10 days in Barcelona

Location was the main attraction of this hotel for us, and we were not disappointed. There was so much to do within spitting distance of the hotel that we could have spent a week there and not used public transports once. Nevertheless, there was a Metro station just a few metres away, as well as several bus stops, and being the intrepid travellers we are, we used them to the full.

The hotel itself is between the beautiful Barri Gòtic—the old area of Barcelona, teeming with lovely bars, restaurants, and boutiques—and the seafront area, with its beaches and harbour. Within walking distance, you can visit the beautiful Picasso museum, the maritime museum, and the zoo; sit on the beach; take a cable car ride over the harbour; and of course, eat in a variously priced restaurants and shop in all sorts of shops.

All in all, we had a very enjoyable stay at the Hotel Lyon. We found our room clean, with a bathroom with shower (and a fairly small bath). It had a telephone and television. The room and bathroom were cleaned daily and the towels were renewed. The ladies who cleaned the rooms and looked after the reception area during the day were very helpful and patient when it came to giving us directions. The room was kept cool by means of a blind closed all day, which even at Easter was useful. The hotel turned out to be very quiet, no wild parties or anything like that.

When we booked this hotel, we knew it had only one star and were not looking for luxury. We were very pleasantly surprised with what we found and very impressed with what we got for our money, bearing in mind the hotel is situated in a major city.

I have a couple of reservations, however (pun intended!), as the website description is a little misleading in places: we didn't see any sign of air-conditioning, which could be a big disappointment if you were staying at the height of the summer. When we asked about the laundry service, which incidentally was one of the things that we had noted and were interested in, we were given directions to go to a laundrette across the square. Another website mentions the staff being multilingual...I wouldn't dream of assuming that automatically meant they spoke English (they didn't), but as this was an English-language site, you could be forgiven for expecting some help in that direction (incidentally, they didn't speak Catalan or French either). It is also possible that the peaceful atmosphere was only due to the time of year and that a summer sojourn might be different.

It cost £417.59 for 9 nights, including a £5.29 credit card charge and a £10.70 cash-back obtained by going through one of the many cash-back sites available. This put the price of a night at just over £46 for two of us.

Els Quatre Gats, on the narrow and modest Carrer de Montsió, was a regular hangout for Picasso and other Barcelonian artists. This was what attracted us to this place. The restaurant is on the ground floor of the Casa Martí, a Modernista building in a neo-gothic style.

Open in 1897, it soon became a meeting place for Catalan Intellectuals and artists. The atmosphere in those days must have been similar to that of a Parisian café-concert as they used to hold poetry readings, concerts, Chinese shadow shows and Picasso held his first individual exhibition there in 1900.

When we set foot inside, the thing that struck me was how bright and colourful the bar area was, mostly because of the ceramic tiles and bright yellow walls.

When we arrived, we were told we had to wait for up to half an hour. We fully expected that and looked forward to spending this time in the bar, soaking up the atmosphere and perhaps a Cava or two. I went to the toilet (worth a visit on their own merit) and hubby sat down. But the Maître d' soon came back and urged us to 'come, come' through to the dinning-room. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't the rather old-fashioned, refined spectacle that awaited. An army of waiters in full black regalia busily serving customers, a pianist and a violinist playing tunes from another era... The place was full, mainly with tourists.

We were shown to our table, on a gallery above the dining-room. Probably a late addition, to maximize space in order to respond to demand. From this perfect vantage point we sat back and took in the scene. The Maître d' then took our order, recommending a local wine. The rest of the service was left to another waiter who was helpful and attentive throughout the meal but without a hint of obsequiousness. The Maître d' remained vigilant all evening to make sure every diner was looked after. The service was never rushed.

