Barcelona hotels, restaurants, bars, attractions, and other useful stuff
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.
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.
On the surface at least, Casa Batlló is Gaudí at his most imaginative, despite it being a renovation of what was an existing building. Buy tickets in advance – after La Sagrada Familia this is about the most popular tourist attraction in town and there are always queues.
Don’t forget to check out Casa Amatller and Casa Lleó Morera adjacent – part of the “mansana de la discòrdia” or block of discord of Barcelona, named because of the sharply contrasting architectural styles.
Casa Milà, more commonly known as La Pedrera (the quarry), is Gaudí’slast civil work and reflects the influence of nature in his work.
Of all of architect Antoni Gaudí’s works in Barcelona, La Sagrada Familia has to be the most iconic. Whether or not it strikes you as gaudy and ostentatious, it is difficult not to be impressed. It’s a major tourist attraction – a couple of million visitors per year – so you’re unlikely to have the place to yourself, though the visitor numbers are managed reasonably well. Book online.
