Barcelona Tramvia Blau

Barcelona Tramvia Blau : Barcelonins and tourists have been clanking 1,225m (4,000ft) up Avda Tibidabo in the 'blue trams' since 1902. In the winter months, when the tram only operates on weekends, a rather more prosaic bus (no.195) takes you up (or you can walk it in 15 minutes).

Barcelona Tramvia Blau Address

Avda Tibidabo (Plaça Kennedy) to Plaça Doctor Andreu
Area Beyond the Centre
Transport FGC Avda Tibidabo .
Telephone 93 318 70 74
Open Mid June-mid Sept 10am-8pm daily. Mid Sept-mid June 10am-6pm Sat. Frequency 20mins.
Tickets €2.30 single; €3.50 return. Admission €5; €2.50 reductions.

Barcelona Torre de Collserola

Barcelona Torre de Collserola
Just five minutes' walk from the Sagrat Cor is its main rival and Barcelona's most visible landmark, Norman Foster's communications tower, built in 1992 to transmit images of the Olympics around the world. Those who don't suffer from vertigo attest to the wonderful views of Barcelona and the Mediterranean from the top.

Barcelona Torre de Collserola Address

Ctra de Vallvidrera al Tibidabo
Area Beyond the Centre
Transport FGC Peu Funicular then funicular .
Telephone 93 211 79 42
Open Apr-June, Sept 11am-2pm, 3.30-6pm Wed-Fri; 11am-2pm, 3.30-7pm Sat, Sun. July, Aug 11am-2pm, 3.30-7pm Wed-Fri; 11am-2pm, 3.30-8pm Sat, Sun. Oct-Mar 11am-2pm, 3.30-5pm Wed-Fri; 11am-2pm, 3.30-6pm Sat, Sun.
Admission €5; reductions €4; free under-4s.

Barcelona Tibidabo Funfair

Barcelona Tibidabo Funfair: This hilltop fairground, dating from 1889, is investing millions in getting itself bang up to date, with the terrifying freefall Pendulum and a hot-air balloon style ride for smaller children. Adrenalin freaks are waiting for the rollercoaster currently under construction.

The many other attractions at Barcelona Tibidabo Funfair  include a house of horrors, bumper cars and the emblematic Avió, the world's first popular flight simulator when it was built in 1928. Don't miss the antique mechanical puppets and contraptions at the Museu d'Autòmats, and there are hourly puppet shows at the Marionetàrium (from 1pm). At the weekends, at Barcelona Tibidabo Funfair there are circus parades at the end of the day and, in summer, correfocs (fire runs) and street theatre.

Barcelona Tibidabo Funfair Address

Plaça del Tibidabo,
Tibidabo
Area Beyond the Centre
Transport FGC Avda Tibidabo .
Telephone 93 211 79 42
Open Nov-mid Dec , mid Jan-Feb 11am-6pm Sat, Sun. Mar, Apr 11am-7pm Sat, Sun. May, June 11am-8pm Sat, Sun. July 11am-8pm Wed-Fri; 11am-11pm Sat; 11am-10pm Sun. Aug 11am-10pm Wed-Sun. 1st 2wks Sept 11am-8pm Wed-Fri; 11am-9pm Sat, Sun. 2nd 2wks Sept 11am-9pm Sat, Sun. Oct 11am-8pm Sat, Sun. Closed mid Dec-mid Jan.
Admission individual rides €11-€14. Unlimited rides €24; €19 reductions; €7-€14 children under 1.2m (3ft 11in); free children under 90cm (2ft 11in).

Barcelona Temple Romà d'Augusti

Barcelona Temple Romà d'Augusti: Four stunning fluted Corinthian columns dating from the first century BC soar out of their podium in the most unlikely of places: a back patio of the Mountaineering Centre of Catalonia.

Part of the rear corner of the Barcelona Temple Romà d'Augusti devoted to the Roman emperor Augustus (who after his death was elevated to the pantheon), the columns were discovered and isolated from the structure of a medieval building in 1835.

The current layout of the Barcelona Temple Romà d'Augusti is actually a slight fudging of the original as the right-hand column resided separately in the Plaça del Rei until it was slotted next to the other three in 1956. Opening hours can vary, so, call ahead.

Barcelona Temple Romà d'Augusti: Address

C/Paradís 10
Area Barrí Gòtic
Transport Metro Jaume I .
Telephone 93 315 11 11
Open 10am-8pm Tue-Sat; 10am-3pm Sun.
Admission free.

