Things to do in Barcelona
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Mercat de la Llibertat
reviewed
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La Rosa del Desierto
The arched doorway gives a clue as to the North African flavour of this long-standing favourite for couscous. It offers dozens of varieties of the stuff, from vegetarian to 'imperial' (with merguez, North African sausage, and a skewer of kefta, lightly spiced minced meat), along with faves like tajine (a kind of casserole). Take your place amid piles of cushions and finish with a refreshing mint tea.
reviewed
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Bellesguard
reviewed
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Blvd
Flanked by striptease bars (in the true spirit of the lower Rambla’s old days), this place has undergone countless reincarnations. The culture in this club is what a long line-up of DJs brings to the (turn)table. With three different dance spaces, one of them upstairs, it has a deliciously tacky feel, pumping out anything from 1980s hits to house music (especially on Saturdays in the main room). There’s no particular dress code.
reviewed
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FC Botiga
For some, football is the meaning of life. If you fall into that category, your idea of shopping heaven may well be this store at the football museum next to Camp Nou stadium. Here you will find footballs, shirts, scarves, socks, wallets, bags, sneakers, iPhone covers – pretty much anything you can think of, all featuring Barça's famous red-and-blue insignia. It has branches all over town, including at Maremàgnum and Carrer de Jaume I 18.
reviewed
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Papabubble
It feels like a step into another era in this candy store, where they make up pots of rainbow-coloured boiled lollies, just like some of us remember from corner-store days as kids. Watch the sticky sweets being made before your eyes. For all its apparent timelessness, this is a relatively new venture. Started by Australians in Barcelona, this sweet reminiscence now has shops in Amsterdam, New York and a handful of other cities.
reviewed
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Casa Llotja de Mar
The centrepiece of the city’s medieval stock exchange (more affectionately known as La Llotja) is the fine Gothic Saló de Contractacions (Transaction Hall), built in the 14th century. Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró attended the art school that was housed in the Saló dels Cònsols from 1849.
These and five other halls were encased in a neoclassical shell in the 18th century. The stock exchange was in action until well into the 20th century and the building remains in the hands of the city’s chamber of commerce. Occasionally it opens the doors to the public but the rooms are more generally hired out for events.
reviewed
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Sala Mephisto
Heavy metal, Gothic and hard-rock fans converge on this one-time workshop for concerts by groups from all over Europe. The music determines the crowd, so expect pale people in theatrically dark clothing. Long-haired lads with tats and leather mingle with pale wraiths in flowing black dresses and heavy make-up. It’s all in the name of good fun. Heavy metal lovers should especially check the place out from 1am on Saturdays.
reviewed
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Up & Down
An uptown club that has its moments, Up & Down attracts a mixed crowd, tending more to 30s and above. Upstairs is for drinking and revival music while downstairs you can dance to a mainstream mix of international tracks. Leather sofas and even leather padding on the pillars recalls an age when clubs were called discos. Although it can feel passé, this place gets packed early in the week when other venues can be limp.
reviewed
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Lunic
The eye is unfailingly attracted to this corner shop, with its lipstick-red walls and sanded white furniture. All about hangs an eclectic collection of handbags, from glaring red leather to more modest hues, with broad appeal. Daring ladies’ hats offer further inspiration. Those in search of light summer dresses, in a seemingly limitless variety of colours but mostly straightforward in style, have come to the right place.
reviewed
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Palau de la Generalitat
Founded in the early 15th century, the Palau de la Generalitat is open on limited occasions only (the second and fourth weekends of the month, plus open-door days). The most impressive of the ceremonial halls is the Saló de Sant Jordi, named after St George, the region's patron saint. At any time, however, you can admire the original Gothic main entrance on Carrer del Bisbe. To join weekend visits, book on the website.
Marc Safont designed the original Gothic main entrance on Carrer del Bisbe. The modern main entrance on Plaça de Sant Jaume is a late-Renaissance job with neoclassical leanings. If you wander by in the evening, squint up through the windows into the Saló…
reviewed
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El Paraigua
A tiny chocolate box of dark tinted Modernisme, the ‘Umbrella’ has been serving up drinks since the 1960s. The turn-of-the-20th-century decor was transferred here from a shop knocked down elsewhere in the district and cobbled back together to create this cosy locale.
Take a trip in time from Modernisme to medieval by heading downstairs to the brick and stone basement bar area. Amid 11th-century walls, DJs spin on Thursdays (from 10pm) and live bands – funk, soul, rock, blues – hold court on Fridays and Saturdays (from 11.30pm).
reviewed
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Colònia Güell
Apart from La Sagrada Família, Gaudí’s last big project was the creation of a utopian textile workers’ complex for his magnate patron Eusebi Güell outside Barcelona at Santa Coloma de Cervelló. Gaudí’s main role was to erect the colony’s church, Colònia Güell. Work began in 1908 but the idea fizzled eight years later and Gaudí only finished the crypt, which still serves as a working church.
