Barcelona a city of marvels ,mysteries and fantasy
Barcelona is like a glamorous muse, captivating everyone with her charm. Known as an architectural wonder, the city bears the enchanting mark of GaudÃ, with its blend of historical and contemporary structures in the Catalan Art Nouveau style. As the second-largest city in Spain and the vibrant capital of Catalonia, Barcelona draws over 8 million tourists each year, making it the third most visited destination in Europe, after London and Paris.
With a history spanning more than two thousand years, Barcelona is rich in myths, legends, and superstitions. Founded in 237 BC by the Cathars as Barcino, the city has been shaped by Romans, Visigoths, Moors, and French influences. Despite being ravaged by the Spanish War of Succession and the Spanish Civil War, Barcelona emerged anew in the 1970s and gained worldwide acclaim after hosting the 1992 Olympic Games.
Today, Barcelona's streets pulse with mystery and fantasy, drawing visitors from around the globe. The Gothic Quarter, with its labyrinthine alleys and medieval aura, is steeped in stories that blur the lines between reality and imagination. One legend tells of the mythological demigod Hercules, whose journey led to the founding myths of Spain, including the creation of the Pyrenees Mountains. According to the tale, Hercules fell in love with a girl named Pyrene, but they were destined to part ways, giving the mountains their name.
Another legend attributes the city's origins to Hannibal Barca, the famous Carthaginian general's father. It is said that upon arriving in the city, Hannibal was so enchanted that he named it after his family, Barca. While these legends are captivating, they remain more myth than history, as no archaeological or historical evidence supports them.
Despite its expensive lifestyle, driven by the influx of tourists, Barcelona remains a city that effortlessly blends the old with the new, inviting all to explore its fascinating stories and cultural richness.
Cozy Up with Self-Catering
Planning and visiting Barcelona on a budget is totally possible for your trip according to your budget. If the visit involves a small budget, Barcelona offers many options of activities that donât involve expenses. You will also find tons of food or markets from which to insure your food for just over 20 euros a day. You can find restaurants on Avenida del Parallel, where the menu of the day for one person costs about 9-10 euros. You will easily find Moroccans, or Turks selling chebap, or Greek gyros at good prices. Tapas bars can have tapas at reasonable prices, where each type of snack costs between 4 and 7 euros. Accommodation at the hostel starts at 25 euros per night. If you do not save your money, you can pamper yourself with the Barcelona Card. It ensures free transport, as well as discounts or gratuities at tourist attractions, such as museums or houses made by Gaudi. For 5 days, the card costs 60 euros for an adult.
Travel within the week is better because, flights over the weekend are more expensive than if you travel within the week, from Monday to Friday, so try to plan your vacation during the week. This way you are saving money by flying during the week, and you can stay for one or two days longer.
Find Your Perfect Place to Stay
Compared to Paris or London or even Madrid, Barcelonaâs a very reasonable city to sleep in self-catering apartments and has lots of options. Basic budget hotels offer private rooms from about â¬35 per night, and hostels have beds in shared dorms from â¬10. Apartment vacation rentals start at â¬50 per night.
We help you with a selection of hostels we have made for you.
Make yourself at home in one of the 96 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators , microwaves and prepare your meals in the shared or communal kitchen. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected for free,bed linen and blankets are provided, and 2 communal gardens with outdoor furniture, Factory Gardens is located just a 2-minute walk from La Pedrera. The Loft Hostel Barcelona is within a 5-minute walk of Casa Mila and Passeig de Gracia. This hostel is 0.7 km from Casa Batllo and 0.6 km from Rambla de Catalunya.
You can choose from the variety of rooms they offer: single rooms with private bathrooms, shared bedrooms for mixed use or for women only, full bedrooms are for a group of friends or family and if you want to enjoy a bedroom exclusively for you, a single room with a shared bathroom. There are many bars, supermarkets and restaurants around the property.
