and orange colors and lots of cups and bowls with
motives from fifties American diners.
Vincon,
Passeig de Gracia, 96
Avinguda
Diagonal is a good shopping street. You will find an entire passage
full of shops in l’Illa, 557 and check out the store Jean Pierre Bua,
Diagonal, 469 as well. They have a good selection and carry designers
like Dries van Noten.
Bisazza Mosaic
On Calle de Valencia in Exaimple you
will find an impressive store selling mosaics. It’s a show room for an
international chain, with its flagship store in Barcelona. The facade
alone is very elegant in silver and black.
Bisazza Mosaic,
Calle de Valencia 300.
Iguapopshop
Almost across the street from the famous restaurant Comerc 24 is a fun little shop selling pop-art clothing and accessories.
Iguapopshop,
Comerc 15.
In El Born is a flood of small shops.
Doctor Paper
At
Doctor Paper you can buy secret ink for your secret love letters:
L’encre sympathique! It’s pink ink - heat it over a candle, when
reading your notes.
There are also secret diaries and patinated
travel notebooks for all big capitals in Europe. Or your own personal
cookbook to write your own recipes, with sections for cooking time,
ingredients and kitchenware. You can find notebooks to keep track of
what you served your guests, so no one will ever get the same meal
twice. Or cutout dolls in every shape, from little girls with the hair
color you desire to a fifties pin-up or a baby pin-up!
This is
also the place to get chewing gum, which will provide you with a new
hair-do ”Instant Afro Gum” and you can ”Last Supper after-dinner-mints”.
Jazz up your gift wraps with scotch tape with images of bacon or sausages.
Doctor Paper,
Carrer del Rec, 40
Come Agua de Mayo
At
Come Agua de Mayo you have to walk by the angry looking bearded
gentleman in the front of the store. It’s the owner, so don’t be
afraid, he is actually very nice and the shop has a good selection of
clothing brands and great shoes. Go all the way to the back where you
can find great bargains.
Como Agua de Mayo,
l’Argenteria, 43
In Gracia there are lots of small cheap shops:
Plastic Marisol
Plastic
Marisol specializes in plastic figurines! Famous Barca-soccer players,
all the Smurfs, Tintin and Captain Haddock, and all the characters from
The Lord of the Rings can be bought in tiny plastic versions.
Plastic Marisol,
Carrer de la Mare de deu del Desemparats 18.
Freya
Freya
is a store located right by Placa de la Virreina. It almost looks like
a candy store with its enormous choice of artistically ornamented
rings, necklaces and bracelets in every color imaginable. The owner,
Teresa, is a charming woman. With her flaming red mane, she looks like
one of the artists that she seeks out to produce all the jewelry for
her little shop. She finds everything with local artists, it’s a young
style and it’s not very expensive. A silver chain with a big red
faceted stone is 18 Euros.
Freya,
Carrer de Verdi 17.
GO NIGHT
The street Aribau in Exaimple is good for bar hopping. Smaller bars with an edgier atmosphere are in El Born.
Berlin
Berlin is located at the corner of Diagonal and Mutaner. You can sit at the bar or hurl yourself down on the big couches.
Berlin, Corner of Diagonal and Carrer de Mutaner.
Luz de Gas
Live music every night after midnight in an old theater kept in red and gold. Nice jazz-club atmosphere.
Luz de Gas,
Carrer de Mutaner 246
Elephant
A fancy nightclub placed in an old villa. When the weather allows, you can hang out in the beautiful garden.
Elephant,
Passeig dels Til-lers 1
Razzmatazz
An enormous space for culture. On weekends it is transformed into clubs with all kinds of music: Pop, house and electro. Razzmatazz, Carrer dels Almogàvers 122
GO SLEEP
Banys Orientals
Cheap and very good location in El Born.
Dark wooden floors and black wooden beds with crisp white linen.
Spacious rooms. Breakfast café with no view. OK bathroom. Nothing ostentatious.
80 - 110 €
Banys Orientals, L’Argenteria 37
www.hotelbanysorientals.com
Ciutat
Colorful restaurant! The rooms are either red, green or blue. Floors, closets and beds all in light wood. Most rooms have a balcony door. The rooms are light and airy.
In the top of the building is a small swimming pool with mosaics. Amazing view over the rooftops with laundry hanging to dry and bikes parked on top of the buildings!
The hotel opened in March 2006, and therefore not worn-down. It has the best location ever, in a very charming street, El Born, close to the Picasso Museum.
100 - 200 €
Ciutat, Carrer Princesa 35
www.ciutatbarcelona.com
Hotel Neri
Neri has a fantastic location in Barri Gotic behind the Catedral de Barcelona.
