Barcelona holidays

Located 15 kilometres south-west of the city centre, Barcelona Airport is a modern international gateway, boasting good shops and places to eat and drink. Its train station is a short walk from the terminal and provides a fast service every 30 minutes to stations in central Barcelona (all linked to the Metro network) and outlying areas beyond. An Aerobús service also runs every 15 minutes to Plaça de Catalunya.

Barcelona’s Old Town, the Ciutat Vella takes in the Barri Gòtic and the world-famous promenade of Las Ramblas. The former is the city’s medieval core, a maze of atmospheric alleyways clustered around the splendid Gothic Cathedral. Quirky specialist shops and characterful bars and eateries abound. Don’t miss the Museu Picasso and the Museu d’Història de la Ciutat, as much for their palatial settings as their content.

The Eixample suburb was created 1860–1920 and consequently holds the city’s finest Modernist buildings. The Passeig de Gràcia is the main artery, its wide pavements lined with designer shops and chic cafes. It is also home to Gaudí’s two fairy-tale masterpieces, Casa Batlló and La Pedrera, plus many other architectural gems. The undoubted star of the Eixample is La Sagrada Familia, Gaudí’s fabulous unfinished emblematic church.

Formerly a separate town, much of Gràcia retains a village-like, bohemian atmosphere with interesting shops and bars and some of the best restaurants in the city. It is best known for Parc Güell, designed by Gaudí. This beautiful landscaped park overlooks the city and features many of his trademark flourishes. The square of Plaça Rius i Taulet is the heart of Gràcia. Plaça del Sol is the place to be seen after dark.

Two of the city’s largest parks, Parc de les Aigües and Parc del Guinardó, can be found in the hilly, semi-rural Horta-Guinardó district. You can see them both from the towers of La Sagrada Familia church, Barcelona’s most emblematic and fascinating building, created by Antoni Gaudí, (actually in the bordering suburb of Eixample). Neighbouring Gràcia is a good place for typical Barcelona eating, drinking and shopping.

This Barcelona suburb is most famous for the Camp Nou stadium, home to FC Barcelona. The football club museum is open daily. A short walk away is the Palau Reial de Pedralbes home to ceramic and decorative arts collections. Nearby, the beautiful Monestir de Pedralbes boast an atmospheric cloister and the world-class Thyssen-Bornemisza art collection.

Occupying the area north of the Old Town, Sant Marti is the modern face of Barcelona. It includes the massive new International Convention Centre and the stunning Vila Olímpica with its Port Olímpic marina, built for the 1992 Olympics. At weekends its beach, restaurant, bars and clubs are hugely popular. Nearby, Parc de la Ciutadella is the city’s favourite green space, home to a zoo, boating lake, greenhouse and three museums.

The verdant hill of Montjuic has long been a place of recreation and achieved worldwide fame during the 1992 Olympics. Experience its breathtaking views by taking the cable car from the port and then a smaller cable car to the castle at the very top. The area is chock-a-block with historic and cultural treasures; don’t miss the Museu National de Arte de Catalunya (MNAC) or the Fundació Miró.

A predominantly upmarket residential neighbourhood, Sarria-Sant Gervasi’s principal thoroughfare is the Diagonal, the city’s primary business and commercial district. The area is good for shopping with two branches of El Corte Inglés department store and L’Illa Diagonal mall. Neighbouring Gràcia (east) is best for a more local eating, drinking and shopping experience while and Pedralbes (north) is also well worth a visit.