Positioned on the northeastern coast of
the Iberian peninsula and the shores of the Mediterranean, Barcelona is the
second largest city in Spain in both size and population. It is also the
capital of Catalonia, 1 of the 17 Autonomous Communities that make up Spain.
Barcelona, an important city owns museums, theaters, art galleries and
nightlife of an impressive high standard. Besides that, this art and design
centre has a lot of interesting sights to offer to its visitors. 'Las
Ramblas', is the best place to watch people go by, to stroll or simply
relax. Here one can look out for flower-stands, book kiosks and small market
stalls where they sell birds and small animals. You'll also find an
endlessly fascinating flowing vessel of pageant-jugglers, singers, dancers,
puppeteers, sidewalk artists, living statues and assorted oddballs on
parade. Nearby is 'Plaça Real', with plenty of bars and restaurants,
and 'Palau Guell', built by the Catalan architectural genius Antoni Gaudí
in his swelling art-nouveau style.
Barcelona, more than just a single city, is really a union of multi-faceted
and diverse cities. The most astonishing part of the city is that being such
a modern and enterprising city, it retains its historic Gothic center almost
intact. This is acity that has painted such beautifyl pictures where past
blends with the present and offers the visitors with sights to be cherished
for a lifetime.
Fact File
Country : Spain
Population : 1.6 million
Languages : Spanish and Catalan
Climate : Barcelona has a mild Mediterranean climate. Summers are
hot and humid with temperatures often hitting 38 degrees Celsius. Winters
are mild, and snow is infrequent. Rain falls mostly in the autumn and
spring, when the mean temperature is 16ºC. The average daily minimum
and maximum temperatures for Barcelona are: December-March (6-16°C);
April-May and October-November (11-21°C); June-September (18-28°C)
Official Currency : Euro; 1 Euro = 52.443 Indian Rupee = 1.2047 US $
= 0.678141 GBP(subject to change)
Location : Barcelona is located on the north eastern tip of Spain.
Getting
There
By Air : ‘Barcelona's El Prat de Llobregat Airport’ is 12
kilometers south of the city center. Getting into the city by car takes
approximately 20 to 30 minutes.
By train, travel time is less than 20 minutes. Trains from the airport
leave every 30 minutes.
A third option is the Aerobus that leaves the airport for Plaça de
Catalunya every 15 minutes (6 am-11 pm) on weekdays and every 30 minutes,
(6:30 a.m.-10:50 p.m.) on weekends. From Plaça de Catalunya back to
the airport, it leaves every 15 minutes (5:30 a.m.-10:05 p.m.) on weekdays
and every 30 minutes (6:30 a.m.-10:50 a.m.) on weekends.
By Train : The two railway stations namely ‘Barcelona (Train
Station)’, Spain and Barcelona (Sants Mainline Train Station), Spain
make the city accessible from different parts of the country.
Getting Around
Metro (Subway) & Bus : Barcelona's metro is relatively small yet
it manages to serve the city quite well with its 4 lines which traverse the
city.
Barcelona's bus service is inexpensive with over 50 routes covering the
city.
Cable Car : The Transbordador Aeri Harbor Cable Car provides
spectacular views along its run from Mirramar on Montjuic Park, across the
harbor to Torre de Jaume I and then on to Torre de Sant Sebastian. The Cable
Car operates from 11:30am-6pm in winter and from 11am-10pm in summer.
Taxi : Taxis in Barcelona are many and easy to find, they roam the
streets or line up at the many marked taxi stands and charge moderate fares.
Accommodation
The city of Barcelona has very good hotels to ensure a comfortable stay for
the tourists. Mentioned below is a list of some of the hotels in the city:
5 star hotels in the city:
Prestige
Paseo de Gracia
Hotel Princesa sofia
Hotel Alexandra
4 star hotels in the city:
Hotel Majestic Barcelona
Hotel Ritz
Silken Grand hotel Ravana
3 star hotels in the city:
Hotel Gran Catalonia
Hotel Expo Barcelona
City park hotel Pelayo
Major Tourist attractions
Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia : Gaudí’s
unfinished masterpiece and the city’s most fantastic landmark, the
Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family, stands above the grid-like streets of
the Example.
Museu Picasso : The Picasso Museum is the one of the city’s
main tourist attractions, contained in two 15th-century palaces close to the
Parc de la Ciutadella. The arresting permanent collection is devoted to the
artist’s early work, including a large number of childhood sketches,
paintings from the Blue Period (1901–1904) and the Pink Period (1907–1920),
exhibition posters, ceramics and cubist works. There are also two exhibition
spaces for temporary exhibitions.
Mançana de la Discòrdia : A series of extraordinary
houses by Montaner, Gaudí and Puig i Cadafalch consist of the Mançana
de la Discòrdia (Block of Discord) on the Passeig de Grácia,
between Aragó and Consell de Cent.
Casa Milá : Casa Milá, also referred as La Pedrera
(the stone quarry), is an twisted apartment block on the corner of Passeig
de Gràcia. The building is inspired by the ocean and is an incredible
testament to Gaudí’s ability to make stone malleable.
Catedral
de la Seu : Catedral de la Seu was built between the 13th and 15th
centuries, on the site of an earlier basilica and the spire and façade
were not added until the beginning of the 20th century. Major highlights
include the carved choir stalls, the Capella de Lepanto and the tranquil
cloisters containing a pond of white geese.
Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya : The Palau Nacional, on
Montjuïc, was the centre of Barcelona’s International Fair in
1929. It now contains the National Museum of Catalonian Art. The museum has
a stunning collection of Gothic, Romanesque and medieval treasures and
religious artefacts. The entry to the Palace is up Avenida de La Reina Maria
Cristina, from Plaça Espanya and is lined with fountains that are
floodlit at night
Fundació Joan Miró : Joan Miró Foundation is
one of the most original galleries in the city. The foundation was a gift
from the artist himself and owns a permanent collection of his paintings,
graphics and sculptures.
Santa Maria del Mar : Santa Maria del Mar is counted among the most
beautiful churches in the city and is considered a prime example of
Mediterranean Gothic architecture. It is located just to the northeast of
the Barri Gòtic, at the heart of the fashionable La Ribera district.
A 15th-century rose window adds colour to the simple harmony of the columned
interior.
Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona : Brilliant-white Museum
of Contemporary Arts is at the centre of efforts to rejuvenate this
traditionally neglected area of the city. The museum was inaugurated in 1995
and contains a permanent collection of post-1940s international art, as well
as various temporary exhibitions.
