Tallantyre Steve - The Rough Guide to Barcelona

Despite being one of the largest cities on the Mediterranean (population 1.6million, with a further 3.7 million in its metropolitan area), Barcelona is apretty easy place to find your way around. In effect, its a series ofself-contained quarters or neighbourhoods, known as barris, stretching out from the harbour, flanked by parks, hillsand woodland. The city centre and its major attractions Gothic cathedral,Picasso museum, markets, Gaud buildings and art galleries can be explored onfoot, while a fast, cheap, integrated public transport system takes you directlyto the peripheral attractions and suburbs.

This guide starts, as nearly everyone does, with the Ramblas (Les Rambles in Catalan), akilometre-long, tree-lined avenue officially five consecutive avenues, hencethe plural of promenading pedestrians, pavement cafs and kiosks that splitsthe old town in two. East of the Ramblas, the BarriGtic (Gothic Quarter) is immediately recognizable as the medievalnucleus of the city, a labyrinth of twisting streets and historic buildings thatinclude La Seu (the cathedral) and the palaces and museums around Plaa del Rei.A little further east lie the similarly venerable districts of Sant Pere, set around the terrific Santa Caterinamarket, and the fashionable boutique-and-bar quarter of La Ribera to the south, home to the Picasso museum. Over to thewest of the Ramblas, the edgier, artier neighbourhood of El Raval contains the citys flagship museum of contemporary art(MACBA) as well as several of the citys coolest bars and restaurants.

At its southern end, the Ramblas reaches the waterfront. Walking east from thespruced-up harbour area here, known as Port Vell(Old Port), will take you past the aquarium and marina, through the old fishingand restaurant quarter of Barceloneta, past theParc de la Ciutadella and out along thepromenade to the cafs and restaurants of the PortOlmpic. This whole area is where Barcelona most resembles aresort, with city beaches lining the waterfront from Barceloneta all the way tothe conference and leisure zone of Parc del Frum at Diagonal Mar.

The fortress-topped hill of Montjuc, risingat the southwest corner of the city, was historically home to the citys Jewishpopulation; now no longer a residential neighbourhood, it holds a host ofremarkable cultural attractions, including Catalunyas vast and utterlyunmissable national art gallery (MNAC), the Joan Mir museum, botanic garden andmain Olympic stadium.

At the top of the Ramblas, Plaa de Catalunya marks the start of the griddednineteenth-century extension of the city, known as the Eixample and divided into distinct right (Dreta) and left (Esquerra)neighbourhoods. Epitomizing the thrusting expansionism of Barcelonas earlyindustrial age, the Eixample is home to some of Europes most extraordinaryarchitecture, including Gauds astonishing CasaBatll and La Pedrera, as well asthe ever-growing Sagrada Famlia.

Beyond the Eixample lie the northern suburbs, notably Grcia, with its small squares and lively bars, and the nearbyPark Gell, while youll also come out thisway to reach the famous Camp Nou FC Barcelonastadium. Its worth making for the hills, too, where you can join the crowds atBarcelonas famous Tibidabo amusement park orescape them with a walk through the woods in the peaceful Parc de Collserola.

The good public transport links also make it easy to head further out of thecity. The mountaintop monastery of Montserratmakes the most obvious day-trip, not least for the extraordinary ride up to themonastic eyrie by cable-car or mountain railway. Sitges is the local beach town parexcellence, while with more time you can follow various trailsaround Catalunyas