A day in Barcelona

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See & Do

La Sagrada Família

The most extraordinary church you'll ever see

Noteworthy for: Along with Gaudí's other buildings in the city, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Talk of the town: The circumstances of Gaudí's death in 1926 remain somewhat vague, but rumour has it he was knocked over by a tram on his way to work on the building. He's buried in the crypt.

George Orwell considered Barcelona's most famous monument 'the ugliest building on earth'; others find its epic scale and fantastical marriage of Gothic and Art Nouveau styles gorgeous, giddying and moving.

Gaudí's visionary Roman Catholic church has divided opinion and attracted controversy since the plans were drawn up in the 1880s, but one thing's for sure: rarely has a project of such grand ambition and unfettered imagination been realised.

Or rather, is being realised: although Gaudí devoted the last forty years of his life to this singular expression of Catalan modernism, it was still only a quarter finished when he died - and today remains incomplete. None of the church's millions of yearly visitors see it without scaffolding, as features continue to be added according to Gaudí's original plans (although some dispute it's going the way he intended). The latest predicted date for completion of the building is 2026, the 100 year anniversary of the great architect's death.

Fee: Adult: EUR 12.50, Child (0-10): Free
Youth (10-18)/Student/Retired: EUR 10.50
Open Hours: Apr-Sep: 9am - 8pm
Oct-Mar: 9am - 6pm
Address: Calle Mallorca 401
Phone: +34 932 073 031
La Sagrada Familia's webpage

See & Do

Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA)

Noteworthy for: The museum was designed by American architect Richard Meier and built during the frenzy of regeneration around the time of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

At first sight MACBA may seem out of place in the dense, historical neighborhood of Raval, but the vast, light-filled modern structure has given the area a boost and become a real hub of the community.

The ground and first floor of this concrete and glass building contain many of the 3,000 pieces that make up the gallery's own collection. Works focus on the second half of the twentieth century and are divided into three main periods - post-World War II; 1968; and the years since the fall of the Berlin wall. Artists include the likes of Antoni Tàpies, Joan Brossa, Paul Klee and Miquel Barceló.

Temporary exhibitions are of variable quality, but its always worth poking your head in; in you don't like what you see, you can just retire to the popular cafe, browse the bookshop and watch the skateboarders do tricks on Plaça dels Angels.

Fee: EUR 7.50
Temporary exhibition: EUR 6
Child (0-14): Free
Senior (65+): Free
Open Hours: 25 Sep-23 Jun - Mon, Wed-Fri: 11am - 7.30pm, Sat: 10am - 8pm, Sun: 10am - 3pm
24 Jun-24 Sep - Mon, Wed-Fri: 11am - 8pm, Sat: 10am - 8pm, Sun: 10am - 3pm
Address: Plaça dels Àngels, 1
Phone: +34 934 120 810
MACBA's webpage

See & Do

Labyrinth Park of Horta

Get lost in the maze of Barcelona's oldest garden

Noteworthy for: The park is limited to no more than 750 people at a time in order to preserve the delicate environment and structure of the area.

The Labyrinth Park of Horta is an historical garden museum in the Horta and Guinardó district that boasts, as its name suggests, a maze created by cypress trees. The ancient green space is also home to the 14-century house Torre Soberana, which was given its Arabesque style during a 19th-century renovation.

The multi-level park was designed in 1792 and constructed according to other popular neo-classical gardens of the time. The Desvalls family, whose former palace stands next to the park's entrance, owned the park until 1967 when they turned it over to the city.

As you wind your way through this 55-hectare park, enjoy the hidden corners, gazebos, fountains, pools and Greek statues. And don't be afraid of getting lost in the maze - that's the fun part.

Fee: About EUR 2
Guided tour: EUR 1.80
Free on Sundays
Open Hours: Nov-Feb, daily: 10am - 6pm
Mar/Oct, daily: 10am - 7pm
Apr, daily: 10am - 8pm
May - Sep: daily, 10am - 9pm
Address: Carrer dels Germans Desvalls
Labyrinth Park of Horta's webpage

Shopping

Calle Avinyó

For the best in local and high-end designers

Talk of the town: Pablo Picasso's painting 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon' is rumored to be named after prostitutes that used to frequent this street.

Calle Avinyó, a charming small street in the Gothic neighborhood, is easily one of the coolest shopping destinations in town, its small boutiques popular with chic locals. Some of the best shops:

Le Fortune is a vintage-styled boutique owned by a Spanish clothing designer and a jewelry designer, which sells both their own lines and some international labels.

Loft Avignon carries high-end designs for men and women from big, international labels like John Paul Gaultier and Vivienne Westwood.

Cirkus is an innovative clothing store-cum-sushi restaurant; the store features quirky, modern clothes and innovative, bold accessories from young designers.

Open Hours: 10am - 1pm, 5pm - 8pm
Address: Carrer d'Avinyó

Restaurants

La Paradeta

Fresh from the ocean to your plate

Word to the wise: The queue may be long but it moves quickly, and the food is well worth the wait.

Popular plate: The chef recommends the seared lobster with garlic and parsley.

Talk of the town: The owners have their own fishing boat and serve their daily catch in the restaurants.

If you're willing to do some of the work by yourself to save a few euros, then head to La Paradeta, an in-the-know local favorite with several branches throughout the city. Widely regarded for having some of the freshest seafood in town, the busy joints have no waiters and waitresses. Instead, you pick out the seafood you're craving from the counter and pick it up from the window when they call your number.

Dishes range from whitebait, calamari and shrimp to mussels, cockles and clams, and we recommend washing it all down with a glass (or a bottle) of cava. Don't expect any side dishes though - it's fish-only at this weekend favourite.

