|
Barcelona has become Europe's most popular short break destination thanks to
its superb location on the Mediterranean, its vibrant street life,
fascinating Gaudi architecture, superb cuisine and its world famous football
team.
In a weekend you'll get a taste for the magnificent Catalan capital which
will have you wanting to return over and over again. And why not with budget
airlines offering great deals into Barcelona airport all year round and the
easy accessibility of Girona airport to the north.
Most visitors stay in accommodation near the Ramblas and in the Gothic
Quarter just to the east. This is a fine base from where you can explore the
city's sights by day including Gaudi's masterpiece, the unfinished Sagrada
Família Cathedral, and Parc Güell in the north. If you're lucky FC Barcelona
might be playing at home and you can watch a match at the 98,000 seater
Nou Camp stadium. (click
here for hotels near the Nou Camp Stadium )
In the evening there are plenty cafés and restaurants around the Ramblas
but you might like to head down to the harbor to dine at Port Olímpic or in
a traditional paella restaurant in the Barceloneta area.
click here for hotels in the Ramblas Area
Gourmet Tapas Evening Walking Tour
Spend an evening with a small group strolling along the historic streets
of Barcelona with a knowledgeable guide, while tasting Spanish wines and
Spain's culinary treasures. This is your opportunity to go where the
locals go, eat what they eat and to have fun while learning about
Spanish gastronomy.More
Sightseeing Tours Barcelona |
As the capital of Catalonia and Spain’s gateway to the Mediterranean,
cosmopolitan Barcelona is also among focal points of European tourism,
galvanized by the 1992 Olympic Games. Landmark buildings and world-class
museums include architect Antoni Gaudí's Sagrada Família, the Picasso
Museum, the Gothic Cathedral and Les Rambles, the tree-lined promenade
running through the heart of the old Gothic Quarter. Barcelona also serves
as a springboard to the Balearic Islands -- Mallorca, Ibiza and Minorca, an
overnight ferry ride, or a shorter flight away. Gaudi’s buildings make bold,
modern statements as a Spanish and mainly Catalan offshoot of Art Nouveau.
Pablo Picasso spent his formative years within the city where other painters
like Joan Miro launched careers. Barcelona divides into a distinct,
contrasting old city and a newer add-on portion, providing an abundance of
intriguing attractions. The old city is between Placa de Catalunya and the
port. Above lies a grid-patterned extension (built after the city’s third
set of walls were demolished in 1860) boasting most of the modern
architecture. Barcelona summers tend toward the sweltering, whereas winters
are comparatively mild. Changing seasons (late February and early November)
bring on the rains. Much if not most sightseeing in Barcelona can be done on
foot -- there’s no choice in the narrow labyrinth of the Gothic Quarter --
although vehicles are needed to get from one sightseeing area to another.
Below is a list of some suggested things to do in the Barcelona
Metropolitan Area.
Catalonian National Museum of Art
The National Palace, built in 1929 for the world’s fair, houses the
Catalonian National Museum of Art, where three main collections center on
Romanesque and Gothic works, and the Cambo Collection that includes a Goya.
Mirador del Palau 6. Call (93) 622-0360
Gaudi Museum
-
Address: C. Olot, Park Güell, Barcelona, Spain
-
Opening hours: daily 10:00 - 19:00
-
Call (93) 219-3811
 One
of the most popular attractions of Barcelona, Parc Guell is filled with
marvelous architectural treasures designed by the city's greatest architect
ever, a master of modernist architecture in Spain, Antonio Gaudi. These gems
of architecture include a stairway adorned with dragon ornaments, a huge
spiral tower decorated in vividly colored tiles and several astonishing
stone structures. However, the central attraction of the park is the
engrossing Gaudi Museum (Gaudi Casa-Museu), located in a bizarre pink house,
right around the unusual big benches made of rock. Admittedly, this most
organic house was not designed by Gaudi, but it was here that the master
lived together with his niece in the years 1906 to 1926 prior to moving to
the Sagrada Familia. A visit to the Gaudi Museum is a must if you are
interested in the man's architecture. The museum is presented in a tasteful
way and is well laid-out, and exhibits include an extensive collection of
the genius architect's portraiture, drawings and busts as well as furniture
works, some of which seem more functional than the others. Sadly, visitors
are informed that chairs are not to be sat on. A number of Antonio Gaudi's
personal items is also held by the museum. Your visit wouldn't be complete
without a stroll on the museum's rooftop from which you can contemplate a
breathtaking panorama of the city.
