Pyrenees Guide

Barcelona is Spain's second city and one of the most dynamic and exciting cities on the western Mediterranean seaboard, sedulously promoting itself as a European metropolis, a link between the sub-Pyrenees peninsula and the heartland of Western Europe. The 1888 World's Fair became a symbol of the capacity for hard work and the international outlook projected by the city. Culture and the arts flourished in Barcelona and in all of Catalonia; the splendor achieved by Catalunya modernism is one of the most patent displays.

The Barri Gotic contains a concentration of medieval Gothic buildings only a few blocks northeast of La Rambla, and is the nucleus of old Barcelona. It's a maze of interconnecting dark streets linking with squares, and there are plenty of cafes and bars, as well as the cheapest accommodation in town. Most of the buildings date from the 14th and 15th century, when Barcelona was at the height of its commercial prosperity and before it had been absorbed into Castile.

Eixample means "extension". Thes Eixample district exists since 1860, after the demolition of the medieval ramparts. Today it is a vast commercial and residential district. Its perpendicular streets, give the city a new vision. A small Museum in the open air, the square d’Or concentrates the biggest number of modernistic buildings in the city. You can visit: La Sagrada Familia, Manzana de la Discordia, La Pedrera, Antonio Tapies Foundation, and the Museum of the Catalan Music.

The old harbour, Barcelona’s Port Vell, which stretches from the Columbus Monument to the Barceloneta, offers endless possibilities to enjoy your leisure time, such as Imax, Aquàrium or Maremàgnum, amongst others. Following a long historic process, the Port Vell, with its landmark buildings and monuments, now gleams like one of the most valuable pearls on the Mediterranean coast.

More info can be found at barcelonacity.org

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