Barcelona Vacation

The big must-see cities of Europe today are Paris, London, Rome, Berlin and Barcelona. It wasn’t always this way, and in the last 30 years Barcelona has really morphed and put on a new cutting-edge look. After a huge clean up for the 1992 Summer Olympics, the Catalan capital has exponentially improved year after year.

Visitors come to Barcelona for three main reasons: Gaudí or modernista architecture, the Mediterranean climate, and fabulous food and wine. These were the reasons I chose Barcelona over Madrid when I moved here three years ago. I wanted to live by the sea, sip Penedès while eating Manchego cheese and peruse the city’s galleries. I got all of this upon arrival, and a whole lot more.

Barcelona has many layers, as does Spain in general. At first glance there’s so much eye candy and bustle in Barcelona that it’s impossible to take it all in. Three years later, I still walk down familiar streets and stop to marvel at some statue or gargoyle that I had somehow missed on all my previous strolls. Barcelona is a city full of intricate surprises and delicate details.

 

• The Joan Miró Foundation is a modern art museum that honors the acclaimed Spanish surrealist who was born in Barcelona.

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Gaudí Architectural Tour

Barcelona’s must-sees are covered by most guidebooks, but if your time is limited I recommend seeing a bit of Gaudí, a bit of Ciutat Vella, one or two museums, and Gracia. Choosing which Gaudí building to see is a hard one, but I favor the famous cathedral Sagrada Familia and Parque Güell. The Gaudí cathedral is unfinished and probably always will be, but it’s such a weird structure that not seeing it would be essentially not seeing Barcelona.

Parque Güell is big and beautiful with expansive views of Barcelona and the sea, giving visitors an idea of how compact the city is.

 

• Park Güell is an excellent example of Barcelona’s famous Gaudí architecture.

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Old Barcelona

Cuitat Vella is the old city where the streets are made of cobblestones and the Roman wall is still visible. There are tons of art museums in the city, but my faves are the stylish Fundació Joan Miró (€8/$10) and the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (€8.50/$10.60), both located on the mini-mountain Montjuïc. While the lines are long at the Museu Picasso, it’s not worth the wait or even as close to as complete as the Miró and MNAC museums.

Offbeat Gracia

After seeing the musts, take some time to check out parts of Barcelona that most people miss. There are two worlds orbiting separate from each other in Barcelona, that of the tourist and that of the Barcelonese. If you’re ready to jump into a more local realm, get on the metro (subway) and head to Gracia. Get off at the Fontana metro stop, where you’ll step into a completely different Barcelona. In Gracia, explore Verdi Street and its crêpe stands, boutiques and theaters. This neighborhood is known for being hip and packed with joyful plazas, the most famous of which is Plaza del Sol where folks gather to drink wine and play music. Try a Spanish indie film at the Verdi Cinemas or have wine and tapas at the cozy SMS Delicies bar (Calle Asturies 33, tel. + 93-217-9547). While there are plenty of foreigners and Catalans in Gracia, there aren’t any tourists here. Do as the locals do.

 

• Camp Nou is home to FC Barcelona.

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When friends come to visit me in Barcelona I don’t take them sightseeing—I take them to a concert. Catalans love music of all kinds and so it’s not at all surprising that Barcelona has an overwhelmingly full music scene throughout the year. I like to take my guests to the Palau de la Música Catalana (€20/$25 and up) because it’s an intimate theater and also one of the best examples of modernista architecture in the city. There are only two ways to get into the Palau: go on the tour or go to a concert. Clearly the concert is a better option and tickets for most shows are reasonable. For an authentic Catalan experience, book a couple seats for a night out at the Palau during your Barcelona visit. Tickets can also be purchased at the Palau’s ticket counter in the morning.

The only experience that is perhaps more Barcelonese than an evening of Palau and tapas would be to go to a Barça football game at the city stadium. If you’re in town when the beloved team plays at home, don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime experience to shout and boo with the rest of the fans. Barça is one of the best football (soccer) teams in Europe (and many would argue in the world) and those who appreciate sports will relish in the excitement around these important matches. Because football is played year-round it’s possible to see a match during your visit with a just a bit of planning. [Read Euro Soccer Tour: Get Your Kick On for more about Barça.]