description of barcelona essay

Back To The Top Of The Page

What Does it Take to Revive a City – A Case Study of Barcelona

Our cities are transforming rapidly, the causes could be unaccountable developments due to changes in infrastructure , advancements in technology or changes in other planning policies due to any national or international event. These instances can create a better-developed place or can also ruin the existing scenario. The way our cities are planned and have developed over time has a great impact on public life.

In ancient cities, we always notice that the public spaces are carved out based on experiences, the life of people in the cities were treated as the wealth of the spaces. As the development grew, theories and ideologies replaced the traditional values. Now, urban growth with technological advancements became the main focus. As a result, cities became more technologically renowned and car-centric, sidelining the ‘publicness’ of city spaces.

Taking the case of Barcelona, Spain, it is one of the greatest examples of a city rich with culture and traditions. The city was completely transformed into a rigid grid modernist planning layout by Ildefons Cerda in the 1850s. Each block was designed as low-rise built mass with wide sidewalks, crisscrossed by broad, tree-lined boulevards. The corners of each block are notched at 45-degree angles to allow more sunlight and air to flow through the streets. As per many urban thinkers, Cerdà’s design for Barcelona was perhaps the most famous large-scale urban master plan in the world and is often cited as a model for modern mixed-use neighborhoods.

But the major development that was done during the Olympics held in 1992 had a great impact on the city in terms of world-class infrastructure as well as getting worldwide recognition as a “Global City” holding Barcelona as a popular tourist destination.  Gradually, the city got overcrowded by tourists, real estate prices got high due to speculations, people were forced to move out of the city and the public areas were full of cars, noise, and air pollution.

The way the cities were planned by the urban planners and transport planners, neither of them could have imagined the actual effect of physical structures on human lives and behavior. Straight and wide roads not only allow cars to drive faster but also segregate or limit the adjacent neighborhood. Due to a hike in real estate, Gentrification becomes one of the major issues in cities. The lower-income groups find it a little difficult to stay in high rental properties and find it unaffordable to stay in cities. As a result, they are forced to move out of downtown and stay in the suburbs. Hence, they travel all throughout the city and get dependent on a private vehicle. As the use of cars grew, parking turned out to be one of the major issues in public places. Hence, most of the green spaces in the city got converted into parking lots killing the city’s public domain.

Similar characteristics were seen in Barcelona as well. Many of the fundamental elements of the city were scrapped over the years. Instead of having blocks with buildings on only two or three sides, the blocks got surrounded by built edges from all the four sides, parks disappeared and were used as parking arenas, height limits were ignored and open space was taken over by development. Many residents see congested, overcrowded streets and a shortage of places to walk their dogs. The domination of cars could easily be seen in the city. In 2014, the city faced a serious air pollution problem. According to studies conducted by vox, air pollution levels got above the European Union’s acceptable units and because of that about 3500 premature deaths happened.

So, how did the city tackle the situation?

Salvador Rueda, the director of the Urban Ecology Agency of Barcelona, tried to incorporate a concept of “superilles or superblocks” without disturbing the existing built mass or destructing any infrastructure. The main focus of this scheme was to eliminate cars, carving out approximately 70 percent of the city’s space into the public places. The main vision of superblocks is to revive the environment of the city by enhancing the liveability quotient and health concerns.

The Workability of superblocks in Barcelona is based on a simple collaboration of blocks. It consists of nine existing blocks made into a three by three block square. The vehicular traffic will be restricted on the perimeter of the superblock and one-way lanes with a speed limit of ten kilometers per hour whereas the rest of the internal streets are pedestrianized. At the intersections, there will be a steady traffic flow to allow the public as well as bicycle networks. Also, surface parking was taken underground.  So you are left with street spaces for the people to live, work and play, without any disturbance. The main agenda of this scheme is to emphasize on public transport and create better functioning traffic neighborhoods.

As this plan has already experimented in the city and reports showed that since 2007, pedestrian traffic has increased by 10 percent whereas cycling has gone up to 30 percent. Vehicular traffic in the city has reduced to 26 percent and 40 percent in the internal streets. This gives a positive sign towards the improvisation of the city towards a better environment as well as better living conditions for the inhabitant.

“Design cities for people, not cars” this statement by Jan Gehl gives a complete answer for city revival.  To make a city work, urban planners must opt for sustainable measures for mobility networks, environment-friendly techniques and most importantly human experience. Everyone should have easy access to the city’s streets, squares, and parks. These spaces actually define and reflect the city’s culture, values and traditions and give an opportunity for its residents to get themselves involved for better living. Hence, it is rightly said that the spaces between buildings, holds the whole city together.

Aarushi Gupta is a practicing Architect and Urban Designer who is fascinated by Indian cities and their culture. Born and brought up in Delhi, she has experienced the transformation the city has undergone and how it is adapting the change. She loves to capture the small yet powerful transitions that solves the issues of common people. Writing about cities is one of her dreams that she's going to fulfill through RTF.

KOI CAFE By Farming Architects

Lausanne Apartment By GOAA

Related posts.

Gender and Space in Architecture: A Historical Overview

Architectural Narratives: How Spaces Shape Perception and Life

The 15-Minute City: A Vision for Sustainable Urban Living

What Will Future Cities Look Like?

Gender Equity in the Built Environment- An Opportunity or a Challenge?

Contextualization: Towards a More Diverse Future Of Architecture

• Architectural Community
• Architectural Facts
• RTF Architectural Reviews
• Architectural styles
• City and Architecture
• Fun & Architecture
• History of Architecture
• Design Studio Portfolios
• Designing for typologies
• RTF Design Inspiration
• Architecture News
• Career Advice
• Case Studies
• Construction & Materials
• Covid and Architecture
• Interior Design
• Know Your Architects
• Landscape Architecture
• Materials & Construction
• Product Design
• RTF Fresh Perspectives
• Sustainable Architecture
• Top Architects
• Travel and Architecture
• Rethinking The Future Awards 2022
• RTF Awards 2021 | Results
• GADA 2021 | Results
• RTF Awards 2020 | Results
• ACD Awards 2020 | Results
• GADA 2019 | Results
• ACD Awards 2018 | Results
• GADA 2018 | Results
• RTF Awards 2017 | Results
• RTF Sustainability Awards 2017 | Results
• RTF Sustainability Awards 2016 | Results
• RTF Sustainability Awards 2015 | Results
• RTF Awards 2014 | Results
• RTF Architectural Visualization Competition 2020 – Results
• Architectural Photography Competition 2020 – Results
• Designer’s Days of Quarantine Contest – Results
• Urban Sketching Competition May 2020 – Results
• RTF Essay Writing Competition April 2020 – Results
• Architectural Photography Competition 2019 – Finalists
• The Ultimate Thesis Guide
• Introduction to Landscape Architecture
• Perfect Guide to Architecting Your Career
• How to Design Architecture Portfolio
• How to Design Streets
• Introduction to Urban Design
• Introduction to Product Design
• Complete Guide to Dissertation Writing
• Introduction to Skyscraper Design
• Educational
• Hospitality
• Institutional
• Office Buildings
• Public Building
• Residential
• Sports & Recreation
• Temporary Structure
• Commercial Interior Design
• Corporate Interior Design
• Healthcare Interior Design
• Hospitality Interior Design
• Residential Interior Design
• Sustainability
• Transportation
• Urban Design
• Host your Course with RTF
• Architectural Writing Training Programme | WFH
• Editorial Internship | In-office
• Graphic Design Internship
• Research Internship | WFH
• Research Internship | New Delhi
• RTF | About RTF
• Submit Your Story

Looking for Job/ Internship?

Rtf will connect you with right design studios.

Join our Adventure: Get all my insider tips for traveling on a budget

Travel Advisor

5 Ways to Describe Barcelona

Barcelona, Spain is the cosmopolitan CAPITOL.  Its architecture is so far from boring that I’m certain everyone that visits here will be able to vividly picture at least one of the unique buildings long after the return home.  It’s even a city on the sea – and it truly has something for everyone.

It is not the city in Spain to be ordering the sought out Paella dish (unless you really know where to go – otherwise save it for closer to the Valencia region of Spain). Sorry to bust the bubble of anyone that has been to Barcelona and thought they were getting the real deal. If you enjoyed it, then hey who am I to judge? But, I have been told by locals that most places that are advertising this dish are actually frozen and reheated.

This city is (thankfully) not the place to catch a bull fight. Bull fighting has been banned in Barcelona since 2011 and the Bull Arena has been converted into stores and businesses.

Barcelona IS however..

Easy to get around.

Like  Paris , the metro system is easy to use here and worth it.  Another fantastic option (that are all across major European Cities) is the HOHO bus (Hop on – Hop off bus) or as the Catalonians (people from this region of Spain) call it the ‘Bus Turistic’. This pass is very reasonable in price. I think we paid ~20 some euro for the one day pass and we could hop on and off all over town. There are 3 routes for which they will provide you a map. Most sites are accessible by foot, but the HOHO is worth it to get to some of the further sites.

Stick to asking only people that look under 30 years of age any questions in English here. Typically, the “younger” generation knows English better here, but the older folks… no so much.

If you like gothic architecture, stay in the Barri Gothic (Gothic Quarter). It’s also centrally located to just about anything. We enjoyed staying at the Hotel Colón . The Barcelona Cathedral was right outside our doorstep. There are mazes of small streets and some really great boutique shops. The Picasso museum which houses the largest collection of Picasso art is located here too, if that is your thing.

Take the Metro or HOHO (Hop on Hop off Bus) to the Sagrada Familia and prepare to be WOWed.  With your skip the line ticket in hand, bypass the line that circles entirely around the block and save yourself hours of waiting.

This masterpiece by Antoni Gaudi looks like a giant melting chocolate church and is probably the most visited tourist attraction in Barcelona. It is actually a Roman Catholic Church that is not expected to be completely finished until after ~2020. Gaudi passed away before he could see his masterpiece completed. Luckily, his blue prints were left behind. I took the picture above from across the street and in the back of the park and still could not get the entire thing in one shot.

The “melted chocolate” appearance is made up of an extensive collection of religious scenes within little coves and inlets of the facade. There is everything from the nativity scenes to the resurrection of Christ, final judgement, and so on. If you look closely, the details on every turn of this church are spectacular and rightfully so – the church has been under construction for well over 100 years.

The interior of this Catholic church boasts beautiful multicolored stain glass windows in bold colors and an interesting ceiling that from the main aisle, seems like you are walking through a path in the forest as the pillars rise up like trees.

Everything about this church is impressive, and the doors are no exception.

Not as easy to reach by metro, is Park Güell (another Gaudi masterpiece). It is close enough to the Sagrada Familia that you should consider seeing it while you are up that way. ‘Up that way’ translates to the furthest point from the water and other tourist attractions, and probably your hotel too if you’re staying in an area such as the Barri Gotic.  There isn’t a conveniently located metro stop close to the Park, so we opted to take a taxi. Gaudi’s unique tiled mosaics can be seen all throughout this park.

The list of Antoni Gaudi’s creations goes on and on and ON and they are all spread out across this magnificent city.  Try to find them all!

