Balcons de Barcelona (Barcelona Balconies) is a large scale Trompe l’oil style mural painted on the southwest elevation of an apartment building in the l’Eixample neighbourhood, near the Sagrada Familia. Part of a campaign called Barcelona posa’t guapa (Barcelona get pretty) the mural was painted in 1992 in the run-up to the Olympic games. Despite…
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Manresa’s Medieval Fair : La Fira de l’Aixada
Every year, at the end of February, Manresa celebrates La Fira de l’Aixada (festival of the mysterious light) which dates back to 1686 and sees the town step back in time to the 14th Century. In addition to the medieval market, there is a busy schedule of theatrical performances, processions, music and dance commemorating events…
Barcelona Light Festival 2024 : LLum BCN Poblenou
Barcelona’s Festival of light Llum BCN takes place in February in the Poblenou neighbourhood. When darkness falls, buildings, streets, and plazas are transformed by large-scale projections and audio-visual displays created by local and international artists and students from Barcelona’s art, architecture, and design schools. The festival started out as part of the annual Festes de…
Statue of Marià Fortuny
Marià Fortuny i Marsal was a renowned 19th Century Catalan painter whose best-known works are on display in the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) and the Prado Museum in Madrid. Born in Reus in 1838, Fortuny studied art at the la LLotja art school in Barcelona before moving to Rome to continue his studies.…
Keith Haring’s Mural: Todos Juntos Podemos Parar el SIDA
One of Barcelona’s best-known pieces of public art is a 30m long blood-red mural intended to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS. The mural was painted in 1989 by American artist Keith Haring, who was diagnosed HIV positive three years earlier. Famous for his graffiti-inspired artwork on the New York Metro, Haring was invited to…
FC Barcelona Museum and Camp Nou Stadium Tour
With a seating capacity of almost 100,000, El Camp Nou is the largest stadium in Europe and a Mecca for football fans from around the world. The Camp Nou Experience is one of the most popular tours in Barcelona, giving visitors exclusive access to areas of the stadium that are usually off-limits, including the changing…
Monument to Sportspeople of the Sea
The monument to sportspeople of the sea (Catalan: Esportistes del Mar) by Joaquim Ros i Sabaté is one of 3 monuments commissioned by the Real Asamblea Español de Capitanes de Yate during the 1960s, all of which are located in Barcelona’s historic harbour (el Port Vell). The rusty iron statue which represents a yacht at…
El Pont del Bisbe: Bishop’s Bridge
One of the most photographed sights in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, El Pont del Bisbe (Bishop’s Bridge) was built for the Barcelona International Exposition, which took place in 1929. The bridge was designed by architect Joan Rubió I Bellver, who suggested that all non-Gothic buildings in the immediate vicinity of Barcelona Cathedral should be demolished and…
Fer Llenya: Gonzalo Borondo’s Tribute to Castellers
One of the most striking pieces of street art in Barcelona’s Poblenou neighbourhood was painted by Spanish artist Gonzalo Borondo for the 2015 Open Walls Conference. The painting’s title, Fer llenya, is a term used by Castellers (the people who build human towers) and refers to the collapse of a tower. It’s easy to assume…
The Umbrella House: Casa Bruno Cuadros
One of the most easily recognisable landmarks on Barcelona’s iconic Las Ramblas boulevard, Casa Bruno Cuadros is located half-way between Plaça de Catalunya and the Columbus Monument. Better known as The Umbrella House (Catalan: Casa dels Paraigües) due to the brightly coloured umbrellas which decorate the façade. The building dates back to 1858 and was…
How to Unlock Your Suitcase When You’ve Forgotten the Combination
Picture the scene, you’ve just arrived at your hotel in an unfamiliar city after a long flight. You put your suitcase on the bed and slowly turn the numbered wheels of the three-digit combination lock. You press the button to get access to your case but nothing happens. The metal zipper tags remain firmly trapped…
B-OIL: The Cheapest Petrol Station in Barcelona
Whether you’ve hired a car in Spain or are on a road trip around Europe, you can save money by comparing prices every time you fill the tank with petrol or diesel. Fuel prices are lower in Spain than in the UK but you can make your €uros go further by avoiding motorway service stations…
From Barcelona Airport to the Cruise Ship Terminals
Barcelona’s cruise port is conveniently located near the city centre, at one end of the famous Las Ramblas Boulevard. Although there are various public transportation options to reach the city centre from the airport, none of them provides direct access to the cruise ship terminals. As a result, most people either opt for a taxi…
Fira de La Candelera – Molins de Rei
La Fira de la Candelera takes place in Molins de Rei during the first weekend of February. Traditionally this is an important date for farmers and rural communities because it marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox. La Candelera (English: Candlemas) is a Roman Catholic holiday celebrated on the 2nd of…
Monument to Joan Salvat-Papasseit
Joan Salvat i Papasseit was born in Barcelona in 1894. After his father died in 1901 Salvat grew up in a naval orphanage where he received only the most basic education. He left school at the age of twelve to begin an apprenticeship in a perfumery. Inspired by the anarchist revolution which took place in…
The Foundling Wheel at Plaça de Viçenc Martorell
