Luxury hotels in Barcelona

Barcelona guide

Barcelona: the Sagrada Família and Gaudí's city

Timed tickets for the basilica, Park Güell, the Gothic Quarter and the tapas of the Born.

The Sagrada Família, Gaudí's basilica still under construction more than a century after it began, is Barcelona's most cited sight and a UNESCO site; timed tickets sell out, so we book them ahead, ideally for the morning, when light pours through the stained glass. Park Güell, Casa Batlló and La Pedrera complete Gaudí's city.

The Gothic Quarter's lanes, the Picasso Museum and the Born district are best on foot, and La Boqueria market and the tapas bars are a pleasure. May, June and September bring the best weather, without the August heat.

Park Güell, Casa Batlló and La Pedrera

Park Güell, Gaudí's hillside park of mosaic terraces and the famous salamander, is one of Barcelona's most cited sights and a UNESCO site; the monumental area uses timed tickets. On the Passeig de Gràcia, Casa Batlló, with its bone-like balconies, and Casa Milà, La Pedrera, with its rooftop chimneys, are a short walk apart.

Both houses offer evening visits with music on the rooftops in summer. Booking all of Gaudí's sites in advance, with a private guide for the Sagrada Família, makes a smooth day.

The Gothic Quarter, the Born and La Boqueria

The Barri Gòtic, the medieval heart of Barcelona around the cathedral, is one of the city's most cited areas, with Roman walls, hidden squares and the Plaça del Rei. Across the Via Laietana, the Born district has the Gothic church of Santa Maria del Mar and the Picasso Museum, in five medieval palaces.

La Boqueria market on the Rambla is the place for breakfast at a counter, and the tapas bars of the Born and Barceloneta are perfect in the evening. The Palau de la Música Catalana, a modernist concert hall, can be visited or heard.