El Barri Gòtic
The Gothic Quarter is important to see and experience because it shows changes in art and architecture, as well as culture, throughout the past ten centuries. It is central to the city, and is its place of origin. It represents the past of the city, and also its urban reforms, a constant theme in Barcelona today. There is a lot of history to be seen, and the winding streets of el Barri Gòtic are just the place to do so!
This district is also known as “Cathedral City.” It is located in the middle of Barcelona, and is where the city began. The Town Hall and the Cathedral are here, and there are many buildings of high artistic merit from the past, especially from the Middle Ages when art and culture were at a high point. There are pieces of artwork from the 10th century located near artistic works from 1995, representing the Gothic Quarter’s past and present.
Because many buildings have been renovated, you will discover layers of history and characteristics from many eras. The Roman walls are still intact in places, and where they used to exist can be traced by the walkways that now cover where the walls were. Today, tapas bars and cafes are common, and display the laid back nature of the public. This quarter contains many different areas, each representing something different, and you should not pass up the opportunity to see the diversity of El Barri Gòtic—the start of Barcelona!
Katelyn Zelter
Basilica Santa Maria del Mar:
If you want to escape the bustle of Barcelona’s busy streets, perhaps you’d like to visit the beautiful Basilica Santa Maria del Mar. Be prepared to enter the past when you pass through its mediaeval walls. Built in the 14th century, the church is an imposing reminder of the region’s Catholic heritage. For centuries, Santa Maria del Mar has towered over Barcelona, seemingly impregnable, except for a brief period during the Spanish Civil War when a fire set by anticlerical protestors threatened to topple the basilica. Most of the church’s interior decoration was destroyed, but don’t worry – what’s left is still worth seeing. Author and art critic Robert Hughes declared he might have remained a Catholic if only his “church had been more like Santa Maria del Mar.”
Aside from the church’s historical and religious significance, why else might you visit this site? Devotees of the fine arts can enjoy an occasional concert of classical or oriental music within the church’s walls. For Catholics, this is the perfect place to receive Mass. If you’ve come to Barcelona to enjoy its architecture, then you might know that Basilica Santa Maria del Mar is one of the foremost examples of Catalan Gothic style. Catalan Gothic favors plain surfaces and less elaborate ornamentation than traditional Gothic, but if you really want to appreciate the beauty of Catalan Gothic, check out the basilica for yourself!
The popular novel The Cathedral of the Sea by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is set here too!
Javier Jaramillo
Camp Nou- Barça
Since “fútbol,” or soccer as North Americans call it, is a crucial part of both Spanish and European culture, you cannot visit Barcelona without seeing Camp Nou, stadium of the home team Barça. Fútbol games are a display of living culture since they are played with such high energy and spirit that allows all Catalans to unite against the opponent. As soon as you set foot in the stadium, you will be overcome by the atmosphere of pride. You will get a sense of the passion of both fans and players on the field, especially during a game against Barca’s biggest rival, Real Madrid.
Built in 1956, Camp Nou is the largest stadium in Europe with a record attendance of 98, 787 people and a maximum capacity of 120,000. The stadium also holds a memorabilia store, smaller athletic fields, a chapel for players, and El Museu del Barça, the most visited museum in Catalonia.
To fully understand the spirit of the fans, you should first learn a bit about Barça’s fútbol club, or Barça FC. As of summer 2007, the club had 160,000 members who join for the love of the game, rivalry, pride, and even because they see the team as a defender of democratic rights and freedom. Tickets for all games go on sale first for club members, but if you’re visiting, you should definitely try to get tickets and see a game.
Team pride extends far beyond the stadium walls. You should visit a local bar and interact with screaming fans and club members sporting all sorts of Barça gear. By simply watching and chatting with them all (just don’t wear a Real Madrid jersey), you will be able to see the importance of game to their Catalan identity.
Camp Nou and Barça are a high intensity, pride filled way to get a glimpse of Barcelona’s living culture and, for this reason, are a must when visiting Barcelona.