Many of Barcelona’s civic centres and local council offices are located in historic buildings, many of which originally belonged to private individuals or the church. One such building is the Citizen Services Office (Seu del Districte de Ciutat Vella) located at Plaça de Viçenc Martorell in Barcelona’s El Raval neighbourhood. The building dates back to the…
The Cerdà Houses and the Origins of the Eixample District
In the 1850’s Barcelona was booming and the medieval walls which surrounded the Gothic Quarter were torn down to allow the city to grow. The city council asked several architects and city planners to submit plans for a new suburb which would envelope surrounding villages such as Gràcia, Sarría and el Clot. The councillors initially…
Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site: El Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau
A Short walk from the Sagrada Familia, the Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau is one of Barcelona’s most interesting architectural and historical attractions. Built at the start of the 20th century, the site comprises twenty-seven Art Nouveau buildings and was a working hospital as recently as 2009. In 2014, after almost five years of extensive…
Monument to US Servicemen
On the night of January 17th 1977, 49 American servicemen lost their lives in a tragic accident in Barcelona harbour. The men, who were serving aboard the USS Guam and USS Trenton, had been enjoying a few hours of shore leave in Barcelona and were returning to their ships when the small boat they were…
Barcelona Central Post Office
Passeig de Colom, the avenue which runs from the Columbus monument towards the Parc de la Ciutadella, is flanked by a series of elegant buildings dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of the most interesting of them is the Central Post Office which was designed by Josep Goday i Casals and…
Sagrada Familia: Tips for Visiting Gaudi’s Masterpiece
Antoni Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia, is one of the world’s most popular tourist attractions. In this post, we answer some common questions and share tips to help you make the most of your visit, including how to avoid the queues. The Sagrada Familia receives approximately 4.5 million visitors each year. The number of…
Stargazers (Miraestels) by Robert Llimós
A few metres from the Rambla del Mar walkway, two pristine white figures float silently in the waters of Barcelona harbour. The 3.55m polyester and fibreglass sculptures, their gaze turned up to the heavens, were designed by Robert Llimós and built by local shipbuilder Marina 92. The Stargazer (Catalan: Miraesteles) statues are 2 of a…
The 10 Most Emblematic Skyscrapers in Barcelona
The earliest skyscrapers were built in Chicago and New York during the second half of the 19th century and were between 10 and 20 storeys high. Technological advances during the 20th century meant that buildings could grow ever taller and modern skyscrapers are usually more than 100m and often reach heights in excess of 150m. The…
Carretera de les Aigües: An Easy Walk with Fantastic Views
Often referred to as the green lung of Barcelona, Collserola National Park is a popular escape from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Easily reached by public transport, the 8,000 hectare park is crisscrossed by footpaths and cycle tracks. The best known and most accessible footpath is called La Carretera de les Aigües…
La Parella: The Couple by Lautaro Díaz Silva
One of my favourite walking routes in Barcelona is around the historic Port Vell harbour from the Christopher Columbus monument to the Barceloneta beach. Along the way you can enjoy views of the harbour filled with yachts and historic tall ships, take a look at the classic architecture and admire the diverse collection of contemporary sculptures…
Barcelona Rock Fest 2024: Everything You Need To Know!
Since its first edition in 2014, Barcelona Rock Fest has quickly established itself as one of Europe’s top rock and metal music festivals. The lineup gets better each year and includes big-name acts like Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Ozzy Osbourne, ZZ Top, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Alice Cooper. In addition to an extensive lineup of…
The Shark of the Carmel Mural: El Tauró del Carmel
The Tauró del Carmel is a large mural depicting a giant shark made out of hundred dollar bills that was painted in 2009 by Italian street artist Blu as part of the Influencers street art festival. The original shark mural, which was twenty-five metres long, was meant to represent the insatiable appetite of capitalism which was…
The Gothic Arch of Sant Adrià: Gateway to Barcelona
If it wasn’t for the fact that it stands alone beside a busy highway on the outskirts of Barcelona, there would be little to differentiate the Gothic arch of Sant Adrià de Besòs from a myriad of other medieval church doorways. What makes this particular doorway unusual is it’s interesting history which includes bullfights, riots…
From the Cruise Ship Terminals to Barcelona City Centre
Barcelona is Europe’s largest cruise ship port, and the city receives more than two and a half million cruise ship passengers every year. Fortunately, there are plenty of transport options available to get you from your ship to the city centre as quickly as possible. Which mode of transport you choose will depend on which…
Christopher Columbus Monument and Viewpoint
The Columbus Monument Barcelona’s Columbus Monument (Catalan: Mirador de Colom) was erected in 1888 for the Universal Exposition. The 60m high iron column is topped by a bronze statue of the famous Italian explorer who is portrayed holding nautical charts and pointing out to sea. Although the monument is a tribute to the man who discovered…