The evening menu is by no means cheap, but in my opinion it is worth every penny. From memory, I think I had Fois-gras mi-cuit with figs and something else, a beautiful fillet of salmon, cooked to perfection, and Catalan cream (a kind of crème brulée). I can't remember what my husband had, but I know he enjoyed it very much indeed. I would describe the kind of food served as Catalan post-nouvelle cuisine (post because the portions are pretty decent). The wine that was recommended was beautiful. The food was outstanding, every dish a perfect balance of flavours.

So, do I recommend this restaurant? Most definitely! Okay, it might be a little expensive (but not when you compare it to some of the prices in Britain), but it is most definitely value for money. Everything is combined to provide the perfect dinning experience, from the surroundings, to the food, not forgetting the service. If you find yourself in Barcelona, I urge you, go!

The La Ribera district is one of the oldest in the city and is enjoying a bit of a revival at the moment. It conceals many places of interest, and in the Carrer de Montcada you can find the five beautiful medieval palaces that make up the museum. These are very fine example of the architecture of the 13th and 14th centuries, beautifully renovated. Remember to look up from time to time during the visit to admire the original painted ceilings.

What makes this museum special for me is that many of the works on display were donated by Picasso himself, by his wife and one of his friends. Picasso was born in Málaga in 1881, but the family moved to Barcelona when he was 10, and despite having left for Paris in 1904, the Catalan city remained dear to his heart.

The collection charts the progression of Picasso's work, starting with a brilliant set of his early work, very relevant, as most of it was painted in Barcelona. There is a huge variety of works from this period, from portrait to landscape through to newspaper-style caricatures and, touchingly, some of the artist's sketchbooks. It makes you realise just how immense and precocious the genius of the man was. One painting in particular stays in my mind, the man in a beret, painted in 1895. That's right; he painted this when he was only 14 years old! The technical expertise is astounding, but most of all it is such a mature work.

The visit then takes you to works from his blue period, painted during a difficult time in the young man's life. The material difficulties he experienced, far from his family, as well as the suicide of his friend Carles Casagemas, have been seen as the underlying reason to the melancholic quality of his work.

So far, so good, but perhaps a little predictable—until you come to what has to be the real highlight of this museum. In 1957, Picasso donated a series of 58 paintings inspired by the famous Velázquez painting of the same name. A great admirer of Velázquez, Picasso set about interpreting Las Meninas in his own unique manner. The series comprises an extraordinary monochrome painting of the whole scene, as well as smaller paintings of parts of the original. Before you enter the room where these paintings are, you will have the opportunity to watch a short audio-visual presentation comparing Picasso's work with the original. Spend a little time looking at it, as it will help you understand and appreciate Picasso' work.

If you like Picasso and find yourself in Barcelona, you MUST visit this museum. If you are not a big fan, I think you would still enjoy the visit, if only to check out the museum buildings. The works presented here are extremely varied, and you are almost guaranteed to see something you like. You might even be won over by this energetic and joyful collection.

The two main lines covered by this company overlap for a few stops to allow travellers to switch easily. We bought the 2 day ticket, the first day being spent getting an overview of the city and finding our bearings, and the second to travel to places we wanted to visit. This way of proceeding held both benefits and disadvantages. The first day gave us an idea of what the city had to offer and helped us decide the programme for the week. It also went a long way towards familiarising us with the layout of Barcelona. But as we did both the blue and red line in that first day, we ended up spending about 4 hours on top of a bus, at the end of which we found we suffered from a bad case of 'numb bum'. The second day, although only costing an extra 4 € each, was not as useful as we had hoped, as the buses go around in loops, and you have to go right round before getting back to where you started.

Most people catch the bus on the Plaça de Catalunya. Here you can get onto both the blue and red line. This can lead to lengthy queues to get on the buses, unless you get there early. The buses run between 9/9:30am and 7pm in winter, 8pm in summer. If you start off a little late, my advice is to catch the bus from a different stop. The buses run every 5 minutes in the high season, falling to every 25 minutes in the winter.

