Top 10 Barcelona’s Highlights
With warm, crystal-clear waters lapping its sandy shores and mountains nuzzling up to its northern edge, this glittering jewel in the Mediterranean is blessed with desirable geographical genes. From the buoyant, revamped port area to the atmospheric medieval streets of the Barri Gotic and the beautiful Modernista buildings of the Eixample, Barcelona has it all. A host of treasure-filled museums, architectural wonders, lively beaches and enchanting squares provide the icing on the cake.

1) Sagrada Familia
The enduring symbol of the city and its Modernista legacy is this church, Gaudi’s other-worldly piece de resistance. Piercing the Barcelona skyline are eight of the twelve planned spires that have so far been built.

2) La Rambla
Barcelona’s centerpiece, this 1-km long (.6 mile) thriving pedestrian thoroughfare cuts a wide swathe through the old town, from Placa de Catalunya to the glistening Mediterranean.

3) Barcelona Cathedral
Dominating the heart of the old town is this magnificent Gothic Cathedral with a soaring, elaborate façade and a graceful, sun-dappled cloister containing palm trees and white geese.

4) Parc de la Ciutadella
A verdant oasis in the city centre, Barcelona’s largest park is criss-crossed with pleasant paths. It boasts a zoo, three museums, and a lavish Modernista fountain.

5) Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
The stately Palau Nacional is home to the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, which holds one of the most extensive collections of Romanesque art in the world. The works were rescued from churches around Catalonia in the 1920s.

6) La Pedrera
Unmistakably Gaudi, this Modernista marvel seems to grow from the very pavement itself. Fluid and eerily alive, its curving façade sprouts writhing wrought-iron balconies. A cluster of mosaic chimneys keeps watch over the rooftop like shrewd-eyed knights.

7) Fundacio Joan Miro
An incomparable blend of art and architecture, this spacious museum, awash with natural light, showcases the work of Joan Miro, one of Catalonia’s greatest 20th century artists. Paintings, sculptures, drawings and textiles represent 60 prolific years.

8) Museu Picasso
Housed in a medieval palace complex, this museum charts Picasso’s rise to fame with an extensive collection of his early works, including numerous masterful portraits painted at the age of 13.

9) Palau de la Musica Catalana
No mere concert hall, the aptly named Palace of Catalan Music is one of the finest, and most exemplary, Modernista buildings in Barcelona.

10) Museu d’Art Contemporani & Centre de Cultura Contemporania
The city’s gleaming contemporary art museum and it’s cutting-edge cultural centre have sparked an urban revival in the El Raval area.