Barcelona / Travel & Lifestyle

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ISSUE NO. 9.083

2015

barcelona

Take in the most beautiful spots in the city: streets, buildings, terraces, hidden corners and cafĂŠs that were born for you to admire them

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top Catalonia and Barcelona has become one of the first tourist destination of Spain, it knows how to please the big majority : with a history among the oldest in Europe, a capital, Barcelona, which never sleeps and an inland full of charm not to forget beautiful beaches in La Costa Brava.

Barcelona sited between the sea and the mountains, has found a formidable balance: a foot in the traditional things and the other in the avant-garde.

tourist attractions

in barcelona Barcelona Yellow

Park Güell

Gaudi’s modernist park Parc Guelli is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered to one of Gaudi’s most artistic works. Parc Guell is a Barcelona top attraction and definite must see. The park is on Carmel hill so seeing this attraction means quite a long and uphill walk if you take the hop-on-hop-off bus or metro station Vallcarca. If you prefer not to walk, then take a taxi to the Park Guell front gate. The original idea of Park Guell was to build a private and exclusive residential garden village with 60 houses. This business idea didn’t work and in 1923 the park was donated to Barcelona´s city council for as a public park.

Admission fee €7 to enter Park Guell Monument area. *Open daily all year

Picasso Museum

Walking around the city

Permanent collection of Picasso’s early years The world’s most famous painter Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, but lived in Barcelona with his family from 1895 to 1904. It was here he spent his formative years as an artist. The Picasso Museum is in the Born area of Barcelona and is Barcelona’s most famous museum and a top 10 attraction. Picasso’s father was an art teacher. The young Pablo Picasso had already started his art studies in Malaga, but Barcelona was a huge influence on his early years as a struggling painter. Picasso first exhibited his work in Barcelona and considered himself from Barcelona. The Picasso museum in Barcelona does not have the most famous Picasso paintings, but the collection in Barcelona is unique. You find early sketches and lesser known Picasso’s, which explain and show his development as an artist. The museum is located in various magnificent gothic mansions in the medieval part of Barcelona called El Born.

Ticket price 2015: €11 *Closed Mondays except public holidays ** Free admission for everyone on first Sunday of each month all day and free every Sunday after 3pm.

PICASSO MUSEUMFree admission for everyone on first Sunday of each month all day and free every Sunday after 3pm. Visit the Picasso Musuem by metro to station Jaume I and then 10 walk

Las Ramblas

Barcelona’s most famous walking street Also called Las Ramblas The Spanish poet Federico García Lorca said about La Rambla, “It is the only street in the world which I wish would never end.” La Rambla starts at Plaza Catalunya and ends at the Monument of Columbus at the Port Vell harbour of Barcelona. La Rambla it is not a spectacular sight, but very pleasant to stroll down and enjoy the human heartbeat of Barcelona. If you have not strolled down it, you cannot say you have been in Barcelona. Also called Las Ramblas as it is really a collection of various stretches of street with different names. During the day and early evening completely safe and free to visit. However, be careful of pickpockets on La Rambla and in the Metro stations nearby. In the early hours of the morning 2 - 4am be wary on lower part of La Rambla near the harbour. It´s always open and free.

The Barri Gòtic

Gothic quarter of Barcelona’s medieval city gothic quarter is the medieval city of Barcelona from the middle ages. It grew around the old Roman town of Barcino which is the oldest part of Barcelona. The gothic part of the city has many beautiful churches, plazas, markets and museums and you can see parts of the old Roman walls. If you visit the Barcelona history musuem - Museu d’Història de la Ciutat - you can see remains of Roman houses and streets of Barcino in Roman times under the museum. The gothic quarter is free to visit and best seen on foot because tour buses cannot get through the narrow streets. There are no dangerous areas in the Gothic quarter, but be aware of Barcelona pickpockets. Also worth visiting is the neighbouring medieval area of Barcelona’s old city called El Born.

FC Barcelona museum & Camp Nou stadium If there are no matches then you can visit the stadium and museum. Buy Tickets FC Barcelona Camp Nou Experience If you can see Barça play a home match, then that is the best Camp Nou experience but you the museum is worth a visit. The Camp Nou stadium and FCB museum are among the most popular attractions in Barcelona attracting millions of visitors a year. Camp Nou has the one of the largest Nike stores in Europe packed with Barca merchandise. Unmissable for football fans.

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 21

La Sagrada Familia Unfinished church by architect Antoni Gaudi

Magic Fountain Montjuic music and light show The Magic Fountain is a “must see” Barcelona attraction. You have never seen a fountain like this. It really does feel magic to experience the beautiful show of water, light and music. The Magic fountain was built in 1929 as one of the main attractions for the Barcelona World Fair and the Font Magica is still one of the most famous spots in Barcelona with an estimated 2.5 million visitors annually.

There are water and light shows in the summer from Thursday to Sunday and admission is free. Visit the Magic Fountain by metro to station Espanya.