Alyse Larkin
El Raval
“The slum of Barcelona” and “The red-light district” used to be the phrases to define the area contained in El Raval. However, these tendencies have declined in recent years after the government began to invest large amounts of money to clean up and revive this neighborhood. Although the continuing crime and prostitution are still casting shadows (you should not walk down empty streets at nighttime) this district has now become a “hip” place as well as a vibrant side of Barcelona. It’s the area that radiates the diversity of the Catalan culture. If you’re tired of being surrounded by masses of people at Barri the Gòtic or Las Ramblas, I suggest you go breathe the “air” of El Raval.
The area contains a variety of attractive restaurants and clubs, modern art and historical monuments. Many artists live and work here and have numerous art studios and galleries that decorate the seedy narrow roads to an attractive and fashionable neighborhood. Stroll down these streets and you will find Sant Pau del Camp, the oldest church built in Barcelona, a rare example of Romanesque architecture in Catalunya. You will also find Palau Güell, among the earliest work of Antonio Gaudí, which demonstrates Catalan art nouveau style. If you’re looking for modern artistic monuments, how about visiting El Gat de Raval, the large, fat, and unique cat statue created by the famous Colombian artist Fernando Botero. Rest at cool cafés and restaurants, which will satisfy your gastronomic desires with their Catalan cuisine. And yes, don’t forget to visit the MACBA (Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona), Barcelona’s modern art museum, and the CCCB (Centre de Cultura Contemporánia de Barcelona), Barcelona’s contemporary culture museum. These are great places that allow you to study today’s Catalunya..
It is worth your time to wander through El Raval’s narrow streets, because they preserve the alternative culture of Barcelona, and display another intricate part of the city.
Citation
http://www.whatbarcelona.com/raval-barcelona.html
Manabu Yahagi
La Boqueria
La Boqueria began as a collection of open markets consuming several plazas in the late 1600‚s. In 1827 the markets grouped together along Las Ramblas, at the current site of La Boqueria, to form an organized space. The current market officially opened in 1840 in a newly constructed building that can be seen today, but with many additions.
The modern Boqueria market mixes the cultures, food, language, and shopping of the people of Barcelona, tourists and locals alike. Having a vending booth is a matter of pride and many have been passed down through families since the market began. Here you will be able to find fresh food at affordable prices and see the importance of certain foods to Catalan culture. Everything from the ocean and on the shore is on display. Sitting and observing how patrons and vendors interact, you can get a good feel for the city. The building itself and the family history of the vendors let you see how the culture of Barcelona links the past with the present and how it has learned to negotiate the two.
Jacquie Gertz
Las Ramblas
This is the most famous street in Barcelona, filled with small shops and street performers. Here you can get lost among locals and tourists. Try to stop and appreciate the mix of people and various modern and old buildings. (But definitely watch your wallet, because pickpockets are common!)
Las Ramblas consists of series of short streets named after the buildings that were erected in the 19th century when the city wall was torn down. The original buildings don’t exist any more, but the names remain.
The first “street” is the Rambla de Canaletes starting from Plaça de Catalunya. In the plaça, you might want to drink the water from the fountain because, as local legend says, “once you drink the water from the fountain, you will keep coming back to Barcelona!!” For shopping lovers, go to El Corte Inglés, the biggest department store in Spain. There you will find everything, from special camera batteries to trendy clothing. If you can’t find something you are looking for there, you won’t find it anywhere!!
The next is Rambla dels Estudis, which is named after the 16th century university, the Estudis Generals. Although the institution was torn down in 1843, several important buildings remain. One of them is the 18th century Reial Academia de Ciencies i Arts, which contains the first public clock in the city.