An excellent-value budget option with its convenient location in the city center, with a total number of 52 rooms, the hostel offers easy access to the city's must-see destinations. With its most advanced technology in security, with fingertip keys, guests are well welcome to enjoy the town's attractions and activities. Toc hostel Barcelona provides the best in services and amenities. Many rooms provide free wi-fi, bar, kitchen, communal lounge, games zone, television LCD, plasma screen, linens, locker, mirror, towels to please the most discerning guest. If you are travelling with your love and you are looking for a romantic trip, the hostel can offer you a double room with views to the city and special features. The hostel has an onsite restaurant & bar, an outdoor pool with terrace, a shared common area with TV and pool table. Tourist information and ticketing service are offered. Rapper 50 Cent recently filmed his own version of MTV Cribs there, and if itâs good enough for Fiddy you know youâre going to love it.
LENIN HOSTEL located in Sarrià -St. Gervasi district, right next to Casa Batlló, the ideal spot from which to discover Barcelona. You can choose Single Room, Triple Room, Double Room and Quadruple Room equipped with a ceiling fan. This property has private bathrooms. Bathroom facilities feature hair dryers, free toiletries and bath sheets. All the rooms offer a good level of comfort, modern amenities, including heating, flat-screen television, free wireless internet access, facilities for disabled guests, towels supplied, toiletries supplied. Guests can prepare meals in a shared kitchen.
Don Moustache Hostel is very close to the city center, four blocks away from the central Plaza Catalunya and the mythical Ramblas, and two metro stations away from the beach of la Barceloneta, making it a great destination to important landmarks and attractions in the city. The hostel rooms come with a complimentary Wi-Fi, a fridge and a dining area. The property's friendly and knowledgeable staff will help arrange tickets and even discounts for events, museums, sightseeing, and other tourist interests. If you want to cook,they have a common room where you can cook and share good moments with the rest of the guests.
Located 15 min walk by the sea and the main nightlife spots, 1 min walk from La Rambla, Plaza Real, museums and Gaudi Houses, Sun & Moon hostel recently inaugurated, has become an excellent option for those travelers who cannot spend big amounts of money on the accommodation.
All 25 air-conditioned rooms offer climate control, television and a microwave. Some of these rooms have views of the garden. Showers, a Jacuzzi bath and toiletries are provided.
All children under the age of 4 stay free of charge when using existing beds. The kitchen is equipped with an electric kettle, microwave,oven and cooker. Sun & Moon offers sheets and towels for 2.00⬠each in case you do not bring a sleeping bag.
Food and Restaurant Guide
In Barcelona, as in any other part of Spain, you have to try Paella. There is no doubt that the best paella is always homemade paella. It takes a long time to cook, so it is difficult for restaurants to prepare it fresh. If you want to eat the best paella , just a 5-minute walk from Park Guell, chefs Bego and Ivan offer one of the best paellas in Barcelona. Seafood and fish dishes are also very popular in Barcelona because they are always fresh and well cooked.
Avoid places with their menu translated into more than three languages, because youâre likely in a tourist trap. Be very careful when consulting the prices, because there are restaurants where for sitting on the terrace, a 10-12% bonus is added.
We tried to have a list of where you can taste the spanish cuisine.
Located in the heart of the barrio del Born neighborhood, where ABaC restaurant was born, with capacity for 60 diners, Ten's Tapas Restaurant Barcelona with its food well-priced, and the waiters very lovely and prompt, this restaurant is decorated with exquisite taste, without ornamentation, with natural finishes to achieve a fresh, informal and neutral image, with spectacular oyster selection ,octopus cooked with paprika from La Vera, potato with arbequina oil and beech smoke will delight your taste buds.
The best contemporary catalan cuisine combines the traditional with the modern. The restaurant Windsor is located in a beautiful Catalan Modernist building for two decades. The space is elegant, intimate and tranquil, contemporary and flooded with natural light and has a great terrace and different private dining rooms, where diners can enjoy the fresh air and the brightness of a unique and exquisite interior garden. You can choose from over 400 varieties and one of the expert sommeliers can of course help to guide your choice.
