Asking the Locals
by oggiejoggie
Glad you asked, it is always disappointing to find out after the fact of the places you should have visited. Are you familiar with the term "Gaudi", as in too ornate or too busy? Gaudi was an architect and designed many buildings in Barcelona, a MUST see, you will be ver impressed by the unusual designs, I mean unusual. Because I was there in a campervan it is hard for me to say what goes on with the public transportation, but I would look into caves and caverns, that area has a few amazing places. I would go to something like caves and caverns of spain on the address bar, you might even try hiking near Barcelona on the address bar. Have fun!
P. S. Don't forget to visit the 'Old Barcelona and the museums. I think there are 20 museums, tho I didn't get to all of them The city is very diverse, from the old city to the cosmopoitan, I loved the culture the people and the MUSEUMS! The attitude of the people, especially in traffic circles. If there is a snarl in traffic, people get out of their cars and stretch, or converse, or depending on the delay, go for lunch. There is no road rage or ulcers, more things are taken in stride and no useless energy is spent. MY TIP:
ASK ASK ASK the Locals! People like to be helpful, and eye contact and a smile go a long way when you ask the natives what to see. It is the best way to get off the beaten trail and see the sites not found in travel brochures. ASK ASK ASK the Locals!
The Museum in Barcelona and of course the architechture BELOW IS A SAMPLE OF GAUDI ARCHITECHTURE
Barcelona is a city with...
by toltek
Barcelona is a city with charming streets, busy with people and full of life. There is nowhere better to make Barcelona's acquaintance than La Rambla, the bustling avenue, famous for the vivid colours of its flower stalls.
Barcelona is the city of marvels. The old town, comprising the Gothic Quarter, the Ribera and Raval districts, and famed for its historical monuments, narrow streets and bohemian atmosphere, is a perfect place for a stroll.
The city also has the biggest selection of modernist architecture: a genuine open-air museum. Most of the buildings, built in this unique style, are in the Eixample, a district planned in 1860 by the engineer Ildefons Cerdà which constitutes a unique model of European urban planning. The Sagrada Família, the Casa Batlló, the Casa Amatller and the Casa Milà are some examples of this.
Barcelona is the only European capital with over four kilometres of beaches where you can enjoy the most modern amenities, the beaches are not far form Barcelona's historical and cultural landmarks, and they have opened up our modern and cosmopolitan city to the sea.
Festa Major de Gràcia!!!
by mikey_e
One of the most fun things you can ever take part in in Barcelona are the festes of one of the old municipalities. When I came to the city in 2005, I had the opportunity to take part in La Mercè, the old city's festes (late September). This time around, I was in Gràcia (the northern part of the city) for that area's Festa Major, and it was even more fun than La Mercè. The parties last for about a week, and they start mid-August with a parade down Gran de Gràcia (the northern extension of the Passeig de Gràcia) that provides a chronological guide to the history of Gràcia. Be careful if you have children - one of the groups that take part are musketeers who fire their muskets in the streets and inevitably leave children screaming and crying for hours. The greatest part of the festival, however, are the themed displays that the various streets set up. There is an annual contest to see which street can design and carry off an original themed display. These displays take up the whole street and have themes like "Arctic", "the Devil'', "Tibet", "recycling", "Bees" and other ordinary or not so ordinary topics that are highlighted in a (usually) humourous manner.
The festes also feature nightly concerts. It's a good idea to get a guide to the festival at the start, as different squares have different concerts and styles of music, all at the same time, and if you are really keen on listening to a specific style of music or performance, it is best to plan ahead. Perhaps the only problem is that alcohol is consumed in copious amounts in the street during the festes, which inevitably leads to confrontations between police (not the ones on bikes, but the ones in riot gear) and anarchists or nationalists at night. It also means that you have to watch your step if you go out early in the morning, before BCNeta has a chance to vacuum and sweep up the smashed bottles and wash away the spilt beer.
Inline skating at harbourside
by goglobe
Barcelona has several long stretches of level ground around the rim of the harbour quays, so these make fantastic skating patches for me. Here's me wheeling past two beautifully crafted statues by the quay. Notice also the unique round art objects that dot around many sceneic spots in Barcelona.
The Cities of the Dead
by Belsaita
I know this tip will be not everyone's taste... but for the ones who think of death as part of the life, and how to cope with death as part of every human culture, a visit to a local cemetery may be a very interesting experience. Not to say if the cemetery is loaded with artworks!
Barcelona has a few cemeteries, but the most interesting are Cementiri de Montjuic (the best known, and the one you may have seen in many films) and the smaller, but very interesting, and even more "Gothic", Cementiri de Poble Nou
Both are open to the public daily from 8:00 to 18:00.
Some tombs are great artworks and there are even guided tours sometimes (you may ask at the tourist offices for schedule if interested)
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One of many galleries throughout the park
Escalator to Parc Guell
Teleferic de Montjuic stop
The monumental fountain
