Tucked away in a narrow backstreet in Barcelona’s El Poblenou neighbourhood stands a mysterious, almost life-sized polystyrene replica of Auguste Rodin’s masterpiece, The Thinker. There’s not much information available online about the statue which appears to have been created by a company that built theatrical props, scenery, and backdrops and used to have a workshop…
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Hiking From Garraf to Sitges Via the Buddhist Monastery (Sakya Tashi Ling)
Thirty kilometres south of Barcelona, the picturesque seaside town of Garraf is famous for its sandy beach and colourful beach huts. The town also serves as the gateway to hiking in Garraf Natural Park, where there are plenty of easy trails to explore. One of the most popular routes in the area is a twenty-kilometre…
Els Mistos: The Matches Sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen
Els Mistos is a twenty-two-metre steel statue of a book of matches, which was inaugurated in 1992 in the Vall d’Hebron neighbourhood of Barcelona. The monument, which was created by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, depicts an open book of matches, one of which is burning with a blue flame. Some of the giant…
Five-Day Hike From Vic To Besalú (Multi-day hike near Barcelona)
Spain is crisscrossed by a network of long-distance hiking trails called Senderos de Gran Recorrido, or GR footpaths. These trails usually take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to complete, making them ideal for hikers seeking a multi-day trek. This post describes a five-day hike that combines the most scenic sections of two…
History Museum of Catalonia (Museu d’Història de Catalunya)
As its name implies, The History Museum of Catalonia is entirely dedicated to explaining the history of Catalonia. The museum is located in the Port Vell harbour and is housed in the only remaining building from the original nineteenth-century dockyards, built during the height of the Industrial Revolution. The museum is divided into two floors.…
Walking the Camino de Santiago from Barcelona to Montserrat (A pilgrim’s guide)
The Camino de Santiago is the world’s best-known Christian pilgrimage trail and hundreds of thousands of people set out to walk it every year. The history of the Camino de Santiago can be traced back to the Middle Ages, and although nowadays, most pilgrims only walk the 100-kilometre section from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela,…
Basilica of Santa Maria del Pi (Visitors guide and history)
The Basilica of Santa Maria del Pi is located in the heart of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, near Las Ramblas and the famous Boqueria Food Market. The basilica dates back to the fourteenth century and is known for its large Rose Window, one of the largest in Catalonia. However, the main reason for visiting the basilica…
The Frederic Marès Museum (Visitors Guide)
The Frederic Marès Museum is located in the heart of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, in an impressive medieval building that was formerly part of the Royal Palace. The museum boasts an extensive collection of medieval sculptures as well as tens of thousands of everyday items, which provide insight into the lives of Barcelona’s upper class during…
Casa Pàdua: The Green and Red Art Nouveau House at 75 Pàdua Street
Barcelona is famous for its striking Art Nouveau architecture, which attracts millions of tourists every year to visit iconic landmarks such as the Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera, and Casa Batlló. Apart from these well-known sites, which are open to the public, hundreds, if not thousands, of other Art Nouveau buildings are scattered throughout the city,…
Basilica of Sants Màrtirs Sant Just i Pastor
The Basilica of Sants Màrtirs Sant Just i Pastor dates back to the fourteenth century and was built on the ruins of a fourth-century church, which was itself built on top of a pagan temple dedicated to the deity Mithras from Greco-Roman mythology. The church’s plain exterior, typical of Catalan Gothic architecture, belies the beauty…
T-Mobilitat: Barcelona’s New Contactless Travel Card (Updated 2024)
T-Mobilitat is the new contactless ticketing system that replaces the old cardboard travel passes that were used on public transport in Barcelona until spring 2024. In this post, we take a look at what the T-Mobilitat is, how it works, what formats are available, and how you can use it when travelling by public transport…
Barcelona Cathedral: A Complete Visitor’s Guide
Barcelona’s magnificent Gothic cathedral dates back to the thirteenth century and is one of the city’s oldest and most historic buildings. The cathedral is famous for its ornate Neo-Gothic façade, peaceful cloister and stone gargoyles that channel water from the roof. Other highlights include the elaborately carved choir stalls and the crypt containing the remains…
Complete Guide to Hiking the Camins de Ronda (Costa Brava Coastal Path)
The Camins de Ronda are a series of historic footpaths that run along the Costa Brava, one of Spain’s most beautiful sections of coastline. The paths date back more than a thousand years and were originally used by fishermen to travel from village to village. From the mid-nineteenth century, the paths were used by the…
Walking the PR-C 171 in Barcelona: From Zona Universitaria to Trinitat Nova
The PR-C 171 trail is an easy twenty-kilometre hike through the Collserola mountain range, which visits the peaks of Sant Pere Màrtir, Tibidabo and El Turó de Santa Maria and offers breathtaking panoramic views of Barcelona, along the coast, and inland towards Montserrat and nearby cities like Sant Cugat del Vallès. The trail takes between…
Can You Drink the Tap Water in Barcelona?
