St. Louis Regis - Discover Barcelona Travel Guide

Welcome to Barcelona

A city of fabled architecture, inspiring museums and a world-class dining scene, Barcelona has long enchanted visitors. This is a city of narrow medieval lanes, elegant boulevards lined with sculpted buildings and sun-kissed beaches fronting the deep-blue Mediterranean. Galleries showcase Catalonias renowned artistic heritage, while inventive chefs carve a name for themselves in colourful dining rooms all across town. Barcelona is no less enchanting by nightfall, with its vintage 19th-century bars, historic concert halls and buzzing nightclubs and lounges.

Barcelonas architectural heritage dates back more than 700 years. At its core lies one of Europes best-preserved medieval centres. Centuries later, that heritage lent Gaud and his Modernista contemporaries the historical foundation and inspiration for some of their wildest architectural creations. Their adventurousness is in the citys DNA, and local and international architects continue to unleash their fantasies here.

Architecture is just one manifestation of Catalan creativity. The heady mix of Gothic monuments and contemporary skyscrapers is accompanied by a bevy of world-class museums that take you from the wonders of giant Romanesque frescos to the playfulness of Joan Mir, from pre-Columbian South American gold to early Picasso.

Barcelonins are passionate about their cooking. Thousands of restaurants offer an incredible palette for the palate, from traditional Catalan cuisine to the last word in 21st-century nueva cocina espaola . A plethora of tippling establishments and dance clubs also spreads in a hedonistic arc across the city drop into century-old taverns or glam it up in bright seaside bars.

Shoppers, meanwhile, may never make it to a museum. LEixample is filled with avenues lined with top boutiques and shopping galleries, while the meandering streets of the Ciutat Vella hide all manner of unique finds from vintage boutiques and record stores to wine sellers and handicraft shops.

Park Gell ()
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Barcelonas Top Experiences

La Sagrada Famlia ()

One of Barcelonas icons, this Modernista masterpiece remains a work in progress more than 80 years after the death of its creator, Antoni Gaud. Fanciful, profound, inspired by nature and barely restrained by a Gothic style, Barcelonas quirky temple soars skyward with an almost playful majesty. Stepping through its sculpted portals is like walking into a fairy tale, where a forest of columns branch toward the ceiling and light shimmers through brilliant stained-glass windows. Rich with beautifully wrought detail and packed with symbols, the basilica invites hours of contemplation.

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La Rambla ()

Sure, its the most touristy spot in town. But you cant come to Barcelona and not stroll down this famous pedestrian boulevard. Its sensory overload with a parade of people amid open-air cafes, fragrant flower stands, a much-overlooked mosaic by Joan Mir and rather surreal human sculptures. Key venues line both sides of the street, including the elegant Gran Teatre del Liceu () and several intriguing galleries.

JOSE FUSTE RAGA / CORBIS