The well known street of Las Ramblas starts around Plaça Catalunya (the main center square) and runs to meet the statue of Christopher Columbus at Port Vell (the old harbor/port).At one point or another, you are bound to be on this street. It’s a good reference point as areas such as the Barri Gotic and La Bouqueria are easily accessibly from this main road.  Keep your purse and belongings secure . This is the #1 Tourist Destination for pick pocketing ( Rome is #2). This street boasts tons of stalls selling art, crafts, toys, animals, flowers and other random trinkets.

Interesting “statues” (which are people dressed up) in hopes that you’ll drop some cash in their buckets for taking a picture scatter Las Ramblas.

Located right off of Las Ramblas is the famous La Boqueria Market. I love the stained glass sign and panels in the front of this historic market. Your senses and your stomach can easily be overloaded in here, as it is bustling with people and rows of practically every food item under the sun. For cheaper eats (and drinks) and some sights to get you pointing at, stop in here.

For not so cheap eats and drinks, eat right on Las Ramblas. I would recommend branching off of Las Ramblas for food, as the restaurants right on the main street are targeted at tourists, overpriced, and most are nothing to write home about. They also all feature Paella pictures on their menus – another indication that this is not the place to be ordering Paella .

When your legs and mind need a rest, beer lovers can pop in to Kælderkold (“cold cellar” in Danish). The rotating keg list from a list includes beers of all families from breweries all over Europe. It is owned by some really friendly and welcoming Danish guys. They have mixed drinks here as well – the mojito was delicious. It’s located off of Las Ramblas -on the opposite side from La Boqueria.

Las Ramblas eventually brings you out at the ocean, where there is a harbor, a beach, an Aquarium, and best of all the smell and breeze of the ocean. The beach here is man-made, but hey it’s a beach. Stroll along and see what other interesting sightings you can find.

Other Things Worth Noting :

• Get a drink at the beachfront Hotel W on the top floor bar for panoramic city views.
• The Spaniards eat a large lunch and they eat dinner laaaate. No seriously, ~8pm – 11pm is their main dinner hours. Some restaurants don’t even reopen for dinner until 8pm. Because they eat this late, they typically serve Tapas (small plate appetizers) of different varieties.

• While I haven’t seen this for myself yet, I heard that the “Magic” Fountains  on Montjuïc (hill in Barcelona) put on an awesome show.
• Also on Montjuïc, is the Poble Espanyol or the “Barcelona Village” which was built to be a “real” Spanish Village representing all areas of Spain . This was built for a world exhibition and kept open ever since. Among the hundred buildings and squares are around 40 shops-open 365 days a year.

Share this:

Similar posts, hershey park, new orleans – a girls weekend guide to the big easy, venice – the floating city, palma de mallorca – superb flamenco in this island city, seville – quite possibly my favorite spanish city, dubrovnik’s catch 22 – how to experience & how to escape the old town, leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Barcelona’s remarkable history of rebirth and transformation

How the city grew, from pre-Christian Romans to Cerdà to the 1992 Olympics.

by David Roberts

The story below is a brief history of urban planning and transformation in Barcelona, Spain. It provides background and context for a five-part series about the city’s current comprehensive urban plan, which would reclaim more than half the streets now devoted to cars for mixed-use public spaces, or “superblocks.” You can find part one of that story here . This project was supported by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania , where the author, David Roberts, is a senior fellow.

Barcelona is in a perfect place for a city.

On the northeastern corner of the Iberian Peninsula, in the Spanish Levante, it sits on a plain of land about 5 kilometers wide, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the east, the Collserola mountains to the west, the Besòs river to the north, and the Llobregat river to the southwest.

It is a neatly defined and easily defensible area, with fertile soil, and it serves as the easiest passageway from the rest of the peninsula into Europe. Humans have been settling there, according to archeological remains, as far back as 5,000 BC.

The city’s origins trace back to the Romans, who settled in the area in 15 BC and, in the first century BC, built the medieval city of Barcino. It was small, surrounded by a wall roughly 1.5 kilometers in circumference, with the characteristic Roman grid of perpendicular streets.

In these modest beginnings are already visible two characteristics that would define Barcelona’s development over the years.

First, it began, and has always remained, a bounded and compressed city, dense from its founding. First physical walls and then the limits of geography have hemmed the city in and ensured that its residents are crammed tightly together.

And second, it has always been an intentional city, closely conceived and constructed by central planners. There have been very few periods of unplanned growth in Barcelona history. Unlike so many newer cities, it has not sprawled. Each new burst of growth has been on purpose; there has always been a plan.

Over the centuries, the city has been transformed again and again at the hands of visionaries, mostly notably architect Ildefons Cerdà , still considered one of history’s great urban planners.

Exploring that history can help illuminate the promise and perils that face Barcelona’s modern-day visionary, urban planner Salvador Rueda, who is now attempting to transform the city again, to prepare it for the coming rigors of climate change by making it less noisy, less polluted, and more walkable and sociable — all of which involves pushing back the tide of cars. (Read more about Rueda in part one of the five-part series on superblocks.)

Rueda’s plan would mean radical change — but Barcelona is used to that.

How Barcelona’s walls finally fell

After the Roman Empire fell in the fifth century CE, the years saw a series of conquests — Visigoths, Arabs, what have you — but they all reused the existing city.

In the Middle Ages, the city grew and became more complex, the center of a region known as Catalonia. An extended wall was built in 1260, and then in the 15th century, the wall was expanded again to encompass the new Raval neighborhood. The part of the plain outside the wall was used for agriculture to provision the city.

In 1714, the War of the Spanish Succession ended and Barcelona (having backed the the Habsburg rather than the Bourbon claimant to the throne of Spain) was on the losing side. Upon its surrender, in order to suppress any future challenge, Philip V abolished many of the city’s institutions and charters, built a fortress citadel to keep an eye on it, and forbid Barcelona to grow beyond its medieval walls.

Remarkably, the wall around the city stayed in place — hemming in a growing population and almost completely separating the city from the sea next to it — for two more centuries. By the middle of the 19th century, population density was the highest in Spain, working conditions were miserable, sewage was out of control, water was dirty, and the city was struck by a series of cholera epidemics and riots.

By 1854, when the Spanish government finally gave permission to take the wall down, it was one of the most hated structures in Europe. Townspeople immediately went at it with crowbars and pickaxes; it took 12 years to completely remove it.

Then came one of the most extraordinary and underappreciated chapters in urban design history — a chapter that, though 175 years in the past, contains many omens and warnings for Barcelona’s current efforts.

Cerdà’s utopian plan for Barcelona

As soon as the wall’s demolition was announced, plans began for an expansion of the city. In 1855, the central Spanish government approved a plan by architect Ildefons Cerdà .

Cerdà is a legendary figure in urban planning circles, farsighted and progressive even by today’s standards. (Among other things, he is credited with coining the term urbanización .) Trained as a civil engineer, over time he developed a range of skills, from mapmaking to surveying to public health analysis. He was eventually involved in virtually every area of the city’s planning.

Cerdà was horrified by the conditions of the working class in Barcelona and set out to make his extension of the city — the Ensanche in Spanish, or in Catalan, as the district is still known today, the Eixample — a model of orderly, clean, safe, hygienic urban living.

Two things are worth noting about Cerdà’s plan.

First, he took what was, for the time, an exceptionally holistic view of urban quality. He wanted to ensure that each citizen had, on a per capita basis, enough water, clean air, sunlight, ventilation, and space. His blocks were oriented northwest to southeast to maximize daily sun exposure.

And second, his plan embodied what is — then and today — a striking egalitarianism. Each block ( manzana ) was to be of almost identical proportions, with buildings of regular height and spacing and a preponderance of green space. Commerce was to take place on the ground floor, the bourgeoisie were to live on the floor above (rather than in mansions at the edge of town), and the workers were slated for the upper floors. In this way, they would all share the same streets and public spaces, exposed to the same hygienic conditions, reducing social distance and inequality.

Each 20-square-block district was meant to be largely self-contained, with its own shops and civic facilities. Hospitals, parks, and plazas were to be spaced evenly throughout the city, to maximize equality of access.

Excluding the already developed Old Town and the two diagonal avenues intended to bisect the plain, the pattern of regular rectilinear blocks (exactly 113.3 by 113.3 meters, for 12,370 square meters, with at least 800 square meters for gardens) was to be replicated all the way to the borders of nearby settlements. The streets were to be wide enough to allow for the free flow of pedestrians, goods, and commerce (in the original plan, 35 meters wide).

In 1859, in response to criticisms, Cerdà released a modified version of the plan, with narrower streets no more than 20 to 30 meters wides and somewhat deeper buildings, with more room for commerce. The plan was approved by royal decree in 1860.

One of the plan’s most crucial and enduring features is its reliance on short, regular blocks. As the Romans knew, and city planners have since rediscovered , the hypodamic plan (or hippodamian, named after the ancient planner Miletus), with its short blocks and orthogonal streets, encourages walking, mixing, and vibrant street life.

A regular grid is comprehensible and easily navigable. There are multiple routes to any destination and regularly spaced choices. Because almost all streets are the same, it promotes the dispersion of foot traffic and street life.

Though Cerdà’s manzanas were (and are) criticized for their uniformity — the sameness is said to leave no room for great monuments or idiosyncratic artistry — it is just that underlying uniformity that has proven so endlessly adaptable.

The repeating structure of the blocks means that as social and economic circumstances change, old buildings can be shifted in use or ripped out, or multiple buildings combined. “You can change a building to introduce housing, a school, a hotel, or offices; you just need to put a building between two others that exist,” says Miguel Corominas Ayala, a professor at the Barcelona School of Architecture. “It’s very rigid geometrically, but it’s very flexible in use.”

Like Legos, the blocks have been built and rebuilt many times, for many different uses. (In the US, perhaps only Manhattan and Washington, DC, have similarly long experience with similarly regular blocks.)

Originally, each of Cerdà’s blocks was to have buildings on just two sides (sometimes three), occupying less than 50 percent of the total area, with the bulk of the interior space devoted to gardens and green space. The buildings were to be low enough (no more than 20 meters tall and 15 to 20 meters deep) to allow for almost continuous sunlight in the interiors during the day.

The goal was to combine the advantages of rural living (green space, fresh air and food, community) with the advantages of urban living (commerce, culture, free flow of goods and ideas).

Though Cerdà designed the city before automobiles, he included wide streets and his famous chamfered (45-degree) corners in anticipation of urban steam trams distributing goods and people. They would need lots of room to turn. (Seriously.) The design has, to Barcelona’s current dismay, proven extraordinarily accommodating to motor vehicles. Many of the areas created by the chamfered corners are now used for parking.

Along with his design, Cerdà also developed a strict set of economic principles and building bylaws governing the construction of the manzanas, to ensure that his vision was implemented. But when the Spanish government selected his plan in 1860, it did not ratify his principles and bylaws. That turned out to be significant.

Cerdà’s original design was a humanitarian marvel. If it had been built as conceived and survived to the present day, it would count among the world’s most progressive urban plans.

But that was not its fate. It was (eventually, mostly) implemented, but not as Cerdà envisioned. In fact, he was shunned by the city and his work fell into virtual obscurity.

What happened? The fate of Cerdà’s plan is a cautionary tale about the dangers that await Salvador Rueda’s.

