Barcelona, a brief guide to the capital of Catalonia.

Barcelona, a brief guide to the capital of Catalonia

Whatever your interests, be sure not to miss a stroll along La Rambla. It is one of the city's landmark sights, a bustling thoroughfare where flower stalls and performance artists jostle for space. The historic center has a bohemian atmosphere which you can discover as you walk through the Gothic Quarter, and the Ribera and Raval districts. This is one of the world's best-preserved medieval quarters. However, if Barcelona is famous for anything, it must be the buildings in the Eixample. If you take a walk around this neighborhood you will be able to admire architectural masterpieces such as the Sagrada Familia and La Pedrera, among other wonders inherited from Antoni Gaudi - don't miss his Parc Guell - and the other architects of the city's homegrown art-nouveau movement, modernisme.

In this city, which overlooks the sea, you can enjoy a whole host of open spaces such as beaches, the Olympic Marina, Tibidabo or Montjuic and its surroundings. All in all, it is the ideal city to discover exceptional monuments and surprising places. The city has over 50 museums, showcasing permanent collections of works by artists such as Picasso, Joan Miro and Antoni Tapies. At the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya you can see one of the world's most important collections of Romanesque art. You will also find areas where you can play sports in the open air and a whole host of leisure attractions, such as the Tibidabo Amusement Park and the old harbor area, the Port Vell. The 1992 Olympic Games endowed the city with an extensive sporting infrastructure.

Barcelona has world-class facilities, suitable for sports training courses and top-level competitions, as well as amateur sports. And then there is FC Barcelona and their Camp Nou stadium, just outside the city. The stadium's museum offers the chance to really get to know Camp Nou by taking a tour, which takes visitors into the opposition changing rooms, down the tunnel and onto the pitch area. Fans can see the new dugouts and look out across the magnificent stadium. The alter, the TV studio, the press rooms and the directors area virtually complete the tour, with the one final surprise of a chance to enjoy a panoramic view of all FC Barcelona facilities. Cost is [euro]10.50 for the museum and tour or [euro]6.50 for the just the museum.

For more information:

http://www.fcbarcelona.com

http://www.barcelonaturisme.com