The imposing architecture of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia) - known as La Seu, (‘seat’ in Catalan), dominates the city’s Gothic Quarter. It was named after Barcelona's patron saint - Eulàlia – and built between the 13th and 15th centuries on the site of an earlier basilica. In what seems to be a theme with Barcelona’s religious buildings, it was not completed until the 20th century when the spire and facade were added. Highlights include the carved choir stalls, the Capella de Lepanto (Lepanto Chapel) and the tranquil cloisters containing a pond of 13 white geese. Take a lift to the rooftops for a panorama of Barcelona and beyond.
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Things to see in Barcelona
Tourist offices
Barcelona Turisme
Address: Plaça de Catalunya 16, Barcelona, Spain
Tel: +34 93 285 3834.
Opening Hours:Daily 0830-2100. www.barcelonaturisme.com
Other information desks can be found at the airport, Central-Sants station, Plaça Sant Jaume, Montseny, the Rambla, the Cathedral, Mirador de Colom, and at the cruise terminal.
The Barcelona Card offers free admission to some of the city’s major museums and discounts off others as well as free public transport and discounts at some shops and restaurants. It is available for two, three, four or five days, and can be purchased from the main tourist offices at Plaça de Catalunya, Plaça Sant Jaume and the airport.
The ArticketBCN (www.articketbcn.org) is valid for three months and gives admission to: Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), Fundació Joan Miró, Museu d'Art Contemporani of Barcelona (MACBA), Fundació Undació Antoni Tàpies, Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) and Museu Picasso. It is available from any of the six attractions, branches of Caixa Catalunya and travel agencies.
The Arqueoticket offers entry to Barcelona's four most important archaeological museums in Barcelona including the Museu d'Aqueologia de Catalunya. It is valid for one year and is available at any of the four museums.
Passes can be purchased online from www.barcelonaturisme.com
Barcelona Cathedral (La Seu)
Opening Times: Mon-Sat 0800-1245, 1300-1730 and 17.45-19.30; Sun 0800-1345, 1400-1700 and 1715-2000.
Admission Fees: No although a donation is requested for the afternoon hours (there is a charge for the roof, chapter house, choir and cloister museum).
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Plaça de la Seu, Barcelona, Spain
Telephone: +34 93 342 8262
Website:
http://www.catedralbcn.org
La Sagrada Familia
With its curving Gothic and art nouveau forms, the Sagrada Familia is the iconic symbol of Barcelona and is prided as Antonio Gaudí’s finest work, even though it was only a quarter complete at the time of his death. Construction has been on and off ever since, only passing the half-way point in 2010. Despite these ongoing construction works, the Sagrada Família is Barcelona’s most visited attraction and with thousands of visitors every day, queues are long (timed-tickets available online). The entrance fee goes towards the cost of construction with a projected completion date of 2026 - the centenary of Gaudí’s death. The Nativity facade and the Crypt are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Opening Times: Basilica: Daily 0900-1800 (Nov-Feb); 0900-1900 (Mar, Oct), 0900-2000 (Apr-Sep).
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: Yes
Address:
Carrer de Mallorca 401, Barcelona, 08013 Barcelona, Spain
Telephone: +34 932 080 414.
Website:
http://www.sagradafamilia.cat
Parc Güell
Created by the Spanish architect Antonio Gaudí, Parc Güell is a fantasy-land that combines features of the natural landscape with Gaudí’s architectural extravagance to create a park that is a popular stop for visitors to Barcelona. Constructed between 1910 and 1914, the park was intended as a residential garden city inspired by the English garden city movement, but was not a commercial success and became municipal property in 1923. Climbing up the side of a hill to the north of Barcelona and offering excellent views of the city, the park has fantastic pavilions, stairways, columned halls and the giant lizard that divides the grand stairway. Guadí's former residence - Casa-Museu Gaudí - houses a collection of furnishings and memorabilia.
Opening Times: Daily 0830-1830 (Jan-Mar, Nov, Dec), 0830-1900 (Mar), 0800-2030 (Apr, Oct), 0800-2130 (May-Aug).
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: Yes
Address:
Carrer d'Olot, Barcelona, 08024 Barcelona, Spain
Telephone: +34 934 091 831.
Website:
http://www.parkguell.cat
Picasso Museum
The Picasso Museum houses one of the most extensive collections of artworks by the artist and is one of the city's main tourist attractions. The museum itself is spread over five large town houses close to the Parc de la Ciutadella. The impressive permanent collection is devoted to the artist's early work, including a large number of childhood sketches, paintings from the Blue Period (1901-1904) and the Pink Period (1907-1920), exhibition posters, ceramics and cubist works. There is a particular focus on the artist’s life-long links with Barcelona. There are also two exhibition spaces for temporary exhibitions.
Opening Times: Tues-Sun 0900-1900 (to 2130 Thu).