Cerdà’s original plan fell victim to greed and politics

Though in many ways, Cerdà’s plan won in the end — its legacy is still clearly visible in Barcelona’s Eixample — it was compromised by commercial and political considerations from the outset.

In its initial form, it won approval from the (progressive) Spanish government and Barcelona city hall. But in 1856, a conservative shift in government led to the appointment of a new city council, which ignored the plan and held a competition to select its own plan.

Even as, in 1859, the royal government was approving Cerdà’s plan, the city government announced the winner: a plan by architect Antoni Rovira.

The Rovira plan reflected the conservative tastes of the city’s wealthy and powerful. It was more traditional, built around the Old Town center, with a hierarchy of wider to smaller streets. It made room for grand monuments and architecture. And it segregated the bourgeoisie in the center from the workers on the periphery.

The Spanish government ignored Rovira’s plan and pushed forward with Cerdà’s, but in Barcelona, the Catalan-friendly city government and the working classes alike saw it as an imposition from outside. They resented it.

(For a nice account of this chapter in urban planning history, see 1997’s “ Constructing a City: The Cerdà Plan for the Extension of Barcelona ,” by Eduardo Aibar and Wiebe E. Bijker, then of the universities of Barcelona and Maastricht, respectively.)

In part due to local resistance, Cerdà’s plan was implemented slowly. It was 20 years before 250 square acres were built, 50 before one of the main avenues went in (the other never did). Cerdà’s plans for reform of the Old Town, requiring a great deal of expropriation of wealthy people’s land, were largely discarded.

And the implementation was poorly regulated. Few of the blocks followed Cerdà’s guidelines; in 1872, some 90 percent were estimated to be in violation. Commercial pressures meant that blocks set aside for schools and other civic facilities were given over to commerce and industry.

Buildings were often built on all four sides of the blocks’ interiors, rather than two. By 1890, the buildings occupied an average of 70 percent of the block’s area. By 1958, the total volume of space on the manzanas occupied by buildings had grown from Cerdà’s envisioned 67,200 square meters to 294,771. The blocks have only been built up further since.

The interiors of the blocks, which became somewhat gloomy and closed off, were often turned over to parking or shopping, or simply neglected (though many are among the city’s landmarks and many more are being revived today).

Nonetheless: The Eixample got built. And though it has become crowded, loud, and paved over, it remains one of the most in-demand and expensive areas of the city. The basic system of manzana Legos that Cerdà envisioned has proven incredibly adaptable and resilient.

Urban transformation in Barcelona after Cerdà

Cerdà’s plan laid the groundwork for the Barcelona that exists today, but subsequent events made the city into a global tourist destination and led to its current congestion.

In 1888, Barcelona (which by then was home to 450,000 people) hosted the Universal Exhibition, a celebration of Catalan culture and the city’s growing influence. The event prompted urban upgrades throughout the city, including a new sewage and water system, and ushered in the architectural era of modernism, with several grand new structures built throughout the city.

Held in a park on the grounds that once housed Philip V’s citadel, it was a huge success, drawing more than 2 million visitors and helping to cement Barcelona’s reputation as a premier European city.

(The architectural works of Antoni Gaudí, for which the city is famous, date to roughly this era and through the turn of the century.)

In 1929, the city, which had since grown to encompass six smaller settlements around it, hosted the International Exhibition, which brought more improvements, like public toilets and the complete replacement of gas lights with electric.

Then, after a series of political convulsions, the Spanish monarchy fell in 1931. That led to another fascinating episode in Barcelona urban planning history — a path not taken.

The modernist transformation of Barcelona that never happened

In the early 1930s, a group of architects called GCATSPAC (Catalan Group of Technical Architects for the Solution of Problems of Contemporary Architecture) conceived a new plan for the city that would have meant a thorough transformation. The group was led by architect Josep Lluís Sert, a follower and eventually colleague of the famous French rationalist architect Le Corbusier.

Le Corbusier helped GCATSPAC develop the Macià Plan, which reconceived Barcelona along grand modernist lines, as a political and cultural capital.

The plan contained all the aspirations and flaws of modernism. In its way, it was humanitarian, with great attention paid to the hygiene and green space needed by workers. In fact, it was in large part conceived to preempt a revolution of the working classes.

But it also would have imposed a rigid artificial order on the city, with all uses separated into distinct areas: residential, industrial, civic, and leisure. Everything was to be huge — the new roads, the skyscrapers, the monuments. A proper, “rational” modern city.

City planners have since come to rediscover what Cerdà knew in the 19th century: Part of the strength of a city is in mixing diverse uses and people together. Cities that separate their functions into distinct areas, the urban equivalent of monocrops, tend to render them all lifeless, as suburban American cities have discovered again and again.

Regardless, the Macià Plan was never implemented . Instead, a civil war arrived, which ended in 1939 with the ascension of Gen. Francisco Franco, a fascist dictator who would rule over Spain, violently suppress Catalan culture, and largely neglect Barcelona until his death in 1975.

The period was anomalous in the city’s urban history, characterized by mainly unregulated construction using cheap materials, often in suburbs at the periphery of the city, to quickly accommodate workers moving from other parts of Spain.

The end of dictatorship and the arrival of democracy set off a series of small, locally focused, often self-funded urban improvements, which bolstered the city enough to win it the 1992 Summer Olympics. And the Olympics led to the biggest urban transformation since Cerdà’s.

The 1992 Olympics made Barcelona a global tourist destination

Barcelona’s strategy around the Olympics was so novel, progressive, and successful that it has been studied ever since . (London explicitly looked to the “Barcelona model” when preparing for the 2012 Olympics.)

Rather than focusing on a few large sports venues — which often become “white whales” when events are over — Barcelona spread new investment across the city, funding structural upgrades that would outlast the event.

Most notably, where the Poblenou district met the water, rundown industrial facilities were removed and replaced by an Olympic village, with new residences that became market housing afterward. The beach on Barceloneta was extended two miles north, across Poblenou, opening a huge stretch of renewed waterfront to city dwellers and tourists. A new port (the Olympic Port) was built to accommodate increased tourism.

Ring roads ( rondas ) were constructed around the city to enable smooth transportation between venues and reduce congestion. Montjuïc, the mountain at the southern end of Barcelona, got the Olympic stadium and an iconic Olympic pool overlooking the city.

Along with a range of other projects and new green spaces, the 1992 Olympics transformed Barcelona into a fully modern global city and a hugely popular tourist destination.

In 1999, the Royal Institute of British Architects took the unprecedented step of awarding its Royal Gold Medal for Architecture not to an individual architect, as in years past, but to a city: Barcelona , for its “ambitious yet pragmatic urban strategy,” which has “transformed the city’s public realm, immensely expanded its amenities and regenerated its economy, providing pride in its inhabitants and delight in its visitors.”

In recent years, Barcelona has been grappling with the consequences of its spiraling success, familiar to many growing cities: It is overrun by tourists, real estate prices are rising due to foreign speculation, gentrification is pushing out longtime residents, and there are too many cars, bringing with them noise, air pollution, and congestion.

In a city as compressed and crowded as Barcelona, these problems are no longer tolerable. The task for urban planners now is to harness the city’s success in service of yet another transformation, into a model for the 21st century, designed around people and public spaces rather than motor vehicles.

Can a modern city really take back most of its streets from cars? It seems far-fetched, but Barcelona has been through major changes before. The current city administration is in the midst of implementing an urban plan that is a successor to Cerdà’s — if anything, even more ambitious. If it is completed (a very big if), every single resident of the city would have direct access to walkable, mixed-use public spaces. Every resident would live in a superblock.

Read all about it in our five-part series .

Most Popular

• Why India’s star wrestler was disqualified at the Olympics
• How Tim Walz actually handled the George Floyd protests in Minnesota
• “Trump is weird” will only get Kamala Harris so far
• Take a mental break with the newest Vox crossword
• Humanity is failing one of its greatest moral tests

Today, Explained

Understand the world with a daily explainer plus the most compelling stories of the day.

This is the title for the native ad

More in Climate

The long, maddening, glorious, vital fight against factory farming.

Animal rights must become a core issue for progressives.

The neglected environmental and health benefits of fighting Big Meat — for humans.

Organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund are laundering Big Meat’s propaganda. At what cost?

Should we help wild animals get to better habitats to survive?

Believing we’re invulnerable to emergencies isn’t going to work.

• Contributors : About the Site

Newgeography.com

• Urban Issues
• Small Cities
• Demographics

• © 2024 New Geography
• CONTRIBUTORS :
• PRIVACY POLICY
• Stay up to date:

Houstonia Magazine

• Eat & Drink
• Arts & Culture
• Style & Shopping
• Travel & Outdoors
• News & City Life
• Home & Real Estate
• Gift Guides
• Health & Wellness

Beautiful Barcelona, a City Like No Other

By Bill Wiatrak January 21, 2016

La Sagrada Familia

Image: Marina99 / Shutterstock.com

There’s a story that one of the kings of Catalonia   had a lisp so bad, he said “Ibitha” instead of “Ibiza” and “Barthelona” instead of “Barcelona.” To avoid offending him, the people of the area started pronouncing their words the same way. Although the story is probably just a myth, it’s still a good one to perhaps partially explain the striking Catalonian accent you'll encounter when visiting Barcelona, the capital of the region.

Beautiful Barcelona is the second-largest metropolis in Spain and a world class city, vibrant, full of history and a must see on any European itinerary. You may hear people say that Barcelona doesn’t feel like the rest of Spain, and this is true—partly because the area is an autonomous region in the country, one in which the Catalonians seem to have created their own version of Iberia with their own language and culture. There’s a vibe that gives the city its own identity.

Unless you’ve visited Barcelona or studied architecture, you may never have heard of Antonio Gaudi, but Gaudi is considered by most to be the “face” of Barcelona. His inspiring architecture eclipses almost anything you might have seen. His buildings scattered throughout the city are best described as whimsical, organic, Seussical and nonsensical, although there’s truly nothing nonsensical about any of his grand designs.

Image: Luciano Mortula / Shutterstock.com

One of the highlights of Barcelone and Gaudi is the architect's famous Park Guell. Here, a mixture of buildings that resemble what Atlantis may have looked like if it were made of gingerbread houses is bordered with colorful mosaic tiles. There’s strange layered rock buildings scattered through the area with tiled lizards, bizarre fountains and strange structures that look more like cartoons than reality. The Gaudi museum is located here, with tourists coming in droves to snap photos next to the magical structures, but Gaudi’s most famous work is located nearby in the heart of the city.

La Sagrada Familia, or the Church of the Holy Family, is the symbol that most people associate with Barcelona. This basilica is probably the most unique church in the world. From a distance it resembles a cross between The Emerald City and Jabba the Hutt’s palace with outlandish carvings and impossible statues adorning its walls. The church was started in the late 1800s and was only 25 percent completed by the time of Gaudi’s death in 1926. Far from finished, the basilica is still being built to this day as more and more quirky bits are added on to the facade. It’s scheduled to be finished around 2026, a century after it’s creator’s death.

All of Gaudi’s buildings were built to use natural light and the environment to its best use—needless to say, old Antonio was a “green” architect way ahead of his time. Another one of his buildings, the Casa Battlo, was declared a UNESCO site a decade ago and to celebrate the anniversary, a 3D dragon video was projected onto the building in December 2015 . You can see a clip here .

