Beautiful Beaches, Even in Winter and other Barcelona, Spain Things to Do Tips

I was in Barcelona in November and December, and we still thought the beaches were beautiful. If you are there during the winter months I recommend grabbing a scarf and gloves (the breeze can be cool) and going for a walk along the beach, then stopping at a beach-front patio for a glass of wine or hot chocolate!

My second visit to Barcelona was in August, and I spent several afternoons lying on the beach near Villa Olympica. The sea was moderately warm, the sun was bright, the sand was clean and I felt quite safe. There were lots of vendors walking up and down the beach selling bottled water, beer and soda. The crowds are amazing and yet everyone seems to mind their own business and respect one another. Bring your beach towel and some sunglasses!

Oh yeah, and note the giant goldfish statue in the picture. If you are looking for a V.O (version originale aka not dubbed) cinema, there is one called Icaria near the two big towers (metro Villa Olympica). The goldfish itself was designed by Frank Gehry and is 34 by 54 meters!

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Address: Barceloneta

Placa Reial was THE place to meet, eat and drink while we were staying in Barcelona. In five weeks I ate at Les Quinze Nits five times, and I also went to the bar Glacier numerous times. There are lots of cute little clubs on the surrounding side streets (we loved the one called Sugar) and the palm trees and fountain in the center of the courtyard are beautiful! If you need a central meeting place, I highly recommend Placa Reial.

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Address: Plaça Reial
Directions: Barri Gotic east of La Rambla. Metro: Liceu on the green line, also quite close to Jaume 1 on the yellow line

Casa Mila is also known as La Pedrera (the quarry). It was designed to be used as an apartment building but I believe that it is now a World Heritage site that is used for cultural events. Built between 1906 and 1910, Casa Mila is one of the most easily recognizable examples of Gaudi's amazing architecture.

Casa Mila allows visitors the opportunity to tour the building seven days a week, from 10 am to 8 pm (closed some holidays). Ticket prices fluctuate and the audio guide (recommended by me) is available in many languages. Inside the building you'll have the opportunity to see Gaudi's sense of design up close, and you'll see amazing examples of how he designed the structural support systems (he built upside-down models using weights and strings, and then viewed the models in a mirror). Don't bother with the poorly-preserved Casa Battlo when Casa Mila is such a great overview of Gaudi's work.

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Phone: 93 484 5900
Address: Passeig de Gracia 92, Carrer Provenca 261
Directions: Eixample.

Metro Diagonal.
Website: http://www.lapedreraeducacio.org/flash.htm

I almost missed going to Parc Guell on my first visit to Barcelona, I literally went the day before I left the city. I ended up spending the entire day at the park, taking in the great views, landscaping, architecture, design and natural wonders. Built over fourteen years, it was originally going to be a housing development but ended up as a public park.

I prefer to enter the park from Vallarca Metro Station because it means you ascend the largest hill via escalator (assuming they are working) while you are still fresh and not tired from the walking. Exit the metro station and walk about one kilometer to the park entrance (clearly marked by signs). Take in the fantastic views of the city on your way up. When you reach the large, curved viewpoint you will see fantastic, curved mosaic benches that make for perfect photo opportunities. There is a small coffee shop behind you. Wandering through the park you can visit Gaudi's house (now a museum), see the famous mosaic lizard statue and look at houses that seem to come straight from Hansel and Gretel.

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Phone: 93-317-39-740
Address: Carrer d'Olot 7, Vallcarca, Gr?cia, 08024
Directions: Metro; line 3. Lesseps Station, then follow the street signs.
Website: http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins

I really enjoyed the time that I spent at the Fundacio Joan Miro, mainly because there was an EXCELLENT temporary exhibit on Women in Modernism. There were amazing video installations, paintings, sculptures and informative text and audio, all talking about the influence of women in modernism. In Summer 2006, the Fundacio will host exhibits by Carlos Santos and Douglas Gordon. I was less enthused about the Joan Miro collection itself, but it is a matter of personal preference. That being said, his tapestries CANNOT BE MISSED- they are AMAZING! They reach sizes of more than seven by five meters, and hang beautifully in the building (which was designed by Josep Lluis Sert in the 1970s).