Barcelona Telefèric de Montjuïc (cable car)

Barcelona Telefèric de Montjuïc (cable car): The rebuilt system has eight-person cable cars that soar from the funicular up to the castle. In the summer months, the Picnic al Cel offers the chance to enjoy a vertiginous dining experience.

Barcelona Telefèric de Montjuïc (cable car) Address

Estació Funicular,
Avda Mirama
Area Montjuic & Poble Sec
Transport Metro Paral·lel then Funicular .
Telephone 93 318 70 74
Open Nov-Mar 10am-6pm daily. Apr-May, Oct 10am-7pm daily. June-Sept 10am-9pm daily.
Tickets €5.70 one way; €7.90 return; €4.50 one way reductions; €6 return reductions; free under-4s.

Barcelona Sinagoga Shlomo Ben Adret

Barcelona Sinagoga Shlomo Ben Adret: The main synagogue of the Call until the pogrom in 1391, this tiny basement building lay abandoned for many years until its rediscovery and restoration in 1996. Once again a working synagogue, one of the two rooms is a place of worship with several interesting artefacts, the other holds the 14th-century dyeing vats used by the family that lived here until their status as crypto-Jews was discovered.

The façade of the Barcelona Sinagoga Shlomo Ben Adret building, slightly skewing the street, fulfils religious requirements by which the synagogue has to face Jerusalem; the two windows at knee height allow light to enter from that direction.

Barcelona Sinagoga Shlomo Ben Adret Address

C/Marlet 5
Area Barrí Gòtic
Transport Metro Jaume I or Liceu .
Telephone 93 317 07 90
Open 11am-2.30pm, 4-6.30pm Mon-Fri; 11am-2.30pm Sat, Sun.
Admission €2.

Barcelona Santa Maria del Mar

Barcelona Santa Maria del Mar:
One of the most perfect surviving examples of the Catalan Gothic style, this graceful basilica stands out for its characteristic horizontal lines, plain surfaces, square buttresses and flat-topped octagonal towers. Its superb unity of style is down to the fact that it was built relatively quickly, with construction taking just 55 years (1329 to 1384). Named after Mary as patroness of sailors, it was built on the site of a small church known as Santa Maria d'Arenys (sand), for its position close to the sea.


In the broad, Barcelona Santa Maria del Mar, single-nave interior, two rows of perfectly proportioned columns soar up to fan vaults, creating an atmosphere of space around the light-flooded altar. There's also superb stained glass, especially the great 15th-century rose window above the main door. The original window fell down during an earthquake, killing 25 people. The incongruous modern window at the other end was a 1997 addition, belatedly celebrating the Olympics.

It's perhaps thanks to the group of anti-clerical anarchists who set the church ablaze for 11 days in 1936 that its superb features can be appreciated - without the wooden Baroque furniture that clutters so many Spanish churches, the simplicity of Barcelona Santa Maria del Mar lines can emerge. On Saturdays, the Barcelona Santa Maria del Mar basilica is in great demand for weddings, and it's a traditional venue for concerts, particularly the Requiem Mass at Easter and Handel's Messiah at Christmas.

Barcelona Santa Maria del Mar Address

Plaça de Santa Maria
Area Born & St Pere
Transport Metro Jaume I .
Telephone 93 310 23 90
Open 9am-1.30pm, 4.30-8pm Mon-Sat; 10am-1.30pm, 4.30-8pm Sun.
Admission free.

Barcelona Sant Pau del Camp

Barcelona Sant Pau del Camp: The name, St Paul in the Field, reflects a time when the Raval was still countryside. In fact, this little Romanesque church is over 1,000 years old; the date carved on its most prestigious headstone - that of Count Guifré II Borrell, son of Wilfred 'the Hairy' and inheritor of all Barcelona and Girona - is AD 912.

The Barcelona Sant Pau del Camp church's impressive façade includes sculptures of fantastical flora and fauna along with human grotesques. The tiny cloister of Barcelona Sant Pau del Camp is another highlight with its extraordinary Visigoth capitals, triple-lobed arches and central fountain.

Barcelona Sant Pau del Camp Address
C/Sant Pau 101
Area Raval
Transport Metro Paral . lel.
Telephone 93 441 00 01
Open Visits 5-8pm Mon; 10.30am-1.30pm, 5-8pm Tue-Fri. Mass 8pm Sat; noon Sun.
Admission Visits €2; €1 reductions. Mass free.

Barcelona Poble Espanyol

Barcelona Poble Espanyol: Built for the 1929 Universal Exhibition and designed by the Modernista architect Puig i Cadafalch, this composite Spanish village is variously charming or kitsch depending on your taste, and features reproductions of traditional buildings and squares from every region in Spain.