Palau de la Musica Catalana

Image: Rodrigo Garrido / Shutterstock.com

Gaudi’s teacher was named Lluis Domenech Montaner, and also has a few architectural surprises scattered around Barcelona as well. His Palau de la Musica Catalana is a century-old working concert venue that hosts famous musicians from all over the world. The architecture is so stunning that the building is listed as a UNESCO site as well. For a unique experience, you can book a ticket for a performance and while you’re listening to the music, marvel at the incredible statues, tiles, glass work and detail in this wondrous auditorium. There aren't many cities in the world that rival the buildings of Barcelona. This one is definitely worth a look.

Buy maybe buildings aren’t your thing; that's okay—some of the finest artists from the last century also lived in Catalonia and left their legacy, which you can visit today. Pablo Picasso lived in Barcelona and contributed an amazing museum of his work in the city. About an hour north of Barcelona, one can visit the Salvador Dali Theatre-Museum. This amazing building was built by Dali himself and has the largest collection of his works in any single place. Dali was a rock star artist through most of the 20th century and his collection here is one of the most unique art exhibits on the planet. Contemporary Joan Miró was another famous Barcelonian artist whose works can also be seen scattered throughout his home town.

Las Ramblas is a long colonnade that stretches from a colossal Christopher Columbus statue near the port, to Plaça de Catalunya, or Catalan Square, near the center of town. This pedestrianized street is full of restaurants, flower stalls, performing artists, souvenir shops and is a great place to stroll, buy local goods or simply people watch. It passes through the Gothic Quarter, home to historical streets and ancient beautiful architecture. Nearby is the Barcelona Market, which has exquisite displays of food and drinks. Marzipan, seafood, fruits, chocolates, olives and local culinary wonders line the aisles. You can sip fresh juices, sample octopus salad, try a spinach empanada or just get one of everything.

Las Ramblas

Image: peresanz / Shutterstock.com

If you are a real foodie, however, you'll want to make the trek an hour north of Barcelona to El Celler de Can Roca. It’s quite unlikely you’ll get in this place unless you’re friends with Donald Trump or you made a reservation a year ago, but it was recently voted the best restaurant in the world. Not just a great restaurant, but the best.  While getting a table is a Herculean task, the good news is Barcelona is full of lots of other great eateries from that range in their offerings from comfort food to pure artistry and gastronomical science. The sample the true Barcelona experience, however, just drink a glass of Sangria and savor some tapas  in a little cafe on Las Ramblas.

Besides being an amazing city to visit, Barcelona is a great hub for cruises to the Mediterranean or Canary Islands. One can fly in just a little over half an hour to Ibiza or one of the other Balearic Islands. Nearby Montserrat Abbey is only 30 miles west and makes a great day trip. Andorra is only a couple of hours drive away, and besides offering great skiing in the Pyrenees, you’ll have bragging rights to visiting a country many of your friends have probably never heard of.

There’s an energy to the city of Barcelona that becomes infectious. It’s been the home of some of the best artists, architects and musicians in the world and it’s full of their contributions. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it here: great food, amazing art, beautiful architecture, fine wine and you’ll even be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t speak English.

Related Content

Globe-Trotters

Menil Collection Curators Travel the World to Bring Art to Houston

03/11/2024 By Elisabeth Carroll Parks Illustrations by Lars Leetaru

Houstonians Are Spending Top Dollar to Lift Their Homes

06/05/2024 By Diane Cowen

An Art Lover's Guide to Free Museums in Houston

07/30/2024 By Houstonia Staff

The Great Disconnection

How Detached Townhouses Took Over Houston

06/04/2024 By Daniel Renfrow

Barcelona Spain

What To See & Do

 Barcelona Spain

Barcelona Spain is the capital of Catalonia and one of the most visited cities in the world.  It is Spain’s second largest city, home to some of Europe’s most famous attractions, including the Sagrada Familia , Mount Tibidabo, Montserrat and Las Ramblas.

The city boasts a lively cosmopolitan atmosphere and charm and warmth found nowhere else in Spain. This is where art, architecture, and culture fuse together perfectly offering something for everyone.

What is Referenced in this Guide?

• All about Barcelona
• Best places to see and visit in Barcelona
• La Sagrada Familia
• Interesting Facts

Placa de Catalunya

Casa batllo, montjuic park, picasso museum, barcelona football stadium.

• Palau de la Musica

The Gothic Quarter

Barceloneta beach, la boqueria market, parc ciutadella, the olympic stadium.

• Barcelona Festivals
• Dining out in Barcelona
• Unusual things to do
• Getting around Barcelona
• Useful links
• Where to stay in Barcelona
• Hotels and Rental Properties

All About Barcelona Spain

Barcelona is one of the most visited destinations in Europe, and once you have spent a couple of days here, you will understand why.

This vibrant and charming city has something for everyone, from world-class museums to historic landmarks, and a culinary scene that's the envy of the world.

Barcelona enjoys a Mediterranean climate, with hot summers and mild winters. The best time to visit is from April to June or from September to November when the weather is pleasant and the crowds are thinner.

By far, the most famous landmark is the Basilica Sagrada Familia , a breathtaking Gothic structure designed by the legendary architect Antoni Gaudi.

Other must-see sites include the Gothic Quarter, Park Guell, Casa Batllo , and Casa Mila as well as popular sites such as Las Ramblas, the Picasso Museum and the Placa de Cataluyna,

The most popular beaches are Barceloneta, Mar Bella, and Bogatell. They're perfect for sunbathing, swimming, water sports, or simply for chilling out and watching amazing sunsets.

Barcelona  is also home to some of the best restaurants in the world, and currently home to around 19 Michelin Starred Restaurants including the legendary El Bulli, Lasarte, Abac and Moments.

To Save money use the Hola Barcelona Travel Card , an amazing way to explore Barcelona on the cheap. With it, you can experience the beauty of the city and uncover its many treasures without having to worry about buying individual tickets.

DOWNLOAD FREE e-GUIDES

Join Today and Get Access to Exclusive FREE Content, Travel Tips and downloadable e-Guides

SIGN UP HERE

Best places to see and visit in Barcelona Spain

The church of  la sagrada familia.

By far the city's most famous landmark is the Sagrada Familia church , and for good reason, this is Gaudi’s most well-known masterpiece in the heart of the Catalan capital. It is by far Spain's most visited tourist attraction with over four million visitors each year.

The compelling structure is mesmerising due to its sheer beauty and highly unique architecture, a combination of Gothic and modern.

You can access different parts of the church including the museum, shop, nave, crypt, and towers. Opening hours for public visits are between 9 am to 6 pm during the winter months and until 8 pm during the summer. Various guided and unguided tours are available along with audio-guided tours, and discounts are available for groups and school parties.

The structure of the building is immense and ongoing and respected by architects from around the world. It was started in 1882 and with the accelerated works now in full swing it is hoped that the masterpiece will be finished by 2026.

Parc Güell in Barcelona is a magical and whimsical park that showcases the creative genius of renowned architect Antoni Gaudí.

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a must-visit destination for its unique blend of nature and architectural marvels.

The park is characterised by Gaudí's signature style, featuring colourful mosaics, organic shapes, and fantastical structures. The iconic terrace offers panoramic views of Barcelona's skyline and the Mediterranean Sea, while the vibrant mosaic-covered dragon staircase stands as a striking symbol of the park.

You can explore the park's winding paths, tranquil gardens, and fascinating architectural details. The famous "Gaudí House Museum" is also located within the park, offering insights into the life and works of the visionary architect.

Parc Güell is a place where imagination comes to life, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the beauty of Gaudí's creations and be enchanted by the whimsical atmosphere.

5 Interesting facts about Barcelona

• With 4.5km of coastline and seven beaches, National Geographic consider Barcelona to be the best beach city in the world.
• A quirky mix of Gothic and Modernist architecture, there isn’t a city in the world that offers the contrast of building styles you will find in Barcelona.
• Sports fans have a choice of venues to visit in Barcelona. Camp Nou, where Barcelona FC play their home games is one of the most visited stadiums in the world and a tour is highly recommended.
• The Olympic Stadium was first built for the 1929 International Expo and completely renovated when Barcelona hosted the premier sporting event in 1992.
• La Rambla is probably the most famous street in Barcelona but it’s actually made up of 5 boulevards which have joined together to create one 2km long promenade. This is why you will often here it referred to in its plural form of Las Ramblas.

La Rambla is a vibrant and iconic boulevard located in the heart of Barcelona, Spain.

Stretching for about 1.2 kilometres, it serves as a popular gathering place for both locals and tourists alike. The lively atmosphere of La Rambla is filled with street performers, flower stalls, outdoor cafes, and bustling shops.

Strolling down La Rambla, you can admire the beautiful architecture, historic buildings, and unique street art that line the avenue.

One of the notable landmarks is the famous Boqueria Market, a food lover's paradise offering a variety of fresh produce, local delicacies, and gastronomic delights.

La Rambla also provides access to several notable attractions, including the Gothic Quarter, the vibrant Plaça Reial, and the renowned Liceu Opera House. It is a vibrant hub of activity day and night, offering a lively ambience for leisurely walks, shopping, and people-watching.

However, you should be aware of your surroundings and take precautions against pickpocketing, as the popularity of La Rambla makes it a target for petty crimes.

Nonetheless, experiencing the energy and charm of La Rambla is an essential part of any visit to Barcelona Spain, providing a glimpse into the vibrant culture and lively spirit of the city.

Plaça de Catalunya, located in the heart of Barcelona, is a bustling square that serves as the city's central hub.

This expansive square connects the city's historic and modern districts, making it a vibrant meeting point and a popular starting point for exploring Barcelona.

Plaça de Catalunya is adorned with beautiful fountains, sculptures, and lush green spaces, providing a tranquil oasis amidst the urban hustle.

The square is surrounded by iconic landmarks, including luxury shopping boutiques, department stores, and renowned hotels. I

t is also a major transportation hub, with multiple bus and metro lines converging at this central point.

As a gathering place for both locals and tourists, Plaça de Catalunya offers a lively atmosphere filled with street performers, musicians, and artists showcasing their talents.

It is a perfect spot to relax, people-watch, and soak up the vibrant energy of Barcelona Spain.

From Plaça de Catalunya, you can easily access other notable attractions, such as Las Ramblas, the Gothic Quarter, and Passeig de Gracia.

Casa Batllo is an architectural masterpiece located in the heart of Barcelona, Spain.

Designed by the renowned architect Antoni Gaudí, this iconic building showcases the distinctive style of Catalan Modernism.

With its imaginative and whimsical design, Casa Batllo stands as a testament to Gaudi's creativity and innovation.

The façade of Casa Batllo is a sight to behold, adorned with colourful mosaics, sculpted balconies resembling masks, and a roof resembling the spine of a dragon. The interior is equally mesmerizing, featuring intricate details, organic shapes, and a play of light and colour that creates a surreal atmosphere.

Visiting Casa Batllo is one of the best experiences you will have when visiting Barcelona as it offers a unique opportunity to explore Gaudí's vision and immerse oneself in his architectural genius.

