The Ninth Harbour › Spain
Barcelona
Gaudí, tapas and Mediterranean beaches in one city.
Barcelona blends the extraordinary architecture of Gaudí with a medieval Gothic Quarter, city beaches and a food scene that runs from market counters to some of Europe’s finest restaurants. Dinner starts late and nights run longer.
Best time to visit: May to June and September to October. Language: Catalan, Spanish. Currency: Euro (EUR).
Did you know?
- The Sagrada Família has been under construction since 1882.
- Seven of Gaudí’s buildings share a UNESCO World Heritage listing.
- Many of Barcelona’s city beaches were created for the 1992 Olympic Games.
Things to do in Barcelona
- Park Güell (Park, free): Park Güell is a complex of parks and gardens in Barcelona with architectural elements, located in the La Salut neighborhood of the Gràcia district in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Palau de la Música Catalana (Concert hall): Palau de la Música Catalana is a concert hall in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Plaça de Catalunya (Square, free): Plaça de Catalunya is a large square in central Barcelona that is generally considered to be both its city centre and the place where the old city and the 19th century-built Eixample meet.
- Palau Güell (Palace): The Palau Güell is a mansion designed by the architect Antoni Gaudí for the industrial tycoon Eusebi Güell, and was built between 1886 and 1888.
- Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (History museum): The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, abbreviated as MNAC, is a museum of Catalan visual art located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Fundació Joan Miró (Art museum): The Fundació Joan Miró is a modern art museum honoring the life and work of the Spanish artist Joan Miró, located on the hill called Montjuïc in Barcelona, Catalonia.
- Museu Picasso (Art museum): The Museu Picasso is an art museum in Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain.
- FC Barcelona Museum (Museum): The FC Barcelona museum was inaugurated on 24 September 1984 under the presidency of Josep Lluís Nuñez.
- MACBA Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (Art museum): The Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art is a contemporary art museum situated in the Plaça dels Àngels, in El Raval neighborhood, Ciutat Vella district, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Gran Teatre del Liceu (Opera house): The Gran Teatre del Liceu, or simply Liceu, is an opera theater in Barcelona, Catalonia.
- Parc de la Ciutadella (Park, free): The Parc de la Ciutadella is a park on the northeastern edge of Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Barcelona Zoo (Zoo): Barcelona Zoo is a zoo in the Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Columbus Monument (Monument, free): The Columbus Monument is a 60 m tall monument to Christopher Columbus at the lower end of La Rambla, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Plaça d'Espanya (Square, free): Plaça d'Espanya is one of Barcelona's most important squares, built on the occasion of the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, held at the foot of Montjuïc, in the Sants-Montjuïc district.
- Aquarium Barcelona (Aquarium): Aquarium Barcelona is an aquarium located in Port Vell, a harbor in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Montjuïc Castle (Castle): Montjuïc Castle is an old military fortress, with roots dating back from 1640, built on top of Montjuïc hill in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Parc del Laberint d'Horta (Park, free): The Parc del Laberint d'Horta is a historical garden in the Horta-Guinardó district in Barcelona and the oldest of its kind in the city.
- plaça del Rei (Square, free): Plaça del Rei is a 14th-century medieval public square in the Barri Gòtic of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- CosmoCaixa Barcelona (Science museum): CosmoCaixa Barcelona is a science museum located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Plaça Sant Jaume (Square, free): The Plaça de Sant Jaume is a square at the center of the Old City of Barcelona and the administrative heart of both the city and surrounding Catalonia.
- plaça de les Glòries Catalanes (Square, free): Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, most often shortened to Glòries, is a large square in Barcelona, first designed by Ildefons Cerdà to serve as the city centre in his original urban plan, but nowadays relegated to quite a
- Fossar de les Moreres (Historic site): The Fossar de les Moreres is a memorial square in Barcelona, adjacent to the basilica of Santa Maria del Mar.
- Teatre Nacional de Catalunya (Theatre): Teatre Nacional de Catalunya is a public theatre located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Virreina Palace (Palace): The Virreina Palace is a building in the city of Barcelona.
- Plaça de Tetuan (Square, free): Plaça de Tetuan, known in Spanish as Plaza de Tetuán, is a major square in Barcelona.
- Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum (Museum): The Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum is a museum located in Barcelona, Spain dedicated to the culture of cannabis that opened on May 9, 2012.
- Parc de Joan Miró (Park, free): The Parc de Joan Miró is a park located in the Eixample of Barcelona, near the Plaça d'Espanya, from which it is separated by the Les Arenes bullring.
- Plaça de la Universitat (Square, free): The Plaça de la Universitat is one of Barcelona's central squares, at the border between the districts of Eixample and Ciutat Vella.
