Lonely Planet Barcelona , livre ebook

Barcelona

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Barcelona
Barcelona’s Top 10
What’s New
Need to Know
First Time Barcelona
Top Itineraries
If You Like…
Month By Month
With Kids
Like a Local
For Free
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
LGBTI Barcelona

Explore Barcelona

Neighbourhoods at a Glance
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
El Raval
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
La Ribera
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Barceloneta & the Waterfront
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
La Sagrada Fami lia & L’Eixample
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Gràcia & Park Güell
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Camp Nou, Pedralbes & La Zona Alta
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Montjuïc, Poble Sec & Sant Antoni
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Day Trips from Barcelona
Girona
Figueres
Montserrat
Sitges
Tarragona
Sleeping

Understand

Understand Barcelona
Barcelona Today
History
Catalan Culture
Architecture
Picasso, Miró & Dalí
Music & Dance

Survival Guide

Transport
Arriving in Barcelona
Getting Around
Directory A–Z
Discount Cards
Electricity
Emergency & Important Numbers
Money
Opening Hours
Public Holidays
Taxes & Refunds
Telephone
Time
Tourist Information
Travellers with Disabilities
Visas
Language
Barcelona Maps
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
El Raval
La Ribera
Port Vell & La Barceloneta
Port Olímpic, El Poblenou & El Fòrum
L’Esquerra de L’Eixample
La Dreta de L’Eixample
Gràcia
La Zona Alta
La Zona Alta East
Montjuïc, Poble Sec & Sant Antoni

Table of Contents

Behind the Scenes
Our Writers
Welcome to Barcelona

Barcelona is an enchanting seaside city with boundless culture, fabled architecture and a world-class drinking and dining scene.

Architecture of the Ages
Barcelona’s architectural treasures span 2000-plus years. Towering temple columns, ancient city walls and subterranean stone corridors provide a window into Roman-era Barcino. Fast forward a thousand years or so to the Middle Ages by taking a stroll through the shadowy lanes of the Gothic quarter, past tranquil plazas and soaring 14th-century cathedrals. In other parts of town bloom the sculptural masterpieces of Modernisme, a mix of ingenious and whimsical creations by Gaudí and his Catalan architectural contemporaries.

A Moveable Feast
The masters of molecular gastronomy – Albert Adrià, Carles Abellan et al – are part of the long and celebrated tradition of Catalan cooking. Simple, flavourful ingredients – seafood, jamón (cured ham), market-fresh produce – are transformed into remarkable delicacies. Feast on hearty, rich paella at a table overlooking the sea or step back to the 1920s at an elegant art nouveau dining room. Barcelona’s wide-ranging palate adds further complexity: Basque-style tapas bars, Galician seafood taverns, avant-garde Japanese restaurants and sinful chocolate shops are all essential parts of the culinary landscape.

Under the Iberian Sun
The deep blue Mediterranean beckons. Sun-drenched beaches make a fine backdrop to a jog, bike ride or long leisurely stroll along the seaside – followed by a refreshing dip. You can also enjoy the view from out on the water while kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding or taking it easy on a sunset cruise. Looming behind the city, the rolling forest-covered Collserola hills provide a scenic setting for hiking, mountain biking or just admiring the view. Closer to the city centre, hilltop Montjuïc offers endless exploring amid botanic and sculpture gardens, an old castle and first-rate museums with panoramic views at every turn.

Twenty-Four-Hour Party People
The night holds limitless possibilities in Barcelona. Start with sunset drinks on a panoramic terrace or dig your heels in the sand at a rustic beachside chiringuito (bar). As darkness falls, live music transforms the city: the rapid-fire rhythms of flamenco, brassy jazz spilling out of basements, and hands-in-the-air indie-rock at vintage concert halls. Towards midnight the bars fill. Take your pick from old-school taverns adorned with 19th-century murals, plush lounges in lamp-lit medieval chambers or boisterous cava bars. If you’re still standing at 3am, hit the clubs and explore Barcelona’s unabashed wild side.