Price sample: About EUR 25 for two, including a bottle of wine
Open Hours: Tue-Thu: 8pm - 11.30pm
Fri-Sat: 8pm - 12midnight
Sun: 3pm - 6pm
Address: Sagrada Famillia: Passatge Simo 18
Born: C/ Commercial 7
Sants: C/ Riego 27
Sitges: C/ Sant Pere 24-26
Meridiana: C/Pacific 74
Phone: +34 932 68 19 39
La Paradeta's webpage

Restaurants

El Filete Ruso

Gourmet burgers at a chic hangout

Popular plate: Try the incredible Iberian burger with ham, truffle oil, Parmesan and arugula.

Word to the wise: Eat at the bar for a faster, more relaxed meal.

This sleek, fashionable joint in L'Eixample specializes in one thing, gourmet hamburgers, and they do it very well. 14 different kinds of beef, chicken and vegetarian burgers are available, made using high quality organic meats and in mouthwatering and unusual flavour combinations such as eggplant, brie and Dijon mustard or bacon, cheese and fried egg.

Settle into a comfy, cognac-colored leather stool, set your elbows on the long wooden table (your grandmother's not there), and get stuck into into a succulent, seasonal burger. Don't forget to order the hand-cut fries with apple and bacon aioli.

Open Hours: Sun-Wed: 1pm - 4pm, 8.30pm - 11.30pm
Thu-Sat: 1pm - 4pm, 8.30pm - 12midnight
Address: Carrer d'Enric Granados 95
Phone: +34 93 217 13 10
El Filete Ruso's webpage

Restaurants

Lolita Bakery

Mouthwatering cupcakes at this comfy bakery

Word to the wise: Lolita's has another location in L'Eixample, down the street from Casa Mila, that is take-away only.

Talk of the town: Lolita sells an XXL cupcake that feeds eight; grab as many friends as you can muster - or a pair of stretchy pants.

This cozy, bright bakery in El Born, with its mismatched furniture and vintage decor, attracts young, sweet-toothed customers in their droves.

All of the inventive, American-inspired goodies - ranging from carrot cakes and whoopie pies to crumbles and chocolate cakes - are baked fresh each day. But it's their creative cupcakes and intriguing flavor combinations - think cotton candy and cava frostings, and rose and violet petal toppings - that are justly famous.

Open Hours: El Born shop - Tue-Fri: 10am - 2pm, 4pm - 8pm, Sat-Sun: 12pm - 8pm
L'Eixample shop - Mon-Fri: 9am - 9pm, Sat: 10am - 9pm, Sun: 12pm - 9pm
Address: Carrer del Portal Nou 20 and Carrer de Provença 267
Phone: +34 93 310 36 76
Lolita Bakery's homepage

Shopping

La Boquería

One of the best food markets in Europe

Talk of the town: Many of the current vendors are the fourth or fifth generation of the families who helped to create this market.

We challenge your pulse not to quicken on first stepping into La Boquería: Barcelona's main food market is a genuinely thrilling spectacle, buzzing with life and bursting with colour. Seemingly endless streets of stalls offer everything from beautifully-displayed fruit to live lobsters to piles of spongey tripe, whilst busy make-shift restaurants serve up lunches of freshly cooked chorizo and razor clams and a cerveza to diners perched on stools.

The market has a rich history stretching back to the 13th century, when it was founded as an open-air space for farmers to sell their wares in front of one of the old city walls. Now the place has evolved into one of Barcelona's top tourist attractions yet remains very much used by locals, a fact that accounts for its very special atmosphere.

Open Hours: Mon-Sat: 8am - 8.30pm
Address: C/ la Rambla 91
Phone: +34 93 318 25 84
La Boqueria's webpage

Bars & Nightlife

Shoko Lounge Club

Stylish, Asian-themed lounge attracting the young and beautiful

Word to the wise: Guests need to have an entry pass or be on the guest list to get into Shoko, so pick up a pass at the restaurant during the day.

When the sun goes down, this sleek, Asian-themed lounge along the Port Olimpic strip is a hive of flirting, dancing and drinking. Young, well-dressed partyers hit this popular club for the creative cocktails, the sea-adjacent location and the incredible rotation of world-renowned DJs like Groove Armada and Felix da Housecat.

Make sure you leave the house in your best; those manning the door have a clipboard and a picky eye. Once you're in, grab a spot along the bar adorned with Asian art prints, in one of the over-sized concave chairs, or on the terrace outside in the Chill Out area.

Price sample: Beer: EUR 5
Mixed drinks: from EUR 9
Age: 18
Open Hours: Closes at 3am
Address: Passeig Marítim (la Barceloneta) 36
Phone: +34 932 25 92 00
Shoko's webpage

Bars & Nightlife

Dry Martini

Classic martinis at a classic bar in L'Eixample

Tipple of choice: It's not hard to guess that their best drink is their signature one: the dry martini.

Talk of the town: Tucked behind the bar is a former warehouse that was converted into a restaurant called Speakeasy, a nod to the clandestine joints of the 20s.

Slip into a rich, leather banquette, order a martini and watch the bow-tie-clad bartenders expertly work. Stepping into this prestigious cocktail bar is like stepping back in time; the dark wood bar, the old liquor bottles lining the shelves and the posh professionalism hearkens back to a time when the quality of your drink was more important than the crowd or the decor.

The drink that gave the bar its name is quite clearly their specialty, but all of the other carefully crafted beverages are made with the same attention and skill. Order something on which to nibble or just nurse your cocktail at this classic.

Open Hours: Mon-Fri: 1pm - 2.30am
Sat-Sun: 6.30pm - 3am
Address: Carrer d'Aribau 162-166
Phone: +34 93 217 50 72
Dry Martini's webpage