Barcelona Overview

Welcome to Catalonia's capital--a stunning modern port. Home of Gaudi's spectacular Sagrada Familia, the Ramblas and Picasso's Museum. Come see the city's avant-garde architecture and relax on the Med!

Districts

Barcelona's old town, or Ciutat Vella, is the heart of the city. It's made up of many small neighbourhoods, full of old-world character, linked by narrow, winding streets. The old town has recently enjoyed an economic revival after many years of decline. Students, foreigners and artists have moved into the area, attracted by its sense of history and cosmopolitan feel, along with its trendy bars, concert halls and good restaurants.

Start your tour from Plaça Catalunya and take Les Rambles (or Las Ramblas in Spanish) towards the sea. On the right, you'll find Raval district with its museums, art galleries and notorious red-light area, Barri Xines. On your left, the medieval Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter) is home to the cathedral, peaceful Plaça del Pi, art galleries and lots of cafes serving delicious hot chocolate. If you go even further left, across busy Via Laietana, you'll come to Born market, in La Ribera district. This trendy neighbourhood is also home to the graceful Santa Maria del Mar Church and the impressive Museu Picasso.

The Eixample

When the old town became overpopulated in the mid-19th century, the city expanded inland, north of Plaça Catalunya. The streets of the new suburb, called L'Eixample, or the extension, were laid out in a grid pattern. Catalan modernista (Art Nouveau) architects designed a number of striking buildings in the area around Passeig de Gràcia and Rambla Catalunya.

You'll find the extraordinary Sagrada Familia on the right-hand side of Eixample if you're coming from the old town. This controversial church, unfinished because of the untimely death of its architect, Antoni Gaudí, in 1926, has become the city's most visited monument.

As Barcelona expanded further north, more new neighbourhoods were built. Villages were absorbed within the city boundaries giving rise to districts like the charming Gràcia, Les Corts, Sarrià and Hortà-Guinardò, up in the hills.

The working-class neighbourhood of Sants marks the city's southern boundary and has excellent public transport to the centre.

Green Areas

Montjüic hill, in the southwest of the city, offers many attractions including the Olympic stadium and other facilities used for the 1992 Olympic Games, along with the impressive Fundació Miró. The best way to get to the hill is to take the cable car from the nearby harbour.

Barcelona's other major green area is 550 meter Tibidabo hill to the northwest, with its panoramic views of the city, amusement park on the summit and Torre de Comunicaciones de Collserola (Collserola Communications Tower).

Both Montjüic and Tibidabo offer good sports facilities as well.

The Seaside

The mild Mediterranean climate and calm seas mean you can sail and windsurf all year round from Port Olímpic (Olympic Port). Little boats, or golondrinas, leaving from the harbour will take you on a sightseeing tour of the city's waterfront and nearby coastline. The fishing district of Barceloneta offers excellent seafood restaurants. Ultra-modern Maremagnum has busy bars with outdoor terraces, discos, shops and cinemas. You'll also find trendy open-air music bars in Port Olímpic in the summer. Half an hour's journey to the south, Sitges' pretty beaches attract a cosmopolitan crowd. For more peaceful surroundings, head north to one of Costa Brava's deserted coves.

Entertainment

Barcelona has become a fashionable tourist destination. Television coverage of the successful 1992 Olympic Games especially stimulated lots of interest around the world. Visitors are attracted by a mild climate, Mediterranean waterfront, sunshine, art, culture, friendly people and unique Catalan features, like Antoni Gaudí's Modernist architecture.

Art lovers should head straight for MNAC (Catalonia's National Art Museum), with its exhibits of Catalan Romanesque art, and MACBA (Barcelona's Museum of Contemporary Art). Nearby, you'll find galleries devoted to individual artists including: Museu Picasso, Fundació Miró and Antoni Tàpies.

To see the best examples of Catalonia's unique Gothic architecture, you should check out Santa Maria del Mar and del Pi. For the best in Modernist architecture, head for Pedrera, Casa Batlló, Sagrada Familia, and lastly, Parc Güell.

It's easy to have fun in Barcelona. There are colourful, local fiestas (holidays and festivals) throughout the year, along with a wide variety of national and international cinema, theatre, music and dance festivals and performances. The city's nightclubs offer great music and atmosphere every night of the week, and are especially busy from Thursday to Sunday.

Dining and Drinking

Barcelona's many restaurants and bars offer the best of Catalonia's diverse cuisine. Other Mediterranean countries, like France and Italy, have heavily influenced Catalan cooking, which features lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, seafood, pork and veal.

Catalans love cold meats (embutidos) of all sorts, especially pork sausages (butifarra). The staple dish is butifarra and mongetes, a stew of pork sausage and white beans. Escudella is a traditional stew made with sausage, chickpeas, pasta and a giant pork meatball. It's generally eaten at Christmas time and followed by crema catalana, a sweet egg custard topped with caramelized sugar that has become a popular dessert throughout Spain.

Fish is a major part of the diet. Zarzuela is a tasty seafood casserole that originated in Barcelona and spread to other parts of the country. Bacallà a la llauna is cod cooked in a tin dish.

In summer, you can enjoy lighter dishes like escalibada (red peppers mixed with aubergines and onions) and esqueixada (red peppers with cod and onions). Or head for one of the many farmhouse restaurants (masía) on the outskirts of the city and try some traditional dishes. If you're lucky, the restaurant will serve calçotada, a sauce (calçots) made from tender spring onions served on an oven-fired tile, followed by grilled meat.

Catalan dishes are usually accompanied by pan con tomate, country-style bread smeared liberally with ripe tomato, olive oil and salt.

There are eight different areas in Catalonia that produce good quality wines. The region is famous for its white wines from the Penedés area and cava, sparkling white wines. The quality of red wines, particularly from the Priorato area, has improved in recent years.

Tapas are often served as an appetizer along with a glass of beer or wine before lunch or dinner. However, you can make tapas into a meal by ordering a selection to share with friends. Lots of informal tapas restaurants are located along Paseo de Gracia and Rambla Cataluña. Traditional tapas are small portions of things like pescaíto frito (mixture of deep-fried Mediterranean fish), patatas bravas (chunks of potato, deep-fried and served with spicy garlic sauce), calamares a la romana (squid rings fried in batter) and boquerones en vinagre (marinated anchovies).

Where To Stay

From reasonable hostels to modern, luxurious five star hotels, Barcelona offers its guests a variety of lodging choices. Whether you wish to stay in a newly renovated hotel by the Plaça Reial, a cozy, family-run inn in the historical center, or pass the night with likeminded backpackers at a more economical accommodation, you will not be at a loss for options.

Barcelona by the Numbers

Population: 5,226,354
Land Area: 39 square miles/ 100.4 square kilometers
Major Industries: Textiles, Motor, Advertising

Average Annual Rainfall: 23.2 inches/ 58 centimeters
Average January Temperature: 50 degrees F/ 10 degrees C
Average July Temperature: 78 degrees F/ 26 degrees C

Electricity: 220 volts, 50 Hz; standard two-pin plug
Time Zone: GMT + 1

Country Dialing Code: 34
Area Code: 91

Did You Know?

According to legend, Barcelona was founded by the Carthaginians and by tradition supposedly derives its name from the great Barca family of Carthage.

Orientation/Geography

Barcelona is the capital of an autonomous region in Spain known as Catalonia. It is located in the comarca of Barcelonès, along the Mediterranean coast between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs. It is also just 100 miles/161 kilometers south of the Pyrenees mountain range.


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