After looking at buildings, at Rambla de Sant Josep you can check out modern art. At Plaça de la Boqueria, you can walk on a mosaic by famous painter Joan Miró. Also, check out the shops decorated with an art-deco dragon! Rambla de Sant Josep is also called the Rambla de les Flors because of its flower stands. The tradition of these kiosks goes back to the Middle Ages, when knights fought each other and were regaled with flowers.
Next is the Rambla dels Caputxins, which is named after a Capuchin monastery. Further down the Rambla, there is an entrance to Plaça Reinal with lamps designed by Gaudi. Notice the people from all over the world here among the palm trees.
The 60meter high column, the Columbus Monument, lets you know you are the Rambla de Santa Monica. The monument was built for the 1988 Universal Exposition as a memorial to the explorer Christopher Columbus.
This leads to a new Rambla, the Rambla de Mar which is a wooden walkway taking you to Maremagnum, a complex with shops, movie theaters, and a large aquarium. You can spend an entire day here! (And Maremagnum means tsunami!)
Throughout your walk, don’t forget to check out the people. Don’t rush, absorb what you see, and you will become part of the city!
Julia Silveira
Montjuic
Montjuic is an adventure sports paradise. Enjoy the view as you climb the steep hills overlooking Barcelona. If that’s not enough for you, grab your bicycle and tour the steep banks of the hill that is used for amateur cycling. Think these are gentle turns? The roads on the slopes were once used in the Spanish Grand Prix until an accident in 1975 killed four people in the grandstands. Maybe you’re not into adventure sports, but Montjuic is the site of several venues of the 1992 Summer Olympics, including the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, which hosted the opening and closing ceremonies in addition to track and field events. Or walk around the Anella Olímpica or the Olympic Ring, which was the site of the swimming and diving events.
So maybe sports aren’t your thing and you like the refinement of museums and parks. Take the railway up the mountain and enjoy the view from the safety of your cable car. Montjuic is home to the Institut Nacional d’Educació Fisica de Catalunya, which is a center for sports science. Also, there’s the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, which houses traditional Catalan paintings and sculptures. Enjoy the botanic gardens, the museum of ethnology, and marvel at the Communications tower built by Santiago Calatrava.
The bottom line is that Montjuic has something for everybody. It has events for the most daring and for the faint of heart. Either way, it has the most breathtaking view of the city and is definitely not a place to miss.
Henry Schwartz
Museu Picasso
Not many museums featuring the works of a world-famous painter exist based solely on the wishes of the painter himself. Much less are they erected and contributed to while the painter is still alive! Most artists of a certain degree of fame and critical regard needn’t worry about where museums displaying their art are. The Museu Picasso proves to be an exception.
With the help of Pablo Picasso’s secretary, Jaume Sabartés, a proposal for a museum showcasing the painter’s work was presented to the City Council of Barcelona in 1960. Three years later, the museum opened its doors. Picasso felt strongly about contributing his artwork to Barcelona, and the connection he felt with the city is presented as a clear point of pride in the museum. In the readings describing Picasso’s life found throughout the museum, his time spent in Paris is downplayed, implying he lived there only because his peers did-- but Barcelona is touted as his true home and favored city. Many of his paintings depicting scenes in Barcelona accentuate this.
The collection also includes a wide variety of his paintings, including works from his blue period, rose period and, of course, cubism. Some of the most famous works like Guernica and his Las Meninas series are present as well. However, don’t go with the anticipation of seeing individual paintings. This is not just any art museum displaying the work of an internationally famous artist. Its existence is founded on the personal connection Picasso had with the city, and this should be the focus of your visit. When you go, don’t look at the paintings just for their composition and artistic value as separate entities, but look at them to see how they fit in with each other and with the city-- the life and activity outside the museum walls.