On board, each bus has a guide who, as well as selling passes, provides a running commentary in about four languages: Spanish, Catalan, English, and another, either French or German. They also make sure tourists are seated on the top deck, an important safety consideration. The guide's language skills are excellent. The commentary itself is pretty basic and changes from guide to guide.

I am glad we started our stay in Barcelona with this tour, although with the benefit of hindsight, I would probably do things a differently, perhaps do one of the routes the first day, visiting one or two of the places on the way, and the other route the next day. If you had only quite a short stay, I don't think you would want to give more than half a day to sitting on top of a bus.

When on the gallery at the top of the bus, remember to sit down at all times. Not only could you fall overboard, but the bus also goes under a couple of very low tunnels, which you don't see in advance. Remember to be prepared for the weather and have sun cream available, but also a warm top, as when the sun goes down or you are in a shaded avenue, it can get quite chilly.

Go on, be a tourist!

This market will grab every one of your senses. It is a visual feast, a riot of colours as your eyes are attracted by piles of vibrant fruit and vegetable, exotic looking fish, olives, pimientos, and much more. And those fruit and vegetables really smell, unlike the pale copies we found in our supermarkets. Beautiful fresh smells, which mingle with the cooking smells from nearby tapas bars. And of course, in such a busy place, the noise contributes to the general ambience with typical market sounds, as purchases are made, the freshness of some products is proclaimed and bargains are announced the old fashioned way - using lung power. Catalan is the language of Barcelona, but people are quite happy to speak Castilian, and you usually find someone that will speak English. And with the senses of sight, smell and hearing so abundantly engaged, it won't be long before you want to get your hands on some of these products, and have a taste of the generous amounts of foods that surround you on all sides.

Despite its picturesque appeal, this is by no means a market just for tourists. Locals shop here (they don't know how lucky they are to be able to do that on a daily basis), and the city's top chef come here for fresh supplies. Just stroll around and fill your soul with the sights and smells. Some of the more unusual sights I remember were the ostrich and emu eggs (omelette anyone?), the valuable dried wild mushroom and strangely, various dried insects (giant ant-like creatures, beetles, etc) which came in tins or packets.

After having feasted your eyes on all the goodies on display for a while, you will be ready for a spot of lunch. Take a seat at one of the bars, and order your choice of tapas. Although tapas are not strictly a Catalan creation, many of the tapas available here will be typical Catalan dishes, just small portions of them. I really recommend that you do this as it is a cheap and cheerful way of sampling many of the local dishes. If you have company for your meal, try and order different things so you can share. And if you are not too sure how much to order, don't worry, as you can always order more if you are still hungry. They will keep track of what you have ordered behind the bar.

There is also an interesting stall selling cookery books, should you wish to try your hand at Catalan cuisine when you get back. Be warned though… Your trip to the supermarket to try and find the necessary ingredients may feel a little boring and bland.

In Barcelona, it is impossible to avoid Gaudí's work as it is everywhere. Indeed, a difficult question for the visitor with limited time is to decide which of these works they should see. The guide on our 'bus turistic' had definite views on whether or not Park Guell was worth a visit. A tourist must have asked that very question and he went on a rant Basil Fawlty style about what an idiot you'd feel when you had to tell your friends back home that you went to Barcelona but somehow missed Park Guell. How right he was!

Park Guell is a must-see. Getting there can be a bit of an effort, as unless you take a taxi you are going to have to climb. It is worth noting that the 'bus turistic' gets closest of all public transports. But get there, whichever way you do it.

On arriving to the front gate of the Park, my overwhelming impression was that I was Gretel and that the witch was going to come out any minute. The two houses at the entrance do bear a strong resemblance to gingerbread houses... Gaudí does exuberance like no one else, yet manages to retain an air of tastefulness. One of these houses a souvenir shop (full of Gaudí inspired things, you'll think you want them and wonder why you bought them when you get home).

