The Plaza de Toros Monumental was built in 1914 and is the world’s only Art-Nouveau bullring. It was the last active bullring in Catalonia and finally closed in 2011 when bullfighting was banned by the Parliament of Catalonia. The building now houses a small bullfighting museum. Visiting the La Monumental Bullring I’ve never been to a…
Category: Attractions
Barcelona Design Museum – DHUB
The new Barcelona Design Museum opened during December 2014. The museum explores the role of design in our daily lives through 4 permanent exhibitions which were previously housed in the Museum of Decorative Arts, the Ceramics Museum, the Barcelona Textile Museum and the Cabinet of Graphic Arts. The museum occupies 4 floors of the futuristic…
Plaça d’Espanya
Plaça d’Espanya was built for the 1929 International Exhibition and was originally flanked by purpose-built hotels designed to house people visiting the exhibition. Only one of the hotels remains and nowadays the square is basically a large roundabout with an impressive fountain in the middle and magnificent views of the Palau Nacional and Montjuïc. The…
Where to See Christmas Nativity Scenes in Barcelona in 2023
Plaça de Sant Jaume If you’re in Barcelona at Christmas time you shouldn’t miss the large nativity scene in Plaça de Sant Jaume. The nativity occupies about a quarter of the plaza and the design changes every year. The nativity scene shown below is from 2014 and was a recreation of the Roman city of Barcino.…
The Dark History of Plaça de Sant Felip Neri
When I took this photo I was planning on writing an article explaining how the bullet scarred walls of the Església de Sant Felip Neri church are a monument to the people executed here by Franco’s troops during the Spanish Civil War. I’m not entirely sure where I got that version of events from but…
El Fossar de les Moreres
In the heart of the Ribera district, the Fossar de Les Moreres is a sombre reminder of Barcelona’s turbulent history. The site has been a burial ground since medieval times and in 1714 citizens who died defending the city during the siege of Barcelona were buried here in a mass grave. Because of this the…
The Encants Vells Flea Market
Barcelona’s Encants Vells, also known as the Mercat de Bellcaire, is one of the oldest flea markets in Europe and dates back to the 14th Century. In 2013 Els Encants relocated to a stunning new purpose built 3 story structure opposite the Agbar Tower. The emblematic mirrored canopy houses 500 stalls; a mixture of junk shop, antiques…
Monument to Doctor Trueta
Josep Trueta Raspall was born in the Poblenou neighbourhood of Barcelona in 1897. He studied medicine at the University of Barcelona and in 1921 started working as an assistant surgeon in the Hospital de la Santa Creus I Sant Pau. By the onset of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 Dr. Trueta had already started…
Barcelona Cable Cars
Barcelona has two cable cars that offer visitors fantastic aerial views of the city and provide easy access to the castle and other attractions on Montjuïc. Barcelona Port Cable Car The Transbordador Aeri del Port (Port Cable Car) was built for the 1929 Barcelona Universal Exposition and links the Barceloneta beach to Montjuïc. The red…
Statue of Pau Claris
This bronze statue of Pau Claris was inaugurated in 1880 and originally stood on what is now Via Laietana. It was withdrawn from public display during the Spanish Civil War, as were other monuments to famous Catalan figures such as Dr Bartomeu Robert and Rafael Casanova. In 1977 the statues were restored and reinstated in…
Sir Winston Churchill Monument
Sir Winston Churchill and Barcelona Winston Churchill was undoubtedly one of the most important figures of the 20th Century. His leadership inspired the British people to stand up for freedom during the second world war. Hitler backed Franco and used the Spanish Civil War to perfect techniques which were later used by the Nazis in…
Fernando Botero’s Fat Animal Sculptures
Two of Barcelona’s most photographed sculptures bear the unmistakable hallmark of Colombian artist Fernando Botero. According to Wikipedia the artist’s trademark style is called Boterism and depicts people and animals in “exaggerated volume”. The Cat from the Raval Known locally as either “El Gato del Raval” or “El Gato de Botero” this over-nourished alley-cat was…
Monument to Francesc Macià
Francesc Macià i Llussà was President of the Generalitat de Catalunya from 1932 until his death in 1933. Born in September 1859, Macià grew up in Vilanova i la Geltrú (a medium-sized town approximately 50 kilometres south of Barcelona). After a spell in the Spanish army, he fought for Catalan independence and formed the political…
Joan Miró Welcomes You to Barcelona
In 1968 Joan Miró was commissioned to create a giant mural to welcome visitors arriving at Barcelona airport. The Barcelona-born artist liked the idea so much that he decided to donate 3 works of art to the city welcoming visitors arriving by air, land and sea. Joan Mirós Mural at Barcelona Airport The giant mural…
Joan Miró Park and the Woman & Bird Sculpture
The main attraction at Joan Miró Park is the 22m high Woman and Bird Sculpture (Dona I Ocell). This somewhat phallic tiled statue was constructed in 1983 just a few months before Miro’s death. Although the the main body of the sculpture might look inherently masculine, the vertical black hole on one side indicates that…