WINTER (From 1 October until 30 April ) Friday and Saturday: shows from 7pm to 9pm Sunday to Thursday: closed - no shows SUMMER (FROM MAY) Monday to Wednesday: no shows Thursday to Sunday: show every 30 mins from 9pm to 11.30pm Last show starts 11pm *Admission free

April, May, June, July, August September: 9 am to 8 pm October: 9 am to 7 pm November, December, January, February: 9 am to 6 pm December 25, 26, January 1 and 6: 9 am to 2 pm March: 9 am to 7 pm

Sale of tickets at basilia finishes 15 minutes before closing time.

Basilica only €15 - Basilica and Towers €19.50 *Generally open all year, but can be closed for certain services and special religious events.

This very unusual construction is Barcelona’s most famous and most visited tourist attraction. It is rated one of the world’s top attractions by Tripadvisor users. It is free to see from the outside, but going inside is another matter. La Sagrada Familia welcomes over 3 million visitors a year, so expect long queues to get inside.

The mornings are busiest. Late afternoons are less crowded.How long does it take to visit? From the outside it takes about 30 minutes to see. The inside of the Sagrada Familia church takes longer. But it’s worth it. This unfinished basilica is one of the most famous buildings in the world and a top must-see sight in Barcelona. It was designed by famous Catalan architecht Antoni Gaudi over 100 years ago and the foundation stone was laid in 1882, when the surrounding area was just fields. The splendid Sagrada Familia interior was opened to the public in 2012. The outside is still being built and was at 65% completion in 2013. Only 8 towers of the 18 spires are finished. The plan is to complete the Sagrada familia church in 2026 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death in 1926. When finished it will be 144 years since construction began. Gaudi knew that it would take a long time to finish the temple and he famously once said, “My client is not in a hurry!” Gaudi died tragically in 1926 after being hit by a tram. At the time only the nativity facade was completed.

Tibidabo Tibadabo hill, Sagrat Cor church & amusement park

Modernist buildings

Montjüic

Modernisme was a Catalan cultural movement centred in Barcelona and Catalonia from 1888 to 1911. It is most famous for its architectural expression in particular the many works of Antoni Gaudí. There are a handful of modernist buildings in Barcelona that are outstanding. Three of them are in the one Barcelona city block called the “Illa de la Discòrdia” - the “Block of Discord” on the street Passeig de Gracia. They are “Casa Amatller” designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, the magical “Casa Batlló” by Antoni Gaudi and the “Casa Lleó-Morera.” A little further up the street Passeig de Gracia on the opposite site is one of Gaudi’s most famous buildings in Barcelona named “Casa Mila” - and nicknamed “La Pedrera” (the Quarry). which is pictured above. In the summer months you can enjoy rooftop terrace jazz concerta at La Pedrera.

Sadly for visitors in 2014 Casa Mila facade is covered for cleaning and restoration, but you can take a Pedrera guided tour, see exhibitions and have a coffee or drink in the Casa Mila cafe on the first floor. At Casa Batllo you can tour the builiding and also enjoy summer concerts in the modernist courtyard. Another modernist treasure is the beautiful Palau Guell town house near Las Ramblas, also by Antoni Gaudi. For modernist art and furniture visit to the Barcelona Modernist museum. A popular way to see top modernist buildings is on foot on Passeig de Gracia or by taking hop-on-hop-off tourist buses. Nearst Metro stations Passeig de Gracia or Diagonal.

Gothic quarter of Barcelona’s medieval city Montjuic hill has many parks and attractions including an old fort at the very top called Montjuic Castle, which has a rich and dark history and fantastic views of Barcelona.

The other big attraction on Montjuic hill is a unique Spanish village called Poble Espanyol which was built in 1929 for the Barcelona 1929 World Fair and Universal Exposition. The Poble Espanyol village is the 4th most visited attraction in Barcelona. It was built in 1929 as an architectural experiment to create a village to showcase Spain’s different architectural styles. It was so popular that it was left intact after the world exhibition and it now houses a wide variety of cafés, summer open air night clubs, restaurants, over 40 very nice handicraft shops and a full programme of concerts and events, especially in the summer.

You can also see a very good flamenco show called El Tablao de Carmen at Poble Espanyol, which includes 1 hours free entrance to Poble Espanyol. Poble Espanyol was designed by Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch.

This attraction is on hop-on-hop-off bus routes or take metro to nearest metro station Espanya and then it is 20 minute walk.

A visit to Tibadabo is a fun thing to do in Barcelona and great for kids. The views of Barcelona are fantastic and there is a small and fun vintage amusement park at the top, which is open in the summer from March to September.

You can reach the top of Tibadabo via a vintage Blue Tram which connects to a mountain railway, Or take the bus from the Plaza Catalunya directly to Tibidabo. The fun-fair is closed in winter, open at weekends in spring and autumn and generally open from Wednesday to Sunday in summer, but check before visiting.

The Skywalk where you can enjoy views of Barcelona is free and open all year except a few weeks in February for annual maintenance.