Barri Gòtic laneway | ALEXANDER SPATARI/GETTY IMAGES ©

Why I Love Barcelona
By Sally Davies, Writer
I’ve lived all over Spain, and there is no part that does not have something unique to offer, but when I first came to Barcelona I was charmed not only by its medieval splendour, endless beaches and spectacular architecture – all of which is amply documented – but by its countless eccentricities. By its fibreglass giants, who stroll the streets seemingly regardless of the occasion. By its fire-breathing dragons, skittering perilously through the crowds. By its peculiar language, its folk dancing, its human castles. And somehow, without ever really meaning to, I found I had made it my home.
For more, see our writers
Barcelona’s Top 10
La Sagrada Família
1 One of Barcelona’s icons, this Modernista masterpiece remains a work in progress more than 90 years after the death of its creator, Antoni Gaudí. Fanciful and profound, inspired by nature and barely restrained by the Gothic style, Barcelona’s quirky temple soars skyward with a playful majesty. Stepping through its sculpted portals is like walking into a fairy tale, where a forest of columns branches towards the ceiling and light shimmers through brilliant stained-glass windows. Rich with beautifully wrought detail and packed with symbolism, the basilica invites hours of contemplation.
1 La Sagrada Família & L’Eixample

TOMASSEREDA/GETTY IMAGES ©

Barcelona’s Top 10

New Catalan Cuisine
2 Barcelona’s most celebrated chefs blend traditional Catalan recipes with new cooking techniques to create deliciously inventive masterpieces. Leading the way are Albert Adrià, the molecular gastronomy whizz behind a growing empire of restaurants, and Carles Abellan, who elevated the humble tapas to high art in his restaurants. The result: Barcelona has become one of the world’s great culinary destinations. No matter where you go in the city, you won’t be far from a memorable meal. And the critics agree: the city has more than 20 Michelin-starred restaurants.
5 Eating

VISIONSI/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Barcelona’s Top 10

Museu Picasso 
3 For a portrait of the artist as a young man, head to the Museu Picasso, which showcases perhaps the world’s best collection of the master’s early work. Picasso lived in Barcelona between the ages of 15 and 23, and elements of the city undoubtedly influenced his work, from the colourful but simply painted frescoes hanging in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya to the imaginative trencadís -style mosaics (pre-Cubist some say) of Gaudí. The museum’s setting – inside five contiguous medieval mansions – adds to the appeal.
1 La Ribera

CHRISTIAN BERTRAND/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Barcelona’s Top 10

Modernista Architecture
4 Few cities are defined by their architecture to quite the same extent as Barcelona. The weird and wonderful undulations of Antoni Gaudí’s creations are echoed in countless Modernista flights of fancy across the city. You’ll find shimmering mosaics, wild details (in stained glass, iron and ceramic) and sculptural elements that reference nature, mythology and medieval days. Gateway to these astonishing architectural works is L’Eixample, which was a blank canvas for some of Spain’s finest buildings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
1 Antoni Gaudí & Modernisme

COLÒNIA GÜELL | PHOTOSHOOTER2015/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Barcelona’s Top 10

Camp Nou
5 For the sports-minded, little can compete with the spectacle of a match at FC Barcelona’s massive football stadium. With a loyal fan base and an incredibly gifted team led by superstar Lionel Messi, Camp Nou always hosts a good show; even if you can’t make it to a game, it’s still worth visiting. The ‘Camp Nou Experience’ is an interactive museum and stadium tour that takes you through the locker rooms and out on to the pitch – hallowed ground for many Catalans.
2 Camp Nou, Pedralbes & La Zona Alta

CHRISTIAN BERTRAND/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Barcelona’s Top 10

Mercat de la Boqueria
6 This temple of temptation is one of Europe’s greatest permanent produce markets. Restaurant chefs, home cooks, office workers and tourists stroll amid the endless bounty of glistening fruits and vegetables, gleaming fish counters, dangling rolls of smoked meats, pyramids of pungent cheeses, barrels of olives and marinated peppers, and chocolate truffles and other sweets. Dotted through the market are a handful of popular tapas bars serving up delectable morsels. There’s almost always a queue, but it’s well worth the wait.
7 El Raval

SORBIS/SHIUTTERSTOCK ©

Barcelona’s Top 10

Strolling La Rambla
7 Sure it’s the most touristy spot in town, but you can’t come to Barcelona and not take the 1.2km stroll down the famous pedestrian boulevard that stretches towards the sea. It’s pure sensory overload – with a parade of people amid open-air cafes, fragrant flower stands, a much-overlooked mosaic by Miró and the rather surreal human sculptures. Key venues line both sides of the street, including the elegant Gran Teatre del Liceu, the sprawling Mercat de la Boqueria and several major galleries.
1 La Rambla & Barri Gòtic

MARK.PELF/SHIUTTERSTOCK ©

Barcelona’s Top 10

La Cat