When traveling to Barcelona, here are some of the must-see Spanish sights:

Catalan National Art Museum
Housed in the National Palace, the Catalan National Art Museum includes one of the most important Romanesque painting collections in the world.

Magic Fountain
Enjoy this spectacular show of water, lights, and music held in front of the National Palace every Sunday evening.

Football Club Barcelona Stadium (Camp Nou)
If you’re a football (soccer) fan, ask your Local Host for directions to view the stadium of the world-famous team. Maybe even see a match!

Barcelona Zoo, Aquarium, Cosmo Caixa Science Museum, Tibidabo Amusement Park
For some special family time, there’s plenty to do in Barcelona, including thrills and panoramic views at Tibidabo Amusement Park high above the city.

Sardanes Folk Dancing
The Sardana is Catalonia’s emblematic folk dance. See it on Saturdays (6:00-8:00 pm) and Sundays (12:00-2:00 pm) in the Cathedral Square.

Picasso Museum, Miro Foundation
The Picasso Museum is the reference center for the formative years (1887-1901) of Pablo Ruiz Picasso. With its complete collection of his early works, see the evolution of the master. Another exciting possibility for art lovers is the Miro Foundation to view the permanent collection of Joan Miro.

La Boqueria
Wander through Barcelona’s most popular food market, which dates back to the 12th century.

La Rambla, El Born, Barri Gotic
Sit back with a drink on La Rambla and watch street performers go by. Enjoy musicians, old-style shops, and flower, bird and souvenir stalls—the opportunities are endless on this famous tree-lined promenade.

Formerly one of the seediest sections of Barcelona, the El Born neighborhood with its medieval roots has seen a revival. It is now one of the hottest spots to shop and dine.

Barri Gotic, Barcelona’s Old City, is the perfect place to wind down at the end of the day. This section of town is filled with the best tapas bars.

The Olimpic Port
With great views of the Mediterranean, the Olimpic Port is a lovely place to stroll along the sea promenade, and there are plenty of fine restaurants. Specialties to try while in Barcelona include fish dishes, paella, Spanish omelet, Catalan cream for dessert, Catalan wines, and sparkling Cava.

Barcelona Beaches
Barcelona’s coastline is over 4 km. long and offers a wide variety of excellent beaches. Barceloneta beach is the closest to the city center and has many great seafood restaurants.

We hope that these Barcelona must-see sights will help you get more vacation from your vacation.  Make your trip even more unique and use our travel planning resources to help get your dream vacation underway. Start planning your European vacation today!

No Spain vacation is complete without viewing Gaudi’s famous works.  With his wildly inventive design sense, the architect Antonio Gaudí is revered in Barcelona today as the ultimate Catalan genius.  Every one of his buildings is a prized monument; his fantastical shapes and whimsical flourishes are reproduced on millions of souvenir T-shirts, mouse pads and coffee cups; there is even a campaign by local Catholics to have Gaudí canonized as a saint.

But ironically enough, while Gaudí was alive, Barceleños were by no means convinced of his brilliance – in fact, many civic leaders regarded him as a crank and a vandal who was defacing the neo-classical beauty of the city.  And Gaudí was, without doubt, an eccentric figure.  He was born into a wealthy family, and in his twenties seemed a typical gentleman boulavadier, devoting his time to frivolous café life and the half-hearted study of architecture, almost as a part-time hobby.

Everything changed when, at the age of 31, Gaudí’s proposal of marriage was rejected by the woman he loved.  Heart-broken, he took refuge in religion.  He turned his back on his family’s wealth and decided to live as an ascetic, wandering the city long-haired and in simple robes, eating only a diet of nuts and lettuce leaves dipped in milk.  But he continued designing buildings, which he now thought of as offerings to God, drawing on the patterns of Nature – the subtle flowing of water, the shapes of tree roots, the scales of fish or membranes of butterfly wings.  Read the rest of this entry »

We disembark from our river cruise journey to travel back to Spain, this time visiting the capital of Catalonia.

During our series on Barcelona vacations we will wonder down Las Ramblas to watch street performers, explore Gaudi’s most famous works including La Sagrada Familia, and relax at one of the city’s many beautiful beaches.  The city is also home to many museums such as the Picasso Museum and the Catalan National Art Museum.

Spain is a country steeped in history and culture. Sit back, enjoy a dish of paella, and prepare to enjoy a Barcelona getaway.

Catalan National Art Museum

Considered the Prado of Romanesque art, this museum is a must. Housed in the National Palace, it displays the world’s finest Romanesque and Gothic paintings, sculpture and metalwork, as well as the Catalan impressionists, art nouveau furniture, and religious art from the Thyssen Bornemisza collection.

El Born

Formerly one of the seediest sections of Barcelona, the El Born neighborhood with its medieval roots has seen a revival. It is now one of the hottest spots to shop and dine. Read the rest of this entry »