As we entered the park, there seemed to be a crowd of people on the steps in front of us. This is where the famous salamander covered in 'trencadís' (a sort of glass and pottery mosaic) poses for thousands of pictures. This sculpture has become a symbol of the park and indeed of Barcelona itself.

Rather than heading straight for the square and the hall of 100 columns, we went to the right and walked around the park first. It is a wonderful oasis of peace in a busy city. There are wonderful views of the city to be seen from the top.

The Casa Museum Gaudí is worth a visit, this was Gaudí's own house, the first built in the park which was intended to become a garden city. I don't think I would want to see it if it was too busy though, as the rooms are quite small. I was surprised at how sober the house was in comparison with other Gaudí creations. His bedroom was furnished in a particularly modest manner.

The square is very, very busy. The famous serpentine bench has been polished by many a bottom! This part was not my favourite, it was nice but way too busy with bus-loads of school children, and there was little shelter from the sun. The Hall of 100 columns was very impressive, with its leaning pillars and more mosaic. The interesting acoustics were put to good use by a lone guitarist.

All in all, I am of the same opinion as our bus driver: You can't go to Barcelona and not 'do' Park Guell.

Having visited the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, we wanted to visit one of Gaudí's houses too, the only problem was which one to choose. We eventually went for La Perdrera (aka Casa Milà), as we had passed this intriguing building several times and really wanted to see the unusual roof which we thought would offer great views of the city.

The facade of the building is said to have no straight lines in it whatsoever, and its undulating, organic shape, is further enhanced by the wrought iron plant-like forms which adorn the balconies. The building owes its nickname la Perdrera to the quarry-like aspect of its frontage.

On entering, the courtyard is also impressive, its shape drawing the eye up towards the little bit of sky at the top. The visit is in several parts, and equipped with our audio commentary, we first visited the 2 carefully restored apartments which took us back in time to when the building was new. The first is a bit like a museum, showing all the technological novelties of the time, telephone, cinema and so on. The second one was a reconstruction of an apartment in the modernista style, mixing designer and everyday objects. Remember to look at the interior patio from the apartment windows.

Having seen the apartments, we were keen to get on the roof, not realising that there was a major part of the visit to experience before that, the 'Espai Gaudí'. The roof space, which was once used to dry laundry, is now an exhibition of Gaudí's life and work. I was most impressed with the space itself, with all its brick arches, and surprised at how beautiful it was, considering that it was not on show, but only seen by a few. This part of the visit made me glad we chose to visit this building, as there were displays on many of his other works which gave a really good overview of his style and techniques. There were pictures of buildings that are not normally visited which was interesting. I was fascinated by an upside down model of a building made of string with weights attached which demonstrated one of Gaudí's techniques for designing arches. If you looked in the mirror that was placed below the model, you could see what the building would look like. The coordinate were entered in a computer and it was found that modern techniques could not have designed it better.

The roof terrace was great fun. The surface was not flat, but curvy, and functional objects like chimneys and ventilation shafts are given interesting shapes (owls, helmeted warriors and so on) and textures (broken pottery, marble, even broken champagne bottles).

The gift shop can be entered from the street or from the Casa Milà, but you cannot return to the visit from there.

At €6 plus €3 for the audio-guide, this was excellent value for money. Discounts are available for holders of a current 'bus turistic' ticket.

The Montjuïc area of Barcelona has a lot to offer, not least panoramic views over the city. It is also where you will find the Fundación Joan Miró, an extensive collection of the artist's work in a custom built museum. It is really a case of the building fitting the collection here, with its simple shapes and gleaming white colour, a perfect setting for Miró's bold, primary colours. The way the light floods most of the galleries also enhances the rich collection.

Much of the collection was donated by Miró himself and is extremely varied. The first work we came across was a huge tapestry which came as a surprise to me as I mainly knew of his work as a painter. I discovered he also made sculptures, ceramics, and prints.

