Barcelona

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The branching columns of the Sagrada Família's nave were designed to evoke a stone forest, Barcelona, Spain

The undulating bench on Park Güell's main terrace is covered in broken-tile mosaic known as trencadís, Barcelona, Spain

Casa Batlló, remodeled by Gaudí in the early 1900s, stands on Passeig de Gràcia in the Eixample, Barcelona, Spain

The sculpted chimneys and ventilation towers on the roof of Casa Milà are among Gaudí's best-known forms, Barcelona, Spain

About Barcelona

Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, stretches between the Mediterranean and the Collserola hills, combining a medieval core with a grid of nineteenth-century boulevards. The city is closely tied to Catalan Modernisme, the architectural movement led by Antoni Gaudí and his contemporaries, and Catalan language and culture are central to its identity.

Gaudí's Sagrada Família, still being completed more than a century after work began, is the city's signature building, and Park Güell spreads his mosaics and curving forms over a hillside. Along the Passeig de Gràcia, Casa Batlló and Casa Milà, known as La Pedrera, sit a short walk apart, while the Hospital de Sant Pau by Lluís Domènech i Montaner is another Modernista masterpiece. In the old city, the Barri Gòtic winds around Barcelona Cathedral, and El Born holds the Gothic church of Santa Maria del Mar. The Palau de la Música Catalana is an ornate concert hall worth seeing for a performance. La Rambla runs down to the port past La Boqueria market, and Montjuïc, a hill above the harbor, has museums, gardens and Olympic venues.

Barcelona suits travelers who like architecture, food and beach time in one trip. Gràcia and Poblenou offer more local neighborhoods, and late dinners are the norm. Popular Gaudí sites require advance booking, and pickpocketing is common in crowded areas.

Best seasonLate spring and early fall offer warm weather and beach days without the peak of summer crowds.

Ideal stayFour days covers the Gaudí sites, the old town and Montjuïc; add days for Montserrat or Sitges.

ArrivingBarcelona-El Prat Airport serves the city, and high-speed trains arrive at Barcelona Sants from Madrid and France.

WiserMap travel guideBarcelona Spain Gaudí Gothic Quarter and Beach DaysPlan a Barcelona trip around Gaudí's Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter, El Born, Montjuïc and the beaches, with food, neighborhoods and timing advice.Read the guide

12 Reasons to Visit Barcelona

Gaudí Architecture 4

Sagrada Família

Antoni Gaudí took charge of this basilica in 1883 and devoted the rest of his life to it, and work still continues, funded by visi...

Park Güell

Industrialist Eusebi Güell commissioned this hillside garden city from Gaudí in 1900; only two houses ever sold, and it became a p...

Casa Batlló and the Passeig de Gràcia

Gaudí remade an ordinary apartment block for textile magnate Josep Batlló between 1904 and 1906, giving it bone-like balconies, a...

Casa Milà (La Pedrera)

Nicknamed La Pedrera, the stone quarry, for its rough undulating front, Casa Milà was Gaudí's last private commission, completed i...

Landmarks 2

Hospital de Sant Pau

Lluís Domènech i Montaner designed this hospital as a garden city of pavilions linked by underground tunnels, built between 1901 a...

Palau de la Música Catalana

Built between 1905 and 1908 for the Orfeó Català choral society, Domènech i Montaner's concert hall is one of Europe's most exuber...

Neighborhoods 3

Barri Gòtic and Barcelona Cathedral

The Gothic Quarter grew over Roman Barcino, and pieces of its walls and the columns of the Temple of Augustus survive among the la...

El Born and Santa Maria del Mar

El Born was the medieval quarter of merchants and seafarers, and its finest monument, Santa Maria del Mar, rose in barely half a c...

La Rambla and La Boqueria

The tree-lined Rambla runs about 1.2 kilometres from Plaça de Catalunya to the Columbus monument at the old port, and strolling it...

Viewpoints 2

Montjuïc

The hill above the port packs in a full day of culture and greenery. The National Art Museum of Catalonia holds a remarkable colle...

Bunkers del Carmel

Atop Turó de la Rovira, the remains of Spanish Civil War anti-aircraft batteries are now one of Barcelona's favourite lookouts, wi...

Beaches 1

Barceloneta Beach

The 1992 Olympics turned Barcelona back toward the sea with a cleaned-up waterfront, and Barceloneta, the beach closest to the old...

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