Located on the country’s north eastern Mediterranean coast, Barcelona has always been the most open and interesting of Spanish cities. Over the centuries its citizens have embraced both prosperous, bourgeois values and avant-garde inclinations, blessing the city with wonderful architecture, fine food and a lively cultural scene.
Gearing up for the 1992 Olympics brought a plethora of new hotels to Barcelona and its popularity as a tourist destination and business hub has maintained the trend. The top end hotels include Hotel Arts, Ritz, Gran Hotel de La Florida, Barcelona Hilton, Reina Sofia, Majestic, Princess Sofia and Colon. Among the trendier hotels are the Prestige Paseo de Gracia, Omm and Camper, and there are any number of four-, three-, and two-star properties, as well as pensions and short-term apartments.
Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, a region that prides itself on cuisine based on ingredients from the sea, forest and field. Some of the city’s best Catalan restaurants are Set Portes, Arola, Moo, Can Sole, Comerç 24, Senyor Parellada and Els Pescadors. Current tapa bar favorites are Cal Pep, Taller de Tapas, Vinissim, El Vaso de Oro and Cerveceria Catalana.
There’s no shortage of things to see in Barcelona and leading the list are the Maritime Museum, Poble Espanyol, Montjuic Castle, the Barcelona Cathedral, Santa Maria del Mar Chruch, City History Museum, Gothic Quarter and Tibidabo Mountain. Among the must-sees are architect Antoni Gaudi’s quartet of modernist fantasies: the Sagrada Familia Church, Casa Batlló, La Pedrera and, of course,Guell Park. The city’s magnificent parks, promenades and plazas such as La Rambla, Plaça de Cataluña, Plaça Real, the Moll seafront walk and Ciutadella Park are wonderful spots to have a drink and people watch.
Barcelona’s after dark activities are legendary with venues suiting all tastes and pocketbooks. Along the waterfront, the Maremagnum complex and Port Olimpic boast any number of bars, pubs and discos, while the Born, Raval, Gothic Quarter and Gracia neighborhoods are packed with rollicking nightspots.
Annual events include Sant Jordi Day, Corpus Cristi, Sant Joan Summer Solstice Fiesta, Fiestas de la Mercé and the Salon Nautico International Boat Show.
Written by: Benjamin Jones