I have to say I didn't know an awful lot about Miró before visiting this place but I was struck by how many of his paintings I recognised, or at least recognised the style of. The colours I mentioned before, the thick black lines, the stars, the moons, the birds... But there is much more to Miró's art than I imagined. The earliest work in the museum dates back from 1901 and Miró went on working more or less to the end of his life, in 1983. During this time, his art was constantly evolving, and Miró was always trying to move further and further away from convention. I have to admit that he left me behind on many occasions, but perhaps one short visit to the Fundación is not enough to develop an understanding and appreciation of this artist. But there was still plenty there I enjoyed.

One of my favourite parts of the museum was the roof terrace, where one can admire some wonderfully quirky pieces and also get one of the best views of Barcelona in the city, framed by the beautiful architecture of the Fundación. A great place for taking pictures if you can manage to dodge other visitors who always seem to come round the corner as you are about to press the button!

The Fundación houses a lot of work by other artists and I particularly liked a mercury fountain in one of the windows that looked onto the garden.

There is a cafe there and a drink was very welcome, as I found the building seemed to favour the build-up of heat which did take away from the enjoyment of the museum. And as it was only April, I don't think I would like to visit in the full heat of summer. The cafe itself was fairly unremarkable. The shop has a great selection of art books.

Other works by Miró can be seen all over Barcelona, in particular sculptures and mosaics.

I wanted to write about the ‘Barcelona Card’ but then decided to widen the scope of this journal to include all transports (well, all the ones I can think of…). I will not include information on driving in Barcelona, as we had no first-hand experience of it.

First, let me give you some general information about Barcelona by way of an introduction. Situated in the northeast of Spain on the Mediterranean coast, Barcelona is the second city in Spain, but this fact matters little to the Catalans for whom it is the capital of Catalonia (Catalunya in Catalan). One and a half million people live there. The city’s development is arrested on two sides by the hills of Collserola and by Montjuïc Mountain, and it has had to expand into the Mediterranean itself, as witnessed by the Museu Marítim, which used to be a shipyard and is now landlocked. Barcelona is the cruising capital of Europe with more than a million visitors docking in its harbour every year. For me, there are two Barcelonas; one is a modern city with wide avenues and bustling traffic, whilst the other, the old Barcelona is all narrow streets and ancient buildings, with Roman walls still visible among more recent buildings. The transport system has to cater for both.

Barcelona’s major airport is situated 8 miles southwest of the city and if you come from the UK, you will arrive at either terminal A or B depending which airline you are travelling with. Presumably when you arrive you will just want to get into Barcelona itself, but it is worth mentioning how nice the airport is (as these places go), particularly if you find yourself having to wait ages for a delayed flight as we had to do on the way back… It is kept spotlessly clean and has many, many shops to while away the time, as well as plenty of comfortable sitting. The airport staff is pleasant and helpful and they were trying to find out information about our flight for us when no Easy Jet personnel was to be found.

To leave the airport, you have a choice of transport. Taking a train from the airport’s own station will cost you around €2.50 (£1.70). Trains travel every 30 minutes between 6 am and midnight. Between those hours, buses are also available and will get you into the city in about half an hour, depending on traffic of course. This can get very busy and is not a very good option if you have a lot of luggage. The airport also offers the usual rental desks and lastly, you can get taxis easily. This was the option we chose, as we arrived quite late and didn’t want the hassle of having to find our way round with full luggage and empty stomachs… It took about 20 minutes and allowed us to catch sight of some of the city’s landmarks, including the statue of Columbus which worryingly was pointing in the opposite direction. Anyway, we got there without any major hiccup and it cost us around €20 (about £13.50).

Whilst on the subject, a quick word about using taxis in Barcelona. I have to say our experience has been positive, with prices being very reasonable for a major city. However, there will often be a cheaper alternative (but not always as convenient depending on your circumstances). You can spot taxis that are available by the green light on the top of the taxi. Smoking is not permitted, an extra bonus.