Guided tours provide insights into the history and symbolism of the building, allowing visitors to appreciate the thoughtfulness and craftsmanship behind every element.

Casa Batllo is a true architectural gem that captures the imagination and leaves a lasting impression on all who have the pleasure of experiencing its unique beauty.

Montjuic Park, located in Barcelona, is a sprawling hilltop oasis that offers a perfect escape from the bustling city below. T

his expansive green space is not only a natural retreat but also a cultural and recreational hub.

Montjuic Park is home to numerous attractions, including the iconic Montjuic Castle, which provides panoramic views of Barcelona's skyline and the Mediterranean Sea.

The park also features beautifully landscaped gardens, peaceful walking paths, and picturesque viewpoints.

Visiting Montjuic Park you can explore the impressive Olympic Stadium, which hosted the 1992 Olympic Games, and the Montjuic Magic Fountain, known for its mesmerising light and water shows.

Art enthusiasts will appreciate the Joan Miro Foundation, a museum dedicated to the renowned Catalan artist.

Beyond its cultural and historical significance, Montjuic Park offers outdoor activities such as hiking, picnicking, and even cable car rides.

The park's natural beauty, coupled with its breathtaking views and diverse attractions, make it a must-visit destination in Barcelona.

The Picasso Museum in Barcelona is a treasure trove of artistic masterpieces. Located in the vibrant Born neighbourhood, this museum pays tribute to the renowned artist Pablo Picasso.

The collection showcases a diverse range of works, spanning different periods of Picasso's career, from his early years to his iconic blue and rose periods.

Housed in several medieval palaces, the museum provides a unique setting that enhances the viewing experience.

You can immerse yourself in Picasso's artistry and gain insight into his evolution as an artist. The collection includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, and engravings, offering a comprehensive exploration of Picasso's artistic journey.

There are a number of guided tours that you can book in advance . This is a must-visit destination for art lovers and fans of Picasso alike.

A guided stadium tour of Camp Nou, the iconic home of FC Barcelona, is an exhilarating experience for all football enthusiasts.

This legendary stadium offers you a chance to step into the world of one of the most prestigious football clubs in the world.

The guided tour takes you through the stadium's hallowed grounds, allowing you to explore the locker rooms, the players' tunnel, and the pitch itself.

You can also visit the team's museum, which houses an extensive collection of memorabilia, trophies, and interactive exhibits showcasing the club's rich history.

With knowledgeable guides providing insights into the club's heritage, you'll gain a deeper understanding of FC Barcelona's legacy and its iconic players.

Whether you're a die-hard fan or simply curious about football, a guided stadium tour of Camp Nou is a must-do experience that immerses you in the passion and excitement of this renowned football institution.

»  Book tours of Camp Nou .

Palau de la Musica 

The Palau de la Musica is one of the most impressive concert halls in the world. This historic building was designed by architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner in the modernist style and opened its doors in 1908.

The Palau is known for its stunning stained glass ceiling and ornate façade. The hall is home to a variety of musical performances, from classical to jazz, and has hosted some of the world's most famous musicians.

Visitors can take a guided tour to learn about the history of the building and see the impressive interior firsthand. It's a must-see attraction for music lovers visiting Barcelona.

The Gothic Quarter in Barcelona, known as Barri Gotic, is a captivating neighbourhood that embodies the city's rich history and charm.

With its narrow winding streets and medieval architecture, this area is a treasure trove for history buffs and explorers.

As you wander through the Gothic Quarter, you'll encounter significant landmarks such as the Barcelona Cathedral, a magnificent Gothic masterpiece.

The neighbourhood is also home to charming squares like Plaça Reial, bustling with restaurants, cafes, and a vibrant atmosphere.

Exploring the Gothic Quarter offers a glimpse into Barcelona's past, with remnants of ancient Roman walls, hidden courtyards, and picturesque alleys waiting to be discovered.

The area is dotted with boutique shops, art galleries, and traditional Catalan eateries, providing a unique blend of old and new.

From quaint shops selling handmade crafts to hidden gems like the Jewish Quarter, the Gothic Quarter offers a captivating mix of architectural wonders, cultural sites, and local experiences.

Barceloneta Beach and Promenade in Barcelona Spain is a vibrant coastal haven that attracts both locals and tourists seeking sun, sand, and relaxation.

Located in the lively Barceloneta neighbourhood, this popular beach offers a perfect escape from the bustling city.

The sandy shores of Barceloneta Beach stretch for miles, inviting visitors to bask in the Mediterranean sun and take a refreshing dip in the turquoise waters.

The beach is equipped with amenities like beach bars, restaurants, and rental services for sun loungers and umbrellas, ensuring a comfortable seaside experience.

Adjacent to the beach is the lively Barceloneta Promenade, a bustling pedestrian pathway lined with palm trees, cafes, and seafood restaurants.

This scenic promenade is perfect for a leisurely stroll, bike ride, or people-watching.

Barceloneta Beach and Promenade serve as a hub of activity, offering opportunities for water sports, beach volleyball, and even yoga classes by the shore.

The Boqueria Market in Barcelona Spain is a foodie's paradise and is now one of the go-to places to visit when in Barcelona.

This vibrant and historic market has been in operation since the 13th century and is now home to over 300 vendors selling everything from fresh produce to seafood, meat, cheese, and sweets.

This a perfect place to enjoy a whole range of traditional Catalan goodies such as Iberian cured ham, coca de vidre (a type of pastry), and botifarra (Catalan sausage).

The market is also a great place to grab a bite to eat on the go, with plenty of stalls selling delicious street food like empanados, churros, and freshly squeezed juices. You can even buy produce and get it cooked for you directly on-site, you can`t get any fresher than that.

Parc Ciutadella is a charming urban oasis that offers a serene escape from the bustling city.

Located near the city centre, this lush park spans over 70 acres and provides a perfect retreat for locals and visitors alike.

The park is known for its beautiful landscapes, including manicured gardens, tranquil ponds, and palm-lined walkways.

A central feature of Parc Ciutadella is the iconic Cascada Monumental, a stunning waterfall adorned with sculptures.

Here, you can enjoy leisurely walks, have picnics on the lawns, or rent rowboats to explore the park's picturesque lake.

The park also houses several notable attractions, such as the Barcelona Zoo, the Parliament of Catalonia, and the Catalan Museum of Natural Sciences.

Parc Ciutadella is a popular gathering place, often filled with locals engaged in various recreational activities like yoga, sports, or simply enjoying the sun.

The Olympic Stadium in Barcelona Spain is a historic venue that played a significant role in the city's hosting of the 1992 Olympic Games.

Located on Montjuïc Hill, this iconic stadium continues to be an important symbol of Barcelona's sporting heritage.

The stadium, officially known as Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, has a capacity of over 55,000 spectators.

It hosted various Olympic events, including athletics, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Today, it serves as a multi-purpose venue for sporting and cultural events.

Explore the stadium and relive the excitement of the Olympic Games through guided tours.

You can step onto the track where world-class athletes competed, visit the Olympic Museum, and learn about the history and legacy of the Games.

Barcelona Festivals and Fiestas

Barcelona is renowned for its vibrant and lively festivals that showcase the city's rich cultural heritage.

Among the main festivals celebrated in Barcelona are:

La Merce: Held in September, La Merce is Barcelona's largest street festival, featuring music, dance, street performances, and fireworks. It honours the patron saint of the city with a week-long celebration.

Sant Jordi: Celebrated on April 23rd, Sant Jordi is Barcelona's version of Valentine's Day. The streets come alive with books and flower stalls, and people exchange roses and books as gifts.

Festa Major de Gràcia: Taking place in August, this neighbourhood festival transforms the streets of Gràcia into a vibrant display of decorated streets, live music, parades, and traditional Catalan activities.

Barcelona Carnival: Held in February, the carnival brings colour and festivity to the city. It features lively parades, vibrant costumes, music, and dancing.

Festival Grec: The Grec Festival, taking place in summer, showcases a variety of performing arts, including theatre, dance, music, and circus performances, held in iconic venues like the Theatre Grec.

If you wish to immerse yourself in Spain’s culture, try taking part in one of the many incredible  festivals in Barcelona.

Dining Out in Barcelona

Dining options in Barcelona are second to none as you will find just about every type of food you can imagine from budget burgers to luxury seafood.

The city boasts around 20 Michelin-starred restaurants run by some of the most revered chefs in Europe.

Head down to the port area if you're looking for the freshest of fish and seafood dishes, tapas are always a firm favourite, they are delicious bite-sized selections of different types of food and the perfect way to try out a variety of food in one go.

For some of the best tapas in Barcelona try the Bar Pinotxo  at the famous indoor Boqueria food market .

For mid-priced dining try the highly regarded Restaurant Can Sole and the Restaurant Set Portes located close to the port. For lovers of some of the best tapas in Catalonia try the  Bar Pinotxo  at the Boqueria Market.

If you are thinking of splashing the cash here are our top 10 Michelin-starred restaurants in Barcelona: »   Lasarte - Chef Martín Berasategui. »  Abac - Chef Jordi Cruz »  Dos Cielos - Chefs Javier and Sergio Torres. »  Moments - Chef Raul Balam »  Enoteca Paco Perez - Chef Paco Perez »  Enigma - Chef Albert Adrio »  Celeri - Chef Xavier Pellicer »  Xerta - Chef Fran Lopez »  Alkimia - Chefs Jordi Vilà and Sonia Profitós »  Caelis - Chef Romain Fornell

Click HERE to see the locations of each of the above restaurants.

Get FREE entrance to a number of the top museums in Barcelona. Most museums offer free entry on the first Sunday of the month.

7 Unusual and Fun Things to Do in Barcelona Spain

• Visit the Bunkers del Carmel : This hilltop lookout offers panoramic views of the city and is a great spot for a picnic or watching the sunset.
• Explore the Born neighbourhood: This historic neighbourhood is full of narrow streets, artisan shops, and cafes. It's a great place to wander and get lost in the winding alleyways.
• See a Magic Fountain: This colourful fountain in Montjuic is a must-see. At night, it puts on a spectacular light and water show that's sure to impress.
• Visit the Labyrinth Park : This hidden gem is one of the oldest parks in Barcelona and is home to a maze that's fun to get lost in. The park also features a beautiful neoclassical garden.
• Take a cooking class: Learn to cook authentic Spanish cuisine with a local chef. You'll get to shop for ingredients at the market, learn new techniques, and enjoy a delicious meal at the end.
• Explore the Gothic Quarter: This medieval neighbourhood is full of narrow alleys, historic buildings, and beautiful plazas. It's a great place to explore on foot and soak up the city's rich history.
• See Gaudí's other works: While the Sagrada Familia and Park Güell are must-see attractions, don't miss out on some of Gaudí's lesser-known works. Visit Casa Batlló , Casa Milà, or the lesser-known but equally impressive Torre Bellesguard .

Grab yourself a FREE walking tour of Barcelona , at most, it will cost you a small tip so it's perfect if you are on a tight budget. Walking tours are a fantastic way to explore the city and learn about its history and culture from local guides.

Getting Around Barcelona Spain

Although a busy city, the efficient Barcelona public transport makes it easy to navigate, so getting around is never an issue as you will always be close to a Metro station, bus service, a tram, sightseeing bus or one of Barcelona`s famous black and yellow taxis.