Spacious, warm and friendly vibe, CocoVail Beer Hall itâs a vibrant social hotspot and is a great place to feel at home, hang out with friends, or meet new ones, in a different atmosphere to your typical Barcelona bar. They have about 10 different wing flavors and 24 tap beers. The wings are big, crispy and flavorful, with very helpful staff and a lively atmosphere.
Restaurant Mi Rincon, itâs a cozy place offering you the most exquisite variety of Colombian taste that you can find in Barcelona. They have vegetarian dishes, as well they have takeaway and home delivery. Waiters are very friendly , the food is tasty and affordable. If you donât know what to order ,ask them for recommendations. Very large portions of flank steak are served at a reasonable price. Their different aromas and flavors will undoubtedly seduce you and make you return.
Fabrica Moritz is the perfect place to enjoy the fresh unpasteurized beer brewed daily available at the bar and restaurant, to the factory that used to produce the oldest beer brand in the Iberian Peninsula and taste the spicy potatoes (with or without aioli, however you prefer), croquettes which will leave you speechless, the various flammkuchen (Alsatian pizza), coca de recapte with roasted vegetables, sardines and herring oil, are just few of the delights which will accompany you at Fabrica Moritz when you visit the architectural complex built in 1864.
Biocenter-restaurant with a unique style awaits to offer you not only high quality food but also an original and fun moment thanks to its art, photography and painting exhibitions. Is one of the oldest vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Barcelona, promoting local cuisine and direct contact with farmers. The space is tastefully decorated and is visited by young people looking for a nice, cosmopolitan atmosphere to have a healthy, cheap meal.
L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele Barcelona is owned by the Condurro family, who for over a century has been able to preserve flavors and respect the quality of a typical and irreplaceable product of the Neapolitan culinary tradition, brought their authentic Napolitan pizza to Barcelona. Their pizzeria is tradition, innovation, experience, passion and appeared in the movie Eat Pray Love, starring the famous actress Julia Roberts. They serve a very big size so you can order one to share with your family or your friends and the prices are affordable. As a tip for you -donât try to ask for anything else, including extra cheese, pepperoni or mozzarella di bufala. The employees who work there are from Naples and they keep their menu traditional so you can choose from the variety of pizza. The flour, tomato and mozzarella are imported every week from Naples The pizzeria is located in Via Cesare Sersale, which many experts and journalists consider it "the Sacred Temple of Pizza." They also have several appetizers and salads, so you should try it.
If you're looking for the best tapas in Barcelona and try the traditional Catalan cuisine,who offer tasty food and professional service at an affordable price,we recommend Teòric Taverna Gastronòmica the best spot, with moderately priced and their tapas will be the most memorable of your trip! The menu is not very long but you can enjoy a variety of inventive dishes according to the season, in an elegant and contemporary atmosphere.This place will amaze you with its fresh and fancy food, a beautiful selection of local wines, marvellous gastro-tapas, a friendly and professional service.
Named after an Argentine romantic film, Elsa y Fred, the place recalls the feeling of entering a charming place that welcomes you in a homely atmosphere with vintage decor, it is ideal for those who want to escape the tourist sites and try local cuisine. It's very cozy with a romantic atmosphere. They serve delicious tapas and as they call themselves a 'gastro bar'. During the week they also offer breakfast and have a 'menu of the day' that changes daily for a large, affordable lunch. The staff is lovely and the food is incredible. You can enjoy a simple coffee, a delicious dinner or tapas with friends. We recommend the patatas bravas - large slices of potato that are fried crispy on the outside and soft, almost spongy, on the inside and with spicy sauce, a perfect touch, no need for American ketchup here. The next recommendation is the grilled octopus, bull burger and accompany it with a mojito or sangria.
