Since the Olympic Games were held in Barcelona in 1992 the city has benefited from a new lease of life and a steady stream of tourists. What I find incredible is why it wasn't as popular prior to the Olympics.
Barcelona is a city with so much to offer that you might not see all you want to in just a few days. It's home to so many attractions that you could come back again and again and still discover new and exciting things.
Top of most tourists' lists is a stroll down Barcelona's centre piece, Las Ramblas. This is often followed by a visit to the stunning Sagrada Família and other buildings designed by the legendary Gaudí. The city is also packed with excellent museums such as the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Picasso Museum.
Barcelona is a great city to saunter around and enjoy the atmosphere in the often balmy weather. Take in the hustle and bustle of the revamped port area or the character of the medieval lanes of the Barri Gòtic. Many of the streets are full of jaw-dropping architecture and lined with outdoor eateries. If you are a football fan, a tour around FC Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium will be top of your agenda. If that's not enough, the city also has a thriving nightlife and excellent restaurants to satisfy even the most hardcore gourmand. And to top it all off, Barcelona is beautifully located, nestled in-between sandy shores and green mountains.
So is Barcelona worth a return visit? Definitely, and go during the summer months when Spain's coolest city is buzzing. Discover its world class music festivals, neighbourhood street parties and vibrant beach life and you, like me, might just fall in love with the city all over again.
Barcelona's Beach Life
One of the city's biggest draws is its 4.2km stretch of sandy beaches. The beaches' chiringuitos (beach bars) are perfect for enjoying a cold beer and some fresh prawns. By night these chiringuitos transform into Ibiza-like bars with the clientele sipping mojitos while DJs spin some tunes.
The beaches are not the tranquil paradise that you might get elsewhere in Spain but what's great about them is that all walks of Barcelona life can be seen there. Trendy couples, pensioners, posers, massage-therapists and stag parties all share the sand and worship the sun, while on the promenade joggers and roller-bladders pound the pavement.
Barceloneta beach (metro stop Barceloneta) is about a 20-minute walk from Las Ramblas. The promenade is lined with seafood restaurants and cafes with terraces. At the far end is Frank Gehry's fish statue. Unfortunately the beach gets so busy in the summer months that it can be difficult to relax there. The trick is to keep following the coast away from the city and the crowds will thin out as you go.
On the far end of Barceloneta is the Olympic village which divides Barceloneta and Icaria beaches (metro stop Ciutadella-Vila Olimpica). Icaria has a bit more space in summer and attracts more families. It's well equipped with a ping-pong table and two volleyball courts. During the summer there is an assisted bathing service for disabled people on weekends and bank holidays.
If you prefer to go 'au natural' then head to Marbella Beach (metro stop Poblenou). Marbella has a popular nudist beach section. Spanish law allows nudity on any beach as long as it does not cause disturbance, so there are no official nudist beaches. But it's advisable to only strip off on the beaches that have been selected by the locals as nudist beaches.
If you want to get outside the city, Sitges is just 30 minutes south on the train from Santas station. This pretty town is full of character and has a good stretch of clean, sandy beach.
Barcelona Festivals
Barcelona has its fair share of summer music festivals. Primavera Sound was just on (end of May) and is highly recommended for next year. The festival is beautifully located in Parc del Forum, a purpose-built location that snakes along the Barcelona coastline. A cool crowd, lack of mud and a great line-up make for one of the best music festivals around. This year headliners included The Pixies, Pavement, Broken Social Scene and Florence & The Machine.
A few weeks later in June, is the Sónar electronic music festival. The line-up is split between a day and night programme. The day programme takes place just off Las Ramblas where you can dance in the sun with a mojito in your hand. The party really kicks off at the night festival with the bigger acts playing in a separate venue that's a 20-minute bus ride from Las Ramblas. It's a must for any festival goer and fan of electronic music. LCD Soundsystem, Chemical Brothers, Air, Dizzee Rascal, 2 many djs, Hot Chip and Roxy Music are headlining this year.
Throughout the summer, different neighbourhoods in the city hold their own festival (Festa Major). The events normally kick off with a big al fresco dinner for the residents, followed by live music. The most famous of these is Festa Major de Gràcia.
Gràcia is a northern suburb of Barcelona and is packed with plazas and narrow lanes lined with cafes and bars. The residents of the 16 streets and squares of Gràcia all compete for the prize of being the best decorated street. This results in amazingly elaborate carnival style decorations. The weeklong festival is one big street party with thousands in attendance.
La Mercè is a five-day festival held at the end of September. It's traditionally held in honour of the Patron Saint of Barcelona and is Barcelona's biggest festival, with a week of concerts in the streets, dancing, swimming races and castellers (human towers). The Giants Parade is really popular with kids and families. On the Sunday the traditional Catalan parade is called a Correfoc. This means 'fire-run' in English and constitutes a parade with fire-spitting dragons and devils running up the streets with bangers and hand-held fireworks. Spectators are advised to wear long sleeves, hats and glasses for protection.
The Barcelona Gay Pride festival takes place in June. The gay scene in Barcelona is small in comparison to cities like Madrid. The city's Pride marches were nothing to write home about until last year when the first official Gay Pride Festival took place. Events happen all over the city during the week and culminate with a flamboyant march.
Budget Tips for Barcelona
The public transport system is excellent in Barcelona, with frequent trams, buses and metros all over the city. A single journey ticket on the metro/bus network costs €1.40, but better again buy a 10-journey ticket for €7.85.
If you can't afford a night out on the town a nice way to spend an evening is to get yourself a bottle of Cava for less then a tenner and kick back and enjoy the Font Mágica de Montjuic (spring and summer: Thursday to Sunday 9-11pm; autumn and winter: Friday and Saturday 7-9pm). This show features water acrobatics at the fountain in Plaza Carles in Montjuic with a light show and a soundtrack of pop and classic music.
The Travel Bar Port in Barri Gòtic is a good place to get a feed if you're smashed. This bar for backpackers offers pasta and rice dishes for the bargain price of €1.
So even if you have been to Barcelona, go again and don't wait for the next Olympics to come around.
For more information on visiting Barcelona, visit: www.spain.info and www.barcelonaturisme.com.
Deirdre Mullins
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