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Beautiful Barcelona - Easy Travel Guide
By TravelMake.com, Thu Dec 8th
Beautiful city of Barcelona, capital of Catalonia (a Spain'sprovince), is situated on on the shore of the Mediterranean seaand bordered at either end by 2 river deltas. Barcelona is thesecond largest city in Spain after its capital city Madrid.Barcelona has a population of 1.5 million, over 4 millionincluding suburbs. The varied, eventful history of the citydates back 4,000 years to the first settlements by ancientfarmers. Later it became a Roman colony, the Visigoth's capitalcity, then it came under Moorish rule. It went through sieges,destructions and occupations, finally to become an autonomousdemocracy 1975. The city has always played an important role inpolitical and cultural life of Spain and it is well reflected inthe variety and quality of historical buildings, museums, manyother tourist attractions. Today Barcelona is one of the mostdiverse european cities with unique culture and rich traditions.You can find here a formidable balance of the traditional thingsand the avant-garde. A cosmopolitan metropolis, Barcelonaaffords visitors a warm and sincere welcome, being aknowledgedworldwide as one of the best tourist-friendly cities inEurope.Barcelona's organisation of the 1992 Olympics providedregeneration of this dynamic city, gave a fresh start to itsinfrastructure development. WHAT TO SEE AND WHERE: POINTS OFINTEREST - La Rambla is
a tree-lined pedestrian boulevard packedwith buskers, living statues, mimes and itinerant salespeopleselling everything from lottery tickets to jewellery. Pavementcafes and stands selling craftwork, street performers surroundedby curious onlookers, a noisy bird market, Palau de la Virreina,a grand 18th-century rococo mansion, the Gran Teatre del Liceu,the famous 19th-century opera house- these are all colourfulparts of La Rambla's mosaic. La Rambla ends at the loftyMonument a Colom (Monument to Columbus) and the harbour. BarriGotic - also known as Gothic Quarter, it is the old part of thecity. Picasso lived and worked in Barri Gotic from 1895 to 1904and Joan Miro was born and lived here during his youth. GothicQuarter is situated on the right hand side of the La Rambla, itcontains a concentration of medieval tall Gothic buildings(14-15th century) on narrow cobbled streets and now is home tomuch of the city's nightlife. La Sagrada Familia - La SagradaFamilia is one of the most famous and magnificent amongBarcelona's landmarks. The life's work of Barcelona's famousarchitect, Antoni Gaudi, the magnificent spires of theunfinished cathedral imprint themselves boldly against the skywith swelling outlines inspired by the holy mountain Montserrat.Above each facade there are four towers, 12 in total, which arededicated to the Apostles. The tower in the center, the tallestof all at 170 m., is dedicated to Jesus Christ. Around thesethere are the towers of the four Evangelists, and the tower overthe apse is dedicated to the Virgin. They are encrusted with atangle of sculptures that seem to breathe life into the stone.Gaudi died in 1926 before his masterwork was completed, andsince then, controversy has continually dogged the buildingprogram. Nevertheless, the southwestern (Passion) facade, isalmost done, and the nave, begun in 1978, is progressing. LaPedrera - Casa Mila (Mila House) is an apartment building, thelast example of Gaudi's civil architecture.It is one of hisfinest and most ambitious creations, extraordinarily innovativein its functional, constructive, and ornamental aspects.Visitors can tour the building and go up to the roof, where theycan see spectacular views of Barcelona. One floor below the roofis a modest museum dedicated to Gaudi's work. Montjuic - thelargest open space in the city, its main attractions are theOlympic installations, the Spanish Village and the hilltopfortress. Montjuic, the hill overlooking the city centre fromthe southwest, is home to some fine art galleries, leisureattractions, soothing parks and the main group of 1992 Olympicsites. Montjuic is covered in ornamental gardens with waterfeatures and is the most popular destination in Barcelona onSundays. Tibidabo - is the highest hill in the wooded range thatforms the backdrop to Barcelona. It has amazing views