Barcelona
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In Barcelona, a maze of medieval alleys meet wide, tree-lined avenues of smart shops; palm trees fringe quiet squares and the spires and cranes of Gaudí’s dizzying Temple pierce the skyline.
In this city of architectural gems, Antoni Gaudí’s magical buildings stand out for their sheer audacity. Theatrical, extreme and yet wonderfully functional, they are stars of the Modernist (Catalan Art Nouveau) movement. If you only see one Gaudí-designed house, go for Casa Batlló – but you’ll kick yourself if you miss walking on the roof of Casa Milà (La Pedrera).
Modern thoroughfares, including the Rambla and stylish Passeig de Gràcia, radiate from the huge, fountain-filled Plaça Catalunya, edged by the flagship El Corte Inglés department store. But the ancient heart of Barcelona is in the Gothic Quarter, with its narrow winding streets dominated by the vast Cathedral where geese live under palm trees in the cloisters. From the tiny shops in the city’s old quarters to the latest boutiques and big stores, shopping is on every visitor’s must-do list.
There’s enough to keep art-lovers enthralled for weeks. Among the collection of museums in the hilltop Parc de Montjuïc, the baroque Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) houses the world’s most important collection of Romanesque art, and Fundació Joan Miró has over 300 of the Catalan master’s works. The best of Picasso is tucked away in the old town, paintings by Fra Angelico, Rubens and Canaletto are shown in an uptown 14th-century monastery, and the bright, white Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) comes as a big surprise in narrow medieval streets.
The revitalised waterfront has shops and museums as well as boats, there’s a marina and casino at Port Olímpic – and 4km of beach to resort to should pavements and museums get too much.
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