The cylindrical towers at the entrance of Barcelona Poble Espanyol are copied from the walled city of Ávila and lead on to a typical Castilian main square from which visitors can explore a tiny whitewashed street from Arcos de la Frontera in Andalucía, then on to the 16th-century House of Chains from Toledo, and so on.

In Barcelona Poble Espanyol there are numerous bars and restaurants, a flamenco tablao and more than 60 shops selling Spanish crafts. Outside, street performers recreate bits of Catalan and Spanish folklore.


Barcelona Poble Espanyol Address

Avda Marquès de Comillas
Area Montjuic & Poble Sec
Transport Metro Espanya
Telephone 93 325 78 66
Open Village & restaurants 9am-8pm Mon; 9am-2am Tue-Thur; 9am-4am Fri; 9am-5am Sat; 9am-midnight Sun. Shops Dec-May 10am-6pm daily. June-Aug 10am-8pm daily. Sept-Nov 10am-7pm daily.
Admission €8; €5-€6 reductions; €20 family ticket; free under-4s. Combined ticket with MNAC €12.

Barcelona Plaza de Toros Monumental

Barcelona Plaza de Toros Monumental
Bullfighting in Barcelona can be a sorry affair. The impressive Modernista Monumental bullring has seen better days, and anti-taurino protesters can often outnumber the spectators on quiet days. However, there are occasional corridas worth seeing; they take place on Sundays in summer.

Barcelona Plaza de Toros Monumental Address
Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 749,
Eixample
Area Eixample
Transport Metro Monumental .
Telephone 93 215 95 70
Open Bullfights Apr-Sept 6-7pm Sun. Museum Apr-Sept 11am-2pm, 4-8pm Mon-Sat; 10.30am-1pm Sun.
Admission Bullfights €22-€120. Advance tickets available from Servi-Caixa. Museum €5; €4 reductions.

Barcelona Platja de l'Eixample

Barcelona Platja de l'Eixample: In the summer, this leafy inner patio becomes the 'Eixample Beach', an oasis for the under-sevens. There's a knee-high wading pool, plenty of sand with buckets and spades provided, trees for shade and a water tower in the centre, along with outdoor showers, changing tents and toilets.

Barcelona Platja de l'Eixample Address

C/Roger de Llúria 56 interior,
Eixample
Area Eixample
Transport Metro Girona .
Telephone 637 40 28 66
Open End June-July 10am-8pm Mon-Sat; 10am-3pm Sun. Aug 10am-8pm Mon-Fri; 10am-3pm Sat, Sun.
Admission €1.40; free under-1s.

Barcelona Pavelló Mies van der Rohe

Barcelona Pavelló Mies van der Rohe
Mies van der Rohe built the Pavelló Alemany (German Pavilion) for the 1929 Universal Exhibition not as a gallery but as a simple reception space, sparsely furnished by his trademark 'Barcelona Chair'.


The pavilion of the Barcelona Pavelló Mies van der Rohe was a founding monument of modern rationalist architecture, with its flowing floor plan and a revolutionary use of materials. Though the original pavilion of the Barcelona Pavelló Mies van der Rohe was demolished after the exhibition, a fine replica was built on the same site in 1986, the simplicity of its design setting off the warm tones of the marble and expressive Georg Kolbe sculpture in the pond.

Barcelona Pavelló Mies van der Rohe Address

Avda Marquès de Comillas
Area Montjuic & Poble Sec
Transport Metro Espanya.
Telephone 93 423 40 16
Open 10am-8pm daily.
Admission €4; €2 reductions; free under-18s.

Barcelona Park Güell

Barcelona Park Güell: Gaudí's brief was to emulate the English garden cities so admired by his patron Eusebi Güell (which is the reason for the unusual spelling of 'park'): to lay out a self-contained suburb for the wealthy, but also to design the public areas.


The original plan for Barcelona Park Güell was for the plots to be sold off and the properties themselves subsequently designed by other architects. The idea never took off - perhaps because it was too far from the city, perhaps because it was too radical - and the Güell family donated the park to the city in 1922.

Barcelona's Park Güell is a real fairy-tale place; the fantastical exuberance of Gaudí's imagination is breathtaking. The visitor was previously welcomed by two life-sized mechanical gazelles - a typically bizarre religious reference by Gaudí to medieval Hebrew love poetry - although these were unfortunately destroyed in the Civil War.

