|
|
| Home - City Guide - Barcelona - Key Attractions | ||
|
||
|
Key Attractions La Rambla La Rambla is not one street, but rather a seamless series of pedestrian avenues stretching from the Monument a Colom on the waterfront to Plaça de Catalunya in the centre of the city. Attractions along the way include Gaudí's Palau Güell, Carrer Nou de la Rambla 3, open Monday to Friday 1000-1400 and 1600-1930. Some of La Rambla's most captivating attractions are its famous street entertainers who delight the crowds with their weird and wacky shows. Other points of interest are the Liceu (see the Culture section), the legendary CafÉ de L'Opera and La Boqueria - Barcelona's wonderful, bustling food market (see the Shopping section). La Rambla has the same place in the psyche of the city as the Champs ElysÉes in Paris or Oxford Street in London, but is far less snooty than the former and far more attractive than the latter. Lined with trees, cafÉs, restaurants, flower stalls, shops and newspaper stands, La Rambla is the perfect place to stroll and soak up the unique Barcelona atmosphere. Plaça Reial, just off La Rambla, is one of the most attractive squares in the city - elegant nineteenth-century houses look down on palm trees, lampposts designed by Gaudí, and an eclectic mix of people enjoying the lively atmosphere at outdoor cafÉs. Barri Gòtic The maze of streets known as the Barri Gòtic or Gothic Quarter contains an exemplary collection of Gothic buildings dating from Catalonia's Golden Age in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, interspersed with Roman ruins, delightful squares and numerous bars and restaurants. Plaça Sant Jaume, at the heart of the district, is the epicentre of the city's political life. The square is overlooked on one side by the Renaissance-style Palau de la Generalitat - location of the Catalan government, and on the other by the Ajuntament (town hall). Nearby, the Palau Real on Plaça del Rei houses the Museu d'Història de la Ciutat. The remains of the Roman city of Barcino were uncovered underneath the Palau in 1931 and Roman streets are still visible in the vast cellar space which stretches as far as the Cathedral (see below). The museum admission fee gives access to the cellar and to a number of beautiful medieval buildings. Plaça del Rei Tel: (93) 315 1111 (Museu d'Història de la Ciutat). Transport: Metro Jaume I. Opening hours: Oct-Jun Tues-Sat 1000-1400 and 1600-2000 and Sun 1000-1400; Jul-Sep Tues-Sat 1000-2000 and Sun 1000-1400. Admission: Pta1000 (concessions available). Catedral de la Seu Catedral de la Seu was built in the fourteenth century on the site of an earlier basilica, but the spire and façade were not added until the end of the last century. Highlights include the spiritual space of the cloisters, the carved choir stalls and the Capella de Lepanto. Plaça de la Seu Tel: (93) 315 1554. Fax: (93) 315 3555. Transport: Metro Liceu or Jaume I. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1330 and 1600-1930; Sat and Sun 0800-1330 and 1700-1930. Admission: Free. Santa Maria del Mar Santa Maria del Mar is generally considered to be the most beautiful church in the city and a prime example of Mediterranean Gothic architecture. It is located just to the northeast of the Barri Gòtic in the Ribera district. A fifteenth-century rose window adds colour to the simple harmony of the columned interior. Passeig del Born 1 Tel: (93) 310 2390. Transport: Metro Jaume I. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1330 and 1630-2000; Sat and Sun 1000-1330 and 1630-2000. Admission: Free. Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia Recently the subject of much controversy over who should pay for its completion, Gaudí's unfinished masterpiece and the city's most outlandish landmark, the Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family, towers crazily above the grid-like streets of the Eixample. Despite being very much a building site the cathedral has a certain beauty that somehow emerges despite the omnipresent construction. The extraordinary structure has elicited cries of astonishment, awe, amusement and anger from visitors and residents alike, but remains one of the city's most visited attractions. Carrer de Mallorca. Tel: (93) 207 3031. Fax: (93) 476 1010. E-mail: sagfam@grupart.es Website: http://sagradafamilia.org Transport: Metro Sagrada Familia. Opening hours: Nov-Feb daily 0900-1800; Mar, Sep and Oct daily 0900-1900; Apr-Aug daily 0900-2000. Admission: Pta800. Casa Milá Casa Milá - also known as La Pedrera (the stone quarry) - is an undulating apartment block on the corner of Passeig de Gràcia. The building, inspired by the ocean, is an incredible testament to Gaudí's ability to make stone malleable. Apartments (not open to the public) are arranged around elliptical patios with no square corners in sight. The roof terrace is watched over by sentry-like chimneys and offers an excellent view across the city to the spires of La Sagrada Familia. The loft space of Casa Milá houses a beautiful museum - Espai Gaudí - dedicated to the architect. Passeig de Gràcia 92 Carrer Provenca 261 Tel: (93) 484 5995. Transport: Metro FGC