In Two Days

On the first day, follow the itinerary described in "In One Day." On the second day, stroll through the pond- and garden-filled Parc de la Ciutadella and, time permitting, visit the zoo. Then explore the narrow lanes of La Ribera, with its Picasso Museum and imposing Santa María del Mar church, and walk down to the old (but gentrified) maritime quarter and beachfront of La Barceloneta, with its modern adjoining Port Olímpic area. It's the ideal spot for an atmospheric seafood lunch. In the afternoon wander around Port Vell and explore the regenerated El Raval district.

1. Parc de la Ciutadella

Once the site of a fort (Ciutadella is Catalan for citadel), this verdant park is the most attractive and popular spot in lower Barcelona, complete with two lush but small botanical gardens, a Gaudí-designed fountain (La Cascada) with a huge statue of a primeval elephant, and a quiet lake where you can go rowing. Other attractions include the Castell dels Tres Dragons (Castle of the Three Dragons) and Parlement de Catalunya (Catalan Parliament), which you can visit free if you have time to make an appointment. The zoo's well worth a look, whatever your age, though its former main attraction Copito de Nieve (Snowflake), the albino gorilla, has long since gone to the great forest in the sky.

2. La Ribera

The western part of La Ciutat Vella is really two districts, El Born and Sant Pere (referring to the area's oldest square and church, respectively). The name La Ribera actually means "the shore," as the sea once reached its southern edge. The central Carrer Montcada is lined with museums and the whole former medieval merchants' quarter is packed with traditional shops, tiny squares, and narrow streets named after various local trades that were carried out here -- such as Carrer Carders (woolcombers), Carrer Assaonadors (tanners), and Carrer Flassaders (blanketweavers).

3. Museu Picasso

By far the most popular art museum in town, the Picasso is tastefully spread throughout a quintet of fine old mansions in the heart of La Ribera. Be prepared for long lines but if you do manage to squeeze it into your time-challenged schedule, don't miss the Malagueño artist's version of Velázquez's La Meninas. The museum concentrates mainly on more conventional works and etchings by the adolescent Picasso, who arrived in town with his family in 1895 and wasted no time in opening his very first (and very modest) studio in Carrer de la Plata.

Take A Break

Textil Café, Carrer Montcada 12 (tel. 93-268-25-98), is a charming spot nestled in the patio of the 14th-century mansion containing the Textile Museum, just a few steps away from the Picasso Museum. Enjoy your coffee and pastries in an elegant year-round setting. Even in winter -- notwithstanding rare rainy days -- you can still sit outside, under gas heaters.

5. Santa María del Mar Church

Once upon a time this magnificent church, with its soaring vaults and wonderful stained-glass windows, stood right on the shore of the Mediterranean (as the district's name, La Ribera, implies). It was the focal point of a then-vibrant seafaring and trading quarter which eventually receded, as did the sea. Today it's one of the best-preserved Gothic monuments in the city, and less crowded than some of the more renowned sights.

6. La Barceloneta (and Port Olímpic)

Built on the compact triangle of land (reclaimed from marshes) between the Port Vell and first of the city beaches (Sant Sebastiá), this 18th-century working-class zone has today become more gentrified and sought after by visitors and residents alike. Its once-neglected beach is now well cared for and has a palm-lined promenade where folk walk their pooches. The original, much-loved chiringuitos (shacks) that bordered the shore and served delicious seafood dishes were demolished pre-1992 to make way for today's more acceptably salubrious establishments (still known as chiringuitos), which sell exactly the same food at higher prices. Moving with the times, it remains a great location (and a fun spot to stop and eat paella), as is the vibrant adjoining Port Olímpic with its long promenade, beaches, marinas, and even trendier eating spots and nightclubs.

Take A Break

You can't pass though Barceloneta without sampling one of its finest -- and definitely oldest -- seafood eating spots, Can Costa, Passeig de Joan de Borbón (tel. 93-221-59-03). It's located a block back from the waterfront, as all the genuine locales are. This is the real McCoy, with excellent fideuà de paella (made with noodles not rice) and baby calamares that are worth leaving home for. Can gets busy for lunch, so arrive early -- and that's any time before 2pm in Spain..

8. Marina Port Vell

The main port is the most visibly changed part of Barcelona's waterfront, which for decades notoriously "turned its back on the sea." Today the once drab industrial zone, where piles of containers stood under sad looking palm trees, has been cleansed, revitalized, and transformed. At its northern end the large marina beside the older Moll de Barceloneta is lined with international vessels of all shapes and sizes. A promenade runs south around the harbor, past two large modern jetties: the Moll d'Espanya, whose exclusive Club Maritim, aquarium, IMAX cinema, and Maremagnum zone of trendy shops and nightspots are all linked to the promenade by the curving Rambla de Mar footbridge; and the Moll de Barcelona, with its modern World Trade Center and Torre de Jaume 1 tower, opposite the 14th-century Reials Drassanes (Royal Shipyards) museum

9. Museu Maritim

The Gothic arches inside the Royal Shipyards building loom impressively over what's probably the best nautical museum in the Mediterranean: a superb testament to Barcelona's great naval past. Check out the marvellous "Great Adventure of the Sea" collection with its full-scale replica of Don Juan of Austria's Royal Galley from the decisive 16th-century Battle of Lepanto when Spain defeated the Ottomans. There are smaller models of Magellan's world-navigating Santa María, and one of the earliest submarines, the Ictíneo; and just outside you can go on board the old Santa Eulalia sailing ship moored in Moll de la Fusta.

10. El Raval

Once largely a seedy, run-down district with red-light sections (some of which still exist) and dilapidated buildings, this is another rejuvenated corner of the city, more polyglot than most due to the large number of immigrant residents. In 2000, the center was bulldozed to provide much-needed breathing space in the form of a brand-new Rambla complete with trees, benches, and kids' play areas. It was all part of an ambitious "Raval obert al cel" (Raval open to the sky) project. Around it some of the city's most stimulating new art galleries sprang up, spearheaded by the MACBA (Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona). Still, there's the continuing proliferation of rough edges that, for some, enhances the barrio's appeal. And a few classic buildings like Gaudí's Palau Güell and the Romanesque Sant Pau del Camp evoke a real sense of history in this atmospheric western corner of the Ciutat Vella.

Take A Break

It's the end of your second day, so why not treat yourself to a well-earned snifter of cloudy anis-favored pastis at Bar Marsella, Carrer Sant Pau 65 (tel. 93-442-72-63)? A Provençal-cum-Catalan landmark to hedonism, it's a 19th-century oasis of huge mirrors, heavy drapes, creaky rafters, and high chandeliers. The place has been run by the same family for five generations. Among its first customers was a young Jean Genet, reveling in the degeneracy of those early Raval days.