Barcelona is a beautiful city that can offer you mumerous cultural experiences and amazing beaches that are only a few minutes walk from the city center. The architecture of Barcelona will delight you. Many great painters and artists have created in this city and their influence is evident today in Barcelona and around the world. On this page are the best sights of Barcelona, and it is up to you to make your own choice of which ones you want to visit during your stay in this Mediterranean metropolis.
The Sagrada Familia is one of main landmarks in Barcelona. It is located downtown, in Eixample quarter. The construction began one and a half centuries ago, and it still has not been finished. Renowned Catalan architect Antonio Gaudi worked on this project for over 40 years. The Sagrada Familia is one of the most impressive Gaudi’s projects, and as such one of the city’s most important sights. There are 18 towers on the church that Gaudi designed, 12 of which are dedicated to disciples, 4 are devoted to evangelists, 1 is dedicated to Christ himself, and one is devoted to the Virgin Mary. You may climb to the of two towers that offer a beautiful view of the city. The exterior of the basilica Sagrada Familia is devoted to Christ’s birth, crucifixion, death and resurrection.
La Rambla is a central street in the old city of Barcelona, between El Raval quarter and the Gothic Quarter. It is 1.2 kilometers and long, and it is the best known street in the city. The central part of La Rambla is a pedestrian zone. La Rambla is divided in five interconnected boulevards: La Rambla de Canaletes was named after the Font de Canaletes fountain from the 19th century, La Rambla dels Estudis was named after a university from the 16th century, La Rambla dels Caputxins – on this boulevard, there is the building of the Liceo opera-house, the house of Bruno Cuadros.
The Gothic Quarter is located in the center of the city, and it is the oldest part of Barcelona. It is positioned between Laetana street, La Rambla and Catalonia Square. This quarter is characterized by narrow streets and medieval buildings. Most of the buildings are from the Middle Ages, but there is also a certain number of them that date back to the Roman period. Houses are made of stones, there are cafés on ground floors, small restaurants and shops. In this quarter, you may visit the Columbus Monument, the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia, the Royal Plaza, the Museum of History of Barcelona, etc.
Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera – translated from Catalan, it means ‘quarry’ – is located in Passeig de Gracia street. Gaudi constructed this house for the Mila couple. It was built in a typical style for Gaudi, with many shapes. The house has five floors, a flat roof, two inner courtyards, and a couple of smaller ones. The façade is done with stones, and in attic there is an exhibition of Antonio Gaudi’s sketches and plans. Casa Mila (La Pedrera) is considered Gaudi’s best known work in civil architecture due to its constructional and functional innovations, such as ornamental and decorative choices, that broke ties with architectural styles from his period.
Casa Batllo is located at the center of Eixample quarter, on Passeig de Gracia. The façade of the house is covered with mosaics made of shattered ceramic tiles. Terraces on lower floors have columns that resemble bones, and those on higher floors resemble pieces of skulls. Given those characteristics, the house is often referred to as “the house of bones”. Many cultural events are held in this house. Starting from 1860, when Barcelona passed the ambitious urban plan (also known as the Cerda Plan), Passeig de Gracia has become backbone of the city, and many respectable local families started moving in. In the 19th century, this street became a pedestrian zone as well as a zone for horse carriages, and in the 20th century it became main car avenue.