The Barcelona metro system is an efficient, and affordable way to get around the city. The Metro has 8 lines running through 165 stations. It connects all the city's major attractions and neighbourhoods.

The metro service runs from 5 am to midnight on weekdays and until 2 am on weekends.  There is also a funicular service which runs from the city centre to Montjuic which is located high above the city. Here you will have access to the Olympic Stadium, large parks, gardens and stunning views.

Getting around Barcelona using the local bus services is a great option, especially for shorter distances. There are numerous bus lines that run throughout the city, and they're a great way to see the sights and neighbourhoods that are off the beaten track.

Useful Barcelona-Related Information

» Where to Stay In Barcelona » Travel Resources » Parc Guell - A Gaudi Masterpiece » Free Barcelona Tourism Brochures » Barcelona Metro » Hola Barcelona Travel Card » Best Specialty Coffee Shops in Barcelona » Best Cathedrals & Beautiful Churches in Barcelona » A Weekend in Barcelona » Learn Spanish in Barcelona » Free Walking Tour Of Barcelona » The Sagrada Familia » Must See Attractions In Barcelona » Flamenco Show Barcelona » Getting Around Barcelona » Barcelona FC Stadium Tour » Gaudi´s La Pedrera » Gaudi´s Casa Batllo » Why Barcelona is a Perfect City To Learn Spanish » 11 Fun Things To Do In Barcelona For Couples » 26 Best Things To Do In Barcelona for 2023 » A Guide to Spending 6 Days in Barcelona » 9 Amazing Things To Do In Barcelona » Learn Spanish in a Homestay

Where to Stay In Barcelona

Barcelona offers a wide and diverse range of hotels, rental properties and other accommodation options. But where are the best places to stay?

El Born, nestled in the heart of the old city, the area captivates visitors with its narrow medieval streets, trendy boutiques, and eclectic dining options.

The Gracia District, known for its bohemian atmosphere, charms visitors with its lively squares, independent shops, and array of cultural events.

Eixample, marked by its grid-like layout, boasts iconic landmarks such as Gaudi's Sagrada Familia and modernist architecture. Barri Gotic, the Gothic Quarter, unfolds a labyrinth of medieval streets, Gothic buildings, and historic sites.

If you are looking for a  beachside retreat, Barceloneta stands out with its sandy shores, seafood eateries, and relaxed maritime ambience.

Download FREE official travel and tourism board brochures

Travel Smarter -  Not Harder

Download free e-guides and travel tips.

Start your Journey today and get access to exclusive FREE content.

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links included in the above content may be affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, we only recommend products and services that we personally use or have used and are happy to recommend. Any commission we earn helps toward the site's running costs. 

Username or Email Address

Remember Me

• WHY VISIT SPAIN?
• TRAVELLING TO SPAIN
• SPAIN ON A BUDGET
• TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS – ETIAS
• SPAIN ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
• SPANISH CUISINE
• SPANISH FOOD
• HOLIDAY IDEAS
• PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
• TOURISM BOARDS
• AIRPORT GUIDE
• DRIVING IN SPAIN
• WEATHER IN SPAIN
• FREE WEB CAMS
• BEST BEACHES SPAIN
• FESTIVALS & FIESTAS
• MUSEUMS IN SPAIN
• CAMPING IN SPAIN
• MARINAS IN SPAIN
• SKIING IN SPAIN
• WATER PARKS
• UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES
• 80 BEST ATTRACTIONS
• 71 BEST PLACES TO VISIT
• REGIONS OF SPAIN
• COSTA DEL SOL
• CANARY ISLANDS
• SAN SEBASTIAN
• Complete List:
• SAGRADA FAMILIA BARCELONA
• BARCELONA FC STADIUM TOUR
• BARCELONA FLAMENCO SHOW
• SEVILLE FLAMENCO SHOW
• SEVILLE CATHEDRAL
• GAUDI`S CASA BATLLO
• THE ALHAMBRA GRANADA
• SANTIAGO CATHEDRAL
• CITY OF ARTS & SCIENCE VALENCIA
• MOSQUE-CATHEDRAL CORDOBA
• CAMINITO DEL REY
• PRADO MUSEUM MADRID
• REINA SOFIA ART MUSEUM
• SCUBA DIVING
• BEST TAPAS TOURS
• BEST WINE TASTING TOURS
• TOUR GUIDES
• HOTELS IN SPAIN
• LUXURY HOTELS
• LUXURY BEACH HOTELS
• HOLIDAY RENTALS
• PARADOR HOTELS
• CHEAP FLIGHTS
• TRAVEL INSURANCE
• FREE TRAVEL BROCHURES
• WIN FREE HOLIDAYS

VLOG: 5 Words to Describe Barcelona

The five words I would use [to describe Barcelona ] are beautiful, artistic, historical, convenient, and fun.

1. beautiful.

I would definitely describe Barcelona as beautiful. Since the city is located between the mountains and the sea, you have the option of going and having an amazing beach day or also climbing up the mountains and going to see Barcelona from above. Wherever you go, there are amazing views around the city. It’s just so beautiful!

2. Convenient

I would describe Barcelona as convenient. It really easy to get around the city. Whether you take the metro, the railway, or the buses, it’s very simple and they’re always on time and very convenient. It will take you wherever you need to go in the city.

3. Historical

I would describe Barcelona as historical. All throughout the city, you can visit various different museums or you can learn more about the story of Barcelona about their colonization and also about how they sent [Christopher] Columbus to America.

4. Artistic

I would definitely describe Barcelona as artistic. Not only are there a ton of art museums you can visit, such as the Pablo Picasso Museum, but the architecture throughout the whole city is amazing. You can find several of Gaudí’s famous projects such as the Sagrada Familia and Parc Güell.

Lastly, Barcelona is a very fun city. There is always something to do — whether you want to go to the beach, you want to hike up to Tibidabo — which is a park right on the top of the mountain — or if you want to enjoy their nightlife, there’s always something to do. It’s a very fun setting to study abroad in o visit with your friends.

This content was contributed by Laura Viarengo, who spent her fall semester studying abroad with AIFS in Barcelona, Spain.

Laura Viarengo

AIFS Program : Barcelona, Spain | Home University: UC Irvine | Hi everyone! My name is Laura Viarengo and I am a third year Business Administration major at the University of California, Irvine! Fall semester of 2018 I went abroad with AIFS and got to live in Barcelona, Spain for four life-changing months. Going abroad was one of the best decisions I ever made and allowed me to travel, meet amazing new people, and experience so many new cultures. Living in Barcelona and being able to experience Spanish culture firsthand was amazing and I miss it more and more everyday. I loved being able to take the metro all around the city after school and explore beautiful, historical sites all around me. I cannot wait for my next adventure abroad and look forward to returning to Barcelona in the future and reminiscing the wonderful city I got to live in when I studied abroad.

An Open Letter to the Homesick Study Abroad Kids

Minimalism abroad: realizing less is more, you may also like, student spotlight: sebastian’s summer abroad in madrid, spain, student spotlight: mara’s semester abroad in seville, spain, student spotlight: lilian’s semester abroad in barcelona, spain, student spotlight: peyton’s spring semester abroad in salamanca,..., alumni perspective: sustainability practices in spain, alumni spotlight: niki’s summer abroad in salamanca, spain, why summer is an excellent time to study..., top cities in spain to study or intern..., intern in madrid shares fitness journey abroad, top places to intern abroad in europe this..., connect with us on facebook.

Barcelona as a Tourism Destination Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Executive Summary

Stakeholders in the local tourism system, reference list.

The tourism industry has flourished worldwide due to increase in tourist attraction centres. Among the top tourist destinations are cities like Las Vegas, London, Paris, Rome and Barcelona.

In 2010 Barcelona managed to become one of Europe’s most important tourist destinations with millions of overnight stays and accommodations in hotels. Among other Spain cities tourism destinations, Barcelona, being the capital city of the Catalan region is ranked in the second position.

This report focuses on Barcelona as a tourist destination and evaluates tourism development in the country, as well as present scenario in Barcelona, tourism products, visitor demand and behaviour and stakeholder relationships.

The purpose of this report is to highlight how prominent cities such as Barcelona came into existence as the leading tourist destinations and the concepts that enabled them to achieve success.

Turisme de Barcelona

The ‘Turisme de Barcelona’ is a Consortium which has the responsability to promote Barcelona as a tourist destination.

It was founded in 1993 between the private sector represented by an amalgamation of the Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Shipping and the Barcelona Promotion Foundation, and local government represented by the Barcelona Municipal Council.

The Consortium is described as a public private union since it involves the partnership between two parties from the two different sectors. The Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, on the other hand, represents the prvate sector as it is not run by the government or public officials.

According to Jackson and Morpeth (1999), ‘Turism de Barcelona’ was developed so as to add input to the city’s potential to generate revenue. It was intended to enhance the budget of Barcelona.

This was one of the stated objectives for the Consortium and the mission statement was also directed towards making this goal achievable. It states that the Consortium is aimed at boosting tourism attraction in Barcelona as well as strengthening the city’s position globally.

Tourism is not an industry that can be built through the efforts of a sole entity (Butler, 2006). That is why the officials of Barcelona had to form a collaboration with other interested parties so as to work together towards the improvement of the toourism sector.

The collaboration also makes the decision making process a consultative activity. When decisions are made through a consultitative process such as what is carried out in the Consortium, then conflicts are easily avoided (Aas et al., 2005).

Since tourism involves services such as transport and accommodation which enable tourists to have a good time, the city of Barcelona required to link stakeholders involved in these activities.

Travel (2011) therefore pointed out that ‘Turisme de Barcelona’ links stakeholders who operate hotels, restaurants and public transport’.

Strategy formulation and communications are also handled by specialized units of the consortium. These staff units are composed of experienced teams from the tourism industry and this diversity gives ‘Turisme de Barcelona’ competence in operational matters.

Furthermore, the president of the general council is Barcelona’s mayor and this highlights the influential nature of the consortium. In total, the divisions that constitute the consortium are eight.

Stakeholder relationships

‘Turisme de barcelona’ is not an all inclusive association since not every kind of stakeholder is part of it. Only those entities that possess critical importance or those considered as primary stakeholders become part of the consortium.

Some of the characteristics that qualify parties to be considered as primary stakeholders include the nature of the existing relationships. Primary stakeholders are only those who have official relationships that are bound by contractual agreements.

The formal relationships of the primary stakeholders are between them and either the community, government or directly with the tourism industry. These parties are considered as crucial players since their contractual relationships make their involvement in tourism economically constrained.

There are many secondary stakeholders involved in the tourism sector. In Barcelona, this sector cannot do without the participation of experts and pressure groups (Horner and Swarbrooke, 2004).

These groups influence policy formulation as they maintain a position of logic and reasoning in every argument. The media also create the much needed awareness and exposure of tourism operations in Barcelona (Cooper et al., 2008).

Secondary stakeholders such as the media, volunteers and experts are however not consulted during decision making in the consortium even though their interests in tourism activities are very high.

Their exclusion from decision making in the city’s tourism decisions is because their relationships with the city officials are not formal.

The exclusion of secondary stakeholders from decision making appears to be a recipe for disaster as far as conflict management is concerned (Laws, 1995; Pender and Sharpley, 2005).