Casa Lolea is one of the must-eats in Barcelona where you can order and enjoy homemade sangria as a glass or bottle, from the basic sangria with red wine as a base, to white sangria and rose sangria and various tapas at the same time at reasonable prices. You can taste their delicious homemade specialities such as the salty-sweet, vermouth-marinated mackerel, tender homemade mojama (dry-cured tuna) with orange and almonds, succulent sardines in escabeche, marinated salmon blinis with yogurt and truffle honey, semolina truffle risotto, creamy foie gras mi-cuit with black volcanic salt, or confit bacalao with olivada and capers.
The two young women, Rosa Negra and Rosa do Raval, launched Restaurante Rosa Negra, breaking typical stereotypes associated with Mexico. It is ideal for a quick afternoon lunch, offering delicious dishes made with the freshest ingredients and the finest traditional recipes from Mexico. Traditional recipes, such as guacamole, nachos, salsa, quesadillas, steak, tacos and burritos, are all made in-house and are this restaurant's specialties. The dishes and drinks are delicious and the prices will also pleasantly surprise you. WiFi is also available in the restaurant.
Before, it was a monastery, now, a part of these walls that still have original stones are the home of this classic restaurant located in one of the historic buildings in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, with rustic,elegant and warm atmosphere framed by stone walls, the restaurant Melic del Gotic offers grilled meat, desserts, salads, pasta, a selection of premium wines and more varied dishes, with really unbeatable prices. From Iberian steak to chuleton steak which you can grill as you want on the personal grill your own meat.
Offering a mix of Mexican and Mediterranean food, tasty cocktails, live music and entertainment, magic shows and exhibitions, with bright, attractive and cheerful decor, you shouldn't miss the Margarita Blue restaurant with over fifteen years of experience. In a bar with a Mexican bent, it's worth trying the cocktail of the week, as tequila cocktails are of course very popular. As a recommendation, try delicious Mexican dishes - guacamole, fried green tomatoes, vegetarian enchiladas, tacos with chicken, tuna or other enchiladas, and meat.
The Green Spot is a large space, with beautiful chairs and tables, vegetation and clean windows that seem to not exist. The restaurant serves vegetarian cuisine aimed at satisfying both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. The modern vegetarian restaurant with a spacious interior and minimalist decor, offers a variety of dishes inspired by the cuisines of Japan, India, Mexico, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Latin America. Your menu indicates which dishes are vegan, gluten-free or raw. So, if you are looking for a place to eat healthy, then The Green Spot restaurant is definitely your place.
Experience Barcelona's Local Markets
Well supermarkets are designed to make you spend as much money as possible so before you get in your car to drive or walk somewhere you've never been, and if you are on a budget, you must always go with a list. If you go without a list, you may as well just throw your money away and leave you less susceptible to marketing tactics and impulse purchases. Donât let grocery shopping get you down. Plan menus and make your list ahead of time to stay focused as you shop and avoid purchasing less-healthy items you don't need. This will help you eat smart and stick to your budget!
As i said in another article, don't shop on an empty stomach, because this can lead to impulsive purchases out of hunger.
Never Shop on Sunday afternoons because it is one of the most crowded times at grocery stores but instead off hours are typically the first thing you should shop in the morning, late in the evening and during the week.
When you plan a longer shopping trip, you need to consider always buying meat and dairy items at the end and donât buy an item just because it is on sale, doesn't mean it's the cheapest option.
Many grocery stores offer price matching with competitors, which can save you dollars without forcing you to take multiple trips to different stores.
We have prepared a list for you from where you can your shopping.
Today known in Barcelona as the âFlowers Marketâ, Mercat de la Concepcio is located in the city centre near the Ciutadella Park, Casa Milà and other tourist attractions and is a market that sells almost everything when it comes to food and beverages. For gardeners travelers and curious: many varieties of garden flowers and seeds.
The tapas (small snacks) are delicious and well-priced. Try the cheese here. The quality and taste is a level above. Each first weekend of June, during the celebrations of the Eixample district, market traders dress in historical period costumes, so visiting the market is even more special.
