Barcelona
This impressive arts space is housed in a renovated 19th-century thread and textile factory, with high ceilings and exposed brickwork. Fabra i Coats was a…
Must-see attractions in Barcelona
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
Opposite the southeast end of La Catedral, narrow Carrer del Paradís leads towards Plaça de Sant Jaume. Inside No 10, an intriguing building with Gothic…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
Accessed within the Museu d'Història de Barcelona, this is the chapel of the old Gothic Palau Reial Major (Grand Royal Palace). Outside, a spindly bell…
Barcelona
First built for the 1929 Expo, this cable car strung across the harbour between La Barceloneta and Montjuïc provides an eagle-eye view of the city. The…
Barcelona
Opened in 1888, the ‘Market of Liberty’ was covered in 1893 by Francesc Berenguer i Mestres (1866–1914), Gaudí’s long-time assistant, in typically fizzy…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
Observe what naughtiness people have been getting up to since ancient times in this museum, with historical relics such as Indian bas-reliefs showing…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
A rare example of post-baroque building in Barcelona, the Palau de la Virreina is a grand 18th-century rococo mansion (with some neoclassical elements)…
L'Eixample
Domènech i Montaner’s 1905 contribution to the Illa de la Discòrdia, with Modernista carving outside and a bright, tiled lobby in which floral motifs…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
Across Carrer del Bisbe from La Catedral is the 17th-century Bishop's Palace. Virtually nothing remains of the original 13th-century structure. The Roman…
Barcelona
Just east of its namesake neighbourhood, Barceloneta's main beach is a golden-brown strip of sand where, during warm months, pool-party promoters, mojito…
Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona
El Raval
A complex of auditoriums, exhibition spaces and conference halls, the CCCB opened in 1994 in what was formerly an 18th-century hospice, the Casa de la…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
Barcelona's town hall has been the seat of power for centuries. The Consell de Cent (the city’s ruling council) first sat here in the 14th century, but…
L'Eixample
A singular neo-Gothic effort, this church is interesting because it was designed by Joan Martorell i Montells (1833–1906), Gaudí’s architecture professor…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
On La Rambla with Carrer del Carme, this church was constructed in baroque style for the Jesuits in the late 17th and early 18th centuries to replace a…
Barcelona
With copper-hued stainless-steel scales sparkling at sunset, this 35m-tall, 56m-long fish sculpture at the foot of the swish Hotel Arts Barcelona looks…
Barcelona
Rotating exhibitions of portions of this private collection of mostly 20th-century art (some 1300 works in total) offer anything from Man Ray’s…
Barcelona
At the far southern end of the beach fronting La Barceloneta, this is a handy stretch of white-gold sand for a bit of sun and surf action when you need a…
Barcelona
Dedicated to Mediterranean flora, these hillside gardens have a collection of some 40,000 plants and 1500 species, including many that thrive in areas…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
This small square flanking the majestic Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi is one of the prettiest in the Barri Gòtic, with its bars and cafes attracting…
Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta
Barcelona
On Barceloneta's seaward side are the first of Barcelona's beaches, which get packed in summer. The broad 1.25km promenade from Barceloneta to the Port…
Barcelona
From the Parc Montjuïc cable car station on northern Montjuïc, these glass cabins zip you up to the Castell de Montjuïc via the mirador (lookout point),…
Barcelona
Opened in 1922, these soothing terraced gardens just west of the Fundació Joan Miró are linked by paths, stairs and wisteria-clad walkways, with pretty…
Barcelona
An icon by the waterfront, this eye-catching 15m-high primary-coloured sculpture was designed by famous American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein for the 1992…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
The Centre de la Imatge is an exhibition space that forms part of the Palau de la Virreina. It hosts mainly – but not exclusively – photography shows.
Barcelona
With a small nudist strip, soft blonde sands, some water sports and a skate park, Platja de la Mar Bella is popular with an LGBTQI+ crowd.
Barcelona
The southernmost and busiest of El Poblenou's beaches, this broad golden trip gets lively in warmer months, when a couple of xiringuitos grace the sand,…
Poblat Ibèric del Puig Castellar
Barcelona
High up in the hills to the northeast of the city sits an ancient Iron Age village that most locals don't even know exists. Inhabited between the 6th and…
Barcelona
Laid out in the late 18th century by Italian engineer Domenico Bagutti for Joan Antoni Desvalls, the Marquès d’Alfarràs i de Llupià, this carefully…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
From Plaça del Rei it's worth a detour to see the two best surviving stretches of Barcelona's Roman walls, which once boasted 78 towers (as much a matter…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
These remains of a Roman domus (town house) and three small shops, unearthed in the mid-19th-century Casa Morell, lie close to the Roman forum, and the…
El Raval
The best example of Romanesque architecture in Barcelona is the dainty little cloister of this small 11th- or 12th-century church, which was founded in…
Barcelona
Hosting everything from yoga classes, pop-up boutiques and brunches to the (permanent) uberpopular SKYE coffee truck, this white-walled, concrete-floored…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
On the edge of the old Roman city, on the spot where the entry gate from the port once stood, further ruins of the 4th-century Roman wall have been…
World Begins with Every Kiss Mural
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
Created by Barcelona photographer Joan Fontcuberta for the 300th Diada Nacional de Catalunya (2014), this seductive mural depicts a kiss between two…
Barcelona
Set in a stylishly converted garage, this forward-thinking photography hub specialises in experimental contemporary international work and hosts four…
L'Eixample
Over 100 years old, this imposing prison finally closed its doors to inmates in 2017, but has now reopened for tours and exhibitions. The entrance patio…
Barcelona
Taking its name from the 18th-century church in nearby Barceloneta, this stretch of soft honey-gold sand fills with beachgoers when warm days arrive…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
Graced by leafy acacias, a trickling fountain and a baroque church, this small square still bears signs of the destruction it suffered during a 1938…
Barcelona
German artist Rebecca Horn's elegant The Wounded Shooting Star sculpture was commissioned for the 1992 Olympics and commemorates the old-fashioned shacks…
Barcelona
In a building next to the townhouse in which he was born in 1927, this intimate exhibition is devoted to the late Josep Maria Subirachs. It highlights the…