The interesting thing in Barcelona is that even amidst the exclusion of secondary stakeholders in decision making, there have never been major conflicts.

This is unusual in places where interest groups are not involved in the decision making process. The system works in Barcelona because the consortium puts into consideration the interests of all stakeholders during decision making.

‘Turisme de Barcelona’ has over the years overcome the potential threat of conflicts by making clear its objectives and mission. Through the media, the consortium creates awareness about their activities and strategies.

This makes the public and stakeholders aware of the direction which the consortium is taking, which reduces conflicts. The consortium effectively communicates with its public through its website which is informative and easy to use.

The website is available for all stakeholders to access and its simplistic approach allows for a two way communication process thereby allowing feedback to be received.

The large numbers expected and received in Barcelona cannot come without some level of environmental degradation (Douglas, Douglas and Derret, 2001; Shaw and Williams, 2004). Large crowds of revellers always bring about a negative environmental impact.

This is because people who assemble within the small radius are posed as guests who use products and facilities to their satisfaction. A smaller number of individuals are left to clean up the mess caused by the tourists.

Resources such as land and vegetation are also affected as people trounce on them. (Butcher, 2007). These issues necessitated ‘Turisme de Barcelona’ to develop a corporate social responsibility system which includes activities which conserve the environment (Valls and Sarda, 2009).

The most evident of these activities include the promotion of recycling initiatives and saving energy especially in public transportation.

The success of the CSR framework is evident from the 2011 achievement where Barcelona was the first city to be awarded the Biosphere certification because of its responsible and sustainable tourism management structure.

In summary, the tourism industry worldwide has flourished due to the increase of tourist attraction centres. Barcelona has great potential for attracting tourists as it offers a wide array of destinations that are appreciated and visited by many tourists.

The tourist numbers in Barcelona are however not expected to continue increasing in subsequent years because of limitations such as space constraints and the stagnation phase which the city is already experiencing.

Cruise tourism as well as business and cultural attractions are identified as the major sources of success for the city. Barcelona also flourishes because of the commitment of ‘Turisme de Barcelona’ in avoiding conflicts and managing stakeholder relationships amicably.

The approach towards environmental conservancy is also a major boost to Barcelona’s image in the global tourism sector.

Aas, C, Ladkin, A & Fletcher, J 2005, “Stakeholder collaboration and heritage management”, Annals of Tourism Research , Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 28–48.

Butcher, J 2007, Ecotourism, NGOs and Development, Routledge, London.

Butler, R (ed) 2006, The Tourism Area Life Cycle. Volume 2: Conceptual and theoretical issues, Channel View Publications, Cleve don.

Cooper, C, Fletcher, J et al . 2008, Tourism: Principles and Practice , 4 th edition. Pearson Education, Harlow.

Douglas, N, Douglas, N and Derret, D (Eds) 2001, Special interest tourism: context and cases , John Wiley, Brisbane.

Horner, S. & Swarbrooke, J 2004, International Cases in Tourism Management. Oxford-Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.

Jackson, G & Morpeth, N 1999, “Local Agenda 2001 and Community Participation in Tourism Policy and Planning: Future of Fallacy”, Current Issues in Tourism , Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 1-38.

Laws, E 1995, Tourist destination management: issues, analysis and policies , Routledge, London.

Shaw, G and Williams, A 2004, Tourism and Tourism Spaces , London, SAGE

Pender, L & Sharpley, R (eds) 2005, The management of tourism, SAGE, London.

Travel, M 2011, World hotels eyes Barcelona as business travel booms . Web.

Valls, B & Sarda, R 2009, “Tourism expert perceptions for evaluating climate change impacts on the Euro-Mediterranean tourism industry”, Tourism Review, Vol. 64, No 2, pp 41-51.

• Destination Attributes and Motivations Between First-Time and Repeat Travellers in the International and Interstate Tourism: Melbourne
• Jiangsu Province Tourism
• Al Nassma Company's Marketing Strategy in Barcelona
• Columns and Walls of Mies Van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion
• Effects of the 1992 Olympics on Barcelona
• Tourist Destinations in the Mediterranean Region
• How are Tourist Destinations in the Mediterranean Region Affected by the Power of Travel Agencies?
• Kenya Attractiveness for Tourism
• Rural Tourism in Malta and Cyprus
• Sustainability of Heritage Tourism in Australia
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2019, July 5). Barcelona as a Tourism Destination. https://ivypanda.com/essays/turisme-de-barcelona/

"Barcelona as a Tourism Destination." IvyPanda , 5 July 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/turisme-de-barcelona/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Barcelona as a Tourism Destination'. 5 July.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Barcelona as a Tourism Destination." July 5, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/turisme-de-barcelona/.

1. IvyPanda . "Barcelona as a Tourism Destination." July 5, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/turisme-de-barcelona/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Barcelona as a Tourism Destination." July 5, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/turisme-de-barcelona/.

• A Look At George Orwells...

A Look At George Orwell's Barcelona

Back in 1936 when the young Eric Blair – better known under his pen name George Orwell – arrived in Barcelona, the city was in the grasp of an ugly civil war. Some 80 years later, the Catalan capital still bears the scars of its violent past – the legacy of the events described by the author in his Homage to Catalonia isstill visible to those willing to scratch the surface of this historically-loaded city.

Barcelona in the civil war.

Stroll through the center of Barcelona today and you’d struggle to imagine that less than 100 years ago it was the site of bloody confrontation. The brightly-lit windows of the designer boutiques on Passeig de Gracià or the trendy brunch cafés in Sant Antoni say little of the city’s turbulent past. And yet, if you look a little closer, you’ll find that there are traces of this brutal period of the history everywhere.

Among the hip bars that line Carrer Joaquin Costa, between the vintage stores and the skate shops, look up a little and eventually you’ll notice the black and red flag of the CNT. This anarcho-syndicalist worker’s union was founded in Barcelona in 1910, and throughout the civil war played a key role in the fighting, at times controlling most of Barcelona. Today the office on Joaquin Costa still operates as the HQ of an active branch of the CNT. Describing the CNT’s presence in the city at the time, Orwell wrote: ‘ It was the first time I had ever been in a town where the working class was in the saddle. Practically every building of any size had been seized by the workers and was draped with red flags or with the red and black flag of the Anarchists, […] every shop and café had an inscription saying that it had been collectivised; even the bootblacks had been collectivised and their boxes painted red and black. ‘ Perhaps one of the places where the traces of the conflict are most visible is the small square known as Plaça Felipe Neri in the Gothic Quarter . Look closely at the walls of the old church which borders the square and you’ll see the shrapnel marks of a bomb which was detonated here in 193, killing 42 people. Most of the victims were children who had sought refuge in the church basement but were killed by the fire that engulfed the building.

Orwell’s Voyage to Barcelona

It was just months after the military coup launched against the Spanish government by the Nationalist army, led by General Francisco Franco, that young Eric Blair and his wife Eileen O’Shaughnessy embarked on the journey to the Catalan capital. A staunch socialist by then, Orwell wished to take up fight against the Nationalist army led by General Franco and has contacted the head of the British Communist Party to request he put him in contact with someone in Barcelona.

It was by coincidence that Orwell enlisted with the forces of the POUM – an anti-Stalinist ‘Workers’ Party of Marxist Unification’ – with whom he fought from December 1936 until June 1937. Soon after joining, he was sent to the front line in Aragon, fighting around the towns of Zaragoza and Huesca. He returned to Barcelona in May 1937, seeing his wife for the first time in months, but was soon caught up in a bloody battle between differing left-wing forces and the Republican Government.

Soon embroiled a vicious internal conflict between the POUM and other allies on one side, and the Moscow-lead Communist forces on the other. In June 1937 Orwell and his wife escaped from Barcelona, traveling safely to Paris before returning to England. It was here that he began to write his autobiographical account of his experience throughout the war, Homage to Catalonia , which was published in 1938.

What emerges throughout the book is the sense of bitter disappointment George Orwell felt in the face of the crushing of the socialist ideals which he had felt ripple through the city before his departure to the front. For Orwell, Barcelona at the beginning of the Civil War was home to an optimistic sense that the revolution was possible. He had seen first hand the effects of the removal of class barriers and symbols of oppression, only to find that they soon returned when hatred of the totalitarian Communist regime outgrew that of the old order.

Become a Culture Tripper!

Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $1,200 on our unique trips..

See privacy policy .

More than just a narration of the events that unfolded at the beginning of the war, Homage to Catalonia captures something of the revolutionary spirit which was shared by so many at the time. In his own words, Orwell claimed that: ‘No one who was in Spain during the months when people still believed in the revolution will ever forget that strange and moving experience. It has left something behind that no dictatorship, not even Franco’s, will be able to efface’. In a country which still today struggles with the legacy of its bitter civil war, Orwell’s work continues to resonate with many readers for whom, more than just a piece of literature, Homage to Catalonia is a piece of history which many have yet to come to terms with.

Bars & Cafes

The best wine bars in la rioja, spain.

Guides & Tips

Reasons why you should visit andalucia, spain.

Places to Stay

The best hotels to book in catalonia.

The Best Places to Travel in June

The Most Beautiful Train Stations in the World

Top Tips for Travelling in Spain

Reasons Why You Should Visit La Rioja, Spain

The Best Private Trips to Book for a Foodie Adventure

The Most Unique Temples and Churches in the World

The Best Hotels to Book in Salou, Catalonia

The Best Private Trips to Book for Your Spanish Class

See & Do

Getting a taste of picasso in malaga.

Culture Trip Summer Sale

Save up to $1,200 on our unique small-group trips! Limited spots.

• Post ID: 913731
• Sponsored? No
• View Payload

• History & Society
• Science & Tech
• Biographies
• Animals & Nature
• Geography & Travel
• Arts & Culture
• Games & Quizzes
• On This Day
• One Good Fact
• New Articles
• Lifestyles & Social Issues
• Philosophy & Religion
• Politics, Law & Government
• World History
• Health & Medicine
• Browse Biographies
• Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates
• Bugs, Mollusks & Other Invertebrates
• Environment
• Fossils & Geologic Time
• Entertainment & Pop Culture
• Sports & Recreation
• Visual Arts
• Demystified
• Image Galleries
• Infographics
• Top Questions
• Britannica Kids
• Saving Earth
• Space Next 50
• Student Center
• Introduction
• The city site
• The city layout

Industry and trade

Commerce and finance, transportation, services and education, cultural life.

• Foundation and medieval growth
• The modern city

The people of Barcelona

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

• European Association of Archeologists - History of Barcelona
• Official Tourism Site of Barcelona, Spain
• Official Site of Barcelona, Spain
• Barcelona - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
• Table Of Contents

Immigration has played a key part in the economic growth of the region. Up to one-third of the population of modern Barcelona was born outside Catalonia , a condition that has caused some social strain, given the Catalans’ firm sense of national identity and their aloof attitude, which is often displayed toward the rest of Spain as a whole. In many respects, however, the city is outward-looking, conscious of cultural trends in the rest of Europe and of its historical links with other Mediterranean countries.

The economy

Recent news.

