Barcelona Online | What to see in Barcelona

Art noveau concert hall Must see
Palau de la Música Catalana
Designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, and built between 1905 and 1908, the Palau de la Música (address) is one of the major pieces of "Modernista" architecture. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, there is ample justification for this site describing the Palau as "one of the world's leading concert halls".

The site has a potted history of the Palau, and a full calendar of events. A concert at the Palau is an absolute must for music lovers coming to Barcelona, and it's a must-see for anyone interested in architecture.

The Palau is on Sant Francesc de Paula, just off Via Laietana.

•We liked: The Springsteen concert. (Er... wasn't that in the Palau Sant Jordi? Ed.)
•Not so hot: You can't find the virtual tour (nor could we)...? Go to "guided visits" and click the image top left ("Palau Virtual Domènech i Montaner")
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan

Barcelona Opera House Must see
Liceu
With room for an audience of nearly 2,300, Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu Operaaaa (sorry, typo!) House is one of the largest opera auditoriums in the world.

The site gives a reasonable impression of what is a pretty impressive place, grandly rebuilt following the 1994 fire (which conveniently allowed them to make it even bigger). A performance at the Liceu (check the calendar) is on your must-do list if you're coming to Barcelona and are at all a culture freak.

•We liked: Oooooh! Nice 3D virtual tour...!
•Not so hot: Oh, dear, it's made me feel a bit seasick...
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan

Fascinating for a stroll, not bad for food, either Must see
The Boqueria
The Boqueria market is one of Barcelona's many fascinating places in which just to mooch about. Of course, if you want to do some serious cooking, it's also the place to go look for that missing ingredient. For exotic foodstuffs, one of the best places to look.

•We liked: The idea of a market having its own website...
•Not so hot: ... but what are you actually going to put on it?
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan

Barcelona Cathedral
Very basic site with limited information on when services are on, the cathedral's history, and interior decorations. The website is strictly one for cathedral buffs.

The cathedral itself is worth a visit if you are here in Barcelona – as is getting to know the area of quiet backstreets around it (see picture, left).

•Languages: Spanish, Catalan

Light, water and music show
Magic fountains of Montjuich
Designed for the Universal Exhibition of 1929, the Magic Fountains of Montjuich (just up from the Plaza España), is a light, water and music extravagance which you'll either love or think a bit naff. Choose "videos" on the site to make up you mind before traipsing all the way to Montjuich.

Timetable Thurs-Sun evenings, summer; Fri-Sat in the winter. Full details on the site.

Note that you may have to temporarily disable your anti-popup tool in order to be able to view the site.

•We liked: Cooling off in the spray
•Not so hot: What do you mean I can't jump in, officer?
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan

Pueblo Español
Spanish Village
Built in 1929 for the occasion of the Barcelona International Exhibition, the Pueblo Español (or Spanish village) brings together some actually quite attractive traditional architecture from all over Spain and stuffs it full of handicraft and souvenir shops and packs the place with concerts and bars that somehow do not seem so tacky on hot summer nights.

The Spanish Village is on the Avenida Marquès de Comillas, going up Montjuich, a 10-15 minute walk from the Plaza España; the tourist bus also stops outside. (The driver has just dumped you there if you have come on a coach tour.)

If, by the way, the coach driver doesn't show up afterwards, you've got the CaixaForum just down the hill, which is well worth half an hour or so.

•We liked: The village empty, on a cold but sunny winter day
•Not so hot: We would have liked a map on the site showing which buildings represent which regions
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan

Magnificent view of Barcelona
Torre de Collserola Communications Tower

The Torre de Collserola is the Norman Foster-designed, 288m communications tower, built for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics that sits up there on the Barcelona skyline.

Those with a head for heights will enjoy the 115m ride up to observation platform (in a -glups!- glass elevator) and the fantastic views of the city and much of its hinterland available from the top.

To avoid an expensive taxi-ride there, take the train to Peu de Funicular, take the cable car to Vallvidrera, and then it's a 15 minute-walk. Right, you can hardly miss a 288m tower, can you? Well worth it for the view, even if you don't go to the top of the tower.

•We liked: The most incredible view from the observation platform (regrettably not to be observed in the shoddy images on the site)
•Not so hot: Ooooh! I'm not going up there…!
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan

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