Some interesting things to do and places to visit while staying in Barcelona

Picasso Museum

The Picasso Museum is across Via Laietana, down Carrer de la Princesa, and right on Carrer Montcada - a street known for Barcelona's most elegant medieval palaces. Picasso spent several of his formative years (1901-06) in Barcelona, and this collection, while not one of the world's best, is particularly strong on his early work. Displays include childhood sketches, pictures from the beautiful Rose and Blue periods, and the famous 1950s Cubist variations on Velázquez's Las Meninas (Ladies-in-Waiting).

Casa Batlló

Another splendid work by Gaudì, which maintained the original structure of the 1877 building, but completely redesigned its exterior and interior; the façade is spectacular, similar to a continuous wave, with stone and glass walls, with balconies which recall the teeth of prehistoric animals.

The roof, the strangest in the city, is said to represent S. George and the Dragon, with tiles similar to the scales of the animal and fantastic and shiny chimneys.

Sagrada Familia

It's one of the most famous works of the genial Antoni Gaudì, the architect who planned this modernist temple, seeking inspiration in Nature and supervising its construction for the first decades; its sinuous, enveloping and rounded shapes characterise its design, with the magnificent towers scraping the sky with their undulated profile inspired by the sacred mountain of Montserrat and which make of this incomplete work a symbol of the city.

Parc Güell

This park was wanted by the aristocratic Eusebi Guell. He wanted a garden city towards the late 19th century and bought a property on the Pelada mountain in the Salut de Gràcia neighbourhood. He entrusted the project to Antony Gaudì. Of the 60 residences planned only 2 were built; to enter Parc Guell means entering a world of fantasy, in which art and nature blend; each corner is decorated, designed, coloured. In the middle of the park one can admire a ceramic dragon, a stairway which leads to the Sala Hipòstila, a forest of 86 columns which support a platform, originally conceived to be a market and surrounded by benches which recall the shape of snake designed by Josep Maria Jujol, now a privileged observation point for the city below.

A pink building hosts the Casa-Museu Gaudì, where the artist lived from 1906 until his death; on the last floor of this building one may visit the bedroom and studio of the artist; this museum also holds part of the Casa Battlò furniture.

La Pedrera

It is one of Gaudí’s masterpieces, a work which was followed by the artist in each construction and decoration phase; he was very disappointed when the commissioner, Pedro Milà i Camps, refused to place a giant bronze sculpture group of the Virgin of the Rosary with archangels Gabriel and Michael.
The façade of the building seems to recreate the motion of waves in a stone grey sea.

Montjuïc

This name seems to derive from "the mountain of Jews", a thesis supported by the existence of a Jewish cemetery: it is the only peak which dominates the city and offer a splendid panorama; one can admire works from the Romanic to Mirò, museums, gardens, an 18th century fortress, sport and Olympic facilities.

And, of course, don't forget about Las Ramblas, Gràcia or Barcelona's football team's Camp Nou!

Enjoy!