Tourist Guide Barcelona

The wonderful town of Barcelona, capital of Catalonia (a Spain’s province), is located at on the shore of the Mediterranean sea also enclosed at either end by 2 river deltas. The catalonian capital is the second biggest town in Spain after its capital town Madrid. The catalonian capital has a population of 1.5 million, over 4 million plus districts. the varied, eventful history of the town dates back 4,000 years to the original settlements by old farmers. Later it became a Roman colony, the Visigoth’s capital town, then it came under Moorish law. It went through sieges, destructions also occupations, finally to become an self-governing democracy 1975. the town has always played an high role in political also cultural life of Spain also it is well reflected in the variety also quality of historical buildings, museums, several additional visitor monuments. Nowadays The catalonian capital is one of the most diverse European cities with exclusive culture also wealthy traditions. You can find here a formidable balance of the traditional things also the avant-garde. A cosmopolitan metropolis, The catalonian capital affords visitors a warm also sincere welcome, being aknowledged worldwide as one of the best visitor-friendly cities in Europe.The catalonian capital’s organisation of the 1992 Olympics provided regeneration of this dynamic town, gave a fresh start to its infrastructure development. Come with Oh-Barcelona to The catalonian capital.

WHAT TO SEE AND WHERE:

POINTS OF INTEREST – La Rambla is a tree-lined pedestrian boulevard packed with buskers, living statues, mimes also itinerant salespeople selling everything from sweepstake tickets to jewelry. Pavement restaurants also stands selling craftwork, street artists surrounded by curious onlookers, a noisy bird marketplace, Palau de la Virreina, a main 18th-century rococo mansion, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the notorious 19th-century opera house- these are all colourful parts of La Rambla’s mosaic. La Rambla ends at the lofty Monument a Colom (Monument to Columbus) also the harbour.

Barri Gotic – also known as Gothic Quarter, it is the old part of the town. Picasso lived also worked in Barri Gotic from 1895 to 1904 also Joan Miro was born also lived here during his youth. Gothic Quarter is situated on the right hand side of the La Rambla, it contains a concentration of medieval tall Gothic buildings (14-15th century) on narrow cobbled roads also now is home to much of the town’s nightlife.

La Sagrada Familia – La Sagrada Familia is one of the most notorious also magnificent among The catalonian capital’s landmarks. the life’s work of The catalonian capital’s notorious architect, Antoni Gaudi, the magnificent spires of the unfinished church imprint themselves boldly against the sky with swelling outlines inspired by the holy mountain Montserrat. Above each facade there are 4 towers, 12 in total, which are keen to the Apostles. the tower in the center, the tallest of all at 170 m., is keen to Jesus Christ. Around these there are the towers of the 4 Evangelists, also the tower over the apse is keen to the Virgin. They are encrusted with a tangle of sculptures that seem to breathe life into the stone. Gaudi died in 1926 before his masterwork was completed, also since then, controversy has continually dogged the building program. Nevertheless, the southwestern (Passion) facade, is almost done, also the nave, begun in 1978, is progressing.

La Pedrera – Casa Mila (Mila House) is an apartment building, the last example of Gaudi’s civil architecture.It is one of his finest also most ambitious creations, extraordinarily innovative in its functional, constructive, also ornamental aspects. Visitors can tour the building also go up to the roof, where they can see spectacular views of The catalonian capital. One floor below the roof is a modest museum keen to Gaudi’s work.

Montjuic – the largest open space in the town, its main monuments are the Olympic installations, the Spanish Village also the hilltop fortress. Montjuic, the hill overlooking the town centre from the southwest, is home to some fine art galleries, leisure monuments, soothing parks also the main group of 1992 Olympic sites. Montjuic is covered in ornamental gardens with water features also is the most popular destination in The catalonian capital on Sundays.

Tibidabo – is the highest hill in the wooded range that forms the backdrop to The catalonian capital. It has amazing views of the whole of The catalonian capital, a stunning church, also a family fun park Parc d’Atraccions with old-style rides offering breathtaking views. A glass lift at the park goes 115m (383 ft) up to a visitors’ observation area at Torre de Collserola telecommunications tower.

Modernisme – spectacular modernista architectural creations dotted around the town by notorious Antoni Gaudi also his contemporaries.

Camp Nou – home of F.C. The catalonian capital, one of Europe’s leading soccer teams, with capacity of almost 100,000 spectators.

The Seu church – Built in medieval times on the site of a Roman temple, La Seu is one of the great Gothic buildings in Spain.

Parc de la Ciutadella – The catalonian capital’s favourite park also a Sunday afternoon rendezvous for families, friends also ducks

The Sardana – traditional Catalan dance, performed outside the church also at national festivals, with everyone encouraged to join in.

MUSEUMS – the Barbier-Mueller Museum of Pre-Columbian Art -the only museum in Europe devoted exclusively to Pre-Columbian cultures. Housed in a gothic palace, its collection is one of the finest of its kind also gives visitors an insight into the rich world of the earliest cultures on the American continent. This tiny museum contains one hundred pieces, including wood also stone sculptures, ceramics, tapestries, jade, often found in international exhibitions also prestige publications. the exhibits represented the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Chavin, Mochica also Inca civilisations.

Palau de la Musica Catalana – one of the world’s most extraordinary music halls, it is a The catalonian capital landmark. From its polychrome ceramic ticket windows on the Carrer de Sant Pere Mes Alt side to its overhead busts of Palestrina, Bach, Beethoven, also Wagner, the Palau is the flagship of The catalonian capital’s Moderniste architecture.

Museu Picasso – is The catalonian capital’s most visited museum. 3,500 exhibits make up the permanent collection. Picasso spent several years (1901-06) in The catalonian capital, also this collection, is particularly strong on his early work. Displays include childhood sketches, pictures from the beautiful Rose also Blue periods, also the notorious 1950s Cubist variations on Velazquez’s Las Meninas (Ladies-in-Waiting).