Source: “About The Museum.” and “Origins” The Museu Picasso in Barcelona
Meredith Keller
Palau de la Música Catalana
Despite the commercialization of all that is Gaudí, do not leave Barcelona without photos of the Palau de la Música Catalana. At one hundred years old, the Palau is Barcelona’s symbol of high culture and musical heritage. Pay attention to the stained-glass windows that change color with the sunlight into beautiful combinations of blue, yellow, purple, green – all that exemplifies Catalonia’s art nouveau movement and the highly influential architect Domènech. Completely funded by popular donations, the Palau combines fine art with state-of-the-art technology allowing for great acoustics and a multi-purpose stage. Open to all genres, movements, and cultures, the Palau has sponsored performances by legendary composers, conductors, performers, and orchestras, Catalan and foreign alike. This UNESCO World Heritage Site (1997) is a bigger symbol of the heritage and history of a city that opens its doors to the world. Go see why the Palau de la Música Catalana is truly is one of the most unique concert halls in the world.
Bianca Reyes
Parc de la Ciutadella
The Parc de la Ciutadella is a lovely space in Barcelona’s Barri Gòtic with a zoo, a lake, and plenty of beautiful old buildings. A casual tourist may not guess that, beneath the charming façade, however, the Citadel has a violent, controversial history. The Ciutadella is Barcelona’s Berlin Wall. After the Catalonians lost the War of the Spanish Succession, the Bourbons constructed this vast military fortress as a symbol of the centralist government. Built over the ruins of the once-vital Ribera neighborhood, the Citadel’s enormous walls kept the city from growing and made crowded neighborhoods more unbearable. According to Robert Hughes, “its scars humiliated every Barcelonan and the muralles, the new walls that clamped the monstrous outgrowth of the Citadel to the offended body of the city, were loathed as much as the Citadel itself” (70). In the nineteenth century, General Prim handed over the Ciutadella to Barcelona’s citizens and the reviled fortress was torn down. In 1888 the park hosted the Universal Exhibition and many buildings from it remain. The Parc de la Ciutadella, which stands on the ruins of the detested structure, houses government buildings, fountains designed by a young Antoni Gaudí, and plenty of space to get away.
Susannah Snider
Parc Güell
Located in the Gràcia District just north of Barcelona lies one of Antoni Gaudí’s most famous projects, the 42-acre Parc Güell, one of the most fascinating places in the world. Originally commissioned by Count Eusebi Güell to be a development complex, or residential garden community based on contemporary English design, it was built exclusively for Barcelona’s aristocracy. In 1900, Count Güell’s close friend, Antoni Gaudí, was hired to build this garden village. The development was finished in 1914, but Güell failed to sell a single property and ended up selling the land to the city of Barcelona in 1918. In 1922, Parc Güell was opened officially to the public as a park.
Step into this phantasmagorical world, and see a place straight out of the pages of Grimm’s Hansel and Gretel or Aesop’s Fables. The pavilions, with sensuous curves, brightly tiled roofs, and ornate spires collectively create a surreal effect that is sure to mesmerize you. Gaudí’s lizard, located on the staircase, is also adorned with brightly colored tiles and is definitely something you cannot miss. Follow the staircase to the top of the park for a breathtaking view of Barcelona and even the Mediterranean. Upon reaching the top of the staircase, you enter the Gran Placa Circular, which was originally intended to be a marketplace for the residents of the garden village. Josep M. Jujol’s serpentine benches (decorated with brightly colored tiles) line the Gran Plaça Circular, and are another prominent feature of Parc Güell because they reinforce the modernist, surrealist, and unequivocally unorthodox themes of the park. The Gran Plaça Circular is supported by 86 columns, and covers an area of the park known as the Sala Hipòstila.
While at the Parc Güell, do not forget to visit the Casa Museu Gaudí, one of the two houses actually completed. Designed by the architect Francesc Berenguer, the Casa Museu Gaudí is now a public museum that preserves some of Gaudí’s drawings and furniture from when he lived there. Parc Güell is the quintessence of Catalan modernism and nationalism and, as such, leaves its patrons wanting to come back for more.