If you’re planning a trip to Barcelona you’re probably wondering whether the tap water in Barcelona is safe to drink. Yes, tap water in Barcelona is completely safe to drink and is continuously monitored to ensure that it meets the standards established in EU directive 2220/184 and under Spanish law, Real Decreto 140/2023. Both these…
The Hash Marihuana and Hemp Museum, Barcelona
The Hash Marihuana and Hemp Museum in Barcelona is the world’s largest museum that solely focuses on cannabis. The museum, which opened its doors in 2012, explores the history of cannabis and hemp, including their medicinal, cultural, industrial, and recreational uses. The museum is located in a medieval palace in the Gothic Quarter, where it…
Visiting Barcelona City Hall: Everything You Need to Know
Barcelona’s City Hall is an impressive example of Gothic architecture that has served as the local government’s headquarters since its construction in 1369. Like many other buildings in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, the city hall has been subject to various modifications and additions. However, despite all the changes, parts of the interior have remained unchanged since…
Casa de l’Ardiaca: The Archdeacon’s House
The Casa de l’Ardiaca is a small Gothic building tucked away in plain sight, near the main entrance to Barcelona Cathedral. The building, which is currently home to the city’s historic archive, dates back to the twelfth century when it served as the residence of the archdeacon, a high-ranking member of the clergy. Despite being…
Exploring Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter: A Perfect Half-day Itinerary
With over two thousand years of history, Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter is a labyrinth of narrow streets and striking Gothic architecture that dates back to the Middle Ages and the times of the Roman Empire. Located between Plaça de Catalunya and the Port Vell Harbour, the Gothic Quarter is the heart of the Old City and…
Pont de Mühlberg: Barcelona’s Love Lock Bridge
Love locks have become a common sight in European cities since the early 2000s, after the release of the Italian film Ho Voglia di Te (English: I Want You). In the movie, two lovers inscribed their names on a padlock and attached it to a bridge in Rome. Since then, the tradition has spread, and…
Discovering the Public Art on Barcelona’s Waterfront (walking itinerary & map)
Barcelona is renowned for its public art, and the city’s many parks and plazas are replete with monuments ranging from traditional statues paying homage to people and events of the past to intriguing contemporary pieces by international and local artists. But it’s not just the parks and plazas which are full of art. Wherever you…
Roman Scales by Jannis Kounellis
One of a series of eight sculptures which were installed in public spaces in the run-up to the Barcelona Olympics of 1992, Roman Balance, or Balança romana in Catalan, by Greek artist Jannis Kounellis is a reminder of Barcelona’s seafaring and industrial heritage. The statue consists of seven large cast iron balance pans, each loaded…
MNAC: The National Art Museum of Catalunya (Visitors guide & tickets)
The National Art Museum of Catalunya, also known as MNAC, is located in the Palau Nacional near the Magic Fountain on Montjuïc. The museum boasts an impressive art collection spanning over a thousand years, tracing the development of art in Catalonia. The museum is famous for its impressive collection of Romanesque murals from the 11th…
Easter in Barcelona 2025: Processions, Traditions & Best Things To Do
Easter, or Semana Santa as it’s known locally, is Spain’s most important religious festival. The celebrations date back to the sixteenth century, and include sombre processions with ornate floats commemorating Jesus Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. The most famous Easter Week celebrations take place in Andalucia, in southern Spain. However, cities throughout…
The Three Hills Walk (Urban hiking in Barcelona)
The Three Hills Walk is a popular hiking trail in Barcelona which visits the summits of three hills: El Turó de la Rovira, El Carmel and La Crueta del Coll. There are multiple variations of the route that follow footpaths and tracks through parks in the neighbourhoods of Gràcia, El Carmel, and Horta-Guinardo. The lengthier…
The Fundació Joan Miró Art Museum on Montjuïc (Visitors guide & tips)
The Joan Miró Foundation is a museum of modern art that exhibits the works of Barcelona-born artist Joan Miró. The museum opened its doors in 1975 and was designed in collaboration between Miró and architect Josep Lluís Sert. In addition to an extensive collection of Miró’s work, the museum also contains exhibits by other contemporary…
From Orwell to ‘Tripi’: The History of Barcelona’s Plaça de George Orwell
Tucked away in the labyrinthine heart of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, Plaça de George Orwell was created in 1989, when an entire block of housing was torn down. The creation of this, and other similar plazas, was conceived as a way of opening up the Gothic Quarter and presumably went hand in hand with the generalized…
CCCB: Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona
The Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, or CCCB for short, is contemporary arts centre in Barcelona’s Raval neighbourhood. The centre opened in 1995 in a historic building which was once an almshouse and houses three main exhibition areas, as well as an auditorium, a bookstore, an arts cinema and a digital archive, all of…
How to Get to Sitges from Barcelona Airport
Sitges is a beach town located thirty-five kilometres south of Barcelona. Once a sleepy fishing village, the picturesque narrow streets of the old town, sandy beaches and lively nightlife have been attracting tourists since the nineteenth century. If you’re flying into Barcelona and planning to spend a few days in Sitges, you might be wondering…
How to Travel from Barcelona Airport to the Costa Brava
The Costa Brava, or Wild Coast, is the stretch of coastline which runs from Blanes, sixty kilometres northeast of Barcelona, to the French border. The area is known for its good weather, good food and pristine sandy beaches, and is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Spain. The Costa Brava is served by…