Barcelona’s industry is relatively up-to-date, and the city has long-established external markets to give it stability. Almost a quarter of Spanish exports come from Catalonia, and three-quarters of Catalan industry is concentrated in the Barcelona area, which provides about one-fifth of Spain’s industrial output. The city receives approximately one-fourth of all foreign investment in Spain. Historically, the textile industry dominated Barcelona’s economy, but its relative importance has declined as the service sector , which accounts for approximately four-fifths of all jobs, developed. Chemicals, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, electronics, and appliance manufacturing are among Barcelona’s leading industries.

The Catalans are renowned for their business acumen . Emphasis commercially is on small firms and large chain stores; among the companies registered in Catalonia, few have more than 200 people on their payrolls. Nonetheless, it has become policy to attract major international investors to the region. The city has a free economic zone near the port, the zona franca, where distribution centres are concentrated. Barcelona is a major site for conferences, exhibitions, and trade fairs. The main event, La Fira (Feria de Barcelona), has been held annually since 1929 at the Palacio de las Naciones, the exhibition centre on Montjuich. Barcelona has a thriving stock exchange and is a major international commercial and financial centre.

Public transportation is provided by buses, subways, and surface railways. There are also cable cars. Freeways link Barcelona to the Catalonia highway network, which joins the service up to the Cadí mountain tunnel in the Pyrenees , providing access to the French highway network. The metropolitan subway, opened in 1924, connects with the urban railway and provides regular service to some municipalities in the metropolitan region and to the international airport at Prat de Llobregat, about 8 miles (13 km) southwest of the city. Connections can be made there to major world cities. The port of Barcelona accommodates ships from all parts of the world, as well as providing ferry service to the Balearic Islands and to Genoa, Italy . The city is an important European shipping centre.

Administration and social conditions

Barcelona, the traditional centre of Catalan movements for independence, is the capital of both the province of Barcelona and the autonomous community of Catalonia. The city is governed as a municipio (municipality) of Spain, and its elections are held every four years. The councillors elect the mayor, who selects three deputies from their number to assist in the duties of the mayor’s office.

Under the present government, services have been decentralized and made more accountable to the public. Electricity is supplied from sources in France as well as elsewhere in Spain, and some hydroelectric power comes from the Pyrenees. Nuclear power plants at Vandellós, in the province of Tarragona , are of particular importance to the city. A receiving terminal for natural gas has been installed in the port to supply a regional distribution network, but many private houses rely on bottled butane gas. With the rapid growth of the population after World War II , water supply has become a problem. Local rivers cannot supply both industrial and domestic needs. Some drinking water is drawn upstream from the Llobregat, but more is provided by the Ter River in the province of Girona .

The University of Barcelona was founded in 1450. It is one of seven public and private universities in the city. Others include the Autonomous University of Barcelona (1968) and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (1971). Most courses in the municipality’s schools are taught in Spanish and Catalan.

Barcelona has long been a major cultural centre. It has an abundance of archives and libraries, including dozens of specialized collections, many of which are in private hands. Barcelona is in fact one of the major publishing centres for the Spanish-speaking world, and the Fiesta del Libro (“Book Party”), held on April 23, is a historical and social tradition and a major event for the book trade. April 23 is also the feast day of Catalonia’s patron saint , St. George .

The more classical forms of culture are well represented. The Liceu Opera House, founded in 1847, presents opera and ballet performances. A fire destroyed the landmark building in 1994; it has since been rebuilt. The Romea Theatre has been a focal point of Catalan-language drama since the 19th century. Classical music is amply provided by the Music Palace and the city’s symphony orchestra .

Museums range from the monumental maritime museum, which houses a full-size replica of a galley from the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, to the waxworks museum. Art of the present and the past is housed in the National Art Museum of Catalonia , formed in 1990 to include the collection of the Catalonia Museum of Art (Romanesque and Gothic paintings) and the Museum of Modern Art (with works from the 19th and 20th centuries, notably by Catalan artists). The Federico Marès Museum houses a number of curiosities (smoking pipes, shell-encrusted glass vases, and so forth) collected by the museum’s namesake as well as a variety of sculptures from ancient times to the 19th century. Throughout the city, there are also several collections dedicated to famous artists connected with Barcelona, most notably those for the painters Joan Miró (Joan Miró Foundation) and Pablo Picasso (Picasso Museum). The Casa de Cervantes commemorates Barcelona’s association with the writings of Miguel de Cervantes .

Perhaps the most striking feature of culture in Barcelona is its easy availability at many levels—from major art exhibitions at the Pedralbes Palace to the pavement artists in the Ramblas. A large copper fish sculpture by architect Frank Gehry stands at the Olympic Port entrance. The city’s financial and cultural wealth drew international attention when Barcelona hosted the Olympic Games in 1992. There is a zoo in Ciutadella Park.

• Free Samples
• Premium Essays
• Editing Services Editing Proofreading Rewriting
• Extra Tools Essay Topic Generator Thesis Generator Citation Generator GPA Calculator Study Guides Donate Paper
• Essay Writing Help
• About Us About Us Testimonials FAQ
• Studentshare
• The advantages of visiting Barcelona

The advantages of visiting Barcelona - Essay Example

• Subject: Tourism
• Type: Essay
• Level: Undergraduate
• Pages: 1 (250 words)
• Downloads: 4
• Author: xander95

Extract of sample "The advantages of visiting Barcelona"

Tourists Barcelona, Spain In this descriptive essay, I am going to describe Barcelona the capital of Catalonia in Spain. Barcelona is the capital city of Catalonia in Spain (Williams 1) and the headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean. It has a population of 1,620,943 people and uses Catalan and Spanish as the official languages and Euro as the city currency. The city situates on the northeast coast of the Iberian Peninsula, 41:18:07N 2:05:31E, and Central European Time zone. Barcelona is the largest metropolis located between river Llobregat and river Besòs.

The Serra de Collserola mountain range surrounds the city to the west. Barcelona has great influence on commerce, arts, science, entertainment, and education. The city is a major tourist destination subject to its rich cultures, architecture, and good climate. With a Barcelona has Mediterranean climate that depicts mild, humid winters and warm, dry summers the city attracts tourist in all seasons. The city hosts over one million visitors every week (Esei International Business School 1). There are great monuments, museums, good people, galleries, and magnificent architecture in Barcelona.

The beautiful historic and tourist sites include the old Boqueria market, Picasso and Miró works, Tibidabo that overlooks Barcelona, La Sagrada Familia, Barceloneta Beach, Frank Gehrys Peche, The Historic Gothic Quarter, and Marina at Villa Olimpica (Williams 1). With 1,629,990 visitors, the FC Barcelona museum is the most popular museum in Barcelona. There is a buzzing nightlife in Barcelona due to the numerous bars and nightclubs, cocktails, and casinos (Williams 1). Moreover, there is better accommodation in the city subject to the five star hotels in Barcelona.

With four and a half kilometers of sandy beaches, Barcelona is one of the dominant beach cities in the world (Esei International Business School 1). The unique architecture of the city adopts a grid system. Transport in the city is through biking, taxis, metro bus or by foot (Tourist Barcelona 1). Barcelona has worst drivers and hence many people choose to walk the streets of Barcelona. The city has leafy boulevards and most people walk down the Portal de l’Àngel street at their pleasure (Williams 1).

Las Ramblas is a two-kilometer long boulevard that situates at the heart of Barcelona. Most tourists visit Barcelona in August when the city is very busy and most shops opened. Tourists can come to Barcelona for shopping, vacation, adventure, sports, and entertainment. Works Cited “Facts about Barcelona.” Tourist Barcelona. N.d, n.p. Web. 24 February 2014. “Interesting facts about BARCELONA.” Esei International Business School. 2009. Web. 24 February 2014. < http://www.eseibusinessschool.

com/barcelona/interesting-facts> Williams, Ingrid. 36 Hours in Barcelona, Spain. 3 May 2012. Web. 24 February 2014.

• essay on visit to science city
• Cited: 0 times
• Copy Citation Citation is copied Copy Citation Citation is copied Copy Citation Citation is copied

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The advantages of visiting Barcelona

Use of events for tourism in the city of barcelona, self-drive vehicle a paradigm shift in the automotive industry, an e-business analysis, essential barcelona tourist information, tourism in new york and sevilla, key strategies and considerations of sterling bay tourism, the definition of events tourism, bridge housing and affordable houses.

• TERMS & CONDITIONS
• PRIVACY POLICY
• COOKIES POLICY

‘Emily in Paris’ Star Lily Collins, ‘Money Heist’ Actor Alvaro Morte Set West End Debuts With ‘Barcelona’

By Naman Ramachandran

Naman Ramachandran

• Idris Elba, Little Simz, Maya Jama Join ‘Shifters’ West End Producing Team – Global Bulletin 9 hours ago
• Tarsem Singh Unveils 4K Restoration of ‘The Fall,’ Discusses Creative Process and Plans for ‘The Cell’ 9 hours ago
• Taylor Swift Still Due to Perform at London’s Wembley Stadium Amid Enhanced Security as U.K. Police Evaluates Intelligence 10 hours ago

In a notable convergence of screen talent and stage production, Lily Collins (“Emily in Paris”) and Álvaro Morte (“Money Heist”) are set to make their London West End debuts with Bess Wohl’s “ Barcelona .”

“Barcelona” is billed as a two-hander play that unfolds during a late night in the titular Spanish city. The narrative follows an American tourist who goes home with a handsome Spaniard, with what begins as a casual encounter evolving into a more complex situation where personal and political elements intertwine.

Related Stories

‘skibidi toilet’: flushing out audience data on an internet phenomenon, 'sebastian' review: an aspiring queer novelist loses, then rediscovers himself through a double-life in sex work, popular on variety.

Morte added: “The London theatre scene is a vibrant and exhilarating canvas for fresh, groundbreaking work. I am thrilled and honored to be a part of this captivating new play, marking my West End debut. I’m looking forward to bringing ‘Barcelona’ to life and sharing it with audiences.”

The creative team assembled for “Barcelona” includes Frankie Bradshaw handling set and costume design, Jai Morjaria on lighting, and the duo of Duramaney Kamara and Xana responsible for composition and sound design. Additional crew members include Gino Ricardo Green for video design, Cynthia De La Rosa for wigs, hair, and makeup and Shelley Maxwell as movement director and intimacy coordinator.

Wohl, whose credits include the Tony-nominated “Grand Horizons,” said: “Having my work on the West End with such phenomenal collaborators is a dream come true. I’m honored to have the chance to share this play with London audiences.”

Linton, who won accolades for her production of “Blues for an Alabama Sky” at the National Theatre, said: “What a privilege to be working with this incredible team of artists to bring Bess’ words to life. I can’t wait to get in the room with everyone.”

In an effort to make the production accessible to a wider audience, the producers have announced a weekly lottery. Starting Oct. 14, 200 tickets, including coveted front row seats, will be made available at £25 ($32) each every week.

More from Variety

Growing globalization of production spells trouble for hollywood, why social video is a rival for linear tv ad dollars, more from our brands, terrorists threatened a taylor swift concert. here’s how the swifties fought back, inside a $12 million minimalist home in montecito, more grand prix races drive formula 1’s record $871m q2, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, it’s on: donald trump agrees to debate kamala harris sept. 10 on abc.