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e-travel-to Barcelona
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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. 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
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
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
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. 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. 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 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 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. |
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Landing on Barcelona airport. Take the easy and secure way: book your Barcelona airport to hotel transfer online. Stay in a hotel booked in advance and organize your sightseeing tours at home, so you will not miss any minute of your holiday or your business trip when you arrive in Barcelona. We from world airports support you in all these tasks. |
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| Click here for the most popular top 5 Sightseeing Tours in Barcelona | |||
| Shopping Barcelona - Avinguda Diagonal. Where else but Barcelona, Spain's most cosmopolitan, dynamic and international city, would you find the hippest place to shop? |
Barcelona Hop On Hop Off Bus Turistic
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. 
Artistic
Barcelona Afternoon Sightseeing Tour
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. 
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
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.