European Vacation - Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain in both size and population. It is also the capital of Catalonia, one of the seventeen Autonomous Communities that make up Spain.

Barcelona, located at the Mediterranean Sea in the very north of the Spanish coast, is certainly the most cosmopolitan and economically most active city in this country. Barcelona has always been on the biting edge of architecture, food, fashion, style, music and good times. It has always proved its will to be modern, to follow the latest international tendencies or be ahead of them.

Barcelona has an old history, and there are monuments of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance periods.

The buildings, many the work of the eccentric genius Gaudí, will impress you. The art, with significant collections by Picasso and Miró, will give you goose bumps. The people, with their exuberance, will fascinate you.

Top Barcelona attractions include:

Museu Picasso (Picasso Museum) is Barcelona's most visited museum. It is housed in three strikingly beautiful stone mansions. The museum shows numerous works that trace the artist's early years. The genius of the young artist is revealed through the more than 3,500 works that make up the permanent collection. It also reveals his relationship with Barcelona: an intimate, solid relationship that was shaped in his adolescence and youth, and continued until his death. The Museum also has a set of 42 pieces of ceramic (vases, dishes and plates) made in the 1950s and bequeathed by Jaqueline Picasso in 1982.
Sagrada Família. Outstanding is the legacy of architect Antoni Gaudí, who lived and worked in Barcelona. Gaudí left several famous works including the immense but still unfinished church of the Sagrada Família, which has been under construction since 1882. The magnificent spires of the unfinished cathedral imprint themselves boldly against the sky with swelling outlines inspired by the holy mountain Montserrat. They are encrusted with a tangle of sculptures that seem to breathe life into the stone. Gaudí died in 1926 before his masterwork was completed. The Sagrada Família is billed for completion in 2020.
La Pedrera. Another Gaudí masterpiece, La Pedrera was built between 1905 and 1910 as a combined apartment and office block. Its uneven grey stone facade ripples around a street corner creating a wave effect that's further emphasized by elaborate wrought-iron balconies. Giant multi-colored chimney pots jut up like medieval knights on the roof. One floor below the roof is a modest museum dedicated to Gaudí's work.
Joan Miro Foundation is one of the favorite museums in Barcelona. Discover the work of Miró who throughout his life took a particular interest in the diversity of materials, forms and colors. It led him to explore and experiment with different art forms such as painting, sculpture, printing techniques, ceramics, theatre and tapestry.
Maritime Museum. Opposite the statue Christopher Columbus, in the bottom of Ramblas, the maritime museum is one of the most imaginative museums of the city and one of the most visited too. Installed in the royal arsenals—date from 1378 and are the biggest and most complete Medieval dockyards in the world—it exposes animated presentations and houses a big exhibition including model ships, drawings, replicas, paintings, figureheads and an interactive exhibition, "The Great Adventure of the Sea."
The Tapies Foundation displays works from all periods of the artistic development of Antoni Tapies. You will appreciate the beautiful library devoted to modern literature and documentation on the art and artists of our century. The foundation is housed in a building by the Architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The roof terrace alone is worth a visit.
Mies van der Rohe Pavilion. The Foundation Mies van der Rohe was set up in 1983 by the Barcelona City Hall with the initial purpose of reconstructing the German Pavilion, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) for the 1929 Barcelona International Exhibition. Besides conserving and disseminating knowledge about the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, this place today also fosters debate on and awareness of themes related to contemporary architecture and urban planning.
Catalan National Art Museum is housed in the magnificent palace overlooking the fountains of Montjuic. You will find Catalan works of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance arts from 11th to 18th century. Very interesting museum even though quite long to visit.
Barcelona Contemporary Culture Centre is a multidisciplinary institution that organizes exhibitions in particular on urbanism, music, dance, debates and readings. People from Barcelona commonly frequent this place. Astonishing architecture.
The Museum of Modern art of Barcelona is devoted to Catalan art from the mid 19th century to early 20th century. The collection has works of Fortuny, Russiñol, Casas.
The CaixaForum. Casaramona, now Caixaforum, has come back to life as one of Barcelona's hottest art venues. The restoration work is one more example of the fusion of ultramodern design techniques with traditional (even Art Nouveau) architecture.
Montjic, the hill overlooking the city center from the southwest, is home to some fine art galleries, leisure attractions and the main group of 1992 Olympic sites. Also situated on Montjuïc are the Botanical Gardens and the Mossèn Costa i Llobera gardens with their unique cactus collection.
Tibidabo is the highest hill in the wooded range that forms the backdrop to Barcelona. Tibidabo has an amusement park and a monumental church on its summit. There's also the Torre de Collserola, a telecommunications tower which also has a windowed balcony with a great view over the city.