There is an almost gothic romantic feel to the 22-room hotel. There are high ceilings supported by big beams and huge red couches in their top suite. The bathroom has a relax-button so you dim the light before stepping into the big tub made of grey granite and glass. The suite has a balcony door at the foot of the bed. The junior suite is almost nicer. It has double balcony doors and a view of what looks like an overdone Mediterranean movie set with fresh laundry hanging lazily over the colorful flower pots.
The roof terrace is super cool with a phone to order drinks, a pleasant view, huge cushions that you can lie in and listen to music and a designer shower on the wooden deck. Every room that ends with a 1 or 2 in the room number has a view to a nice, little courtyard.
250 - 300 €
Neri Hotel, St. Sever 5
www.hotelneri.com
Prestige Paseo de Gracia
Big light rooms with huge couches in the Double Standard rooms. You can easily sleep one or two kids on the couch.
The bathroom is kept in black granite and grey marble. The hotel has a great and spacious lobby area with a fun and very useful ”Ask Me-service”. Ask any question and they will provide you with an answer. Remember to book a room, which is not facing the street.
150 - 350 €
Prestige Paseo de Gracia, Passeig de Gracia 62
www.prestigehotels.com
Casa Camper
Camper has a great concept with home made organic food and can only be accessed by the hotel’s guests. In the hotel lobby, you can have snacks around the clock: small pasta dishes, all kinds of breakfast in the morning, little desserts, yogurt, coffee, tea and light salads.
The rooms are blood red, with big white beds with crisp linen. Each room has its own mini lounge on the opposite side of the corridor. It is spacious with a TV and a couch and good for dumping off bigger kids. The bath is an open glass room facing a big yard with an ivy covered wall. Nobody can look in; it is very special and beautiful!
The roof terrace has an amazing view over the Tibidavo mountain.There are wonderful lounge chairs and you should bring your lunch from the snack bar in the lobby up here.
Camper is a very funky hotel in a great area in Raval. On the square, Placa Bonsucces, you should take your coffee at Buenas Migas and sit at table number 13 or 27 under the arch. From there you can see Placa Vicens Martorell with its playground and lively atmosphere.
200 - 255 €
Casa Camper, Carrer Elisabets 11
Hostal Grau
In Raval you can also stay at Hostal Grau in a really great area behind the Rambla. The rooms are small, but it’s nice and clean. Since the house is old, some of the rooms have wooden ceilings. A suite, which sleeps four people, and a balcony door can be had at 90 euros.
Don’t be afraid of staying in a room without a bath. The small communal bathrooms are clean and nicely redone.
45 - 90 €
Hostal Grau,
C / Ramelleres, 27
TRANSPORT
To and from the airport
The cheapest way to go between Barcelona’s airport and the city center, is by train or bus. They run so frequently, it’s a pleasure.
By train, you go on line 10, Renfe Cercanías, which gets to the city in 32 minutes. The trains run from 6am until midnight. The tickets cost 2,4 Euros, and it’s even cheaper if you buy a ticket book.
Another possibility is to go on the bus; Aerobus (A1) goes from the airport to Plaza de Catalunya. From 5.30am until midnight, the buses run in shuttle service, and according to the timetable, you ought not to wait more than nine minutes on a weekday or twelve minutes on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. The airport stops are located in front of the terminals A, B and C and you will have to pay 3,75 Euros for the trip.
If you don’t have the patience for public transportation, like any other place in the world there are good chances to find a taxi at the airport. Between 7am and 9pm, the ride to the city costs between 15 and 21 Euros, depending on the final address. In the evening hours and at night, you should add 3 or 4 Euros to that price. Suitcases cost an additional Euro, and you are advised to ask for a receipt. There are taxi stops outside the terminals A, B and C.
Getting around in Barcelona
Whereas the new part of town seems to have been constructed with a ruler – the old part of town is tortuous and makes a good city map a good investment to start your trip with.
A good way to get around Barcelona is to ride Shank’s mare, and it’s convenient if you have the time to stroll around in the fascinating city and allow yourself to get lost. Conversely, the metro is the fastest way to get around and it is well extended. Almost every place can be reached by either metro, train, tram or bus, and they all use the same ticket system. A single ride is 1,10 Euros and once your ticket has been stamped, you can use it for 75 minutes. There is a lot of money to be saved if you buy a 10-trip ticket at 6 Euros or a day pass, T-Dia, at 4,60 Euros. If you’re staying several days in the city, an even better deal is a pass that’s valid for 2-5 days. Depending on the duration, it costs from 8,40–21 Euros.
There are quiet a lot of taxi stops in Barcelona. But if you can’t find one, you can just hail a cab in the street. A green light means that it’s free. Make sure the driver puts the meter on.
Links to make your stay in Barcelona a lot easier:
www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com