Dia currently has 4,713 supermarkets in Spain, being the food distribution chain with the most stores in our country.
In Spain and Portugal, 613 establishments were transformed last year offering customers new features such as a roast chicken point of sale and a natural orange juice machine. The essence of DIA has always been its low prices and proximity. They have a wide variety of categories: salty and sweet food, beverages, refrigerated and frozen, hygiene, cleaning and perfumery, and more with the best quality and at the best price.
We reccomend Mercat de Sant Antoni, a reflection of the history of the city. If you travel in summer and want to shop in a local market, larger and without tourists, meaning that your shopping is less likely to be interrupted by a posse of camera-wielding tourists.
The historic building, maintaining its original appearance and uses but adapting them to the needs and demands of current users with innovative air conditioning. The ground level you will find the fresh food market, 52 stalls selling food, four eateries and 105 stalls selling clothes in a section called Encants. Sunday is the flea market, where local vendors sell old and second-hand books, records, stamps and more. The fresh market is open from Monday to Saturday from eight in the morning to eight in the afternoon. Here a Lidl supermarket opens , with direct access from the outside and a capacity of 1,300 square meters.
Condis is a supermarket that has a selection of the best products from different brands such as fresh fish, meat, fruit, vegetables, and cooked meat. The supermarket is known for its excellent price as well as quality, always offering customers the best price. In the fresh section they have a butcher, where they will serve you the freshest product and with the cut you want, delicatessen and frozen food exhibitors, as well as greengrocers and free-service bakeries. You will also find a great variety of vegetables and fruits of the season, juicy all year round. They are open from Monday to Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Mercat del Ninot (which literally means Doll's Market), is a very appreciated market by the Catalans who make their daily shopping there. The story of this market says, it was a tavern whose owners rescued a wooden doll (ninot) that was the figurehead for a ship to be dismantled. They returned to their tavern with it and proudly displayed it on the front of the building, and you can still see it today! The newly renovated market has undergone a huge renovation featuring fresh, local food in a bright, spacious neighborhood setting as vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, pork-butcheries of which very good stands of Jabugo Ham and there is available Wi-Fi. If you're a seafood lover, the seafood offerings at Mercat del Ninot will not disappoint you. Opening hours from 8 am through till 21.15 from Monday to Saturday.
One of the most brilliant architectural ideas for this multicolored, wave-shaped ceramic roof supported on a wooden structure, the Santa Caterina Market revealed a bright, undulating and colorful roof designed to be seen from the air. The market is an unmissable destination for serious foodies and stores that offer a diversity of products: fruits, vegetables, flowers, but also fish, meat, junk food, including one or two stands dedicated to Jabugo Ham and finally a small Caprado supermarket. The market is also home to a mix of traditional food stalls and modern restaurants, both offering a huge variety of delicious foods.
The Santa Caterina Market is open at 7:30 am from Monday until Saturday. Closing times vary daily. On Sunday, it closes at 2pm. On Monday, Tuesday and Saturday, it is open until 3:30 pm. On Wednesday and Thursday, it remains open until 8:30 pm.
Veritas is the leading organic supermarket chain in Spain. With a wide range of products, you can find everything you are looking for: from the variety of healthy and organic products such as fresh bread, fruits and vegetables, to canned and dried products for home cooking and kitchen supplies. The store also has a good selection of cereals and pasta made with durum wheat and other grains, a variety of yogurt types, and breakfast granola. The store also has its own bakery, delicious cakes, croissants and bread, all made with quality, organic ingredients. The store made organic products available at all affordable prices. They are open 7 days a week from 9am to 10pm.
