Experience the highlights of Barcelona

Barcelona is a truly exceptional city for any fans of architecture. Not only is it home to multiple works by Antoni Gaudí but it also offers a walkable architectural timeline spanning from Roman times through the Catalan modernisme movement to the contemporary buildings of the present day. Many of the city’s varied structures can be seen in just a few hours.

Barcelona’s remarkable architectural heritage begins with the Gothic Quarter, where Roman foundations stand among medieval structures showcasing a variety of period features including gargoyles, pointed arches and rose windows. Among this district’s narrow stone streets, visitors will find signature landmarks, including the Barcelona Cathedral with its soaring central nave and iconic facade, and the striking Pont del Bisbe, an ornate neo-Gothic bridge constructed for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition.

Of course, it was modernisme, Catalonia’s version of art nouveau, that really left its mark on the city. Two figures stand out: Antoni Gaudí and his rival Lluís Domènech i Montaner, who, between them, have nine structures on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Gaudí’s most famous work is perhaps the Sagrada Família, which fuses the soaring verticality of Gothic architecture with organic modernist forms. It is the most visited monument in Spain. Park Güell, meanwhile, is a public space like no other—an artfully landscaped site full of mosaic benches, fountains and nature-inspired structures. Ciutadella Park features a majestic fountain designed in part by a young Gaudí. Domènech i Montaner’s listed work includes Hospital de Sant Pau, a network of scenic pavilions and gardens, and Palau de la Música Catalana, a concert hall in the Catalan modernist style.

During the 21st century, architects have embraced functionalism and rationalism to rethink the city’s contours, and the 1992 Olympics saw a wave of innovation and redevelopment, particularly along the waterfront. International visionaries such as Frank Gehry and Jean Nouvel have also left their mark. Barcelona today offers a fascinating melange of styles and approaches.

Barcelona has been home to many creative figures in the worlds of art, architecture and cuisine. The following five individuals have all been shaped by the city and have left a lasting mark on the world.
 

• Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)—Picasso was one of the most remarkable artists of the 20th century, with a body of work that included painting, ceramics, sculpture and printmaking. He also worked within several different schools of art during his career, experimenting with neoclassical and surrealist forms after founding cubism. His famous work Guernica (1937) was a response to the bombing of the titular town during the Spanish Civil War. Picasso arrived in Barcelona as a teenager and joined the avant-garde circle at Els Quatre Gats café before hosting his first solo exhibition in the city. The Picasso Museum in El Born holds much of his important early work.
• Joan Miró (1893–1983)—Barcelona-born Miró’s colorful and often dreamlike canvases represented a playful expression of 20th-century modernism and had a profound influence on the surrealist movement. Primary colors and floating shapes became his signature motifs. Miró also worked across disciplines as a painter, sculptor, tapestry artist and ceramicist. The Fundació Joan Miró on Montjuïc houses one of the world’s largest Miró collections.
• Salvador Dalí (1904–1989)—The surrealist movement’s mustachioed poster child, Salvador Dalí grew up in the Catalan town of Figueres in Girona and studied in Madrid. However, he was quickly drawn to Barcelona’s avant-garde creative scene, and the city acted as both crucible for his artistic growth and springboard for his fame. His 1931 work, The Persistence of Memory, with its melting clocks is perhaps the most iconic image in surrealism. The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) in Barcelona displays several of his formative works including Girl from Figueres (1926).
• Montserrat Caballé (1933–2018)—The feted operatic soprano is perhaps best known internationally for her duet with Freddie Mercury, “Barcelona,” which was used for the 1992 Olympic games. However, Caballé is also fondly remembered for her roles in works by Verdi, Rossini and Bellini. Born in humble circumstances in the post-Civil War years, she studied at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu. Her breakthrough came in 1965 when she accepted a last-minute role in Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia at New York’s Carnegie Hall.
• Ferran Adrià (b. 1962) —The legendary Catalan cook, author and educator is renowned for his time as head chef at El Bulli, where his pioneering molecular gastronomy techniques earned the restaurant three Michelin stars and worldwide acclaim. Adrià—who learned his craft in several Barcelona restaurants including Finisterre and the Hotel Playafels—closed El Bulli in 2011 to focus on El Bulli Foundation, a center for culinary innovation. While the restaurant was housed in nearby Girona, Adrià has become a major cultural ambassador for the city.

Sampling tapas is a quintessential Barcelona experience. It involves trying a variety of different dishes served on small plates accompanied by drinks, with diners often moving between different bars or restaurants between courses. The word tapas literally means “covers” or “lids” in Spanish and refers to the practice of covering drinks with small plates of bread, cheese or ham to keep flies and dust away.

Today, you will encounter a range of different flavors during an afternoon or an evening eating tapas. Plates might include gambas al ajillo (shrimp in garlic and chili-flavored olive oil), patatas bravas (fried potatoes accompanied by a spicy, smoky sauce) or pimientos de Padrón (green peppers). Other popular options include bread rubbed with tomato known as pan con tomate and ham croquettes referred to as croquetas de jamón. Squid, anchovies, small omelettes and a range of sliced meats and cheeses often complete a meal.

Diners might choose to pair their tapas plates with a chilled cerveza (draft beer) or a glass of cava, a sparkling wine from the Catalonia region. A vino tinto (red wine, such as a Rioja or Ribera del Duero) or vino blanco (white wine like Albariño) are other options—or choose sparkling water or a kombucha for a nonalcoholic treat.

A wide variety of bars and restaurants across the city serve tapas, from bodegas (traditional wine bars that are often lively and filled with locals) to tapas bars (sit down spots with broader menus) and marisquerías (seafood tapas restaurants). Some are casual places, others reflect modern approaches to the cuisine and a few even have Michelin stars.

Tapas is a little different to pintxos, the similarly bite-sized dining experience in Spain’s Basque Country. Pintxos are usually one- or two-bite snacks, often held onto a slice of bread with a toothpick (pintxo means “spike”). Diners sometimes pay at the end by how many toothpicks they have left. Pintxos are for individual consumption while tapas are meant to be shared. A good tapas spread offers an exquisite sampling of Catalan flavors and acts as a true expression of the region’s gastronomic history.