The private house of a wealthy industrialist, Palau Güell represents an early Gaudí commission. A fascinating insight into the lives of the one-percenters of the time, and less crowded than the other Gaudi buildings on the tourist trail.
Museu del Disseny de Barcelona
Not the rodent-loving Disney, dummy – disseny is Catalan for design, and as Barcelona is a design hub, a museum of design is a fairly obvious choice. From furniture to fashion, decorative arts to graphic design, there’s plenty to see here. The Museu del Disseny also serves as the venue for some travelling exhibitions (we caught the brilliant ‘David Bowie Is’ here), so keep an eye on the schedule.
Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB)
Call it a catch-all for contemporary culture – we try to get along to the annual World Press Photo exhibition, but it is probably worth keeping an eye on events for when you’re in town.
Buy the Barcelona Museum Pass or Art Passport and gain priority entry to Fundació Joan Miró, the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB),the Museu Picasso, Fundació Antoni Tàpies, and Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), and avoid the queues.
Palau de la Música Catalana
The Palau de la Música Catalana is a spectacular modernista concert hall designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner. It’s well worth taking a guided tour, or better still, do that and also attend a performance – there’s plenty going om throughout the year, and if the show’s a bit dull there’s always the magnificent stained glass skylight to wonder at.
Old Botanic Garden
There are actually two botanic gardens on Montjuïc, but the old gardens, the Jardí Botànic Històric, just behind the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, are a personal favourite. Established in a pair of old quarries, the gardens provide a pleasantly cool respite on a hot day, and are generally uncrowded too – so stay away!
Mercat del Born
I feel a bit sorry for the residents of el Born. Where most Barcelona residents enjoy the benefits of a neighbourhood market, the discovery of ruins of the medieval city were uncovered during a renovation (one that was apparently going to use the space for a library), and the fabulous steel structure, designed by Antoni Rovira I Trias, is now used as the El Born Cultural and Memorial Centre with the ruins on display. It’s free to enter and actually quite interesting – there’s even a decent bookstore and a café.
Maritime Museum
El Museu Marítim de Barcelona isn’t exactly one of main tourist attractions in town – the fact that the official website is only in Catalan or Spanish attests to that. We’re not terrifically excited by scale model boats, but the place has its charms.
The building itself is magnificent, having served as a shipyard from the 13thto 18thcenturies, and the full-size reproduction of a galley from the 16th Century is also impressive.
The courtyard – there’s a café too – is a lovely cool spot on a hot day, and occasionally serves as a location for a weekend market.
La Boqueria
The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, to give La Boqueria its proper name, is one of Barcelona’s busiest attractions. If you love food, you’ll see why – not only are the raw ingredients available, but also there are numerous stalls selling cooked (and pre-prepared) food. There are actually 11 bars in the market – along with dozens of others around the periphery.
The Boqueria is a working market, however, so please behave accordingly – ask before taking photos, and give people enough space to get their shopping done. If you are buying supplies, La Boqueria is surprisingly good value. Just go early, before the crowds. Closed Sundays.
Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA)
Okay, if you get contemporary art – and call me a philistine, but for the most part it’s lost on me – MACBA is your type of place. Superb building though, and a great gift shop.
Buy the Barcelona Museum Pass or Art Passport and gain priority entry to Fundació Joan Miró, the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB),the Museu Picasso, Fundació Antoni Tàpies, and Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), and avoid the queues.
Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC)
Housed in an elaborate Italianate structure built for the 1929 International Exposition, MNAC’s collection ranges from what is regarded as the world’s largest exhibition of Romanesque art, through to Gothic, baroque, Renaissance and modern. With its heavy focus on the first two categories, expect biblical scenes, though the mood lightens in the other halls.