The Sant Josep market, better known as La BoquerÃa, is the central market of Barcelona, is considered one of the best in Europe and the second largest market in the city. La Boqueria market offers fresh products of great quality and you can find products from all over the world. So if you have rented an apartment self-catering, this market is a guarantee for you that you can cook delicious fresh food everyday. You will find all kinds of stalls: poultry and eggs, pork and charcuterie, butchers, specialties, fruit and vegetables, nuts, legumes, offal, olives and preserves, fish and shellfish, saltwater fishing and grocery stores. So just enjoy the colors and aromas it offers this market.
The Charter supermarkets are distributing food franchises belonging to the group Consum, Valencian important business of the sector. They offer a good assortment in the Supermarkets category in Barcelona and constantly publish the catalog, always keeping the member-customers updated on the promotions with the most profitable prices. Quality and savings go hand in hand in the entire range of products at Charter supermarkets.
On Barcelona's most famous street, Las Ramblas, one of Barcelona's busiest streets with around 100 million visitors a year, you will find one of the biggest supermarkets in Barcelona city center, known as Carrefour Express. Carrefour is Spain's leading supermarket chain, which has a wide range of quality products, a wide range of packaged foods, fresh vegetables and fruits, clothing and accessories, gardening equipment and also pet products. As Carrefour is an important supermarket chain across Europe, there is no problem buying its own brands, as they have a good reputation.
Discover the Best Tourist Attraction of Barcelona
Barcelona presents the tourist who steps through its portal with a wide range of attractions and places to visit. However, what attracts travelers to GaudÃ's city each month? Barcelona's attractions and landscapes are extremely varied and can guarantee an unforgettable vacation, even for the most demanding tourists.
In addition to the most famous tourist attractions such as the Sagrada Familia, among the main attractions in Barcelona you will find, first of all, the Sagrada Familia, designed by Antoni Gaudi but unfinished. Plan your time carefully to see as many of Barcelona's sights as possible. Prepare to queue for about an hour and a half, because if you go on that day you run the risk of not getting in because everything is already booked, so it's best to buy tickets online in advance to avoid queuing at the ticket office. A visit to the Cathedral costs â¬13.00 and with a guide or audio guide it costs â¬17.00.
Tickets to visit the Cathedral for under 18s, students and retirees: â¬11.00; the guided tour costs â¬15.00 and the audio guide costs â¬14.00.
Combined ticket to visit the Cathedral + Gaudà Museum: ⬠16.50
Combined ticket to visit the Cathedral + Gaudà Museum with guide or audio guide (Sagrada Familia only): â¬20.50
Prices are only valid for entry to the Sagrada Familia Cathedral, not for access to the elevators.
A separate fee of â¬3.00 is charged for the elevator.
The Picasso Museum is the most famous museum in Barcelona. Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, southern Spain, but his family moved to Barcelona in 1895. Picasso lived here until 1904. His father was an art teacher. Although Pablo had already studied art in Malaga, he spent his formative years in Barcelona. He is considered to be from Barcelona, and here he exhibited for the first time. Picasso's most famous paintings are not in Barcelona, but you can see a unique collection of 4,251 other artworks from an unique artist. The museum is located in several wonderful Gothic mansions in the old part of the city.
Park Güell is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered one of GaudÃ's most artistic works. No visitor to Barcelona would be complete without a stop at Park Güell. The park is located on Carmel Hill, which means the attraction involves a 900-meter climb. However, the hill is close to elevators, so you don't need to worry.
Josep Güell's initial idea was to develop a private and exclusive village with 60 houses. This did not work, and after Güell's death in 1923, the space was donated to the city of Barcelona by the Güell family as a public park. There you will find the famous mosaic lizard, as well as other abstract sculptures specific to GaudÃ. The park is one of the cheapest attractions to visit in Barcelona.
Children up to age 6 enter for free, while adults and older children pay a relatively low price. As it is the most visited tourist destination in Barcelona, if you want to enter in good time, it is recommended to book your tickets in advance.
Here you can also find Gaudà at Casa Milà . The residence was built between 1906 and 1910 for the Milà family and is GaudÃ's most famous house in terms of architectural style, located on Passeig de Grácia. Casa Milà is also known as "La Pedrera" (quarry) due to its design. In the summer months, it is possible to watch concerts on the roof of the building.
