Why
Travel to Barcelona?
The city has sensational architecture, led by gaudy Gaudi,
a lively, walkable centre, truly great restaurants and bars at reasonable
prices, culture stuff by the ton and good beaches nearby.
Traffic and petty crime temper the pleasure of Spain's funkiest
city [pick-pockets love this city], but only slightly.
Barcelona
climate guide:
Best: April-June, Sept, Oct.
Avoid: August [hot, humid, crowded]
It can be a bit wet and cool in winter, but survivable.
Main Attractions:
Amazing Gaudi and 'modernista' buildings like the Sagrada Familia,
La Pedrera and the '[Manzana] Block of Discord' in the Eixample
area make Barcelona an architectural fantasy land.
Then there's the busy and entertaining Ramblas pedestrian boulevarde,
the medieval area [Barri Gòtic] including the stunning gothic
La Seu cathedral and the Plaça de Sant Jaume [with weekly
Catalan folk dances], Montjuïc hill with its great museums,
Spanish Village and cable car.
Short
Trips:
Sitges, 40km south, pretty seaside town favoured by gays.
Montsterrat, 40km NW, weird rock outcrops, caves and monastery.
Figueres, 90 min. north, for the fantastic Dali museum.
Tarragona, 90 min. south for Roman remains, medieval buildings,
rocky views.
Girona, 80 min. north, pretty, mixed-up medieval river city.
Barcelona
Festivals:
Feb/March pre-lent Carnival, [+ gay version in Sitges]
March-June, Guitar Festival
April, Contemporary Music Week
April/May, Ancient Music Festival
June, Dia de Sant Joan [dancing, music, fireworks]
*end of June-August, Festival del Grec [theatre, music, dance]
August, Festa Major de Gràcia [street music and events]
*Sept, 4 days, Festes de la Mercè, the city's biggest party,
[parades, street music, human pyramids]
Oct -Dec, International Jazz Festival.
For
some precise dates or more information see: European
Festivals or Arts
Festivals.
Barcelona
Arts and Culture:
Museums and Galleries: A huge selection including: Museu
Picasso [in beautiful medieval palace], Museu d'Art Contemporani,
Centre de Cultura Contemporània [includes concerts &
cinema], Museu d'Art de Catalunya, Fundació Joan Miró,
Museu Marès and plenty more.
Classical Music and Opera: Palau de la Música Catalana[visually
terrific too], Saló de Tinell [in Palau Reial, usually free],
Sala Cultural Caja de Madrid. Also in many churches, and Festivals
[see Festivals].
Theatre: mostly in Spanish, tho' Teatre Romea sometimes does English
for foreign travellers.
Dance inc. Flamenco: Teatre Lliure, Las Sevillanas del Patio, Tarantos.
Live Rock and Jazz: lots on so check the weekly Guía del
Ocio or El Pais for listings. Some popular rock places are Apolo,
KGB, Luz de Gas, and Palau de la Música Catalana. Festes
de la Mercè, about Sept 24, is a 4 day free music festival.
For jazz try the Pipa Club, La Cova del Drac, La Boite, and don't
miss Festival de Jazz Ciutat Vella in June and the International
Jazz Festival Oct 26-Dec 15th.
Cuisine:
Superb Catalan and Spanish food is all over Barcelona. Try Barceloneta
[port area] for seafood, Barri Gòtic for little traditional
eateries [though take care late at night], The Ramblas [esp. in
the pretty, lively Plaça Reial] and Passeig de Gracia for
larger, posher restaurants.
Don't forget that you can make a great meal just eating tapas snacks
[especially good in Barri Gòtic], and Spanish people eat
dinner REALLY late. 11pm is not unusual in Barcelona.
Shopping:
Not especially interesting or cheap, but..
Classy: The Eixample, esp. Passeig de Gràcia
Wacky: The Ramblas area
Take
Care: Las Ramblas is popular not only with tourists but
also pickpockets and bag-snatchers. See the Safety page.
Also
check Bugbog's other compact Spain city guides:
Seville Guide | Madrid
Guide | Barcelona
Links | Walking
Tours - Spain
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