Montblanc was founded in 1163 by Alfonso I of Barcelona to defend the road between Tarragona and Lleida. The town prospered and by the 13th Century was one of the most important towns in Catalonia. Today the medieval old town, complete with fortified stone walls is said to be among the best preserved in Spain. The…
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Hot Air Ballooning Near Barcelona
This year is the 25th anniversary of the company that I work for. Last week we celebrated the occasion with a team-building weekend starting with a party on Friday night. The celebrations continued on Saturday with activities, lunch at a Parador and an evening meal at the old Moritz factory. The activities were a closely guarded…
Girona Flower Festival – Girona Temps de Flors
Each spring, during the 2nd week of May, the streets of Girona fill with colour as the city hosts it’s annual flower festival Girona Temps de Flors. The festival takes place in the historic city centre and medieval Jewish quarter El Call Jueu. The most impressive floral displays include the Cathedral steps, the Arab baths,…
Why I Prefer to Fly EasyJet Between Barcelona and the UK
I’ve lived in Barcelona for more than twenty years and regularly fly from Barcelona to the UK to visit family and friends. At first I used to compare prices offered by different travel websites, but nowadays I normally go straight to easyJet.com to purchase my flight. Here’s why: Competitive Prices Value for money is always…
Monument to Doctor Bartomeu Robert
Plaça de Tetuan is a tiny green oasis on Gran Via in Barcelona’s Eixample district. The small tree-lined plaza is dominated by a 12m high Art Nouveau monument to Doctor Bartomeu Robert built in 1904 by Josep Llimona. The monument took 6 years to complete and was originally installed in Plaça de la Universitat. After the Spanish…
Vegetarian Restaurants in Barcelona
Vegetarians can sometimes have a hard time when visiting Spain. Sure, there are some common vegetarian dishes which are available in most restaurants. But after days of eating Spanish omelette and salad, it can start to wear a bit thin! Luckily meat-free eating is increasingly popular in Barcelona, and there are a growing number of…
La Monumental – Bullring and Bullfighting Museum
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…
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 2024
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 it…
6 Places To Eat Well In Barcelona For Six Euros Or Less
Barcelona has hundreds of restaurants catering to all tastes and budgets. Generally speaking food here is good value for money and the cost of eating out compares very favourably with other major European cities. If you’re on a budget, I recommend you do as the locals do and make lunch your main meal. The majority…
The Nature of Art Nouveau Exhibition at DHUB Barcelona
Last year I told you that the hoardings surrounding the unusual Disseny Hub Barcelona had come down and that I looked forward to finding out more when the centre opened. Well it’s taken nearly two years but the DHUB will finally open on the 14th of December 2014. In fact the DHUB has been partially open…
Enriqueta Martí – The Vampire of the Raval
With a population of approximately 50,000 people, Barcelona’s El Raval neighbourhood has always had a rather dodgy reputation. Despite being the home of one of the world’s most famous food markets (the Boqueria), Barcelona’s grandest theatre (El Liceu) and two of my favourite museums (the MACBA and the Maritime Museum). Not to mention loads of excellent restaurants…
Monument to Francesc Cambó
Born in Verges in 1876, Francesc Cambó was a wealthy conservative politician, lawyer, author, philanthropist and Catalan nationalist. He founded the Regionalist League, was member of the Spanish government, promoted Catalan culture and collected art (a large part of his collection is on display in Barcelona’s MNAC museum). Shortly after the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed in…
Parc de l’Espanya Industrial
A stones throw from Barcelona’s main railway station, the Parc de l’Espanya Industrial is best known for the 12m high dragon sculpture by Andrés Nagel. The sculpture doubles as a childrens’ slide and is commonly used by skaters and BMXers (Note the “BMX or die” slogan spray painted above one of the ramps). The park gets…
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…
Articket – 50% Discount at Barcelona’s Best Art Museums
Barcelona is a fantastic holiday destination for art lovers. In addition to world-famous architecture and works of public art, the city has excellent museums and art galleries. Most of the museums charge between €5 and €20 per person, and it can soon add up. This is where the Articket Barcelona discount card (aka Barcelona Art Passport)…
Besalú – A Medieval Gem in the Heart of Catalonia
With a population of approximately 2400 people, Besalú makes an interesting and relaxing day trip from Barcelona. As you wander the narrow streets, it’s hard to believe that this now tranquil small town was once an important local capital during the Middle Ages. What to See in Besalú Besalu’s star attraction is, without doubt, the…
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…
Hay Fever Season in Barcelona
Since moving to Barcelona I have found that I suffer less from hay fever than when I lived in the UK. I believe that this is because Barcelona is a large coastal city and there is generally less airborne pollen than in smaller cities or towns surrounded by countryside. The only time of year that…
Windsurfing in the Bay of Roses – Sant Pere Pescador
Sant Pere Pescador on the the Bay of Roses is one of Spain’s most popular windsurfing venues and a regular feature on the PWA world tour. The wide bay and 5km sandy beach are ideal for windsurfers of all ages and abilities. Prevailing Winds The combination of beautiful scenery, enviable wind stats and cheap flights…
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…
Someone’s Knitting Jumpers for the Trees !
You may remember that last year I told you about a series of modified street signs which appeared overnight in Poblenou and turned out to be the work of French artist Clet Abraham. Well last Monday I spotted an unusual new piece of street art in El Parc del Clot. Instead of conventional media such…
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 three works of art to the city, welcoming visitors arriving by air, land and sea. Joan Mirós Mural at Barcelona Airport The giant mural…