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Must-see attractions in Barcelona

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    Entrance gate to Bellesguard

    Bellesguard

    Barcelona

    An entrancing work that combines Gothic and Modernista elements, this lesser-known Gaudí masterpiece was rescued from obscurity and opened to visitors in…

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    The Palau Pedralbes inside the gardens

    Jardins del Palau de Pedralbes

    Barcelona

    Sculptures, fountains, citrus trees, bamboo groves, fragrant eucalyptus, towering cypresses and bougainvillea-covered nooks lie scattered along the paths…

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    Caixaforum gallery.

    CaixaForum

    Barcelona

    The La Caixa building society prides itself on its involvement in (and ownership of) art, in particular all that is contemporary. The bank's premier expo…

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    Inside the Sinagoga Major

    Sinagoga Major

    La Rambla & Barri Gòtic

    At the heart of the ancient Jewish Call lie the remains of what may well be the city’s main medieval synagogue (though some historians cast doubt on the…

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    Inside of Palau Macaya

    Palau Macaya

    L'Eixample

    The 1901 Palau Macaya is one of Barcelona's great yet least-known Catalan Modernisme gems. It was designed by architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, who was…

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    Exterior of the Museu Egipci

    Museu Egipci

    L'Eixample

    Hotel magnate Jordi Clos has spent much of his life collecting ancient Egyptian artefacts, brought together in this private museum divided into thematic…

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    Ticket desk of Museu de la Música (Museum of Music).

    Museu de la Música

    Barcelona

    Some 500 instruments (less than a third of the full collection) are on show in this red-clad museum, housed on the 2nd floor of the administration…

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    Fountain inside Palau de Lloctinent

    Palau del Lloctinent

    La Rambla & Barri Gòtic

    Flanking the Plaça del Rei, this 1550s palace was built as the residence of the Spanish lloctinent (viceroy) of Catalonia and later converted into a…

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    In the courtyard of Museu Can Framis

    Museu Can Framis

    Barcelona

    Set in an 18th-century former textile factory surrounded by greenery, this contemporary gallery is a showcase for Catalan painting from the 1960s onwards…

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    Front of Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya

    Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya

    Barcelona

    Occupying the 1929 World Exhibition's Graphic Arts Palace, this intriguing archaeology museum covers both Catalonia and cultures from across Spain. There…

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    Font Màgica during the day

    Font Màgica

    Barcelona

    Originally created for the 1929 World Exposition, this huge colour-lit fountain has again been a magnet since the 1992 Olympics, shimmering on the long…

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    Tiles inside Casa de l’Ardiaca

    Casa de l’Ardiaca

    La Rambla & Barri Gòtic

    The 16th-century Casa de l’Ardiaca has housed the city’s archives since the 1920s. Stroll around the supremely serene courtyard, cooled by a fountain and…

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    Sagrat Cor, Mount Tibidabo

    Basílica del Sagrat Cor de Jesús

    Barcelona

    At the very top of 512m-tall Tibidabo hill, overlooking the Parc d'Atraccions, this landmark basilica is meant to be Barcelona’s answer to Paris’ Sacré…

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    People admiring the view from Turó de la Rovira

    Bunkers del Carmel

    Barcelona

    For magnificent 360-degree Barcelona views, head to the El Carmel neighbourhood (under a kilometre east of Park Güell) and up the Turó de la Rovira hill…

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    Natural Park of Collserola in Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain, Europe.

    Parc Natural de Collserola

    Barcelona

    Barcelonins needing an easy escape from the city seek out this protected pine-scented 80-sq-km park. It's a great place to hike, run and bike, and has a…

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    Facade of Església de Sant Miquel del Port

    Església de Sant Miquel del Port

    Barcelona

    Dating from 1755, this sober baroque church was the first building completed in Barceloneta. Built low so that the cannon in the then Ciutadella fort…

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    Buildings surrounding Plaça del Rei

    Plaça del Rei

    La Rambla & Barri Gòtic

    The courtyard of the Gothic former Palau Reial Major, this picturesque, almost entirely walled-in square is where the Reyes Católicos (Catholic Monarchs)…

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    Barcelona, Spain - March 10, 2022 - Palau del Baró de Quadras is a 1906 modernist palace by architect Josep Puig, featuring ornate Gothic Arabesque-inspired details.