of thewhole of Barcelona, a stunning cathedral, and a family fun parkParc d'Atraccions with old-style rides offering breathtakingviews. A glass lift at the park goes 115m (383 ft) up to avisitors' observation area at Torre de Collserolatelecommunications tower. Modernisme - spectacular modernistaarchitectural creations dotted around the city by famous AntoniGaudi and his contemporaries. Camp Nou - home of F.C. Barcelona,one of Europe's leading soccer teams, with capacity of almost100,000 spectators. The Seu Cathedral - Built in medieval timeson the site of a Roman temple, La Seu is one of the great Gothicbuildings in Spain. Parc de la Ciutadella - Barcelona'sfavourite park and a Sunday afternoon rendezvous for families,friends and ducks The Sardana - traditional Catalan dance,performed outside the cathedral and at national festivals, witheveryone encouraged to join in. MUSEUMS - The Barbier-Mueller Museum of Pre-Columbian Art -theonly museum in Europe devoted exclusively to Pre-Columbiancultures. Housed in a gothic palace, its collection is one ofthe finest of its kind and gives visitors an insight into therich world of the earliest cultures on the American continent.This tiny museum contains one hundred pieces, including wood andstone sculptures, ceramics, tapestries, jade, often found ininternational exhibitions and prestige publications. Theexhibits represented the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Chavin, Mochica andInca civilisations. Palau de la Musica Catalana - one of theworld's most extraordinary music halls, it is a Barcelonalandmark. From its polychrome ceramic ticket windows on theCarrer de Sant Pere Mes Alt side to its overhead busts ofPalestrina, Bach, Beethoven, and Wagner, the Palau is theflagship of Barcelona's Moderniste architecture. Museu Picasso -is Barcelona's most visited museum. 3,500 exhibits make up thepermanent collection. Picasso spent several years (1901-06) inBarcelona, and this collection, is particularly strong on hisearly work. Displays include childhood sketches, pictures fromthe beautiful Rose and Blue periods, and the famous 1950s Cubistvariations on Velazquez's Las Meninas (Ladies-in-Waiting). GaudiCasa-Museu - Gaudi lived in this pink, Alice-in-Wonderland housefrom 1906 to 1926, which now houses a museum of Gaudi-designedfurniture, decorations, drawings, and portraits and busts of thearchitect. Fundacio Miro - it was a gift from the famous artistJoan Miro to his native city. The museum opened in 1975, and nowit is one of Barcelona's most exciting showcases of contemporaryart. BEACHES - One of Barcelona's greatest draws is undeniably itsbeautiful beaches. Beside world-famous Costa Brava and CostaDorada which are within 1-hr drive time from Barcelona, thereare also several nice beaches over 4 km long within the cityboundaries, we will list just several of them here: Nova Icaria-Closest to the Olympic marina, always crowded, this wide swatheof rough golden sand is great for food goers. There are threeperfect beach bars and two very popular restaurants on thepromenade (Mango and Chiringuito de Moncho) and countless barsand restaurants are just a short stroll away. Bogatell- Thisbeach is twice the length of adjoining Nova Icaria and fringedby a stretch of stone walkway perfect for jogging, rollerblading and cycling. Three large informal restaurants on thepromenade. Mar Bella (Metro Ciutadella Vila Olimpica, plus20-minute walk)- Barcelona's only naturist beach close to apeaceful park - good for a picnic or siesta under the trees.Barceloneta- wide and long, a traditional and popular stretchwith locals, crowded, noisy and very jolly. 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WHEN TO GO, WEATHER: The best times to visit Barcelona are latespring and early autumn, when the weather is still comfortablywarm, around 21-25°C. Summers are usually hot and humid, withtemperatures averaging +30 (+ 86 Fahrenheit). Especially avoidthe "dead" month of August, when many shops, bars andrestaurants close for the month as many local inhabitants headout of the city. Winters are cool with average daytimetemperatures around +12 C (+59 Fahrenheit), occasionally rainy. GETTING THERE AND AROUND: By a direct flight to Barcelona, orthrough Madrid or via another large European city from almostany major airports