 Catalonia Hotel Park Putxet Barcelona 
Located in the quiet residential area of Putxet, Catalonia Hotel is very close
to Balmes Street and Ronda General Mitre, a very convenient access road to any
part of Barcelona. Catalonia Hotel Park Putxet Barcelona is placed in a peaceful
setting with lovely views over the city and attractive, modern surroundings. In
addition, the hotel is located near Guell Park, an emblem of the city and a
masterpiece by Antoni Gaudi. This property offers 141 guestrooms including a
suite that are well furnished and equipped with all modern amenities. You can
dine at the on-site restaurants that serve excellent cuisine de marche while
enjoying the fantastic view of the city from the panoramic restaurant. After a
long tiring day guests can relax at the cocktail bar, which is an ideal place to
meet friends or business delegates. Guests can also avail the meeting room to
conduct your seminars and presentations, which can accommodate up to 70
delegates. Favourable parking facilities are also available on the hotel's
premises.
>> click here for last minute offers
Click here for more information and Booking Details »
|
|
click here for more hotels in the Guell Park Area |
Gothic Quarter & Placa Del Rei
With portions surviving from the Middle Ages, the Gothic Quarter remains
a vibrant neighborhood that invites exploration, especially for walking up
the Carrer del Carme, east of Les Rambles. The Placa Del Rei, within Gothic
Square, is the Quarter’s oldest, loveliest part. Even though evidence
indicates otherwise (with the royal couple summering elsewhere), stair steps
within the corner of the square are widely believed to be where King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella received Christopher Columbus on his triumphant
return from the New World. The banquet hall Salo del Tinell was built in
1362. Other nearby points of interest are King Martin’s Watchtower and the
Royal Chapel of St. Agatha.
Les Rambles
 Barcelona’s most famous street winds past kiosks and stalls where vendors
interact with locals and visitors happily strolling along. Heading south
toward the sea is Chinatown, with the red-light district on the right. At
the foot of the Rambla is the Columbus monument. Nearby is the Maritime
Museum, housed in the 13th century Royal Dockyards, showcasing all things
nautical.
You can find people strolling down Les Rambles at any hour of the day or
night. It's actually several streets strung together, the Rambla Catalunya,
Rambla Canaletes, Rambla de les Flors, etc.--which, of course, is how it
gets its name: Les Rambles. The word Rambla means an intermittent
watercourse, that is, in the old days, when it rained a whole bunch, the
water rushed down the future boulevard, carving it out sort of like a
Catalan Colorado River...
One of the wonderful things about the Rambles is that it is filled with
all different kinds of people. On a Saturday afternoon, at its most crowded,
you'll see older couples checking out the bird and flower stalls, younger
people arguing at the political booths, mimes and bands, beggars and
pickpockets (well, maybe you won't see them). If I were there, I'd be
drinking an orxata at the Café de l'Ópera watching all the people go by.
The flower stalls that line the upper-middle section of the Rambles, side
by side with bird and animal sellers, give the fabled boulevard extra color
and an incredible smell. From roses to vegetable seeds, these florists offer
every kind of horticultural treat.
Miro Foundation
As a present from the artist Joan Miro to his hometown, the Miro
Foundation showcases contemporary art within a building providing panoramic
views to the north. Exhibits are hailed as progressive and provocative. Miro,
who died in 1983 after spending much time living in Mallorca, rests in the
cemetery on Montjuic’s southern slopes.