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: No
UNESCO: No
Address:
Carrer Montcada 15-23, 08003 Barcelona , Spain
Telephone: +34 93 256 3000.
Website:
http://www.museupicasso.bcn.cat
Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar
Santa Maria del Mar is counted among the most beautiful churches in Barcelona and is the only surviving church in the pure Catalan Gothic style. It was the place of worship for the shipwrights and merchants of medieval Barcelona – many of whom have tombs below the floor. It is located just to the northeast of the Barri Gòtic, at the heart of the fashionable La Ribera district. Of its many stained-glass windows, the window of the Ascension, in the chapel of Santa Maria, and the Lavabo in the chapel of Sant Rafael, as well as the great rose window are the most impressive.
Opening Times: Mon-Sat 0900-1300 and 0500-2030, Sun 1000-1400, 1700-2000.
Admission Fees: No.
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Plaça de Santa Maria, Barcelona, Spain
Telephone: +34 93 310 2390.
Casa Milá
Casa Milá, also known as La Pedrera, is a masterpiece by Barcelona’s most famous artist, Antonio Gaudí. The undulating apartment block on the corner of Passeig de Gràcia is an intriguing architectural marvel. The roof terrace is made of a series of sentry-like chimneys and offers an excellent view across the city. The loft space of Casa Milá houses a museum, Espai Gaudí, dedicated to the architect and one of the apartments is open to view - furnished in the style of the early 20th century.
Opening Times: Daily 0900-2030, 2100-2300.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: Yes
Address:
Passeig de Gràcia 92, 08008 Barcelona , Spain
Telephone: +34 90 220 2138.
Website:
http://www.lapedrera.com
FC Barcelona Museum and Nou Camp
The Nou Camp Stadium is home to FC Barcelona, one of the world's legendary football clubs and the largest stadium in Europe. A visit starts with the changing rooms then moves on to the tunnel, dugouts, down to the pitch and the managerial bench area, the TV studio, and directors' area, culminating with a panoramic view of the entire facility. The FC Barcelona museum tells the history of the club and displays its numerous trophies as well as having one of the best private collections of football memorabilia in the world. The impressive multimedia zone lets you relive some of the club’s greatest moments.
Opening Times: Mon-Sat 1000-1830, Sun 1000-1430 (Oct-Apr); Mon-Sat 0930-1930, Sun 0930-1430 (Apr- Oct). Times vary on match days.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Carrer Arístides Maillol, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Telephone: +34 902 189 900.
Website:
http://www.fcbarcelona.com
Joan Miró Foundation
Located on Montjüic, the Joan Miró Foundation is one of the most innovative galleries in the city. Dedicated to the life and works of this Catalan artist – Miró was born in Barcelona – the major part of the collection was donated by Joan Miró himself. The world's most complete collection of works by Miró can be found at the Foundation with the permanent collection consisting of over 14,000 pieces of his paintings, graphics and sculptures. A programme of temporary exhibitions displays work of other artists from historical avant-garde to the latest trends in today's art.
Opening Times: Tues, Wed, Fri 1000-1800 (Nov-Mar), 1000-2000 (Apr-Oct); Thu 1000-2100, Sat 1000-2000, Sun 1000-1500.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Parc de Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain
Telephone: +34 93 443 9470.
Website:
http://www.fundaciomiro-bcn.org
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC)
The Palau Nacional on Montjuïc – built for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition - houses the National Museum of Catalonian Art, which boasts a stunning collection of gothic, Romanesque and medieval treasures and religious artefacts. The museum also displays the collections of the Museu D'Art Modern and has several Catalan art works from the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza collection. It regularly hosts temporary exhibitions and has a library and archive of art publications that is open to the public. The most impressive approach to the Palace is up Avinguda de La Reina Maria Cristina, from Plaça Espanya - the avenue is lined with fountains that are floodlit by night.
Opening Times: Tues-Sat 1000-1800, Sun 1000-1500 (Oct-Apr); Tues-Sat 1000-2000, Sun 1000-1500 (May-Sept).
Admission Fees: Yes (free first Sunday of every month and Saturdays from 1500).
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Palau Nacional, Parc de Montjuïc, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
Telephone: +34 93 622 0360.
Website:
http://www.mnac.cat
Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA)
Looking rather incongruous in the down-at-heel surroundings of the Raval district, to the west of La Rambla, Barcelona's brilliant-white Museum of Contemporary Arts was at the forefront of efforts to regenerate this traditionally seedy area of the city when it opened in 1995. It houses a permanent collection of post-1940s international art, as well as various temporary exhibitions.
Opening Times: Mon, Wed-Fri 1100-1930, Sat 1000-2100, Sun 1000-1500.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Address:
Plaça del Angels 1 , Barcelona, Spain
Telephone: +34 93 481 3368.
Website:
http://www.macba.cat
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