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Introducing Barcelona
Set on a plain rising gently from the sea to a range of wooded hills, Barcelona is Spain's most cosmopolitan city and one of the Mediterranean's busiest ports. Restaurants, bars and clubs are always packed, as is the seaside in summer. You might get the impression it's dedicated exclusively to hedonism, but it's a hard-working, dynamic place hoping to place itself in the vanguard of 21st-century Europe with a heavy concentration of hi-tech and biomedical business.
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It regards its long past with pride. From Roman town it passed to medieval trade juggernaut, and its old centre constitutes one of the greatest concentrations of Gothic architecture in Europe. Beyond this core are some of the world's more bizarre buildings: surreal spectacles capped by Antoni Gaudí's Sagrada Família church.
Barcelona has been breaking ground in art, architecture and style since the late 19th century. From the marvels of Modernisme to the modern wonders of today, from Picasso to the likes of Susana Solano, the racing heart of Barcelona has barely skipped a beat. The city's avant-garde chefs whip up a storm that has even the French reaching for superlatives.
Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, a region with its own language, character and history – many Catalans think of their home as a separate country. The city itself could keep you occupied for weeks but just outside it are sandy beaches, Sitges and the Montserrat mountain range - so be sure to make time for a few day trips during your stay.
Make it happen
Ready to go? Skip the queues and get straight to the good stuff with these recommended offers and tours:
- the Barcelona City Hop-on Hop-off Tour has three different tour routes to explore the city.
- see the Monastery of Montserrat and visit the famous Royal Basilica
Want more? Choose from a wide selection of sightseeing tickets and passes, day trips and excursions, food, wine and nightlife trips or cultural and themed tours
Last updated: Dec 1, 2009
Tips & articles
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Olympics 2016: C’mon baby, light my fire
30 September 2009
The Powers That Be are about to vote on the host city for the 2016 Olympic Games. The mix is eclectic...
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Europe’s top 10 football stadiums
28 September 2009
Football (soccer) is Europe’s unofficial religion. And when summer turns to autumn, all over the...
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Your favourite destinations September 3rd-11th
14 September 2009
You may have noticed around the Lonely Planet website that you can save your favourite places. The destinations...
Barcelona
Recommended things to do & see
- Entertainment (73)
- Restaurants (64)
- Shopping (63)
- Sights (99)
- Hotels & hostels
Our Top Picks For Barcelona
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1 Festival de la Infancia (Children's Festival), 27 Dec-4 Jan
Held in the Fira Barcelona's Montjuïc complex, this is the festival your kids have been waiting for! As if they didn't already have enough fun over Christmas, now they can go wild with organised sports, games and creative activities.
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2 Feria de Santa Lucia, La Catedral, Plaça de la Seu
Held outside Barcelona Cathedral every day until 24 December, the Feria de Santa Lucia markets are a great way to experience Christmas from a Catalan perspective. Where else can you buy yourself your own Caga Tió log?
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3 Miró magic
Perched at the top of Montjuïc, Fundació Joan Miró is a beautiful, light-filled gallery with enough eye candy to keep you buzzing for hours. Don't miss the sweeping rooftop views.
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4 Vintage cool on Carrer de la Riera Baixa
This little street in El Raval is a bonanza of groovy vintage boutiques and second-hand record shops, with the nicely restored Bar Resolis perfectly situated for a mid-shop pit stop.
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5 Gaudí wonderland: Park Güell
Just try to resist falling under magical Park Güell's spell. With its enchanting gingerbread houses, much-loved ceramic-clad lizard, curvy mosaic bench and panoramic views, this is one of the world's most delightful public spaces
Fast Facts about Barcelona
- Variety of mojitos on offer at Gimlet Classic, coffee, ginger, red fruit, cumquat, passionfruit, perilla (shiso)...¡Salud!
- Titles won by FC Barcelona last season
Spanish League, UEFA Champions League, Copa del Rey
- Population
1,615,908
- Most famous fictional Barcelona detective
Pepe Carvalho (created by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán)
- Pepe Carvalho's favourite restaurant
Casa Leopoldo, El Raval
- Official Languages
Catalan, Spanish
- One big happy family
Barcelona has a bevy of sister cities. Its illustrious siblings include Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Sarajevo, Havana, Montevideo, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Gaza and Shanghai.
- Before Vicky Cristina Barcelona
...there was All About My Mother. Pedro Almodóvar's Oscar-winning film takes place in Barcelona, and features a cast of transsexuals, drama queens, and Penelope Cruz as a pregnant nun.
Related Groups
Our favourite Barcelona Blogs (beta)
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Stuck in London getting to Barcelona - Happy Xmas
Blog: Barcelona Travel and Living - 23 December 2009
Well, it has been an unpredictable year and mine has ended exactly that way also with all of the snow falling in the UK (despite global warming) and closing dozens of airports and meaning hundreds of cancelled flights, in the UK and around Europe.So the long and short of the situation is that I missed my flight back to Barcelona and will not be in Barcelona for Christmas Day. Having a lot of family in England though, the thought of being forced to stay here and take advantage of:
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La Boqueria Market – A Feast for the Senses
Blog: Brilliant Tips Travel Blog - 19 December 2009
Barcelona’s most famous food market, La Boqueria is a covered market with hundreds of stalls devoted to nothing but food. La Boqueria is a place where visitors can easily spend an hour or two wandering around the market’s crowded, winding aisles filling up their memory card with photos. As you enter the market from La Rambla, the first few stalls appear to be set up to “wow” visitors with unblemished fruit arranged in spectacular pyramids and colorful arrangements of candy and sweets. The market is divided into different sections that ...
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Holiday apartments in Sagrada Familia
Blog: Barcelona travel and culture - 10 December 2009
Quite a few questions come up from time to time and many are often about accommodation i.e. vacation rentals and holiday apartment rentals in Barcelona. Las Ramblas is often asked about, as are Exiample and Sagrada Familia.