Ashim Singh
Passeig de Gràcia
Passeig de Gràcia is another must-see street in the center of the city. It stretches from Plaza Catalunya to Carrer Gran de Gràcia and has something for every visitor. The street is probably best known for its architectural landmarks, which include La Pedrera and Casa Batlló by Gaudi and Casa Amatller by Puig i Cadafalch. These historic buildings draw tourists from all over the world who can not only view their unique exteriors and learn about their history but also tour their interiors (and the roof of La Pedrera) which have largely been preserved in their original designs. These historic buildings are sandwiched between newer buildings so that it is easy to stumble upon them unexpectedly. Many of Barcelona's finest stores line Passeig de Gràcia , including Chanel, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Valentino, while newer more affordable stores such as Zara and Mango can also be found here. It is also home to Barcelona's finest and most expensive hotels, which include Hotel Casa Fuster and Hotel Majestic Barcelona. At the top of Passeig de Gr·cia , you can find El Corte Inglés, the largest department store in Spain. While there are four stores in Barcelona, this is by far the biggest. In it you can find groceries, clothing, jewelry, souvenirs, luggage, and even a place to buy airplane tickets. On the top floor of the store there is a rather expensive cafe with an amazing view of the city.
Kimberly Hausmann
La Sagrada Familia
This is the work that the famous Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi, is known for, but the building is not going to be what you’re expecting. It is still unfinished since the start date of 1882, and the projected end date keeps getting pushed back. The advantage of this though is that visitors get a demonstrative lesson in architecture right before their eyes. Since the building was meant to be an act of atonement, I'm not sure I want to know what sins required this extravagance. For those of you who enjoy going on “church tours” of European cities you will still ooh and ah at the apses and vaulted naves, but for those who don’t want to be dragged into another church think again about Sagrada Familia.
In reality, this church is more like an amusement park attraction. Gaudi's facade is filled with haunting and grotesque figures that make you think you're entering an inferno. Do you enjoy scary movies? Gaudi takes “morbid” literally in his design; see if you can understand why when you look at the sculptures. Since Gaudi's death there have been a myriad of architects working on the project. What most people don’t realize is that Gaudi himself wasn’t even the original architect; that job went to Francesc del Villar. Although the front facade resembles the original drawings of Gaudi, it brings a modern feeling to the building in the sculptural scene of the Passion of the Christ. The supports for the front portico swallow visitors inside.
There is a small entrance fee, but you could spend an afternoon just observing the exterior. But if you do go in, climb one of the 8 bell towers (there are eventually supposed to be 12, for each of the apostles) to get an unbeatable view of the city from over 100 meters up. For those who can’t handle heights or small spaces this will be too much of a thrill because people have fainted. There is also a museum in the crypt that has different exhibitions about the works and life of Gaudi; it even includes reconstructions of his models that were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. Temporary exhibits change throughout the year. Before you leave, ask people on the street their opinions of la Sagrada Familia and see how many different responses you get. This site really is an active debate and you won’t feel like you made a real trip to Barcelona unless you can talk about Sagrada Familia when you return home.
Emily Wroczynski
Sitges
Located 35 kilometers south of the city of Barcelona, Sitges is a popular vacation destination for European travelers. Although very touristy, this is one of the nicest beaches in Europe. The beaches are clean, and the geography is complemented by the Moorish and Roman architecture. Sitges is also a haven for both the local and international gay communities, paralleled by the popularity of the annual Carnaval, a gay festival that sees about 300,000 attendees that arrive to enjoy local food, drink, and party life for several days during February. Another highlight of the year in Sitges is the film festival, one of the most renowned celebrations of cinema in all Europe, and one of the best genre-specific awards in the world, specializing in Fantastic films. These two popular attractions, coupled with the great beach, draw a great number of tourists. Beaches can be packed with vacationers so be prepared! It can even be argued that some of the so-called Catalan flavor has been lost because local businesses, restaurants, and industries cater so much to visitors. In general, Sitges is a very pleasant spot nonetheless. Look for the famous pink triangle sculpture on the beach!
Pat Locke
