Barcelona is the second largest city in
Spain, after
Madrid, it is in the north east of the country near the city of
Girona and
Valencia. Barcelona is known for being a global city and a place where young people could enjoy their vacations, thanks to the great number of discos, pubs, bar, cinemas, theaters, restaurants and shops.
In the city there are many attractions, but since that time is running out, we've compiled a list of those you should not miss, the others can always visit them if you come back in this beautiful city a second time.
Churches and Cathedral. The quarter of
Barri Gòtic is very nice and is the center of the Old Town (Ciudat Vella), with its little and narrow medieval streets full with shops and tapas restaurants, offer to the visitor an authentic view of what would be like living in the city a century ago, in that area you can find many churches, like the 14th century
Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia totally in gothic style, is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, the
Church of Santa Maria del Mar was built in XIV century and it's definitely a stunning exemple of catan gothic, the internal architecture gives an impression of brightness and spaciousness, it has got a rose window in Flamboyant style.
The
Chrurch of Santa Maria del Pi which is a medieval building in gothic style and is dedicated to Virgin Mary, it is very similar to Santa Maria del Mar for the external architecture, however the church of Santa Maria del Pi has a different structure of the bell tower, that is octagonal in shape.
In the quarter of
Barri Gòtic you can also find the
Picasso Museum, which hosts about 3500 paintings of the the famous cubism artist, the
Museu d'Historia de la Ciudad tell the visitors the story of Barcellona, from ancient times to present day, then there is the
Mercat Gotic d'Antiguetas a market organized every thursday in front of the Cathedral and is very interesting for people who like antiques.
The
Sagrada Familia is the symbol of the city, designed and built by the famous architect Gaudi, still under construction, rich in symbolism and colors, designed to impress the visitor with its size and complexity of style, a fusion of modernism and neo-Gothic.
Strange buildings. Barcelona has been chosen by the architect Antoni Gaudì as his studio, in fact he has designed and built in the city many buildings like the
Casa Batlló, in the modern quarter of
Eixample, a reunion of Modernism and Art Nouveau the facade is made with large use of the wavy line and is decorated with a mosaic made of broken ceramic tiles;
Casa Milà is a well known residencial building is a controversial design for the bold forms and the waving natural stone facade.
Casa Vicens is a family residence redesigned by Gaudì at the beginning of his career, in fact it has a remarkable Moorish influence (red bricks near coloured ceramics). Another example of strange building is the
Palau de la Música Catalana designed and realized by the architect
Lluís Domènech i Montaner totally made in red stone with decorations of coloured glass and crystals for creating the impression that it is wrapped by flowers and plants typical of the place.
Another huge project that was directed and developed by Gaudì is the
Park Güell a garden complexe with architectural elements situated on the hill of El Carmel, the concept was offering to people who live in the city a green area for walking, playing and enjoying free time with friends, the remarkable elements are the entrance of the park, th emain terrace, the Dragon fountain, the square and the
Gaudì House Museum.
Shopping and Restaurants. Barcelona offers for shopping one of the longest pedestrian streets in Europe,
Las Ramblas are ideal for evening strolls and shopping, and, animated at any time of day or night from street artists, singers and actors, offering the best shops and restaurants. There are also markets, such as
Mercat de la Boqueria which collects traditions and tastes from all over the world. The city has several chains of shopping malls and department stores, among them there
El Corte Ingles which sells all the usual Spanish souvenirs and all manner of items for the home, for hobbies and apparel ; for those who love design we recommend
Vinçon which also sell home furnishings, appliances, cookware, furniture and everything you need to furnish a house strictly ultramodern style and
Bd a shop for luxury furnitures for houses and modern design.
There are restaurants for every budget! From luxury places like
Botafumeiro that prepares refined dishes based on fish,
Paco Meralgo, a Spanish restaurant that offers dinners based on tapas but also of other local dishes, the cheapest
Romero Restaurante offers a menu of tapas and Spanish and international dishes at reasonable prices, especially for lunch and
Pollo Ricco with cheap but tasty and plentiful dishes, don't be afraid to enter in the restaurant, it is really worthy going there to eat! If you prefer the chains of fast food for quick and cheap meals Barcelona has all the largest international chains: Mc Donald's, Burger King, Betty's Burger, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Donut, but there are also Spanish fast food offering sandwiches and delicious salads as
Pan's which also has the "patatas bravas" (fried potatoes with garlic sauce).
Hotels
In Barcelona you can stay in a 3 star central hotel with
special offers and prices per room for under £40! There are some hotels in central locations that offer good rates:
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Hotel Rialto Barcelona (3 stars)
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Hotel Atlantis Barcelona (3 stars)
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Hotel Aneto Barcelona (1 star)
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Hotel del Mar Barcelona (3 stars)