Make sure to bring your drivers license or passport so that you can sign out the audio tour, they are really strict on acceptable forms of ID. You can reach the Fundacio by foot (it's a fair hike up Montjuic, but beautiful in cool weather), by Barcelona Tourist Bus, by Bus #50 from Placa Catalunya or by the Funicular from Metro Paral·lel. Adult admission is EUR 7.50 and the reduced rate is EUR 5.

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Phone: (34) 934.439.470
Address: Plaza de Neptú
Website: http://www.bcn.fjmiro.es

There is nothing else like The Ramblas! This stretch of road runs 1.4 kilometers, from the heart of Barcelona (Plaza Catalunya) right down to the ocean. Along the way you will see street performers, stalls selling birds, florists and all sorts of other crazy stuff. There is a wide pedestrian walkway that is always packed, and narrow single lanes of traffic on either side. There are TONS of restaurants along the Ramblas, as well as some cute shops and many hotels. There is no way you can avoid this street on your trip, so embrace all the hustle and bustle and go with the flow!

At the bottom of the Ramblas, there is a giant monument to Columbus. You can ride the elevator right to the top for 360 degree views of the port and Ramblas!

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Address: From Placa Catalunya to the Ocean
Directions: Metro Placa Catalunya or Liceu.

On my first visit to Barcelona I did not go inside the Sagrada Familia, but I did spent a while taking some photos of the exterior. They have been building this church for over one hundred years but construction is nowhere near complete! Every side of the building looks a little bit different, but no matter where you view it from it is awe-inspiring.

On the second visit I signed up for a guided tour, in which a very perky tour guide explained (in English) the fundamentals of the buildings architecture, design and symbolism. Everything you see on the facade of the building (supposedly) symbolizes something important to Gaudi. After the tour we scaled the stairs to the top of the towers. This climb was difficult for my mother; I would not recommend it for anyone with even the slightest difficulty with their legs (knees and hips in particular). The views from the stairwells can be amazing, but traffic is slow moving and the air is far from fresh.

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Phone: 93 207 30 31
Address: Carrer de Mallorca 401
Directions: Metro: Line 2 or 5 Station: SagradaFamilia
Website: http://www.sagradafamilia.org

Park Ciutadella is a great place to spend a sunny, warm afternoon. Just bring your picnic blanket and pack a lunch, then sit back and watch the people go by. There are always people playing guitar or dancing, and lots of children and pets going by. My favorite part of the park is the fountain, but make sure you keep checking back until you actually get to see it turned on! You can also grab a coffee from the kiosk near the fountain and relax for a while. If you bring your own balls and paddles, you can play ping-pong in the great outdoors at one of the parks' ping-pong tables!

The park is also home to the zoo, the zoological and geological museums, and an art museum / gallery, amongst other things.

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Address: Avingudade del Marquès de l'Argentera
Directions: On the edge of Ribera district. Near Barri Gothic, Cathedral Seu and Port Vell.
Website: http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/

One of the highlights of my siteseeing in Barcelona was the trip on the cable cars that run over the port and up to Montjuic. Although the cable car was packed, everyone had a good view. We rode the cable cars at sunset and had beautiful views of Montjuic, the port, the ocean and the city. It is an incredible trip!

I believe we paid EUR 7.50 for a one-way trip on the last car, normally it is EUR 9 return I think. DO NOT start at the Jaume 1 tower by Columbus... you will only get half a trip!

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Directions: Just look for the big cable car towers and start walking towards them!

Placa Catalunya really does seem like the heart of Barcelona. This busy square is home to some of the biggest stores in the city, it is a hub for transportation (buses, trains, taxis and the Tourist Bus), marks the end of the Ramblas, and has the most pigeons I have ever seen in my life!

Placa Catalunya is good for shopping. I got my pay-as-you-go Vodaphone from FNAC, found a great selection of veggie burgers and tofu at the grocery in the basement of El Corte Ingles, and bought an adorable lipstick highlighter pen at Sephora in El Triangle!

For awesome views from the Plaza, grab a drink in the cafeteria on the top floor of El Corte Ingles. Food and drinks are cheap up here, and if you can score a window seat the views are unparalled (for the price!).

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Address: Plaça Catalunya
Directions: Northwestern End Las Ramblas.

Metro: Catalunya