Marina and I are off to the other capital of Spain (no offence to the Catalan nationalists) soon, what shouldn’t we miss? (We’ve done most of the Gaudi stuff in the past). What we really need is a list like the one below 
Update: Wow, I never knew Barcelona was so popular, just check out all the great recommendations in the comments below. No guidebook is as good as this! Thanks to all and keep them coming!
Graeme
29 Nov 06 at 4:03 pm
Ben, I suggest you leave a request in http://www.talkbcn.com – it’s the ideal sort of thing for that page.
Graeme
29 Nov 06 at 4:04 pm
Sorry, messed up the HTML, but the link still works
El Jardinero Zurdo
29 Nov 06 at 6:28 pm
(aargh, this is a bit annoying because the whole page below Graeme’s comment is now an HTML “anchor” — i.e. a link! — so when you click anywhere down here to try and write a comment you get whisked off to TalkBCN!)
Anyhow, last weekend we popped off to the Hotel Diagonal, a new hotel immediately adjacent the Torre Agbar, to get a close-up look. On weekends (Fri-Sun) they light the tower up around 8pm (until around 10 or 11pm, I believe). It is much-maligned by many locals, but if you see it up close with all the lights, it’s pretty hard not to be impressed…at least I was.
You can see from my latest blog post the best vantage point (IMHO) to see it is on the rooftop of the hotel. I’ve got a few photos — including the Torre dark and light — on Flickr…
Ben
29 Nov 06 at 6:43 pm
Graeme, I’ll definitely try there if I have time to sign up before I go, in between trying to get the car tyres fixed and sort out 101 other things before we go.
El J Z, I have fixed the html prob. Wow, what a great photo of the Tower!
gary
30 Nov 06 at 10:40 am
See bcn.es for events.
See the musical fountains outside the royal palace – I think they operate a couple of nights a week, Im sure Thursday is one of the nights – but not in January as they are closed for maintenance
See the Reyes parade through the town if youre there for the new year
Sit in Plaza de Pi and watch the world go by – beware pickpockets
Lunch in Barcelonetta
Visit FNAC in Plaza Cataluna and check out if theres a concert at Palau St Jordi or Val D’Hebron
Do get a pass for the metro!!
Visit Sitges
Visit both football rounds and see which team you think is the poor relation!!
Have a coffee outside the Sagrada Familia – 13 Euros to get in and you are literally visiting a building site, all that needs to be seen can be seen from the outside.
Shop – Start at Corte Ingles in plaza cataluna and wander down portal dels Angels exploring the side streets and the labyrinth of streets in the Bario Gotico
Dont order a large beer – large = 3 litres on las ramblas
Parc Guell and all the Gaudi stuff in eixample
Watch the whole world go by at Cava Universal at hte bottom of las Ramblas
Ben
30 Nov 06 at 10:55 am
Great list! Thanks Gary!
Lesley
30 Nov 06 at 11:10 am
Lesley
30 Nov 06 at 11:12 am
Ooops. Keep trying to embed an audio comment but it doesn’t want to work. Here’s the link instead:
http://odeo.com/audio/3477463/view
Barca
30 Nov 06 at 11:24 am
1. The No-Brainer
Parc Guell – panoramic views of BCN, peaceful early morning or late evening, stunning Gaudi work in places.
2. Tapas Grazing
Gracia district (North of the city) – still a “town apart” feel even though major BCN suburb – try Placa de la Virreina, quiet, tasty tapas available
3. Something Different
It’s all different – that’s the point of Barcelona no?!
4. A Walk
Ramblas from top to bottom.
Also, try the Paseo Maritimo from Colon monument to bronze whale and the twin towers.
5. Everyone misses
The Gracia district.
6. A Park
Parc Guell
7. A Shop
Sala Vincon on Paseo de Gracia – design design design!
8. A trip out of the city
Montserrat, Tarragona, Cadaques, Vic
9. A reasonable restaurant
SUMUM on Paseo de Gracia – superb ambience, food a fusion of Med/Euro/Japanese, friendly waiters.
10. Hidden Culture
ummmmmmm still thinking about that one!