in the world. The highest fares are from Mayto September, the lowest in March-April, October-November andDecember to February (excluding Christmas and New Year whenprices are hiked up). Note also that flying on weekends mayincrease your ticket cost. If traveling to Barcelona from withinEurope you can also chose train, bus or car, though these takemuch longer than a plane and often work out no cheaper. ManyMediterranean cruises include Barcelona as a port of call. ACCOMODATIONS: We can offer you a range of choices. You canchoose vacation rentals in Barcelona starting from $ 125 USD fora double room in a 4-star apartment hotel. Or you can opt forhotels from $ 65 USD for a double room in a 3-star hotel.Accomodation prices do not change much throughout the year dueto the steady all-season flow of visitors to this extremelypopular tourist city and surrounding resorts. DINING: Besides restaurants you can eat at bars where you wouldhave a succession of tapas (small snacks- three or four chunksof fish, meat or vegetables, or salad, which traditionally usedto be served up free with a drink) or raciones (larger ones).The bar option can be a lot more interesting, allowing you to dothe rounds and sample local specialities. Generally, the averagecost for a meal consisting of two dishes and dessert would cometo about 25 Euros. Travellers on an extremely limited budget cando well for themselves by using the excellent markets, bakeriesand delis and filling up on sandwiches and snacks. Decentrestaurants and cafes are easily found all over the city, thoughyou'll probably do most of your eating where you do most of yoursightseeing, in the old town, particularly around La Rambla andin the Barri Gotic. Look for the best and most authentic seafoodrestaurants in Barceloneta, a seaside neighbourhood. GothicQuarter neighbourhood is home to some of the oldest and mosttraditional restaurants in the city. Gracia is a very populararea among young people during the weekend, it leads the way interms of exotic restaurants (Lebanese, Egyptian, Thai etc.). TRANSPORT: Barcelona has excellent transport system comprisingthe metro (subway), buses, trains and a network of funicularsand cable cars. You can find a link to transport maps at the endof our guide. On all the city's public transport you can buy asingle ticket every time you ride, but even over only a coupleof days it's cheaper to buy a targeta - a discount ticket strip.The T-10 targeta is valid for ten separate journeys on themetro, buses and trains. These tickets can be used by more thanone person at a time. The metro is the quickest way of gettingaround Barcelona. For black-and-yellow taxis there is a minimumcharge of $ 2 euro. You'll obviously have a great deal morefreedom if you rent a car . Major roads throughout the city aregenerally good, and traffic is generally well behaved, thoughSpain does have one of the highest incidences of trafficaccidents in Europe. It also has some of the lowest fuel priceson the continent. SHOPPING: Barcelona, one of the most stylish cities in Europeoffers great shopping, from designer clothes and accessories tohousehold items. You will find the city to be quite cheap for alot of items, especially if you coincide with the annual sales (rebaixes in Spanish) lasting from mid-January until the end ofFebruary, and throughout July and August. The best shoppingareas in Barcelona are the old streets off the upper part of theRamblas. Souvenirs include ceramics, which are widely sold inthe streets around the cathedral; leather goods; city'sdelicatessens, particularly cooked Catalan meats and sausages; aporron (the long-spouted glass drinking jar); CDs and tapes ofCatalan rock and pop, sardana music, Spanish rock or flamenco.If you're looking for original gift ideas, some of the besthunting can be found in the shops of any of the city's museums,where you'll find reasonably priced and unique examples ofCatalan disseny (graphic), and other original items ranging frompostcards to replica works of art. We wish you a nice and safetrip! For more information on Barcelona, travel tips, useful Barcelonatravel links, maps, other destination guides visit us: TravelMake.com About the author: Travel Make.com - oneof leading online discount travel agencies, a source of usefultravel information. | Sign In |
