"Barcelona - capital city with attitude" Barcelona by aaaarrgh

Barcelona Travel Guide: 9,441 reviews and 21,467 photos

Homage to Catalonia

Barcelona is the Capital of Catalunya and you can often hear Catalan being spoken. Barcelona is proud of its independence from Madrid.

Whenever I visit Barcelona I think of George Orwell's "Homage to Catalonia". Barcelona was draped with the red and black anarchist flags as they fought the fascists of General Franco in the 1936 Civil War.

Since the 1992 Olympics Bracelona has reinvented itself. There are new art galleries, new public squares and much public art.

A walk down La Ramblas is a must! It is awash with newspaper, flower, souvenir and animal stalls. All trendy cities (Cardiff for example) say how they would like to have their own Ramblas tree-lined shopping street.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Vibrant capital city with a new sense of pride.
Cons:can still be rough and smelly in places
In a nutshell:See Pro's above!

Last visit to Barcelona: Jan 2003
Intro Written Nov 20, 2004
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Reviews (5)

Graffiti - Barcelona's FREE art... Things to Do (3)

Barcelona's graffiti artists are very well organised and proud of their work. I was surprised to find they have their... more travel advice

MACBA Modern Art Gallery, very white!! Things to Do (3)

The Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona is a fairly recent addition to the city. Barcelona has been busy redesigning... more travel advice

Pleasant Hotell close to Ramblas Hotels (1)

Three of us and two children stayed at Hostal Ramos for a few nights. It is a nice basic hotel wrapped around an inner... more travel advice

Bag Snatchers in Coffee Shops!! - Barcelona

Bag Snatchers in Coffee Shops!! Warnings and Dangers (1)

Beware of the chains of American Coffee Shop which are springing up around Barcelona. They are targetted by theives and... more travel advice

Comments (4)

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gilabrand Apr 2, 2006 at 1:43 PM

Thanks for the artists on VT plug - I just saw it for the first time! Good, down-to-earth information.
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Belsaita Feb 6, 2006 at 4:38 AM

So we have a least one thing in common... we both like street art!! I'm collecting pics of graffitis, there are so many good ones. Saludos desde Barcelona.
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scottishvisitor Mar 8, 2005 at 9:23 AM

Loved the ramble down La Ramblas Nice page
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tpangelinan Mar 4, 2005 at 4:39 PM

Great page you have made here! Very helpful tips and information. Would love to visit here some day, thank you :o)