La Rambla

We begin our tour at "La Rambla", the long central street in Barcelona, famous for its street entertainers, markets and culture.

La Rambla is a busy street and also features shops, cafes and restaurants. We encountered some very nice places to have Tapas and some excellent wine.

La Rambla takes you right down to the marina, but if it's too far to walk, you can hop on the metro as there are multiple stations on the way down.

Sagrada Família

No trip to Barcelona would be complete without a visit to the world famous Sagrada Família.

The large Roman Catholic church is designed by Antoni Gaudí, an architect who's work can be found all over the city. Construction of the church began in 1882 and is still going on today!

The Sagrada Família is a fascinating combination of Gothic and Art Nouveau and it is possible to venture inside the church as well as tour the outside.

Parc Güell

If you liked the Sagrada Família, you may also like Parc Güell, a park complex also designed by Antoni Gaudí.
Parc Güell was origionally designed to be a housing "park" for the rich, but today is open to the public.

The two entrance buildings are like ginger bread houses and the mosaic serpent/dragon is a fountain that takes water from the main terrace above.

It's a steep climb up to Parc Güell, which is why the street has an escalator, but the reward is peace, quiet and fresh air.

Gothic Quarter

Also known as Barri Gòtic, the Gothic Quarter is the fascinating old city of Barcelona.
Just off La Rambla, the streets are narrow and there is a feast of ancient architecture to enjoy including the church of Santa Eulalia and various squares, and other churches.

Marina / Rue de Mer

The marina is a great place to go at any time of day in Barcelona.
There are shops, cafes and restaurants at the "Maremagnum" shopping centre on the pier. There are also bars, an aquarium and markets just before the pier. The gothic quarter is near by and after visiting the marina you can stroll back up La Rambla visiting the various boutique shops.

Markets

Barcelona has many great markets you can visit selling all kinds of items from antiques to pets!

There are many great markets on La Ramblas, but they can be found elsewhere too, at the marina and various other locations - please click "view map" for other market locations.

Cable Cars

Providing you aren't too afraid of heights, the smallish cable cars are a great way to see the city from above. There are two different types of cable car, the Transbordador cable car and the Teleferico de Montjuic (in the photo on the right).

The Transbordador cable car is the one visible from the port and the Teleferico de Montjuic is the cable cars that tour the Montjuic mountain itself.

Joan Miró Foundation

Born in Barcelona in 1893, Joan Miró was a Surrealist painter, sculptor and ceramicist.

Joan Miró's famous works include over 250 illustrated books called "Livre d'Artiste", a glass moasic mural called "Personnage Oiseaux" and "La Caresse des étoiles"

The Joan Miró Foundation was built to honour his life and work. The style of art won't be to everyones taste, but the peace and tranquillity of the building and surroundings makes it worth a visit alone.

Montjuïc

Montjuïc traslates as "Hill of the Jews" and overlooks the harbour and features a fortress dating back to the 17th century with 18th century additions.

Montjuïc hosted several venues in the 1992 Olympics and is also the site of the Palau Nacional which houses the National Art Museum of Catalonia.

A great way of travelling around Montjuïc is to use the cable cars.