Diagonal/Provenca. Opening hours: Mon-Sun 1000-2000. Guided tours Mon-Fri at 1800; extra tours in the summer at Mon-Fri 1200 and Sat and Sun 1100. Admission: Pta600. Combined Ticket Pta1000, (concessions available). Parc Güell With Parc Güell, Gaudí created a fantasy land that seamlessly combines the natural and the man-made, as well as offering good views back over the city. The park, originally conceived as a garden city, covers a hill to the north of the centre. The gardens are enlivened by fantastic pavilions, stairways, columned halls and an organic plaza decorated with stunning broken-mosaic work (trencadís) by Gaudí's assistant, Josep Maria Jujol. At the base of the hill is a house designed by Francesc Berenguer that now houses a collection of Gaudí's furnishings and other memorabilia. Carrer D'Olot Tel: (93) 424 3809. Transport: Metro Vallcarca/Lesseps. Opening hours: Daily Nov-Feb 1000-1800; Mar and Oct 1000-1900; Apr and Sep 1000-2000. Admission: Free. Mançana de la Discòrdia A series of extraordinary houses by Montaner, Gaudí and Puig i Cadafalch comprise the Mançana de la Discòrdia (Block of Discord) on the Passeig de Grácia between Aragó and Consell de Cent. Information and passes for the Ruta Modernista can be obtained from the first floor of Casa LlÉo Morera at number 35. Gaudí's Casa Batlló at number 43 looks rather like an underwater grotto, with blue-green tiles on the façade, frog-faced balconies and a reptilian roof. Ruta Modernista pass-holders are permitted into the main apartment. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) The Palau Nacional on Montjuïc was the focus of Barcelona's International Fair in 1929 and now houses the National Museum of Catalonian Art. The museum boasts a stunning collection of Gothic, Romanesque and Medieval treasures and religious artefacts. The most impressive approach to the Palace is up Avinguda de La Reina Maria Cristina from Plaça Espanya; the Avinguda is lined with fountains that are floodlit at night. Palau Nacional, Montjuïc Tel: (93) 622 0367 or 622 0372. Fax: (93) 622 0374. Transport: Metro/FGC Espanya. Opening hours: Tues-Sat 1000-1900 (until 2100 Thurs) and Sun 1000-1430. Admission: Pta800; Pta500 (exhibition only); Pta900 (combined ticket). Fundació Joan Miró Also on Montjüic, the Joan Miró Foundation is one of the most innovative galleries in the city. The foundation was a gift from the artist himself and houses a permanent collection of his paintings, graphics and sculptures. Parc de Montjuïc Tel: (93) 329 1908. Fax: (93) 329 8609. E-mail: fjmiro@bcn.fjmiro.es Website: www.fjmiro.es Transport: Metro Parallel, then funicular to Parc de Montjuïc. Opening hours: Oct-Jun Tues-Sat 1000-1900 (Thurs until 2130) and Sun 1000-1430; Jul-Sep Tues-Sat 1000-2000 and Sun 1000-1430. Closed Mon. Admission: Pta800 (concessions available). Museu Picasso The Picasso Museum reopened in 2000 with two new exhibition spaces that will host temporary exhibitions. The permanent collection is devoted to the artist's early work, including a large number of Rose and Blue period paintings, exhibition posters and childhood sketches. The delightful collection is housed in two fifteenth-century palaces close to the Parc de la Ciutadella. Carrer Montcada 15-19 Tel: (93) 319 6310. Fax: (93) 315 0102. E-mail: mpicasso@intercom.es Transport: Metro Jaume I. Opening hours: Tues-Sat 1000-2000 and Sun 1000-1500. Admission: Pta725. Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) Looking rather incongruous in the down-at-heel surroundings of the Raval district to the west of La Rambla, the brilliant-white Museum of Contemporary Arts is at the forefront of efforts to regenerate this traditionally seedy area of the city. The museum opened amid a blaze of publicity in 1995 and houses a permanent collection of post-1940s international art and various temporary exhibitions. Plaça dels Àngels 1 Tel: (93) 412 0810. Fax: (93) 412 4602. E-mail: macaba@macaba.es Website: www.macba.es Transport: Metro FGC Plaça de Catalunya. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1100-1930, Sat 1000-2000 and Sun 1000-1500; summer extended Mon, Wed and Fri until 2000 and Thurs until 2100. Closed Tuesday. Admission: Pta775; Pta375 on Wed (concessions available). The Waterfront A stroll along the harbourside passeig and wooden walkway is an excellent way to see some of the results of Barcelona's epic regeneration programme. The focus of interest and activity in Barcelona is shifting back towards the sea with the continued development of Port Vell (Old Port). The waterfront now boasts a myriad of eateries and bars, a vast shopping mall and leisure centre (Maremagnum) and an excellent aquarium. Barceloneta, the old fisherman's quarter, which dates from 1755, still has some of the best fish restaurants in the city and is now also the gateway to Barcelona's cleaned-up beaches. Further to the east, the Vila Olímpica at Poble Nou, created for the 1992 Games, is one of the liveliest and most interesting areas of the city during the warmer months, but it is often deserted during winter. Transport to this area of town is by metro line 4 to Barceloneta or Ciutadella-Vila Olímpica. |
||
