Barcelona is a city with everything – style, sights, and seriously hot fashion shops. Every inch of Barcelona is cosmopolitan. Barcelona loves to break rules; just check out the avant-garde architecture. Gaudi’s influence is all over the city with his surreal looking but wonderful architecture. There are great street entertainers along Las Ramblas and five wonderful beaches just a stone’s throw from the centre.
An increasing amount of visitors fall in love with Barcelona every year. It’s great for city breaks, family holidays and a couples retreat. There’s top quality hotels which are walking distance from sleek boutiques and Gaudi delights.
Things to do
Visitors cannot fail to notice the strong influence of Antoni Gaudi throughout Barcelona. His magical designs are spectacular and are found everywhere from immense monuments, apartment blocks and sculptures. Las Ramblas is another popular location in Barcelona. This long street contains numerous market stalls selling fruits and flowers, crafts and jewellery. Also there are many attractive bars, cafes and restaurants to enjoy. There are designer stores galore and it’s a lively place with all kinds of street theatre and music.
Barcelona has no shortage of museums and art galleries to visit. In fact much of the centre of Barcelona is pedestrianised so most attractions are walking distance around the centre of the city. Guided walks are a great way to discover the city.
Shopping
Barcelona has its finger on the pulse, and one of the main reasons to see Barcelona is to shop. Label lovers flock to the L’Eixample district where Chanel, Prada, Gucci et al rule the roost. Smart boutiques can be found in Rambla de Catalunya and the Passeig
de Gracia.
The Maremagnum Shopping mall has plenty of shops under one roof but if you’re looking for a more atmospheric Shopping experience, then head to the Gothic quarter aka the Barri Gotic. It is a mishmash of cobbled streets and it’s packed with little artists’ studios and one of a kind curiosity shops.
Nightlife
Barcelona has the best in
Nightlife. It really is the city that never sleeps. The clubbers emerge around six in the morning and then hotfoot it to the nearest coffee shop for caffeine!
By night tourists beeline for Las Ramblas and the Gothic quarter. It is packed with cocktail bars and artsy Bohemian boozers. For clubs the Eixample district has got great places to dance until the early hours. Port Olympic is another great place to visit in the summertime. Outdoor discos and beach front bars serve sea views with your chart line ups are there to be enjoyed!
Eating out
The people of Barcelona love tapas and there are a number of tapas bars to reflect this. The Gothic quarter has some real classics that serve a selection of tempting nibbles. La Boqueria food market has some great places to eat in the form of tapas stands. The city’s more prestigious establishments are clusted around the Eixample and the Xona Alta. There’s a whole range of Spanish delights to eat in a countless range of restaurants – all to be enjoyed in Barcelona.