Barcelona

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Barcelona, not your average Spanish City

A February 2001 trip to Barcelona by apete

Barcelona is amazing city with great architecture and tradition as well as food

  • 14 reviews

Barcelona, not your average Spanish CityBest of IgoUgo

Overview

You have to eat. Try as much as the local Catalunyan cuisine as possible. Great seafood and sauces, Romesco being my favorite. As for places to see, be sure you see the Picasso museum and the City's Historical Museum as well as any of the architecture done by Gaudi. Also see my entry for Tarragona and Sitges.

Quick Tips:

We were there in February and it does get cold there. It got below freezing at least three of the nights and the two places we stayed didn't have heat. Again, try the food!

Best Way To Get Around:

We used the train to get in and out of the city as well as to the airport. It worked wonderfully. We used the subway to get around the city when we weren't walking. Alway have those two maps on you at all times. To get to Guell park, use a bus, whether it is the Tourist Bus or a local bus.

New Kansas Cafeteria - PizzeriaBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

This was a nice place where you could get pizza or a traditional Catalan meal. I had the dried ham slices which you find all over, but are expensive. The bad side was that was all that my meal came with and I didn't order anything else.
  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by apete on March 25, 2001

New Kansas Cafeteria - Pizzeria
Passeig de Gracia 65 Bis Barcelona, Spain
(93) 215-5188

Tapa TapaBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

This was my first Spanish meal. It was right there when we came up from the Passeig de Gracia metro/train station. We had 3 tapas (small appetizer meals). One was a mixed seafood salad. Another was a mixed olive plate. The final one consisted of lagistinos which were very yummy.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by apete on March 25, 2001

Tapa Tapa
Passeig de Gràcia 44 Barcelona, Spain

RamblasBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "ART Escudellers"

Amazing shop right of La Rambla. Definitly a must see. The ceramics come from all over Spain and the styles are marked as to which part they are from. I was ready to select a new set of dishes for my kitchen right there. When you go down the stairs, there is wine and regional art but the ceramics were amazing.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by apete on March 25, 2001

Ramblas
La Rambla Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona Bus TuristicBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

With two routes you can see the 'highlights' of the city without having to really go and look for them. I wouldn't consider trying to see every stop along the tour. Feel free to stay on board until you stop at one that you want. This is a good way to get to the Park Guell. There are also stops at Sagrada Familla, Barcelona Football stadium, Barri Gothic, the Olympic stadium as well as many others. A lot of time is wasted as you wait in traffic and go 'the long way' to some of the sites.
  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by apete on March 25, 2001

Barcelona Bus Turistic
Barcelona, Spain

Museu PicassoBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Very interesting Museum. All of the works are done by Picasso and most were donated by him. You see everything from sketches to art school projects through his many phases of painting. I was very impressed by his interpretive paintings of a Velazquez. There are 40-50 different intepretations. I would rank this as a must-see even if you are only somewhat interested in art.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by apete on March 25, 2001

Museu Picasso
Montcada, 15-19 Barcelona, Spain 08003
+34 93 3196310

Casa MilaBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "La Pedrera-architecture of Gaudi"

You should at least walk by the outside of this massive building as any work by Gaudi. Although the lower floors are taken up by various businesses, you can go up to visit the rooftop and an interesting exhibit in the attic about Gaudi's techniques and history. There is also an apartment which is decorated as someone may have lived in the early 1900's in Barcelona.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by apete on March 25, 2001

Casa Mila
Passeug de Garcua (No. 92) Barcelona, Spain

Guell PalaceBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Another building of Antoni Gaudi, which was commissioned by one of his main clients Eusebi Guell. As are the other Gaudi buildings, this is a unique and amazing place. You can see the entire house from the stables below to the rooftop with the 20 different chimneys but only on a guided tour which must be arranged ahead of time. I would stop in a couple hours before you plan to tour the place and get a time slot. In addition, the ceilings are amazing, so be sure to look up!
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by apete on March 25, 2001

Guell Palace
Nou de la Rambla 3-5 Barcelona, Spain

Museu d´Història de la CiutatBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Historical Museum of the City"

I wish I would have had more time to spend in this museum. Underneath this museum which is located right behind the Cathedral, are excavated ruins of the city from when it was ruled by Rome. I would definitly recommend it even though I only spent less than an hour going through it quickly. I would also appreciate comments from this Museum if anyone else has been there. This is a must the next time I visit Barcelona.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by apete on March 25, 2001

Museu d´Història de la Ciutat
Plaça del Rei, 1 Barcelona, Spain 08002
+34 93 3151111

Museu MarítimBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Maritime Museum"

This museum is within the old shipyard where ships have been built since the medeival times. I used the audiotour and was pretty impressed. I enjoyed the sections of the old galleys and the maps before and during the explorations of the new world. Once you crossed into the steamship error the museum did get a little dry but that may have been because it wasn't of any interest to me.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by apete on March 25, 2001

Museu Marítim
Avinguda Drassanes, 1 Barcelona, Spain 08001
+34 93 3429920

Museu Temple de la Sagrada FamíliaBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Sagrada Familla"

This is another must see of Barcelona. This is the famous unfinished church designed by Gaudi. He devoted the remainder of his life to this project beginning in 1906 and it is still not complete. I recommend at least walking around it. If you do not want to spend the entry fee to get in and see the inside, that is fine. The highlight inside is climbing up into the steeples, other than that you can only visit the gift shop and see the workers constructing.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by apete on March 25, 2001

Museu Temple de la Sagrada Família
Mallorca, 401 Barcelona, Spain 08013
+34 93 2073031

Poble EspanyolBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Don't bother. This was an area built in 1929 for the Barcelona International Exhibition. It contains replicas of buildings from the different regions of Spain. Each one contains a little shop containing items that you can find elsewhere in the city without the cover charge.
  • Member Rating 1 out of 5 by apete on March 25, 2001

Poble Espanyol
Avenida Marqués de Comillas Barcelona, Spain 08038
+34 93 3257866

Park GuellBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

This Park is somewhat out of the way but I recommend it highly. It contains the home of the architect Gaudi which is now a small museum. I wouldn't bother with the museum but everything else in the park is wonderful. It is an experience to say the least. A vast hall of columns holds up a LARGE patio with many ornately decorated benches which overlook the city. It is here that the famous decorative lizard of Gaudi's resides.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by apete on March 25, 2001

Park Guell
Montana Pelada Barcelona, Spain

Rambla de Sant JosepBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Mercat Sant Josep"

Only about a quarter of the stalls in this covered market area were filled when we went in. There is a HUGE variety of food items that can be purchased here. Great for a snack. Buy a bag of nuts, an orange or some dried fruits. We actually stopped by here a couple of times to get a quick bite to eat from one vendor or another.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by apete on April 16, 2001

Rambla de Sant Josep
Les Rambles Barcelona, Spain 08002

About the Writer

apete
apete
Royal Oak, Michigan

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