- Jardí Botànic de Barcelona (Botanic garden): The Botanical Garden of Barcelona is a botanical garden in the Montjuïc hill of Barcelona set amongst a number of stadiums used in the Summer Olympic Games of 1992.
- L'Auditori (Concert hall): L'Auditori is a modern building of 42,000 square metres designed by the architect Rafael Moneo, opened on 22 March 1999, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- CaixaForum Barcelona (Cultural venue): CaixaForum Barcelona is a cultural center in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Synagogue Shlomo ben Adret (Synagogue): The Ancient Synagogue of Barcelona is believed to be an ancient Jewish synagogue located in the Jewish quarter of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Plaça de Sant Felip Neri (Square, free): Plaça de Sant Felip Neri is a small square in the Gothic Quarter in the district of Ciutat Vella in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Tàpies Museum (Art museum): The Tàpies Museum is an art museum and cultural centre in Barcelona, Catalonia.
- Church of Santa Ana (Church, free): The Church of Santa Anna is a church located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Palau del Baró de Quadras (Palace): The Palau Baró de Quadras is a small modernista palace located in Barcelona on Avinguda Diagonal, equidistant from La Pedrera and Casa de les Punxes.
- Plaça Urquinaona (Square, free): The Plaça d'Urquinaona is one of the principal squares in central Barcelona.
- Casa de l'Ardiaca (Palace): Cultural property in Barcelona, Spain.
- Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (Cultural venue): The Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona is an arts centre in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Temple of Augustus in Barcelona (Archaeological site): The Temple of Augustus in Barcelona was a Roman temple built during the Imperial period in the colony of Barcino.
- Museu Frederic Marès (Museum, hidden gem): The Museu Frederic Marès is an art and sculpture museum in the Palau Reial Major in Barcelona, Spain.
- Natural Science Museum of Barcelona (Science museum, hidden gem): The Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona is a natural history museum in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Mont Tàber (Hill, free, hidden gem): Mountain.
- Barcelona Wax Museum (Museum, hidden gem): Museum.
- Parc de l'Espanya Industrial (Park, free, hidden gem): Park in Barcelona, Spain.
- Teatre Principal (Theatre, hidden gem): The Teatre Principal is the oldest theatre in Barcelona, founded in 1579, built between 1597 and 1603 and rebuilt several times, mainly in 1788 and again in 1848.
- Razzmatazz (Concert hall, hidden gem): Razzmatazz is a nightclub and concert hall in the Poblenou neighbourhood in Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, Spain.
- Parc del Fòrum (Park, free, hidden gem): Parc del Fòrum is a public park located between the district of Sant Martí in Barcelona and Sant Adrià de Besòs.
- Palau Robert (Palace, hidden gem): Palau Robert is a building on Barcelona's Passeig de Gràcia 107, the former private residence of Robert Robert i Surís, an influential aristocrat, politician and businessman at the turn of the 20th century.
- Centre d'Art Santa Mònica (Cultural venue, hidden gem): Centre d'Arts Santa Mònica, more commonly abbreviated as Arts Santa Mònica, is a public venue in Barcelona, opened in 1988, for exhibiting contemporary art.
- Plaça de Lesseps (Square, free, hidden gem): Plaça de Lesseps is a square serving as the border between the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi and Gràcia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, loosely divided in two parts.
- Sarrià Capuchins (Church, free, hidden gem): The Sarrià Capuchins are a community of the Capuchins that settled in Barcelona in 1578 after a request of the Consell de Cent, and against the will of the king Philip II.
- European Museum of Modern Art (Art museum, hidden gem): The European Museum of Modern Art opened its doors in the Ribera neighborhood Ribera neighborhood of Barcelona, near Museu Picasso, becoming the first museum of contemporary figurative art in Spain.
- Teatre Grec (Theatre, hidden gem): The Grec Festival of Barcelona is an international festival of theatre, dance, music, and circus.
- Parc de Cervantes (Park, free, hidden gem): The Parc de Cervantes is located in the Pedralbes neighborhood, belonging to the Les Corts district, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Where to eat and drink in Barcelona
- La Boqueria, La Rambla: Famous market; eat at the counter bars.
- Cal Pep, El Born: Counter-seat tapas institution.
- Disfrutar, Eixample: Inventive tasting menus, among the world’s best restaurants.
- Bar Calders, Sant Antoni: Vermouth and tapas on a terrace.
- Kamikaze, Barcelona: Creative cooking with a marked Asian influence.
- Scapar, Barcelona: Seafood-led cooking with an Asian accent.
- Mont Bar, Eixample: A bar that grew into one of the city’s great dining rooms.