The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc
I have to admit that the first time I visited the Magic Fountain, I was pretty sceptical. Let’s face it, an illuminated fountain that changes colour in time to music sounds pretty cheesy! All I can say is forget any preconceived ideas you might have and check it out. The sheer volume of water in…
Rafael Casanova Monument
Rafael Casanova was the Councillor in Chief of Barcelona during the war of the Spanish succession. He is a Catalan national hero and was wounded defending the city when it fell to Bourbon troops on September 11th 1714. Catalan politicians and public figures lay floral tributes in front of the statute as part of the…
MUHBA Via Sepulcral Romana – Roman Burial Ground
The Via Sepulcral Romana dates back to the first century AD. During the period of the Roman Empre cemeteries were built outside the city limits. In this case the tombs lined the road between Barcino (Barcelona) and nearby Sarria. The cemetery was discovered in the 1950s when buildings which had been badly damaged by bombs…
The “Maja Madrilenya” Fountain
The “Maja Madrilenya” is a 5m high white marble fountain in Plaça Vila de Madrid (just off La Rambla). The statue was unveiled in 1956 and is the work of Catalan sculptor Lluís Montané Molfulleda. So what exactly is a Maja? “Majas” or “Majas Goyescas” date back to 18th century Madrid. At the time women’s…
Barcelona Motorcycle Museum
Unfortunately the Barcelona Motorcycle Museum is no longer open to the public. The museum closed in 2018 and the collection was moved to the museum’s other location in Basella (Lleida). More information here. This small museum in the heart of Barcelona’s Gothic quarter houses a collection of approximately 70 classic motorbikes. The museum’s collection is…
The Born Cultural Centre
Designed by Antoni Rovira i Trias and inaugurated in 1876, the “Mercat del Born” was Barcelona’s first cast-iron covered market and is the largest of it’s kind in Europe. It was the city’s central food market right up-until 1971 when the new Mercabarna wholesale market opened in the Zona Franca. The abandoned market building fell…
Poblenou Cemetery
Poblenou’s Cemetery (Cementiri de Poblenou / Cementiri de l’Este) was built in the mid 18th Century and then rebuilt and extended during the 19th Century. It is divided into 3 sections. The first of which is a labyrinth of 7 story high burial niches typical of Spanish cemeteries. The second section is full of extravagant…
Frank Gehry’s Golden Fish Sculpture
The 52m long golden fish sculpture El Peix is one of the best known and most striking landmarks on Barcelona’s seafront. It’s gold coloured stainless steel surface shines under the Mediterranean sun and changes appearance depending on the angle of the sun and the current weather conditions. The fish statue was built for the 1992 Barcelona…
The Barcelona Mammoth Museum (now closed)
Unfortunately the Barcelona Mammoth Museum is no longer open to the public. Due to financial reasons, it closed down on the 25th of October 2016 and most of the collection has been moved to another museum in Italy. If your kids are fans of the Ice Age films then they’ll love the Barcelona Mammoth Museum.…
The Caixa Forum
More than just a modern art museum, the Caixa Forum is billed as a Cultural Centre and stages temporary exhibitions as well as concerts, arts related educational workshops and films. There are 3 main exhibition halls, a cinema and a dedicated children’s activity area called Caixa Forum Kids. There is just one permanent exhibit; Joseph…
Museum of Catalan Modernism
The Museum of Catalan Modernism opened in 2010 and contains furniture, paintings and sculptures from two private collections exhibited in a modernist building on Carrer Balmes. The museum includes works by most of the major exponents of the genre including Antoni Gaudi, Joan Busquets, Eusbei Arnau, Josep Llimona and others. The museum occupies 2 floors…
Three Charming Art Nouveau Fountains by Josep Campeny
One of the things that makes Barcelona such a great place to live is the fact that, no matter how long you spend here, there’s always something new to discover. Everyone is familiar with sights such as the Sagrada Familia or the Pedrera, but I suggest you spend a few hours simply exploring and going…
Monestir de Pedralbes – One of Barcelona’s Best Kept Secrets!
The Monestir de Pedralbes is a beautiful gothic monastery which was built in 1326 by Queen Elisenda in an effort to be forgiven for her sins. Some of the most famous architects of the time worked on the project including Ramon Despuig and Berenguer de Montagut who also designed the Bascilica de Santa Maria del…
The Roman Temple of Augustus
Tucked away inside a medieval building in the Gothic quarter of Barcelona, these 9m high Corinthian style columns are nearly as old as the city itself. The Temple of Augustus dates back to the first century BC and was part of the Forum, at the centre of the Roman city of Barcino. Unlike the majority…
Plaça de Catalunya – More Than Just a Metro Stop!
For many visitors Plaça de Catalunya is the first place they see when they arrive in Barcelona. If you take the Aerobus from the airport, the chances are you will get off here on the way to your hotel. Plaça de Catalunya is also the intersection between Las Ramblas, Portal de l’Àngel, Ronda de…
