1.
Sagrada Familia taking the number 1 spot
is no surprise. The “holy family” cathedral is the unfinished
masterpiece of Barcelona’s famous architect, Antoni Gaudi, and receives
more than two million paid visits per year (the real figure of those
which just walk around outside must be 4 or 5 times that). It’s the
landmark of Barcelona, visible from the plane on the way in or out of
the city. Gaudi dedicated that last years of his life to the “cathedral
for the people” and he is also buried in the crypt. Even if you think
you will have no interest or that architecture does not interest you,
go and see it. You cannot fail to be impressed and it is well worth
visiting the museum below where you can see models of what the finished
article will be like – your jaw will drop, believe me. The people of
Barcelona also hold it close to their heart and although allegedly
various corporations have offered to finish the work in a shorter time
than the current progress (in itself a hot debate with estimates
ranging from 40 to 80 years!) Gaudi’s wishes have prevailed, and almost
all funding is from the public and the profits from the other
attractions bearing his name.
http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/index.php 2.
Number 2 is
Las Ramblas. The old river bed which dissects the Old Town
is a seamless collection of Ramblas or boulevards, stretching from the
main square – Plaça Catalunya – to the Old Port at the bottom. Street
performers, flower sellers, newspaper kiosks and artists galore make
this 24 hour street an un-missable destination when you arrive.
http://www.laramblabcn.com/cat_index.html 3.
Park Güell is a magical fairytale escape in the north of the city, and
is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Commissioned by Count Eusebi
Güell after his love of the English gardens (note the spelling is Park
with a “k”), and designed by his friend, Gaudi, the park was intended
to be a private housing estate with separate plots of land and a
central plaça – an old style Beverly Hills, if you like. The idea
didn’t take off, and the park was bailed out by the Catalan government
and made into a national park. Fantastic views of the city. My tip is
to see the park backwards, as it’s on a hill. Take metro Line 3 to
Vallcarca, and then the escalators to the back and walk downhill to
take it all in.
http://www.bcn.es/urbanisme/catala/guell_mod_g.htm 4.
L' Aquarium de Barcelona. Barcelona is a great place for a family
vacation and the Aquarium is a great place to go with kids. It has a
moving walkway with a glass tunnel which is the best attraction – the
sting-rays and sharks swim above you. There are also many tanks with
seahorses, and some very entertaining penguins!
http://www.aquariumbcn.com/AQUARIUM/index.php?wlang=en 5.
Poble Espanyol de Montjuic is a purpose built “Spanish Village” which
was built for the 1929 exhibition with different streets representing
the different architecture of the various cities in Spain, so you have
little white Sevillian houses next to the typical eaves and roofs seen
in Valencia, etc. Originally it was to be demolished after the
exhibition, but such was the success that it remains today. During the
day there are many arty-crafty things going on, such as glass blowing
and pottery and treasure hunts for children, and at night there are
various restaurants and clubs, including some of Barcelona’s top night
spots.
http://www.poble-espanyol.com/pemsa/en.html 6.
La Pedrera - Casa Mila. This is another fantastic attraction located
on the city’s most exclusive street, Passeig de Gracia, and is an
architectural wonder. This strange building, also designed by Gaudi, is
nicknamed “The Stone quarry” for the façade of large, shaped and cut
sand stone, and the entire building is bereft of straight lines or
right angles. The inside of the building has a period apartment with
pieces of furniture also designed by Gaudi. The Attic of the building
is a small museum paying homage to the other works of Gaudi with
models, photos, slide shows and movies, but the best part is the
rooftop. The rooftop looks down onto the shops and boutiques of Passeig
de Gracia, and also has the strangest chimneys you will ever see – very
storm troopers from Star Wars.
http://www.lapedreraeducacio.org/eng/index.htm 7.
At number 7 is the
Barcelona FC Museum with 1,032,763 visits per year.
The Catalan club is an institution and the Barcelonans are so
passionate about their football. The Camp Nou, or new camp is an
amazing stadium – one of Europe’s largest, and also has the museum and
huge shop below.
http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/english/ 8.
Barcelona has two great
cable car rides – one which crosses the Port
to the beach at Barceloneta and the other which takes you to the top of
the Castle on top of Montjüic Mountain (it’s only a hill, don’t be
scared!) and over the Botanical gardens below. This is a great ride and
offers fantastic views of the Port – both the industrial side and the
cruise liner side.
http://www.tmb.cat/es_ES/barcelona/moute/planols/planoteleferic.jsp 9.
The
Picasso Museum located in the Borne district welcomes almost
900,000 visits per year. The only museum dedicated to the Malagan-born
artist to be opened during his lifetime, has over 3,500 pieces from the
artist, including early sketches (Picasso’s father worked as an art
teacher when he was young, and when they lived in Barcelona), fantastic
paintings (with all the eyes on the right side of the face!), and
pottery, too. The museum is housed in a beautiful palace and has free
entrance on the 1st Sunday of each month.
http://www.museupicasso.bcn.cat/en/ 10.
Finally we have the
Magic Fountains at Montjüic. Located at Plaça
Espanya, this huge fountain “dances” to lights and music with jets and
streams and the amazing backdrop of the Catalonian Palace. This year
celebrates the 75th Anniversary of the opening of the fountains, and
it’s still capturing audiences today.
http://fonts.bcn.es/ie/index.asp?Idioma=eng