10+1. Last thing at night
Catalans safely tucked up in bed by 10 so the city is yours!!
10+2 AVOID
eating south of Placa Catalunya on the Ramblas – sky high prices, inferior quality. You know that nyway about all tourist towns!
11 DEFINITELY
ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY!! Learn some Catalan, speak to people, they’ll love you.
Enrique
30 Nov 06 at 12:13 pm
I’ve always been fond of the cloistered geese in the otherwise gloomy Cathedral. As churches go, Santa Maria del Mar is my favorite in BCN, and conveniently located in the trendy El Born neighborhood (fashionistas and designers). There are some good Basque pinchos to be had in the area.
Although the Barrio Chino is sketchy, you might have fun dancing at La Paloma, a turn of the century ballroom with a variable scene.
Don’t miss the Boqueria market. The central fish stalls are attended by flirty matrons who wave octopus tentacles to attract you.
Jules
30 Nov 06 at 1:21 pm
Disagree about Sagrada Familia from earlier comment. Yes 13 Euros is a lot but visiting it is a must (in my opinion) — and of course go to the top of the tower.
Pepino
30 Nov 06 at 5:23 pm
The price to get in Sagrada Familia has dropped quite a bit because you can no longer climb the stairs up the towers. I don’t know this “officially”, but it’s an educated guess as I went in the other week (for about the 15th time, as I had a friend visit me) and while you could still take the lift up, you have to pay individually for this and the queue was ridiculous. I think it’s worth paying to go inside in order to see the amazing tree-like branches that support the ceiling, but forget about taking the lift up, it’s not worth it unless you’re extremely short-sighted and left your specs at home
OK, what else… El Borne is definitely one of my favourite places in the city and the church mentioned above (Santa Maria) is truly beautiful. Yep, and the geese are fab (I went to “check on” them just 2 days ago while taking a walk. Yep, still there
).
Walk down the Paseo de Gracia at night. Many of the buildings are drapped in lights for Christmas and look stunning.
Definitely go to the oasis that is Gracia, both to escape the noise of Eixample and also to amble from bar to bar without a care in the world.
As for Catalans being in bed by 10pm? Wow, you must’ve been being ironic, because not outside my flat they ain’t! jeje. The city I know is “on fire” at 10pm, and crowded with people.
Final tip… tell me about any cool bars or resturants you find, as I wanna try them too! jeje
Enjoy
x
Pepino
30 Nov 06 at 5:43 pm
PS. Whichever little plaza you go to in Gracia, they will be at least one tramp sat on the steps of a nearby building. It’s the law
(Thanks to Steve W for pointing this out to me while we were drinking in Gracia a few weeks ago. Now I can’t help but notice it! jeje)
gary
1 Dec 06 at 12:51 pm
Agree about the Boqueria – half way down las Ramblas – its a must see… Plaza Real is also on las Ramblas on the other sde – theres a restaurant called quinze nits that always has a queue a mile long outside it. P. Real would be a great place to eat breakfast but for the herd of (harmless) winos and dossers that seem to be there in the mornings. Tapas are good at Bar de Pi in Plaza de Pi.
Mireia
1 Dec 06 at 2:15 pm
Everything has been said already, but I will recommend to have a drink at “El bosc de les fades”. It’s just at the bottom of las ramblas and right in front main entrance for the wax museum. Although the price can be a bit pricy (last time I was in there it was about 2.30€ for a beer the atmosphere is brilliant, it’s just like being in the middle of a forest… You’ll must past by and you’ll know what I am talking about!!
But if what you want is cheap drinks in city centre you must go to “L’ovella Negra” at “Carrer Sitges”. This bar is a classic among young people and so far all the Scottish people I have taken along they’ve love it!
Ben
3 Dec 06 at 7:41 pm
Wow, thanks for all your wonderfrul suggestions. We have just got back from Barcelona – well, we stayed in Terrasa, a city about 40 mins away by train, but spent quite a bit of time in BCN – we didn’t have time to do all the great things listed here, but we had a fantastic walk across the city, podcast coming soon. In the mean time, these comments should be really useful for others (and us!) in the future.