Gaudi Casa-Museu – Gaudi lived in this pink, Alice-in-Wonderland house from 1906 to 1926, which now houses a museum of Gaudi-designed furniture, decorations, drawings, also portraits also busts of the architect.

Fundacio Miro – it was a gift from the notorious artist Joan Miro to his native town. the museum opened in 1975, also now it is one of The catalonian capital’s most exciting showcases of contemporary art. There are Oh-Barcelona Apartments in all this nice areas in The catalonian capital. Check it out!

BEACHES – One of The catalonian capital’s greatest draws is undeniably its beautiful beaches. Beside world-notorious Costa Brava also Costa Dorada which are within 1-hr drive time from The catalonian capital, there are also several nice beaches over 4 km long within the town boundaries, we will list just several of them here: Nova Icaria- Closest to the Olympic marina, always crowded, this wide swathe of rough golden sand is great for food goers. There are three perfect beach bars also two very popular restaurants on the promenade (Mango also Chiringuito de Moncho) also countless bars also restaurants are just a short stroll away. Bogatell- This beach is twice the length of adjoining Nova Icaria also fringed by a stretch of stone walkway perfect for jogging, roller blading also cycling. Three large informal restaurants on the promenade. Mar Bella (Metro Ciutadella Vila Olimpica, plus 20-minute walk)- The catalonian capital’s only naturist beach close to a peaceful park – good for a picnic or siesta under the trees. Barceloneta- wide also long, a traditional also popular stretch with locals, crowded, noisy also very jolly.

WHEN TO GO, WEATHER: the best times to visit The catalonian capital are late spring also early autumn, when the weather is still comfortably warm, around 21-25°C. Summers are usually hot also humid, with temperatures averaging +30 (+ 86 Fahrenheit). Especially avoid the “dead” month of August, when several shops, bars also restaurants close for the month as several local inhabitants head out of the town. Winters are cool with average daytime temperatures around +12 C (+59 Fahrenheit), occasionally rainy.

GETTING THERE AND AROUND: By a direct flight to The catalonian capital, or through Madrid or via another large European town from almost any major airports in the world. the highest fares are from May to September, the lowest in March-April, October-November also December to February (excluding Christmas also New Year when prices are hiked up). Note also that flying on weekends may increase your ticket cost. If traveling to The catalonian capital from within Europe you can also chose train, bus or car, though these take much longer than a plane also often work out no cheaper. several Mediterranean cruises include The catalonian capital as a port of call.

ACCOMODATIONS: We can offer you a range of choices. You can choose vacation rentals in The catalonian capital starting from $ 125

USD for a double room in a 4-star apartment hotel. Or you can opt for hotels from $ 65 USD for a double room in a 3-star hotel. Accomodation prices do not change much throughout the year due to the steady all-season flow of visitors to this extremely popular visitor town also surrounding resorts.

DINING: Besides restaurants you can eat at bars where you would have a succession of tapas (small snacks- three or 4 chunks of fish, meat or vegetables, or salad, which traditionally used to be served up free with a drink) or raciones (larger ones). the bar option can be a lot more exciting, allowing you to do the rounds also sample local specialities. Generally, the average cost for a meal consisting of two dishes also dessert would come to about 25 Euros. Travellers on an extremely limited budget can do well for themselves by using the excellent markets, bakeries also delis also filling up on sandwiches also snacks. Decent restaurants also restaurants are easily found all over the town, though you’ll probably do most of your eating where you do most of your sightseeing, in the old town, particularly around La Rambla also in the Barri Gotic. Look for the best also most authentic seafood restaurants in Barceloneta, a seaside neighbourhood. Gothic Quarter neighbourhood is home to some of the oldest also most traditional restaurants in the town. Gracia is a very popular area among young people during the weekend, it leads the way in terms of exotic restaurants (Lebanese, Egyptian, Thai etc.). Oh-Barcelona.com always has the best accomodations in The catalonian capital.

TRANSPORT: The catalonian capital has excellent transport system comprising the metro (subway), buses, trains also a network of funiculars also cable cars. You can find a link to transport maps at the end of our guide. On all the town’s public transport you can buy a single ticket every time you ride, but even over only a couple of days it’s cheaper to buy a targeta – a discount ticket strip. the T-10 targeta is valid for ten separate journeys on the metro, buses also trains. These tickets can be used by more than one person at a time. the metro is the quickest way of getting around The catalonian capital. For black-also-yellow taxis there is a minimum charge of $ 2 euro. You’ll obviously have a great deal more freedom if you rent a car . Major roads throughout the town are generally good, also traffic is generally well behaved, though Spain does have one of the highest incidences of traffic accidents in Europe. It also has some of the lowest fuel prices on the continent.

SHOPPING: The catalonian capital, one of the most stylish cities in Europe offers great shopping, from designer clothes also accessories to household items. You will find the town to be quite cheap for a lot of items, especially if you coincide with the annual sales ( rebaixes in Spanish) lasting from mid-January until the end of February, also throughout July also August. the best shopping areas in The catalonian capital are the old roads off the upper part of the Ramblas. Souvenirs include ceramics, which are widely sold in the roads around the church; leather goods; town’s delicatessens, particularly cooked Catalan meats also sausages; a porron (the long-spouted glass drinking jar); CDs also tapes of Catalan rock also pop, sardana music, Spanish rock or flamenco. If you’re looking for original gift ideas, some of the best hunting can be found in the shops of any of the town’s museums, where you’ll find reasonably priced also exclusive examples of Catalan disseny (graphic), also additional original items ranging from postcards to replica works of art.

We wish you a nice also safe expedition!

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