Avenue Miramar 71. Call (93) 443-9470
The Olympic Port And The Beaches
One of the areas recently rediscovered by the people of Barcelona is the
Olympic village, Diagonal Mar, the Forum area and the four kilometers of
beaches totally conditioned and with complete services.
One of the most important changes of the 92 Olympics was the
reorganization plan undertaken in the neighborhood of Poble Nou, eliminating
small industries, garages and industrial warehouses to create the current
Olympic Village, where the athletes stayed during the Olympic Games and is
now transformed into residential district. The beaches are perfectly
conditioned with excellent services which invite us to walk and enjoy
ourselves, are very fashionable during weekends.
The Port Olímpic combines a sports marina with an outdoor area of
restaurants and night leisure facilities, becoming very popular during
summer nights.
click here for hotels near the Olympic Port
Picasso Museum
The Picasso Museum, occupying a trio of the city’s most elegant medieval
palaces, is known for its collection of the artist’s early work. Childhood
sketches, works from the Rose and Blue periods and Cubist variations on
Velazquez’s Las Meninas are on exhibit.
Carrer Montcada 15-19. Call (93) 319-6310
La Sagrada Familia
J ust
as Paris has the Eiffel Tower and London has Big Ben, so Barcelona
luxuriates in the presence of the Sagrada Familia, the defining masterpiece
and life-long project of the world-famous architect Antonio Gaudi. Yet the
sheer fascination of the temple resides in the fact that is an ongoing work,
a constantly evolving celebration of the genius of Gaudi, who died in 1926
at the age of 74 after being hit by a car. Successive generations of
architects have tried to turn his vision of an all-encompassing
“20th-century cathedral” into reality, and work is expected to go on until
2041. But for the moment there is plenty to marvel at.
The neo-gothic apse, visible from the street, bears witness to Gaudi’s
astonishing imagination, while the four bell towers, which provide stunning
views over this bustling Mediterranean port city, are overwhelming in their
majesty and detail. Gaudi’s intention was to blur the distinction between
structure and decoration, and this makes Sagrada Familia as much a feast for
the eye as an imposing edifice. Come and visit it. Then come again in a few
years’ time. You will see history quite literally in the making.
click here for hotels near the Sagrada Familia
Science Museum
Among the city’s most popular museums, the Science Museum is a bastion of
hands-on activity allowing visitors to feel an earthquake, hear whispers
from a great distance and more. In the Mechanics Exhibit, visitors can lift
an 88-lb. weight with little effort. More than 300 exhibits range from
optics to space travel to life sciences. The museum is at the southern
foothills of Tibidabo.
Teodor Roviralta 55. Call (93) 212-6050
Tibidabo Mountain
Offering the finest view of Barcelona, a funicular running from early
morning until mid-evening takes visitors to the top of Tibadabo Mountain,
with sunset being the ideal time to visit. Also here are an amusement park
with a Ferris wheel, a church called Temple del Sagrat Cor (Sacred Heart),
restaurants and mountaintop hotels.
Plaza de España
 The
Plaza de España is one of Madrid's largest and most popular squares. On a
sunny day it is filled with street vendors, tourists and sunbathing locals.
The square is located at the end of the beautiful Gran Via, one of
Madrid's busiest streets. The green square is surrounded by streets, but it
is still a very relaxing place during daytime. It features a large fountain
and famous statue honoring the Spanish writer Cervantes.
The most popular sight at the Plaza de España is the monument to Miguel de
Cervantes, writer of the world famous story of Don Quixote de la Mancha and
his trusty squire, Sancho Panza. Visitors flock to the monument to get their
picture taken in front of the bronze statues of Don Quixote on his horse and
Sancho Panza on his mule. Behind them is a statue of Cervantes himself,
looking over his creations.
click here for hotels near the Plaza de Espana
|
Barcelona Hop On Hop Off Bus Turistic
Artistic
Barcelona Afternoon Sightseeing Tour