Ben
4 Dec 06 at 10:56 pm
Here is another great list I received by email, from Carles:
About your Barcelona list, you might already gone there but for future trips to the Catalan city I can recommend some nice places:
1- a walk inside the Mercat de la Boqueria (in La Rambla de Barcelona) near Placa de Catalunya to get great fruits and olives for quite good prices
2- a walk around the “Born” district, its within the old gothic part of the city, just across via Laietana almost at the end of the Ramblas, I would specially recommend
a chill out drink at La Fianna. Another nice place is L’ Antic Teatre (a reformed old theater turned into a cheap bar with inner terrace and some “interesting smells in the air”
3- a walk by the sea
4- Do not visit the Zoo, animals are not well kept and all zoos should be avoided anyway. As an alternative you can visit Mona (http://www.fundacionmona.org/final/english/index.php) which is 1 hour away from Barcelona (close to Girona Airport)
5- A specially recommended visit is Sitges, a 30 min ride by train and you are in one of the most famous towns around Catalonia, specially in Carnaval (february). Its also well known as the gay place to meet in Catalonia but its a wonderful town, very unique and with great views over the sea. It used to be a fishermen town and now hosts the Sitges International Film Festival every year.
6- a visit to Tarragona, 1 hour and a half away, its worth while if you are interested in good food, (way better than Barcelona) and in Roman Ruins. It hosts an amphiteater by the sea and other roman ruins and museums. Also the beaches are way better than the ones in barcelona.
7- in Barcelona there are other interesting things to do, avoid the touristic places and move around the “Gracia” district for nice tapas and lively bars with lots of young people
8- another nice place to wonder around is the “Raval”, a poor district that has had a new shape and is now one of the “cool” places to live. Lots of immigrats, mix of cultures and bars.
9- check the skull under the bridge between Placa de la Generalitat (Town’s Square) and the Gothic Church. It is said that if you look at it 7 times in your life you will die.
10- finally a visit to the Gothic neighbourhood besides the Ramblas is also interesting, full of tourists but you can escape into the narrower streets from the Placa Reial to the left.
hope this helps! I am not from Barcelona but I have lived there for a couple of years and if you know local people (or even argentinians – because they know everything!) you will know the best of the city. I am now living in London though and this is something quite new so it is also nice to visit!
Carles
andrea
12 Dec 06 at 4:55 pm
What about the Picasso museum. I’ve lived here 4 months and I’ve been 2x. It’s close to El Born so you can combine great shopping with another side of Picasso. This museum is dedicated to the “young Picasso” prior to his move to Paris.
Ben
12 Dec 06 at 8:02 pm
Thanks Andrea!
Daniel
14 Sep 07 at 6:09 am
For a nice view of the city and Pza Catalunya, stop for a light meal or dessert at the restaurant/cafeteria at the very top of El Corte Ingles (Pza Catalunya). Its best to not eat at the table service secyion — instead to the back in the self-serve section and try and secure a table window-side.
Monserrat is a magnificent day trip and if you can arrange to be there around 1pm when the mass with the choir of monks is held — it is quite an experience. The mountain peaks above Monserrat are almost surreal.
Benny
6 Sep 09 at 8:01 pm
I have been many times and I can recommend many must-see places in Barcelona.
1. Parc Guell I think is fantastic
2. Les Rambles is definitely the place to go if you really want to get to know barcelona
3. When you get tired of “tapas” and spanish meals, there is this great restaurant called Mayura lounge (Indian food). I think it’s something different and well worth the trouble.
4. Sagrada familia. It is a great view from the outside, I dont recommend going inside though.
5. Visit beaches out of barcelona, you can get just about anywhere by train, and I think that is the best deal you can get!
Ben
6 Sep 09 at 8:15 pm
Thanks for the list Benny!
muc
7 Sep 09 at 1:44 am
Hello Ben!
You have to visit barcelona the next 11 of setember, the national day of Catalonia. Barcelona and some catalan villages commemorate the heroic resistence against invading troups . (spaniards and frenchmen).