The Sagrat Cor church at the top of Tibidabo is open all day and is free to visit. Visit by bus or by tram/mountain train.

Tibidabo amusement park General ticket price: € 28.50 Children under 1,2m €10.50 Children under 90cm FREE *Skywalk views of Barcelona open all summer free

City Map Palau Güell

Casa Amatller Casa Milà Casa Batlló

Admission price: €5 *Montjuic castle is open daily all year

Admission price Casa Milà €20.50 Admission price Casa Batlló €21.50 Admission price Casa Amatller €10 Admission price Palau Güell €12

Admission price: €11 which includes audio-guide *Poble Espanyol village is open daily all year

Spain

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ToURISM

Mass tourism is ruining Barcelona and turning it into a ‘theme park’, claims controversial new documentary

Daily Mail Co UK

odernisme was a Catalan cultural movement centred in Barcelona and Catalonia from 1888 to 1911. It is most famous for its architectural expression in particular the many works of Antoni Gaudí. There are a handful of modernist buildings in Barcelona that are outstanding. Three of them are in the one Barcelona city block called the “Illa de la Discòrdia” - the “Block of Discord” on the street Passeig de Gracia. They are “Casa Amatller” designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, the magical “Casa Batlló” by Antoni Gaudi and the “Casa Lleó-Morera.” A little further up the street Passeig de Gracia on the opposite site is one of Gaudi’s most famous buildings in Barcelona named “Casa Mila” - and nicknamed “La Pedrera” (the Quarry). which is pictured above. In the summer months you can enjoy rooftop terrace jazz concerta at La Pedrera. Sadly for visitors in 2014 Casa Mila facade is covered for cleaning and restoration, but you can take a Pedrera guided tour, see exhibitions and have a coffee or drink in the Casa Mila cafe on the first floor. At Casa Batllo you can tour the builiding and also enjoy summer concerts in the modernist courtyard. Another modernist treasure is the beautiful Palau Guell town house near Las Ramblas, also by Antoni Gaudi. For modernist art and furniture visit to the Barcelona Modernist museum. A popular way to see top modernist buildings is on foot on Passeig de Gracia or by taking hopon-hop-off tourist buses. Nearst Metro stations Passeig de Gracia or Diagonal.

Explaining why he made the documentary Eduardo Chibas writes on his website: ‘Barcelona is not big metropolis, but it is the fourth-biggest tourism destination in Europe after three big capital cities, London, Paris and Rome. And it’s port receives the largest number of cruise ships in Europe and the Mediterranean.

‘Barcelona residents have seen how, in scarcely a decade, the number of tourists visiting has tripled and how the economy has turned towards the tourism sector to successfully exploit the city’s heritage, constructed by previous generations.’

One interviewee compares Barcelona to Prague and Venice, claiming it is set to become a ‘theme park’. Venice locals have long-protested out-of-control tourism which is turning the city

Last year, Barcelona surpassed 7.5 million tourists in 12 months for the first time in its history

into a ghost town as locals are priced out of their homes and businesses.

Photographer and author Marc Javierre compares Barcelona to cities like Paris, saying that it has lowered its prices too much and is therefore attracting the wrong kind of tourism.

He says: ‘As I understand it, mass tourism is a type of tourism that spend little money. It doesn’t offer anything to the city, it even costs money for the city, and that report benefits for a small number of people in the city.’

He adds: ‘People come here with 300 euro packages to spend seven days in Barcelona.’

In response to the ‘crisis’ caused by mass tourism to Barcelona, Santiago Tejedor, co-director of Masters in Travel Journalism at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, suggest limiting the number of tourists who can visit the city.

Taking the examples of Inca ruins Machu Picchu in Peru and Mayan ruins Chichen Itza in Mexico, Tejedor suggests that Barcelona could to the same.

He explains: ‘Sometimes more is less and in the mid to long term we

should think in a new model that can have a more positive effect.’

Last year, Barcelona surpassed 7.5million tourists in 12 months for the first time in its history, with France, followed by the UK and then the US, topping the list of nationalities visiting the city.

However, Barcelona has also earnt a reputation as the street crime capital of Europe, with pickpocketing and bag snatching a common complaint among visitors.

Last year, Antoni Gaudi’s Parc Guell, which was meant as a gift to the people of Barcelona, started charging for entry and numbers were limited to 800 a day - a decision that has angered local residents who claim the park is a municipal facility.

However, not everyone agrees with the documentary.

Viewer Jes Ter, on YouTube, argues: ‘It is not the tourists’ fault if your government spends more money on cheap tourism and not cultural tourism, so why blame the tourists... the same people who keep your economy healthy in these difficult times?’

Barcelona residents have seen how, in scarcely a decade, the number of tourists visiting has tripled and how the economy has turned towards the tourism sector to successfully exploit the city’s heritage, constructed by previous generations DESIGN AYONECTILI ROQUE / WEB PHOTOS