The two gatehouses of Barcelona Park Güell that do still remain were based on designs the architect made earlier for the opera Hänsel and Gretel, one of them featuring a red and white mushroom for a roof. From here, walk up a splendid staircase flanked by multicoloured battlements, past the iconic mosaic lizard sculpture, to what would have been the main marketplace. Here, 100 palm-shaped pillars hold up a roof, reminiscent of the hypostyle hall at Luxor.

On top of this structure in Barcelona Park Güell is the esplanade, a circular concourse surrounded by undulating benches in the form of a sea-serpent decorated with shattered tiles - a technique called 'trencadís', which was actually perfected by Gaudí's overshadowed but talented assistant Josep Maria Jujol.

The Barcelona's Park Güell itself, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is magical, with twisted stone columns supporting curving colonnades or merging with the natural structure of the hillside. The park's peak is marked by a large cross and offers an amazing panorama of Barcelona and the sea beyond. Gaudí lived for a time in one of the two houses built on the site (which was, in fact, designed by his student Berenguer). It has since become the Casa-Museu Gaudí; guided tours, of which some are in English, are available.

Barcelona Park Güell Address
C/Olot
Area Gràcia
Transport Metro Lesseps/bus 24, 25 .
Telephone 93 219 38 11
Open Park 10am-sunset daily. Museum Apr-Sept 10am-7.45pm daily. Oct-Mar 10am-5.45pm daily.
Admission Park free. Museum €4; €3 reductions; free under-9s.

Barcelona Parc Joan Miró (Parc de l'Escorxador)

Barcelona Parc Joan Miró (Parc de l'Escorxador): Covering an area the size of four city blocks, the old slaughterhouse (escorxador) was demolished in 1979 toprovide much-needed parkland, although there's little greenery. The rows of palms and pines in the Barcelona Parc Joan Miró (Parc de l'Escorxador) are dwarfed by Miró's sculpture Dona i Ocell (Woman and Bird) getting its feet wet in a rather grim cement lake; there's a good playground for small children.

Barcelona Parc Joan Miró (Parc de l'Escorxador) Address

C/Tarragona
Area Eixample
Transport Metro Espanya .
Open 10am-sunset daily.

Barcelona Parc del Laberint

Barcelona Parc del Laberint: In 1791, the Desvalls family, owners of this marvellously leafy estate, hired Italian architect Domenico Bagutti to design scenic gardens set around a cypress maze, with a romantic stream and a waterfall.

The mansion from Barcelona Parc del Laberint may be gone (replaced with a 19th-century Arabic-influenced building), but the gardens are remarkably intact, shaded in the summer by oaks, laurels and an ancient sequoia. Best of all, the maze of the Barcelona Parc del Laberint, an ingenious puzzle that intrigues those brave enough to try it, is also still in use. Nearby in the Barcelona Parc del Laberint stone tables provide a handy picnic site. On paying days, last entry is one hour before sunset.

Address

C/Germans Desvalls,
Passeig Vall d'Hebron
Area Beyond the Centre
Transport Metro Mundet .
Open 10am-sunset daily.
Admission €2.05; €1.30 reductions; free under-5s, over-65s. Free Wed, Sun.

Barcelona Parc de l'Espanya Industrial

Barcelona Parc de l'Espanya Industrial: In the 1970s, the owners of the old textile factory announced their intention to use the land to build blocks of apartments. The neighbourhood's residents, though, put their collective foot down and insisted on a park, which was eventually laid out in 1985.

The result is Barcelona Parc de l'Espanya Industrial, a puzzling space, designed by Basque Luis Peña Ganchegui, with ten watchtowers overlooking a boating lake with a statue of Neptune in the middle, flanked by a stretch of mud used mainly by dog walkers, but little in the way of greenery. By the entrance children can climb over Andrés Nagel's Drac, a massive and sinister black dragon sculpture.

Barcelona Parc de l'Espanya Industrial Address
Passeig de Antoni
Area Beyond the Centre
Transport Metro Sants-Estació .
Open 10am-sunset daily.
Admission free

Barcelona Parc de la Creueta del Coll

Barcelona Parc de la Creueta del Coll Created from a quarry in 1987 by Josep Martorell and David Mackay, the team that went on to design the Vila Olímpica, this park boasts a sizeable swimming pool complete with a 'desert island' and a sculpture by Eduardo Chillida: a 50-ton lump of curly granite suspended on cables, called In Praise of Water.

Barcelona Parc de la Creueta del Coll Address

C/Mare de Déu del Coll
Area Gràcia
Transport Metro Penitents .
Telephone (no phone)
Open 10am-sunset daily.
Admission free.