    Palau Baró de Quadras

    L'Eixample

    Puig i Cadafalch redesigned this 1882 residential building in exuberant Gothic-inspired style, with two distinct facades, between 1902 and 1906. The main…

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     Mosaïc de Miró on La Rambla

    Mosaïc de Miró

    La Rambla & Barri Gòtic

    At Plaça de la Boqueria, where four side streets meet just north of Liceu metro station, you can walk all over a colourful 1976 pavement mosaic, with one…

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    View of Via Sepulcral Romana from above

    Via Sepulcral Romana

    La Rambla & Barri Gòtic

    A block east of the top end of La Rambla is a sunken garden where a series of Roman tombs from the 1st to 3rd century AD were uncovered in the 1940s,…

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    Casa de les Punxes

    Casa de les Punxes

    L'Eixample

    Puig i Cadafalch’s 1905 Casa Terrades is known as the Casa de les Punxes (House of Spikes) because of its pointed tile-adorned turrets. Resembling a…

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    Portrait of Mirador de Colom

    Mirador de Colom

    Barcelona

    High above the swirl of traffic navigating the roundabout at the southern end of La Rambla, Christopher Columbus keeps permanent watch, pointing vaguely…

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    Plaça de Sant Jaume with the Palau de la Generalitat in the background

    Plaça de Sant Jaume

    La Rambla & Barri Gòtic

    In the 2000 or so years since the Romans settled here, the area around this often-remodelled square, which started life as the forum, has been the focus…

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    Close up of beginning of Rambla de Mar

    Moll d'Espanya

    Barcelona

    The heart of the redeveloped harbour is Moll d'Espanya, a former wharf linked to Moll de la Fusta by a wave-shaped footbridge, Rambla de Mar, which…

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    People visit the local market hall Mercat de Sant Antoni in Barcelona, Spain. @Tupungato/iStock

    Mercat de Sant Antoni

    Barcelona

    Just beyond the western edge of El Raval, this glorious iron-and-brick market was originally completed in 1882, but reopened in 2018 with 250 stalls…

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    Font de Canaletes on La Rambla

    Font de Canaletes

    La Rambla & Barri Gòtic

    The section of La Rambla immediately south of Plaça de Catalunya is named after this inconspicuous turn-of-the-20th-century drinking fountain and lamppost…

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    View over Parc d’Atraccions

    Parc d’Atraccions Tibidabo

    Barcelona

    The reason most barcelonins travel up to Tibidabo's summit is for some thrills at this old-school funfair. Here you'll find whirling high-speed rides and…

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    Plaça Reial, Barri Gòtic, Gothic Quarter, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

    Plaça Reial

    La Rambla & Barri Gòtic

    One of the most photogenic squares in Barcelona, and certainly its liveliest. Numerous restaurants, bars and nightspots lie beneath the arcades of 19th…

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    View of Eduardo Chillada's sculpture in Parc de la Creueta del Coll

    Parc de la Creueta del Coll

    Barcelona

    A favourite with families, this refreshing palm-studded park centres on a meandering summer lake-pool for splashing in, and has swings, showers and a…

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    Inside El Call

    El Call

    La Rambla & Barri Gòtic

    Once a 14th-century house of the Jewish weaver Jucef Bonhiac, this small visitor centre is dedicated to the history of Barcelona’s Jewish quarter, El Call…

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    Església de la Mercè and square

    Basilica de la Mercè

    La Rambla & Barri Gòtic

    Raised in the 1760s on the site of its Gothic predecessor, following designs by architect José Mas Dordal, this baroque church is home to Barcelona’s most…

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    Inside Parc del Centre del Poblenou

    Parc del Centre del Poblenou

    Barcelona

    Barcelona is sprinkled with parks whose principal element is concrete, and this 5-hectare creation by French architect Jean Nouvel, with its statuary and…

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    Outisde of Pavellons Güell from far

    Pavellons Güell

    Barcelona

    Created by Gaudí for the Finca Güell, as the Güell estate attached to today's Palau de Pedralbes was then called, these stables and porter’s lodge were…

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    Facade of Museu del Modernisme Barcelona

    Museu del Modernisme Barcelona

    L'Eixample

    Housed in a stuccoed, red-washed 1902 Modernista building by Enric Sagnier, this museum seems like a big Modernista-furniture showroom. Several pieces by…

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    Palau Moja facade.

    Palau Moja

    La Rambla & Barri Gòtic

    After extensive renovation, Palau Moja – a neoclassical building dating from the second half of the 18th century, which previously housed the Generalitat…

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    Inside the Museu del Perfum

    Museu del Perfum

    L'Eixample

    At the back of the Barcelona-founded Regia perfume shop, this museum tells the story of the scent world through the ages, with 5000 bottles of infinite…

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    Facade of Instit d'Estudis Catalans

    Institut d’Estudis Catalans

    El Raval

    The Institute for Catalan Studies sits in the 17th-century Casa de Convalescència, once part of the Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu. The building,…

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    Barceloneta Beach with Frank Gehry's Peix d'Or (Whale Sculpture) on the beach of Barceloneta in Barcelona, Spain.

    Port Olímpic

    Barcelona

    A busy marina built for the Olympic sailing events, the Port Olímpic is surrounded by bars and restaurants. An eye-catcher on the approach from…

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