This structure is a key to understanding what the master had in mind for his magnum opus, La Sagrada Família. The mostly brick-clad columns that support the ribbed vaults in the ceiling are inclined at all angles in much the way you might expect trees in a forest to…
reviewed
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Coro, La Catedral
In the middle of the central nave is the late-14th-century, exquisitely sculpted timber coro. The coats of arms on the stalls belong to members of the Barcelona chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Emperor Carlos V presided over the order’s meeting here in 1519. Take the time to look at the workmanship up close – the Virgin Mary and Child depicted on the pulpit are especially fine.
reviewed
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Noise i Art
Step back into the 1980s in this retro den. Red, green and other bold colours dominate the decor in a place where you might encounter Boney M on the video music play. Drape yourself on the circular red lounge, have a light meal (served up on old LPs) at red-lit tables alongside floor-to-ceiling glass windows, or perch yourself at the bar. The daiquiris may not be the best you’ve ever had, but are probably the biggest!
reviewed
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Market
A 19th-century market, built on the site of a 15th-century monastery, was replaced in 2005 with this original, colourful market designed by the adventurous Catalan architect Enric Miralles. The outstanding element is the bright, ceramic-covered, wavy roof - a splash of pastel loopiness. Out the back, remnants of the monastery uncovered during excavations are on public show with explanatory panels.
reviewed
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Bar Velódromo
The reopening of this once-classic tavern in 2009 brings back a fine-looking establishment in which to take breakfast, stop for an aperitif or sit down for a meal. The low, corner building retains much of its original look, with timber omnipresent. Food largely consists of tapas and smallish renderings of fairly typical Catalan and Spanish dishes. More than anything, this place is about its history and atmosphere.
reviewed
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Taverna La Violeta
They just don’t make bars like this anymore. A broad and sociable space with a pool room next door, this crumpled, cheerful bar was long something of a working-class meeting centre. Drinking goes on much as before at its mostly marble-topped tables, but the bulk of the punters are now of the student variety. The atmosphere is good-natured and rowdy, and you can pick up tapas and bocadillos (filled rolls).
reviewed
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Fundació Foto Colectania
Photography lovers should swing by here to see the latest exhibition; they change over about three times a year. When you reach what seems like offices, head through to the back on the ground floor, where two floors of exhibition space await. The exhibits may come from the foundation’s own collection of Spanish and Portuguese snappers from the 1950s onwards, but more likely will be temporary exhibitions.
reviewed
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Cubiña
Even if interior design doesn’t ring your bell, it's worth a visit to this extensive temple to furniture, lamps and just about any home accessory your heart might desire just to see this Domènech i Montaner building. Admire the enormous and whimsical wrought-iron decoration at street level before heading inside to marvel at the ceiling, timber work, brick columns and windows. Oh, and don’t forget the furniture.
reviewed
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Jardí Botànic
This botanical garden is dedicated to Mediterranean flora and has a collection of some 40,000 plants and 1500 species that thrive in areas with a climate similar to that of the Mediterranean, such as the Eastern Mediterranean, Spain (including the Balearic and Canary Islands), North Africa, Australia, California, Chile and South Africa.
The garden is a work in progress and the plan is to reach 4000 species.
reviewed
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La Nena
A French team has created this delightfully chaotic space for indulging in cups of suïssos (rich hot chocolate) served with a plate of heavy homemade whipped cream and melindros (spongy sweet biscuits), fine desserts and even a few savoury dishes (including crêpes). The place is strewn with books and the area out the back is designed to keep kids busy, with toys, books and a blackboard with chalk, making it an ideal family rest stop.
reviewed
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Granja Viader
For more than a century, people have flocked down this alley to get to the cups of homemade hot chocolate and whipped cream (ask for a suís) ladled out in this classic Catalan-style milk bar cum deli. The Viader clan invented Cacaolat, a forerunner of kids’ powdered-chocolate beverages. The interior is delightfully vintage and the atmosphere always upbeat.
reviewed
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Sureny
Appearances can be deceiving: the cooks in this unremarkable-looking corner restaurant dedicate themselves to producing gourmet tapas and raciones, ranging from exquisite vieiras (scallops) to a serving of secreto ibérico, a particular tasty cut of pork meat (near the porcine equivalent of the armpit – perhaps that’s the ‘secret’). The menú del día (set menu) is decent value at €9.90.
reviewed
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La Fira
A designer bar with a difference. Wander in past distorting mirrors and ancient fairground attractions from Germany. Put in coins and listen to hens squawk. Speaking of squawking, the music swings wildly from whiffs of house through ’90s hits to Spanish pop classics. You can spend the earlier part of the night trying some of the bar’s shots – it claims to have 500 varieties (but we haven’t counted them up).
reviewed