Attractions

Long a Mediterranean center of commerce, Barcelona is also one of the focal points of European tourism, a role sparked by the 1992 Olympic Games. Spain's second-largest city is also its most cosmopolitan and avant-garde.

Because of its rich history, Barcelona is filled with landmark buildings and world-class museums. These include Antoni Gaudí's famed Sagrada Família, the Museu Picasso, the Gothic cathedral, and La Rambla (also known as Les Ramblas), the multi-faceted tree-lined promenade cutting through the heart of Old Town.

You can also branch out from Barcelona to one of the sites of interest in its environs, including the beaches of Lloret and Tossa de Mar in the north and of Sitges in the south, the monastery at Montserrat, the Penedés vineyards, and the Pyrénées.

To begin, however, you'll want to take in the artistic and intellectual aura of this unique seafaring city. Residents are justifiably proud of their Catalan heritage, and are eager to share it. Many of these sights can be covered on foot, for more information see Walking Tours.

Small but Good: Other Barcelona Museums

There are dozens of small private museums in Barcelona, some the fruit of a collector's obsessive passion, others that display an ancient guild's craft. Many are free; others charge a minimal entrance fee or ask for a donation. The charming Museu de Calçat, Plaça Sant Felip Neri 5 (tel. 93-301-45-33; 2.50€ ($3.10) Tues-Sun 11am-2pm; Metro: Liceu), is housed in the ancient headquarters of the city's shoemaker guild. The collection spans from Roman sandals to the boots of the famous Catalan cellist Pau Casals. The Museu de Carrosses Fúnebres (Museum of Funeral Carriages), Sancho d' Avilla 2 (tel. 93-484-17-00; Mon-Fri 10am-1pm and 4-6pm, Sat-Sun 10am-1pm; Metro: Marina), also has an unusual location: the basement of the city's morgue.

Although bullfighting is not popular in Catalonia except among a handful of die-hard aficionados, La Monumental, Barcelona's bullring, is an exotic structure that also houses the Museu Tauri, Gran Vía 749 (tel. 93-310-45-16; Apr-Sept Tues-Sat 10:30am-2pm and 4-7pm, Sun 10am-1pm; Metro: Monumental), a small museum of memorabilia, costumes, and other related items. The taboo and the most sacred of cultures around the world are explored in the Museu Etnológic, Passeig de Santa Madrona s/n (tel. 93-424-64-02; Tues-Sun 10am-2pm; Metro: Espanya). In a similar vein, ethnographic pieces collected by Capuchin nuns in the Amazon region can be viewed in their convent at the Museu Etnogràfic Andino-Amazónic, Cardenal Vives i Tutó 2-16 (tel. 93-204-34-58; by appointment only; Metro: María Cristina). In 1982 the prominent Barcelonese doctor Melcior Colet donated his home, a moderniste dwelling designed by Puig i Cadafalch, and amassed sporting memorabilia for the city. The result, the Museu de L'Esport Dr. Melcior Colet, Buenos Aires 56-58 (tel. 93-419-22-32; Mon-Fri 10am-2pm and 4-8pm; bus: 7, 15, 33, 34, or 59), is a collection of objects relating to Catalan sporting achievements.

In an outer Barcelona park, an extraordinary collection of period carriages, adornments, and uniforms worn by coachmen is at the Museu de Carruatges, Plaça Josep Pallach 8 (tel. 93-427-58-13; Mon-Fri 10am-1pm; Metro: Mundet). One of the prettiest of all the city's private museums is at the rear of a perfume shop. The Museu del Perfum, Passeig de Gràcia 39 (tel. 93-216-01-21; Mon-Fri 10:30am-1pm and 5-8pm, Sat 11am-1:30pm; Metro: Passeig de Gràcia), holds over 5,000 examples of perfume bottles, vials, and paraphernalia from Egyptian times to the present day. Watch out for the Dalí-designed Le Roi de Soleil.