To use the city buses to the best, you really need a bus map. This is why we headed to the tourist office on the Plaça de Catalunya one day, only to be told they don’t have them (despite what it said in my guide book) and we had to go to a Metro station a few stops away to get them. We never did get round to doing that, and as a result, our use of the buses was only sporadic. From what we could figure out, there was an extensive and regular service and buses are clean and comfortable. They are also air conditioned, which if you are visiting the city in summer must be a godsend. You don’t need the exact change to buy your ticket from the driver.

The metro was by far our favourite mode of transport around Barcelona, as it is fast, frequent and covers most of the city. Again, the stations are very clean, as are the carriages, and most trains are air-conditioned. Surprisingly, for a city with such nightlife, the last metro is at 11 pm, although it runs till 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays. You can get a map from Metro stations. Be aware that if you have to change to a different line, you might have a very long walk on the interchange. Consider whether you wouldn’t be better off getting out and walking straight to your destination (in the fresh air).

The Telefèric de Montjuïc is a cable car which runs between Barcelonetta and Montjuïc, the mountain which dominates Barcelona. Even though I hate height, we always seem to do things that involve climbing 8 367 steps or hanging from a cable by our fingernails… I exaggerate, but my husband seems to love dragging me kicking and screaming to elevated places… Anyway, the day we went on this, I was dragging my feet a little, but actually it was fine. A little scary, and I had to stand in the middle of the cable car the whole time hanging on to the central pole, but the views more than recompensed my efforts. Wow! We were able to see the harbour and other parts of the city from a very privileged viewpoint. The cable car stops half-way and you can get off to admire the view from a viewing platform, but that was a bit too much to ask of me. I would certainly recommend the Telefèric, particularly as when you get to the top, there is much to see and do.

Much of the city of Barcelona is made up of narrow streets to which no vehicle can have access. So you will almost certainly have to walk. And that is no bad thing, as this is the best way to really discover a place and its people. Barcelona is a wonderful place to stroll, whether you are going from A to B, or just strolling lazily and taking in the whole alphabet! The waterfront, the Ramblas, the Barri Gòtic and la Ribera are especially well suited to this activity.

I noticed in some areas that you could be taken around in a carriage pulled by a bicycle. Whilst I admired the riders’ stamina and toned physique, I didn’t think it was fair to expect them to haul me around, even if my husband’s slim figure did go someway to even out the situation!

The Barcelona Card is not the only discount pass available and you can find out about others at www.tmb.net., but the Barcelona card is the one we went for. It is available for 2, 3, 4 or 5 days, working out cheaper and cheaper the longer you choose. For instance, the 2 days card costs €23 (£15.74) which works out at €11.50 per day, whereas the 5 day card costs €34 (£23) and that is only €6.50 per day. I think that is really very good, as you get unlimited travel on the bus and the metro and discounts on other transport such as the Telefèric or the funicular. On top of that, you can get 17 visits absolutely free, as well as discounts on a significant number of places including museums, restaurants and even some shops. We visited the Museum of History of the City (which included a visit of an entire Roman town under one of Barcelona’s square) and the Botanical Gardens for free, as well as taking a tour of the Harbour by boat. A number of other museums could also be accessed gratis, some of which seemed very interesting. We could have climbed to the top of the ‘Mirador de Colom’, a 60 m monument with a statue of the great traveller at its top, but decided that enough was enough!

You can get a card for children too, and this costs from €19 for 2 days to €30 for 5.

The cards are available at tourist information offices or from the bus station (Estació de Nord). I believe you can buy it online before you leave.

All this helps make the Barcelona card very good value indeed, I think you will agree. I hope this little tip will be helpful to anyone travelling to this beautiful city.

The city’s motto is BARCELONA ES TEVA, which means ‘Barcelona belongs to you’ in Catalan. I think it would be a very good slogan for the Barcelona Card too.