TOP 10
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BARCELONA
DELS ARCS
C AR R E R DE P ETR ITXOL
EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
Must-see museums & galleries Best restaurants in each area Great walks & itineraries Fantastic bars & cafés Best hotels for every budget Most fun places for children Best areas to shop or browse Most fascinating Modernist buildings Best places for live music Insider tips for every visitor
YOUR GUIDE TO THE 10 BEST OF EVERYTHING
TOP 10
BARCELONA
ANNELISE SORENSEN RYAN CHANDLER
EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
Contents
Left Interior, Casa Lleó Morera Right La Rambla
Contents Barcelona’s Top 10 Produced by Departure Lounge, London Reproduced by Colourscan, Singapore Printed and bound in China by Leo Paper Products Ltd First American Edition, 2002 11 12 13 14 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Published in the United States by DK Publishing, 375 Hudson Street New York, New York 10014 Copyright 2002, 2011 © Dorling Kindersley Limited, London Reprinted with revisions 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISSN 1479-344X ISBN 978-0-75666-919-5
Within each Top 10 list in this book, no hierarchy of quality or popularity is implied. All 10 are, in the editor’s opinion, of roughly equal merit. Floors are referred to throughout in accordance with British usage; ie the “first floor” is the floor above ground level.
Sagrada Família 8 La Rambla 12 Barcelona Cathedral 14 Parc de la Ciutadella 16 Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya 18 La Pedrera 20 Fundació Joan Miró 22 Museu Picasso 24 Palau de la Música Catalana 26 Museu d’Art Contemporani & Centre de Cultura Contemporánia 28 Stages in History 30 Modernista Buildings 32 Perfect Squares 36 Charming Churches & Chapels 38 Museums 40 Cafés & Light Bites 42 Best Restaurants & Tapas Bars 44 Night-time Hot Spots 46
The information in this DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide is checked regularly. Every effort has been made to ensure that this book is as up-to-date as possible at the time of going to press. Some details, however, such as telephone numbers, opening hours, prices, gallery hanging arrangements and travel information are liable to change. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book, nor for any material on third party websites, and cannot guarantee that any website address in this book will be a suitable source of travel information. We value the views and suggestions of our readers very highly. Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London, Great Britain WC2R 0RL or email
[email protected]. Cover: Front – DK Images: Alan Keehane clb; SuperStock: age fotostock main. Spine – DK Images: Mike Dunning b. Back – DK Images: Max Alexander c; Naomi Peck cr; Paul Young cl.
2
Gay & Lesbian Hang-outs Best Shopping Areas Most Fascinating Markets City Views Parks & Beaches Walks & Bike Rides Activities in Barcelona Attractions for Children Catalan Folk Festivals & Traditions Performing Arts & Music Venues
48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66
Around Town Barri Gótic El Raval Montjuïc Port Vell, Barceloneta & Port Olímpic Eixample Grácia, Tibidabo & Zona Alta Beyond Barcelona
70 80 88 96 102 110 118
Streetsmart Tips on Getting to Barcelona Tips on Getting Around Barcelona Ways to Explore Catalonia
130
Contents
Left Jardins Mossèn Jacint Verdaguer Centre Bar, Pachito Right Terrace café, Barri Gòtic
131 132
Tours & Tips
133
Sources of Information Communication Tips
134 135
Security & Health Tips
136
Banking & Money Tips
137
Eating & Drinking Tips
138
Shopping Tips
139
Barcelona on a Budget
140
Things to Avoid
141
Accomodation Tips
142
Places to Stay
143
General Index
150
Phrase Book
158
Left Plaça de Sant Felip Neri, Barri Gòtic Right Stained-glass ceiling, Palau de la Música catalana
Key to abbreviations Adm admission charge payable DA disabled access
3
BARCELONA’S TOP 10
Sagrada Família 8–11 La Rambla 12–13 Barcelona Cathedral 14–15 Parc de la Ciutadella 16–17 Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya 18–19 La Pedrera 20–21 Fundació Joan Miró 22–23 Museu Picasso 24–25 Palau de la Música Catalana 26–27 Museu d’Art Contemporani & Centre de Cultura Contemporània 28–29 Top 10 of Everything 30–67
BARCELONA’S TOP 10
Barcelona’s Highlights 6–7
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of the old town is this magnificent Gothic Cathedral (above), with a soaring, elaborate façade and a graceful, sun-dappled cloister containing palm trees and white geese. See pp14–15.
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(0.6-mile) long, thriving pedestrian thoroughfare (above) cuts a wide swathe through the old town, from Plaça de Catalunya to the glistening Mediterranean. See pp12–13.
of the city and its Modernista legacy is this church, Gaudí’s other-worldly pièce de résistance. Piercing the Barcelona skyline are eight of the twelve planned spires (above) that have so far been built. See pp8–10. &'(/&207(' ŝ85*(//
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Barcelona’s Top 10
Barcelona’s Highlights With warm, crystal-clear waters lapping its sandy shores and mountains nuzzling up to its northern edge, this glittering jewel in the Mediterranean is blessed with desirable geographical genes. From the buoyant, revamped port area to the atmospheric medieval streets of the Barri Gòtic and the beautiful Modernista buildings of the Eixample, Barcelona has it all. A host of treasure-filled museums, architectural wonders, lively beaches and enchanting squares provide the icing on the cake.
Pedrera ^ La Unmistakably Gaudí,
The stately Palau Nacional (right) is home to the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), which holds one of the most extensive collections of Romanesque art in the world. The works were rescued from churches around Catalonia in the 1920s. See pp18–19.
this Modernista marvel (below) seems to grow from the very pavement itself. Fluid and eerily alive, its curving façade sprouts writhing wroughtiron balconies. A cluster of mosaic chimneys keeps watch over the rooftop like shrewd-eyed knights. See pp20–21.
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