Barcelona Palau de la Virreina

Barcelona Palau de la Virreina: This classical palace, with Baroque features, takes its name from the widow of an unpopular viceroy of Peru, who commissioned it and lived in it after its completion in the 1770s. The Virreina houses the city cultural department, has information on events and shows, and also strong programming in its two gallery spaces.

On the first floor of the Barcelona Palau de la Virreina, Espai 2 is devoted to exhibitions of contemporary art, while the free downstairs gallery, named after local photographer Xavier Miserachs, is focused on historical and contemporary photography and also hosts Barcelona's most prestigious annual photo competition: the FotoMercè, held during the Mercè in September.

Barcelona Palau de la Virreina Address

La Rambla 99
Area Raval
Transport Metro Liceu .
Telephone 93 316 10 00
Open 11am-2pm, 4-8.30pm Tue-Fri; 11am-8.30pm Sat; 11am-3pm Sun.
Admission Espai 2 €4.10; €3.08 reductions; free under-16s. Espai Xavier Miserachs free.

Barcelona Palau de la Música Catalana

Barcelona Palau de la Música Catalana: Commissioned by the nationalistic Orfeó Català choral society, this jawdropping concert hall was intended as a paean to the Catalan renaixença and a showcase for the most outstanding Modernista workmanship available. Domènech i Montaner's façade is a frenzy of colour and detail, including a large allegorical mosaic representing the members of the Orfeó Català, and floral tiled columns topped with the busts of Bach, Beethoven and Palestrina on the main façade and Wagner on the side. Inside, a great deal of money has been spent improving the acoustics, but visitors don't really come here to feast their ears: the eyes have it.


Decoration erupts everywhere in the Barcelona Palau de la Música Catalana. The ceiling is an inverted bell of stained glass depicting the sun bursting out of a blue sky; 18 half-mosaic, half-relief Muses appear out of the back of the stage; winged horses fly over the upper balcony. The carved arch over the stage of the Barcelona Palau de la Música Catalana represents folk and classical music: the left side has Catalan composer and conductor Anselm Clavé sitting over young girls singing 'Flors de Maig', a traditional Catalan song, while the right has Wagnerian Valkyries riding over a bust of Beethoven.

By the 1980s, the Barcelona Palau de la Música Catalana was bursting under the pressure of the musical activity going on inside it, and a church next door was demolished to make space for Òscar Tusquet's extension, a project which, combined with the extensive renovations to the old building, spanned over 20 years. Rather than try to compete with the existing façadeof the Barcelona Palau de la Música Catalana, the new part has subtler, organic motifs in ochre brick - particularly striking are the frilled mushroom gills on the underside of the circular tower.

Guided tours in the Barcelona Palau de la Música Catalana are available in English every hour and start with a short film of the Palau's history. Be sure to ask questions: the guides are very knowledgeable, but unless prompted, they tend to concentrate mainly on the triumphs of the renovation.

Barcelona Palau de la Música Catalana Address

C/Sant Francesc de Paula 2
Area Born & St Pere
Transport Metro Urquinaona .
Telephone 93 295 72 00
Open Box office 10am-9pm Mon-Sat. Guided tours Sept-July 10am-3.30pm daily. Aug 10am-6pm.
Admission €10; €9 reductions.

Barcelona Palau de la Generalitat

Barcelona Palau de la Generalitat: Like the Ajuntament, the Palau de la Generalitat has a Gothic side entrance that opens out on to C/Bisbe with a beautiful relief of St George (Sant Jordi), patron saint of Catalonia, made by Pere Johan in 1418. Inside the building, the finest features are the first-floor Pati de Tarongers (Orange Tree Patio), which was to become the model for many patios in Barcelona, and the magnificent chapel of Sant Jordi of 1432-34, the masterpiece of Catalan architect Marc Safont.


The Barcelona Palau de la Generalitat is traditionally open to the public on Sant Jordi (St George's Day, 23 April), when its patios are spectacularly decorated with red roses, but queues are long. It normally also opens on 11 September (Catalan National Day) and 24 September (La Mercè). The guided tours for Barcelona Palau de la Generalitat are generally in Spanish or Catalan, so it's best to call ahead for an English-speaking guide.

Barcelona Palau de la Generalitat Address
Plaça Sant Jaume
Transport Metro Jaume I or Liceu .
Telephone 93 402 46 17
Open 10am-7pm Tue-Sat; 10am-3pm Sun.
Admission free. Guided tours every 30-40mins approx 10.30am-1pm, 2nd & 4th Sun of mth; 9.30am-1pm Fri-Sun by appt.