GaudÃ's inspiration for La Pedrera's design was taken from ocean waves and certain mountains. The interior is also fabulous, creative, bold and inventive. Gaudà used creative design to allow light into this building, which he then crowned with chimneys that look like ancient warriors. The ground floor of the building was where the Milà family used to live and is now used for temporary exhibitions.
If you want to avoid queues and skip the line, take into account that the ticket is timed, which means you need to choose a time to enter when you buy the ticket online.
Basilica of Santa Maria del Pi was inaugurated in 1453 and took approximately 150 years to build. The church of Santa Maria del Pi houses the remains of many members of Barcelona's nobility and the remains of the most Barcelonian of saints, Sant Josep Oriol, who was a priest at this famous church. It was declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1931. If you want to visit the museum of the basilica you have to pay to see the Bell tower,treasury,museum, crypt and garden and the price varies according to your choice: general visit or guided visit.
Legend says that construction took so long because the church was cursed. Each time the bell tower neared completion it collapsed and had to be rebuilt. Finally, the master mason in charge of building the church made a pact with the devil and promised to let him have his soul on completion of the towerâs hundredth step. When the tower reached the height of the ninety ninth step, the crafty builder started working on other parts of the church. His plan was to build the church so slowly that he would die of old age without ever completing the tower.
The devil was so enraged that, when the builderâs successor completed the tower, he stamped his hoof on the hundredth step leaving a footmark as a warning to anyone who dared to climb the tower. Apparently, the devilâs plan backfired and so many people climbed the tower to see the hoof print that in the end, the vicar had the mark removed.
The famous masterpiece, with an unmistakable style, known as "Casa dos Ossos" ("House of Bones"), is located in the heart of Barcelona.
In 1904, the Batlló family hired Antonio Gaudà to design their home.
Shades of orange and gold intertwine in perfect harmony with the green and blue tiles, and the ceiling is arched, often resembling the rump of a dragon or dinosaur. An urban myth circulating in Barcelona states that he himself would represent the dragon slain with Saint George's spear in Christian iconographic representations. The originality of the architecture of Casa Batlló is a unique construction, whose reputation is growing more and more every year. To visit Casa Batlló, auditory guides are available for tourists in ten languages ââ(English, Spanish, Catalan, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese and Japanese) that can provide much more information about this remarkable building and the master who completed it, Antoni GaudÃ.
Today, Casa Batlló is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an icon in Barcelona, ââa must-see for anyone who wants to discover GaudÃ's work and modernism at its best. It is also one of the top-rated cultural and tourist attractions, receiving around 1 million visitors every year.
Casa Llorens was built in 1906 by the architect Josep Pérez Terraza, in charge by the businessman Enrique Llorens de Grau. During this time, many of the buildings that were built in the Eixample served to highlight the economic power of the thriving bourgeois class. From this "rivalry" between the bourgeoisie, real architectural gems were born that can still be seen walking through this neighborhood. In 1907, Casa Llorens obtained a special diploma in the Annual Artistic Building Contest, which the City Council awarded to the most emblematic buildings in the city but Pérez Terraza could not receive such an award since he had died only a few months before. Prize was also awarded to works such as the Casa Calvet (GaudÃ) or the Palau de la Música Catalana (Doménech i Montaner). The newly built Casa Enric Llorens with the crowning of the facade unfortunately disappeared, being a savage elimination of architectural artistic elements is this case, but keeping the great profusion of details ornamental, from floral decoration to the design of the shutters of booklet, which was one of the reasons for which he won the honorary diploma in the annual competition of artistic buildings of the Barcelona City Council from 1907. Inside, the staircase and the original decoration, which still remains on some of the floors, the marble components, the ironed coatings, the highly ornamented plaster elements, as well as the paintings on the ceilings and some of the original pavements that are still preserved are noteworthy.
