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Best Free Things to Do
Enjoying the Freebie Cultural Treats: Top visits here are the Foment de les Arts Decoratives i del Disseny (FAD) cultural center where you can view exhibitions and sometimes buy bargain paintings by promising young unknowns and CaixaForum art gallery, which has an ever-changing trio of stimulating exhibitions. Around the city you'll find an impressive variety of open-air public art displays: Antoni Llena's bizarre metal David i Goliat, Frank Gehry's copper Peix (Fish) in the Olímpic Port, and Colombian sculptor Fernando Botero's rather chubby Gat (Cat) in El Raval. There's also Roy Lichtenstein's trademark comic-strip-style Barcelona Head, near the Columbus statue down by the harbor, and Joan Miró's Dona i Ocell (Woman and Bird) finished in 1981, just before his death and located in the park named after him in Sants.
Strolling in the Parks: Despite its densely urban appearance, Barcelona is actually filled with parks where you can relax, stroll, and in many cases enjoy fun amenities. (Visit the website www.bcn.es/parcsijardins for the full list.) Parc de la Ciutadella, just to the east of the Old City, with its fountains and statues is a relaxing respite from the adjoining claustrophobic medieval labyrinth, while Parc Güell, higher up in Gràcia district, delights visitors of all ages with its fairy-tale Gaudí structures. In Montbau, the Parc de la Crueta del Coll has a playground and public summer pool (which in winter reverts to being an artificial lake). To the west, rambling hilltop Montjuïc--with its marvelous harbor views, jogging paths, the Fundació Joan Miró, Botanical Gardens, and illuminated Font Màgica (magic fountain)--is an airy kaleidoscope of greenery and cultural and sporting attractions. Less well known but more "countrified" is the Parc d'en Castell de l'Oreneta, just above the Pedralbes Monastery, where you get a chance to enjoy marvelous panoramic city and coastal views as you picnic and wander along signposted trails among meadows in the grounds of a long since disappeared castle.
Taking in the Ecclesiastical Gems: The city is full of amazing historical and religious monuments. And many of them are free. For example, unlike in most of Spain's major cities, there is no charge for visiting the Catedral. Other monumental treats are the Capella de Sant Jordi, and churches of La Mercè and Santa María del Pi, each of which makes its own unique contribution to the spiritual and architectural beauty of the city and shows you another aspect of its rich history. An additional marvel is Santa María del Mar in the Born section of La Ribera.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
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