Plaza Catalunya a lively square is the heart of Barcelona it's a favourite meeting point of Barcelona city centre and, for many travellers, will also be the main transport hub for their journey. The fountain at the northern side and the benches, invites you for a brief rest. You can buy seeds at one of the stalls and feed the thousands of pigeons.
The Big Fun Museum or Museum of Illusions, is the place where fun and creativity come together and is great fun for families, adults and seniors, so bring your camera or mobile phone, because this museum provides fantastic photo opportunities and you are not passively looking at exhibits, you are the exhibit. Thematic rooms, incredible 3D facilities, mazes, illusions and wonders at each step, is pure fun. Booking your ticket in advance means that youâll skip the line and straight to the front of the line for having a selection of very entertaining photos and selfies in various funny locations. The visit to this museum is cheap fun for all ages.
It is attracting more than two million visitors annually making it the 4th most popular tourist spot in the city after Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, and Camp Nou. Aquarium Barcelona de Greg is enchanting, spectacular and one of the largest Oceanographic Museum in Europe, but also the richest in the world for Mediterranean fish species. You will find over 11,000 marine animals from 450 species and an 80-metres-long underwater tunnel through the shark basin. The highlight is an 80 metres-long glass tunnel through the sea basin in which you can see sharks, rays and moraines. Courageous people can dive in the shark basin. Your children will certainly be watching the fascinating underwater world in front of the aquariums. In a play area for children, the underwater world and the inhabitants of the oceans and their ecosystems are introduced to children, featuring 50+ interactivities in which children can touch, see, listen to, and discover nature, this sectionâs objective is to raise a childâs awareness of the marine World. The average duration of the visit to the Barcelona Aquarium is 2 hours, but you can of course stay longer and enjoy all the facilities. The Barcelona Aquarium is fully accessible by wheelchair and adapted to visitors with reduced mobility. Barcelona Aquarium adult ticket costs 20 Euros while a youth ticket (5 to 10 years) costs only 15 Euros, kids between 3 to 4 years pay only 7 Euros for their entry. If you want to skip the line, you can purchase it online. If you are visiting on either Tuesday or Friday, you can witness how the sharks at Barcelona Aquarium are fed between 12 noon and 1 pm. Being the greediest of them all Penguins get fed twice daily between 11.30 pm and 4.30 pm. Aquariums are the best things to do with kids in Barcelona.
Temple d'August is a 2,000-year-old Roman Temple of Augustus and the temple was built to honor Emperor Augustus. The temple dates back to the first century BC and was part of the Forum, at the centre of the Roman city of Barcino. Three of the columns remained intact, and the fourth column was rebuilt from the remains of the other columns and in 1956 it was moved to the spot where it stands now, next to the original three columns, inside the medieval building at Carrer del ParadÃs number 10 at the Barcelona City History Museum and entry is free. If you want to know more about the Temple, you can read the panels situated nearby.
Camp Nou means New Field in the local language, Catalán and it was opened in 1957 ,with a capacity of almost 100,000.
Camp Nou is the largest stadium in Europe and home to Barcelona's soccer powerhouse, FC Barcelona. The stadiumâs maximum height is 48 metres, and it covers a surface area of 55,000 square metres (250 metres long and 220 metres wide). Within the Camp Nou tour, you can experience a panoramic view of the entire stadium from the press box. In the museum the exciting history of the club is shown and important trophies can be seen in the original. Camp Nou has received the 5-star award from UEFA. If you want to visit the camp, make a reservation in advance.
CONCLUSION
Barcelona is a fascinating city, whether it's your first or tenth visit, as it vibrates in a special way and it is not possible to remain indifferent to all the attractions and experiences that present themselves at every step. With its fascinating and splendid Gaudà architecture, delicious Mediterranean food and unstoppable ambience, comfortable accommodation at affordable prices, discounted and free tickets to shows, museums and attractions, Barcelona has something for every visitor and every budget .